Common Modifications to the Blinkers on a Motorcycle
In almost all areas, in order for a motorcycle to be street legal, it must have blinkers (or turn indicators). This is 2 on the front, 2 on the back. The colors can vary but usually they are yellow on the front and red on the back. Orange or amber is also acceptable on the front.
What if you don’t want your bike to look like all the others on the road. There are ways that you can modify the blinkers and still be well within the rules of the road.
To start off, you have 2 basic types of blinkers. They are 2 wire and 3 wire blinkers. What this means to the common person is what it sounds like. It has to do with the number of wires that lead to the blinker. If you have a 3 wire blinker, the 3rd wire will be constant power (when the ignition is on) to the light. This will have the same effect as a parking light on a car. A 2 wire blinker will not be lit up unless you are actually using the blinker. By the way, the 3rd wire is a ground wire. It remains the same no matter what the type of blinker.
This brings us to the first type of modification. If you want you bike to have a “cleaner” look, that is without any unneeded lights, you can easily make it so that you have a 2 wire blinker even if that is not the way that the bike was originally made.
To do this, locate the 3 wires. Leave the ground wire alone. Using a test light (or other similar device) and find out which wire is hot when the ignition is turned on. All you have to do is cut it. Since you left the wire that makes the indicator blink, you will still have a working blinker. It will only work when you are signaling for a turn.
Another common modification is to change the lens cover. They come in every design possible, some will even black out part of the light so when the blinker comes on you have a design that lights up (like a skull and cross bones for example). While this may make the bike look cool, it is covering up the indicators that allow other drivers to see you are turning or changing lanes.
Many motorcycles have blinkers that stick out from the bike like “ears”. To many riders, especially to people that customize their bikes, this messes up the lines of the bike.
It a relatively simple procedure to remove the bars that extend the lights and place the lights closer to the bike. You will have to take the blinker assembly apart, remove the post that makes the light stick out and put the blinker on the frame of the bike. Some people will keep the same blinkers but others will get some sort of custom lights for the purpose.
Whatever your choice is, the procedure remains the same. You will have to shorten the wires and mount the lights in a place that is still visible. Many people will mount the front blinkers on the handlebars by the grips or on the front forks on either side of the headlight.
As for the rear blinkers, you can mount them low on on the fender or on either side of the tail/brake light. When you are customizing a bike, the sky is the limit. Just make sure it is safe, and if you plan on riding it, make sure that it remains legal in the area you live in.
Technically, there is one other way that you can modify your blinkers. It is not recommended, and even though it is legal, you will probably get pulled over. When you were in drivers education you were taught hand signals. You can completely remove the blinkers and use these signals for when you turn. This is not a recommended modification and it is unsafe. If blinkers bother you that much, just get very small ones. With LED lights, they can be a little bigger than a dime but put out more light than the stock lights that came on the bike.
If you don’t like the blinkers that came with your bike, there are countless ways you can change them. Your imagination is the limit. Just remember stay legal and most important, keep it safe. Riding a motorcycle is dangerous enough. Making it so other motorists don’t know when or if you are going to turn only adds to it.
If you are fresh out of ideas, YouTube is filled with thousands of ideas and many times the videos will be step by step instructions on how to go about doing it.
Have fun making your bike your own and stay safe. Happy riding.
