Self cancelling indicators...XJ650

Hi all,
And a Happy New Year to ye..
On me way in this morning I noticed that when I used the indicators the engine stalled..When I cancelled them she fired up.
Any ideas.?
Thank you.
Morgan.

 

Really low battery unless you were at road speed.

Below 2K RPM, the engine (and the rest of the bike) runs almost entirely off the battery. The charging system doesn't fully take over until around 2200 RPM; the more common symptom is signals that don't flash at low RPM but do at speed.

 

Thanks Bigfitz52,
Battery is fully charged up.
I was told that the self cancelling unit under the tank can cause the engine to cut out.
Is this fact.?
Was thinking of pulling it out and tossing it away.. I personally think the self cancelling is a gimmick anyway..

 

It's not a fact at all.

The "relay under the tank" that can "cause the engine to cut out" is the safety relay and has nothing to do with the self-cancelling unit. And generally, the relay itself isn't the problem it's usually wiring or one of the many switches that "feed" it.

If you want to pull the self-canceller, toss it to any one of us who currently ride our XJs in traffic. We'd be glad to have a spare, since they can run into the $100 range. ($109.00 MSRP new but you can't get one from Yamaha any more.)

Honestly, your symptoms, if not a weak battery, are those of a wiring or connectivity problem. The first thing to do would be to pop the lenses off all 4 turn signals and see if they have a case of wet, rusty guts. (They can fool you-- LOOK.) Then get into the headlight shell and see what's up. Except for some in the tail section (varies from bike to bike) most of the pertinent wiring is in the headlight shell.

Personally, I LIKE the self-cancelling feature; although I wish it wouldn't cancel quite so quickly sometimes. I've had 5 Yamahas with it now, and you come to appreciate it. It's far from a "gimmick" some serious engineering went into it.

What RPM were you idling at? It should be 1050 for a 650.

 

Good morning and thank you Bigfitz.
She ticks over at just over 1000rpm and is pretty constant. The battery is only a few weeks old but is a basic acid type..Might upgrade to a stronger one.
I suppose since I havent had a bike with self cancellers I'm just used to cancelling manually. I can see the benefits you mention.
An XJ mechanic here in Dublin told me that the earlier XJ's had a problem with cutting out aroung corners and even Yamaha couldnt figure out the problem.He told me that he read in a Clymer article that it was due to the self cancelling unit and recommended removing it.
Last week I replaced the voltage regulator with a genuine brand new unit.
And cleaned the fuse box..Its the original stock unit if thats a possible problem. Yesterday morning it was pretty damp and my bike doesnt have the luxury of being garaged..She sits outside under cover. On my way home the problem didnt happen..Indicators worked fine.
She's a bitch to start though but I still love her. One warmed up she is on the button.

 

The original fusebox has to go.

The fuse clips will eventually crystallize and break all on their own; I'm surprised it hasn't happened to you already.

You can replace it with a modern, blade-type fusebox (recommended) or replace the clips with some made of real metal (and keep it old-school.)

 

Thanks for all your advice Bigfitz..
Will take it on board.
While I have you...How do I adjust the clutch properly.?
I have had several air cooled Yams especially the RD's and I always like the engine to engage when the clutch lever is not quite half way released.
The way the clutch is on my XJ 650 it seems very hard to find neutral when she warms up.
She doesnt slip at all but are the gear boxes on the XJ that clunky when warm.?
Perhaps I should be adjusting the cable at the clutch end and not at the lever.?
As always thank you.
Morg.