hot signal bulbs

i noticed that my right dash signal light was staying on steady and not flashing. so i investigated and found both front and rear signals were burnt out. as i took the bulbs out i noticed the sockets had over heated. the front bulb was burst and the glass of the rear bulb was deformed from heat, and the bulbs positive end was fused to its mating terminal. the rear socket innards were melted as well. these are cheap plastic ebay signal lights. i replaced the bulbs and they are working ok. i dont see any obvious signs of heat in the wires? does this sound any alarms? should i be digging into the wiring harness to look for an issue? it seems odd that it would be hot only at each end?

If the bulbs fit in the sockets loosely that will build up heat. Put white grease in the sockets that might help just check them every once in a while. Just remember great things are made in china lol. Good luck

"Cheap FeeBay Signal Lights", are the rest of them still in good condition? Like where the socket goes in the housing? You could buy replacement sockets and try for better quality. Even though it seems like everything comes out of China, there is a few quality levels.

the 2 on the left side seem ok, but i should take them apart and check. i just thought it strange that i had 2 overheat on the same side. this made me wonder if there is an electrical issue ?

Of course they should all be the same Wattage Bulbs, if you bought them all from the same source, but wouldn't hurt to double check. Another check might be while running, whats the voltage across the bulb socket, both without the bulb and when its installed. Vs the other side. Maybe if there is some variance due to a bad ground? But then that side should be dimmer as well.

Make sure the battery voltage doesn't go much above 14.5v when running. If it goes over 15v at any time, then there may be some wiring issues or the regulator may be bad. Excessive votlage can melt bulbs, but usually the headlight bulb will also show signs of overheating/melting.

Color Codes On Most Kawasaki’s (written for 1980’s bikes)

HEADLIGHT
RED with BLACK stripe, High Beam.
RED with YELLOW stripe, Low Beam.
BLACK with YELLOW stripe, the ground circuit.

BRAKE/TAIL LIGHT Can be an # 1157 dual filament bulb
RED, Running or Tail Light.
BLUE,(sometimes with a Red stripe) Brake Light Circuit.
BLACK with YELLOW stripe, the ground circuit.

LEFT FRONT TURN SIGNAL Can be an #1157 dual filament bulb
GREEN, Left front turn signal circuit.
BLUE, Left front running light circuit.
BLACK with YELLOW stripe, the ground circuit.

RIGHT FRONT TURN SIGNAL Can be an # 1157 dual filament bulb
GREY, Right front turn signal circuit.
BLUE, Right front running light circuit.
BLACK with YELLOW stripe, the ground circuit.

LEFT REAR TURN SIGNAL Can be an #1156 single filament bulb
GREEN, Left rear turn signal circuit.
BLACK with YELLOW stripe, the ground circuit.

RIGHT REAR TURN SIGNAL Can be an #1156 single filament bulb
GREY, Right rear turn signal circuit.
BLACK with YELLOW stripe, the ground circuit.

Depending on the age of the bike, early Kawasaki's had a bayonet type instrument bulb socket(push and turn), and the later bikes had the wedge base type(usually a #168 or #194 bulb.

14.7 at idle across the bat, and 14.8 v at 5000rpm's.
not sure how to check voltage across the turn sig? i plugged my meter into the wire connection at the terminal and ground at the bat, but all i got was a misc reading all over the place due to the current going on and off.

the 4 bulbs were 12v 23 watts. i replaced the 2 burnt rt side bulbs with bulbs that fit, from my spare parts drawer. i'm not sure about there watts, they were not marked. they flash at a slower rate and are slightly dimmer. the 23w bulbs would been a special order.
i took the 2 right side bulbs out and found that the front bulb has smoked glass from heat. the rear bulb looks clear,like new still. the right side sockets look good.

Well i think the stock bulbs are about 27 watts, so that would be even brighter/ more power/ heat. But given your first statement of where they came from, maybe just poor quality? the sockets maybe not able to handle the heat, for a longer duration of time. Are those a single, or dual filament bulb? Like 1156, single, or 1157 dual?
You would have to have a load on the circuit, bulb installed to get a voltage measurement, across the back side of the socket/ back probe.

u may be right about the quality. it may have been that i forgot to cancel my turn signal and left it on for a long time ??
any ideas where to get replacement sockets?
i'm just thinking that if i replace the sigs in have no guaranty of there quality until i receive them. maybe it would be better to replace the sockets?

I think for ease, NAPA probably has the best inventory off the top of my head. they have quite a lot of stuff available. They have a complete on-line site to look through.
Also a good Truck center would have a lot of lights, and sockets. I bought just the small board, the spring, and wire pigtails years ago from an "Auto Electrician" shop. So if you have some good Automotive electrical shops around they might have some replacement sockets.

good idea. I'll Google Napa.
Thanks