Mash 125 Indicators not working due to being mildly drowned!

[henwilv]

Howzit Everyone
First post:
I need some advice - bought my 17 yr old a Mash 125 carb model. As seems often the case with 16-17 year olds he took forever and a day to do his test, which he finally passed last week "hooflippinray" but meanwhile the bike has been sitting in the garage with it's guarantee expiring.

So out it comes, starts, runs etc., off he goes. He rides it for two days and it rains, suddenly the indicators don't work. I get a dose of deja vu like riding Italian bikes in the late 70s early 80s, but can't for the life of me find out what is causing the problem. Every now and again it tries to work, but fails abysmally.

Anyone here have anything similar or know anything about this kind of problem for this bike? All assistance appreciated.

[Easy-X]

Are they even allowed to make carb road bikes these days?!

Could be dodgy flasher unit (filled with water) after that you'll just have to trace out all the cables for the indicators till you find a connector that looks iffy or a corroded earth point.
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Royal Enfield Continental GT 535, Husqvarna Vitpilen 401, Yamaha XSR700, Honda Rebel, Yamaha DT175, Suzuki SV650 (loan) Fazer 600, Keeway Superlight 125, 50cc turd scooter

[NJD]

First, and most important, point is that you have a guarantee, use it? Parts and labour or just parts? Indicators excluded as a consumable? If yes to consumable/parts only then I'd go it alone.

As above with the indicator relay, and you won't really know until you've got a new spare. Listen to it when you press the indicators and you should hear a continuous loud clicking. With these things I think they ether work or they don't, so don't bother attempting a fix.

What exactly are the indicators doing? Does one side work fully and the other doesn't at all? Does the front work on one side and the rear doesn't on the same side, or vice versa?

Do the dash lights for the indicators work when the indicators are pressed? If so is one side hyperflashing (flashing too fast while the other one, on the same side, doesn't at all? -- same as above and simply replace the dead one).

Just trace the wires from the indicator to the connector switch and take a look at the physical shape of it (the wiring), as well as the quality of the connection (or connector blocks).

What is the condition of the fuse for the indicators, or does it all run of one fuse (either way check quality)?

Sealed units or bulbs? If sealed I'd just get a set (a complete pair) and swap them around until you get a working combo.

L.E.D with a standard relay? Stupid thing to do but worth checking.

Battery working ok (ie: no other electrical issues?)?

Probably more but that's a starting point.
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The do it all, T̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶r̶o̶k̶e̶n̶ ̶o̶n̶e̶,̶ ̶T̶h̶e̶ ̶b̶i̶g̶ ̶l̶u̶m̶p̶,̶ ̶C̶h̶o̶n̶g̶ ̶N̶o̶o̶d̶l̶e̶

[Polarbear]

I would go with the relay or the actual indicator swtch as my starting point.

As said though, if still under guarantee for what it's worth, back to the shop with it.

We have a our very own C̶h̶i̶n̶e̶s̶e̶ ̶c̶r̶a̶p̶ Mash aficionado in Linuxyeti who I'm sure will be able to be more specific.
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Triumph Trophy Launch Edition

[henwilv]

The indicator mostly doesn't work at all either side, but occasionally shows a small sign of life but then quits again and doesn't work. I begin to suspect the actual switch has gone awol.

He's only ridden it twice. Not particularly encouraging.

I was hoping it was something simple and quick to fix, but... electrics are not really my thing!

I'm not sure the dealer will be very enthusiastic about repairing it and I doubt he has any spares for it. He dropped the marque from his range before I bought it, but didn't tell me that at the time.

There are no other issues with the bike, electrical or otherwise. I'll go check out all your suggestions tomorrow and let you know.

Thanks for the advice.

[Bhud]

Reminds me of my lousy old ER5. It had good electrics, until it rained. Rain is good at showing you bad connections.

Have you got a can of electrical contact cleaner? Go right through everything - indicator switch, all the connectors, connections at the fuse box, etc. Spray 'em, rub them with wire wool (or if that's not possible just connect and disconnect them a few times) and see if that fixes it. Maybe you'll get lucky.

[linuxyeti]

[henwilv]

Howzit all - problem solved. I went through the list of stuff as suggested above. First, the cable to the rear left indicator had dropped onto the wheel so I cut and joined it. Second, I cleaned all the connectors and vaselined them back together. It seems the switch is a bit imprecise, but it works. I think I'll keep an eye on it. Now the indicators work again!

Thanks again for all the advice, much appreciated.

By the way linuxyeti, when I bought this its was quite cheap just because it is a carb model. I had to register it by the end of last year or I wouldn't have been allowed to. I live in Germany and they are pretty strict about such things, but that perhaps explains your surprise.

[linuxyeti]

[Mr Hammers]

[henwilv]

You might be surprised, but mostly the authorities here, although strict, are quite reasonable. The champions of bloody minded pigheadedness are the Swiss (MFK) who proudly make unreasonableness into an art form. You can't use a different globe in your headlight if it's not approved or you have to pay for the approval and then you own rights to the mod and anyone who wants to do it has to pay you. Naturally, approval is v expensive.

The Mash had certification till the end of 2017 and it was extended to end 2018. That's why I had to register it before then. I did it at the end of Nov.

Forget the extremely boring autobahns, any idiot can ride at 200 and plenty kph on them, my old 1200 Trophy 4 will cruise all day at 250 kph and the tyre lasts 3-4 thousand kays if I'm lucky. No, I live in biker's Paradise aka the Black Forest (Schwarzwald in German) where the curves run into each other with no straight bits and there are even plenty of hairpins. Look on a map at the road from Wehr to Todmoos, a great ride. My tyres wear out on the shoulders and even my Guzzi Audace doesn't have chicken strips. If you've never been down here, do it. If you stay in private holiday flats/rooms it won't be expensive and you'll have loads of fun.