SR500 turn signal switch repair

This is a fairly common thing on the older Yamaha turn indicator switches like on the XS650 and SR500. The signals on my '80 SR starting acting up. They would stop working, but if I moved the harness where it enters the housing they would work again for awhile. This usually isn't a problem with the wires themselves, but the solder coming loose from where the wires connect to the switch block, and is an easy fix. First remove the switch housing from the bike.


Then remove the harness hold-down bracket and the switch lever...


...and it will look like this.Then remove the screw on the bottom.


Flip the brownish/red plate out of the way, and here you can see the problem. The center solder connection in the switch block is loose. Unscrew and remove the white plastic part in the top. This part holds the switch block in place, and be sure the ball in the front doesn't fall out and get lost.


Pull the switch block and horn button from the housing. The switch block lifts straight out, and needle nose pliers work good for this.


And it is out and ready to repair. You can see a spot on the solder where it looks like it had been arcing.


Next clean the area to be soldered, and spray some cleaner in the switch block to clean the contacts.


I used the soldering iron to heat and remove the old solder from the wire.


Then carefully clamp the switch block upright, put the wire in place, and solder it in. The switch block has little cups that the wire goes in, which makes soldering fairly easy. Then let it cool and give it a gentle tug to make sure it is secure, then reassemble.


Done, and working fine.


On the subject of turn signals, when I first bought the bike in '09 it had a flasher relay that didn't work. The replacement Yamaha part is very expensive, so I used a cheap 2 prong relay from the auto parts store. It works fine, but the self canceling feature doesn't work. I've always thought self canceling signals were more annoying than useful anyway, so no problem. This is the self canceling unit. You can just leave it off to save space.