Is my turn singal indicator possessed?

[HammerDown]

Intermittently, but more often than not, I find that my turn signal indicator is (already) flashing as soon as I turn the key to the ON position.
I 99% sure that at least one side of the bike's turns are in fact flashing along with the indicator, but haven't yet kept close enough track of that. Also not yet sure if the side that the flashing lamps are on correspond directly with the last turn I made before shutting down the bike.
I am to understand that the self-cancelling feature of the turns is both time & distance related. My issue seems to appear most often after I've popped in to the gas station or grocery store or such - that is to say, a real short turn off the main road before shutting down the bike.
Even when I've made a conscious effort to manually cancel the turns before I shut the bike down in those situations, they might still begin flashing at the next start.
If I'm somehow fighting the self-cancelling feature, I would think that the act of shutting off the bike would 'reset' or 'cancel' the clock on that.
It's obviously not hurting anything, it's just annoying. Other than this, the turns signal system functions properly in all cases. I did install the non-relay version of 4-way flashers, as seen on Gadget's, but with my manual toggle switch, there's no way voltage is getting into the turn signal circuit on startup.
Does this sound normal, or do I have a gremlin?

[Rasta]

I have had my 2000 nomad for s little over a year and mine does the same thing. Like you I used to wonder if it had turned off from the last time I had it on. I am used to it now so I just turn it off and go on my merry way. Latly, every once in a while it is not on and I think to myself that it is coming out of it but the next time it back to doing its thing. My 2004 Nomad doesn't do it at all

[HammerDown]

That's interesting that yours does it too, and is a 2000. Curious to know if other Gens have this issue.
Like you, I just hit the button and go, but this is the kind of thing that makes me think that I've somehow neglected to do something that I should have done, and that bugs me.
Even if this is "normal", I'd still like to find out what it is mechanically / electrically that causes it. I'll have to stare at some wiring diagrams this evening.

[MrMikey]

I had an 05 did the same thing also...........Mike

[alwhite00]

On my 00 nomad if it doesnt self cancel or i manually shut it off before you shut the bike off it will be blinking upon startup.

[HammerDown]

Then it sounds as if the ECU is the determining factor, that is to say that the push button is more of a manual override for the internal 'clock'.
If that's the case, then once you push the button to indicate a turn, the clock starts. If the bike is then shut down before the clock times-out, that state is remembered and resumed upon start up, i.e., signals blinking to finish out the time left on the clock.
Makes sense I guess, but still kind of strange.

[Sabre-t]

Could be the switch needs cleaning. Strange things happen when they get dirty and you get shorts in the switch. Take the switchbox apart, pop the switch apart and clean the contacts. Then put some dielectric grease on the contacts, reassemble and test it. The grease has to be scrapped off the contacts by moving the switch back and forth, so it may not seem like it is working, but after 5 - 10 pushes in each direction, including cancel, it should be working if that is your problem.

Doesn't hurt to clean those types of switches every year, especially if you ride in the rain.

[HammerDown]

It's worth having a look having a look at that, and I will, though it's not that the switch doesn't work, it's that it works too well, as it were.
Dirty contacts typically prevent electricity from flowing, not ensure that it does, (barring some debris or material that's bridging a normally open circuit).
Worth a try though.

[Sabre-t]

Originally Posted by HammerDown

It's worth having a look having a look at that, and I will, though it's not that the switch doesn't work, it's that it works too well, as it were.
Dirty contacts typically prevent electricity from flowing, not ensure that it does, (barring some debris or material that's bridging a normally open circuit).
Worth a try though.

Crap bridging the contacts is exactly what happens, especially if any moisture gets in there. Once you open one up and see just how dirty they can get, you'll wonder how they work right as much as they do!

[HammerDown]

I'll dig into it. If that ends up being the case, it sounds as if a few of us might need to do the same service.

I don't have access to my manual or bike at the moment, but does anyone know if the cancelling feature is a time AND distance affair, or is it a time OR distance thing. That is, does it need both feedback loops, or will it self cancel while in the garage on the side stand, after the given time?

[alwhite00]

After 8 blinks and a set distance. My guess is it is working as it is designed to. You pull into your driveway or whatever and park your bike without traveling the required distance and shut it off. Now when you start the bike it is blinking. If you want to tear into it just because then go right ahead but next time you go to shut it off make sure the blinker is off and see what happens.

[Sabre-t]

Originally Posted by alwhite00

After 8 blinks and a set distance. My guess is it is working as it is designed to. You pull into your driveway or whatever and park your bike without traveling the required distance and shut it off. Now when you start the bike it is blinking. If you want to tear into it just because then go right ahead but next time you go to shut it off make sure the blinker is off and see what happens.

He said that didn't help in the first post.

[miltonsain]

ny 2000 does the same thing, i'll clean the switch, when I put my new bars on, and I change the bearings, next month

[olefiredog]

My 2000 has also done this as long as I have owned it. Doesn't matter if the signal was blinking when I shut it off or not. GREMLINS are among us.

[Bud2rat]

My 2001 has done since day one. I just turn it off and continue on my way.