How to: Enable rear corner markers (stock turn indicator pods)

alexk

Weekend Rider
Hey all...

I'll edit this post as I take pictures and clean up my own installation. For the moment, it's a set of instructions and pointers.

How to install a set of front turn indicators on to the rear of a stock FZ8 tail-end.

This will give you 5 watt corner markers in the rear, which should help people see and avoid you better at night. You'll want to stick with incandescent bulbs - they'll light up the whole pod making you easier to see, even if the peak brightness might be slightly lower.

There's no need to worry about current draw or duty cycle - the pods and lenses are rated for the 5w continous, and the wiring and fuses are sized fine to handle an extra amp total.

Parts needed:
  • Front Flasher Light Assy 1 39P-83310-10-00 (~$35)
  • Front Flasher Light Assy 2 39P-83320-10-00 (~$35)
  • Blue automotive wire between 18 and 22 gauge
    • Make sure it's automotive - it has different insulation that won't harden and crack with time
    • Smaller is better - it's only carrying a half amp, and the stock wiring is (I think) 22 gauge there
    • It doesn't *have* to be blue, but it's always a good idea to splice with the same color as stock
  • 6x female crimp-on bullet connectors - red (18-22 gauge)
  • 2x crimp-on butt connectors - red (18-22 gauge)
  • Good quality electrical tape
    • Don't skimp here. Poor quality tape will shrink, crack, come off, and in general screw things up over time

Tools needed:
  • Crimp tool (this kind!) ($7)
  • Wire strippers (this kind) ($1.50)
  • Scissors
  • Philips screwdriver
  • Flathead screwdriver

Notes about crimp connectors:
  • If you've not done these (well) before, you probably want to practice stripping and crimping before you cut the bike.
  • Strip no more than 1/4" of wire before crimping on. Remember - it's easy to strip more off a piece of wire, so start small!
  • Use as little pressure as possible to strip the wire. It's really easy to damage the copper underneath, so it takes practice and a delicate hand. Practice on the blue wire until you get the hang of it!
  • If you have any exposed copper after you slide in the wire all the way, you stripped way too much. Even better, the insulation should go all the way to where the connector starts to narrow.
  • Gently twist the strands together before you crimp on a connector.
  • If you look inside a crimp connector, you'll see it's a rolled piece of metal rather than a proper tube. The line where the pieces meet on the inside? That's exactly opposite of where the tooth of the crimper goes.
  • You can connect 2 wires in one end of a connector. Strip them a fraction more than normal, then twist the two wires together. Trim the twisted-together section back to the correct length, then crimp.
  • Gently tug to make sure its secure. If it slides, remove it and recrimp a little harder with a fresh connector. Don't squeeze hard enough to chop through!
  • Practice on scrap wire unless you're already really good at it.
  • Always have extra connectors.

Prep work (both "new" pods):
  • Open the spare turn indicator pods using the philips screwdriver and pop it open
  • Twist the connector off the lens
  • Using your fingernails, pry up the gasket where the wires disappear into the stalk
  • Gently coax the wire through and separate the wiring loom+socket+bulb. You'll need this later.

Access the wiring on the bike:
  • All the wires run through a channel on the left side of the tail. Carefully work those out of the channel. You can tug on them to get an extra couple inches out of the body. Use the flathead screwdriver to release the cable clamp at the back
  • Wiggling them carefully, identify which of these cables is which.
  • Locate the tail light wire. Cut it a couple inches forward of where it exited the wire clamp
  • Slice the tubing back an inch on both sides
  • Use a butt connector to reconnect the black (ground).
  • Cut two short lengths (couple inches each) of blue wire off your spool.
  • Use a single butt connector to connect all four blue wires.
  • Put female bullet connectors on the ends of both remaining blue ends.

Repeat for both sides of the bike:
  • Cut the wire loom for the turn indicator you're working on. Same spot as before.
  • Open the pod
  • Remove the socket from the lens.
  • Pry the gasketed wires off the stalk
  • Pull the wiring loom out of the bike. Take note of the wiring color.
  • Slice back the tubing an inch on the wire loom you're working on.
  • Put female bullet connectors on the ends of the wires.
  • Carefully thread matching colored wiring loom (and its tube) through the pod and back through to where you cut. It should almost line up.
  • Plug the bullet connectors in, paying close attention to matching wire colors
  • Put the bulb+socket into the lens, push the grommet into the stalk, and reassemble the pod.

Insulate everything.
  • Wrap each connection one-by-one in electrical tape. They need to be watertight and have zero exposed metal. Shorts are bad, mkay?
  • All tubes should have the slices and cuts fully covered.
  • Make sure all wire insulation and connectors are fully covered.

Test it!
  • Turn the bike on. Both rear turn indicators should light up the same brightness as the fronts. Same with the license plate light.
  • If one doesn't light up, check your connections - both blue and black.
  • Check the turn indicators blink at the normal speed and on the correct side.
  • If one doesn't light up, check your connections - both brown/green and black.

Clean up!
  • Wrap each loom individually with electrical tape so that the tubes are water tight.
  • Put as much as you can back into the channel in the tail, and use the wire clamp for everything that it fits.
  • Any exposed looms? Tape em together to keep them secure. They should already be water tight.

I'd recommend keeping all the removed/spare parts along with 4x male bullet connectors in a bag. While you probably won't need to reverse the installation, it'd be easy to do so - just unwrap, disconnect, pull the 3-wire assemblies out, reinstall the two-wire ones, crimp on the male connectors, reconnect, tape up, and button it all up.

I can't vouch for the legality of always-on rear-facing ambers. There's got to be a reason Yamaha chose to go this route.

Usual disclaimers - this is a guide, not a request, nor intended as expert instruction. Be careful, get a professional if you need help, and don't ride if your turn indicators or tail light aren't working right. You assume all the risks. Be kind rewind. Donate to your local animal shelter. Be cool.
 
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