77 xs 360-2D Rebirth

had this 77 xs 360 for 3 years. I got it for $300 with 5600 miles on it. Rust, a barely custom seat, wonky electronics, but ran strong. I rode it for a year before it needed some real repair, so it sat for 3 years. We lost a vehicle recently to an accident and i need to get the bike running. Ive been reading posts quietly for 3 years and decided to finally put up my project.

Everything mechanical runs well, soon as i put fuel in the carb bowls and kick, it fires up. Its idle can be a bit unstable but its a petcock vacuum issue that i got under control .

I did a ton of mechanical and cosmetic work. Built a custom battery tray because it came zip tied to the frame . Tires, fork seals, seat, tank de-rust, pet cock rebuild, ignition points, carb rebuild (when i first got it), chain replace and adjust, cleaned sprockets, brakes, paint. Clutch adjustment was good but could use one now.

Oh on to the fun, electronics...

The turn signals have never flashed, they light but no flash. Every relay (3 relays) i put into the bike, buzzes. Including a NOS relay that cost me $100 ...buzzz...no flash...are you kidding .....

I multimeter the relay connection and i get 11.7v With the engine off but on battery power...WTF? Plenty of power to make the relay work...My signals light up but do not flash! any one have any ideas?

Headlight lights up, high beam switch works.

Weird thing is my horn also has no power. Multimeter it at 0v. I understand this is on the same path to the tail light/brake light switch, could explain my reason for tail light not lighting. I have a brand new horn and hasn’t helped. All connections look good at the plug.

all the electronics i talked about are controlled on the same switch. Hi beam and low works. When i switch the turn signal either direction, all 4 light up and do not flash. Horn will not honk when switch is depressed.

Only 2 things i haven't tried are a new switch and complete rewire. Ive chased wires all over and fixed what was old. Id be grateful for any ideas. Sorry its not a stock restore but a brat/cafe bike. More pics soon. Thanks!

Here the wiring diagram I use. Its not in the wiring diagrams thread, so l’ll upload it there next. Its a crappy scan of the original manual, i think. Cant make out wire colors on the diagram but with a lil extra thought it works. Hope it helps.

The can stock style oem relay needs 13.5+ volts to flash. The numbers should be on it. If your running stock front and rear signals and wiring is correct they should work.

Not stock rear signals. But stock front. If i switched to LED do you think i would save enough voltage to make 13v+ At the relay?Stock can says 12.8v max?

12.8v 27w x2 +3.4w is the min load to work. These old style usually won't flash till 13.5v battery/motor charging power or more. You need both front and back full size oem bulbs in order for the stock can to work proper. With your small style flashers even non-led you will have issues. Not enough load. I ran those type bulbs for a while with a 12v two prong automotive relay and had issues. They would flash fast or not at all. That was also with stock wiring on a 80 xs400. LED bulbs need led relays.

Xschris thanks a bunch for your input/knowledge. If i wanted to convert my turn signals to LED front and back, i would have to get a LED signal relay? Would i have to re wire or would stock wiring be ok? Looking to convert all lights to LED eventually unless i should go for it all at once. Thanks

http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=24257.0

So i found this. Although very simple i feel it can help any one with a LED signal conversion. Im going to try some of the ideas here as well. Hope it helps anyone in process.

I use a relay I found at an auto parts store, dont have the details at the moment. Its a metal can style. It will flash with any style light, even blown out bulbs.

That became a somewhat of a safety issue because a bulb would blow and Id go days or probably even weeks without knowing, I know that sounds silly but its true.

I found these little LED lights that used the same socket base and had the pc board capping it off. It was the only thing I could find that would fit inside the light housing and lens. The pc boards would vibrate off the rear lights and go bad, soild mounted turns. I started lining the pc board and socket lip with a smear of silicone and that fixed it. Of course, the lights were white, so they looked funny with the colored lens. Youre supposed to match color to the lens with LEDs or use clear lens.

I now have a set of Motogadget m.blaze pins and they are unbelievably bright. Cant wait to mount them.

NewHavenMike said:

I use a relay I found at an auto parts store, dont have the details at the moment. Its a metal can style. It will flash with any style light, even blown out bulbs.

Click to expand...

Thanks for the input! Let me know the PN of this relay you speak of, please. The motogadgets are sick! Looking forward to pictures of it.

I replaced a bunch of old grounds and corroded butt connectors the previous owner left for me...surprised they lasted. Loomed it up and made it pretty. I left the lights and relay connector out of the loom for now so they will be ready for LED turn signals. I'm going to put a resistor at every light. I have a ton of space on the metal battery tray for them to mount and dissipate heat. Might even look cool? I'm hoping the resistors will give me the resistance I need to light and flash in the stock circuit with a stock switch. I'm going to get an LED relay to wire in if it doesn't work with the relay set up I have. Worse case, I'll make a new circuit off the battery with a separate switch, not ideal tho.

The idea is to have the flexibility to use the lights I want to use, perhaps motogadgets... The bike didn't come with any stock lighting (except for the headlight) so I don't have the option of the bulbs I read about on the other thread. I wish.

I'll keep posting pictures as i go along. Thanks to all who take interest and keep this alive.