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98 Fatboy front left indicator problem

  • beehappier
    beehappier
    8 hours ago
    Hi guys. I have a 98 Fatboy. I upgraded to led indicators and it was all good for a few years. Then I upgraded the front indicators again because they were hitting the fuel tank on full lock. The new led indicators started playing up straight away. The back left indicator stays on and the left front doesn't work at all. The right hand side indicators are fine. 
    Is there a separate relay or something for left and right indicators? I figured I would ask the forum for advice before I take it to the auto elec. 

    Thanks.

    Rick
  • Hilly
    Hilly
    7 hours ago
    No seperate anything for left and right, worked before, doesn't work now, retrace your work, the problem could well be there somewhere, does it have a load equaliser fitted? They usually need one because LED lights don't draw enough for the flasher unit to work properly. 
  • brucefxdl
    brucefxdl
    7 hours ago
    Quoting beehappier on 27 Feb 2026 11:04 PM

    Hi guys. I have a 98 Fatboy. I upgraded to led indicators and it was all good for a few years. Then I upgraded the front indicators again because they were hitting the fuel tank on full lock. The new led indicators started playing up straight away. The back left indicator stays on and the left front doesn't work at all. The right hand side indicators are fine. 

    Is there a separate relay or something for left and right indicators? I figured I would ask the forum for advice before I take it to the auto elec. 

    Thanks.

    Rick

    could possibly be you have reversed the polarity  [ without knowing ] when connecting the left front indicator.and as Hilly said load resistors are usually required for correct flash rate/function.
  • speedzter
    speedzter
    7 hours ago
    "The new led indicators started playing up straight away"

    You have almost answered your own question .
    Remove the bad front indicator and bench test on a battery/PSU.
    And/or wire up your old indicator on the bike temporarily to test .
  • beehappier
    beehappier
    6 hours ago
    Quoting Hilly on 27 Feb 2026 11:28 PM

    No seperate anything for left and right, worked before, doesn't work now, retrace your work, the problem could well be there somewhere, does it have a load equaliser fitted? They usually need one because LED lights don't draw enough for the flasher unit to work properly. 

    Thanks Hilly. Yes it has a load equaliser fitted. 
  • beehappier
    beehappier
    6 hours ago
    Quoting speedzter on 28 Feb 2026 12:04 AM

    "The new led indicators started playing up straight away"

    You have almost answered your own question .
    Remove the bad front indicator and bench test on a battery/PSU.
    And/or wire up your old indicator on the bike temporarily to test .

    I tested the new indicator on the battery and it works.

    I played around with the wires and I can get it to light up, but it doesn't flash and it just stays on. 

    I will have another play with it later, but I think I have tested every combination of wires. 
  • Hilly
    Hilly
    1 hours ago
    You may just be unlucky and the flasher unit chose this moment to act up like a two bob watch, bad earths can cause some very odd behaviours as well, electrical gremlins can be frustrating to chase down, when this scenario happens to me I go back to what worked and then move forward again. 
  • Hilly
    Hilly
    1 hour ago
    Another thing just occurred to me, in the earlier days sometimes load equalisers were only wired to front or back circuits, is yours a badlands? Is it plugged into the harness or hardwired? Non of this may be relevant but talking about stuff sometimes kicks someone's memory into gear. 
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