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My Honda Hornet 250 right-hand indicator often takes up to 5 seconds to start flashing, especially when it's cold. The left seems to be fine. When I flick the switch I can hear the bimetallic strip going very fast (several times a second) then it slows down when the indicator starts. The part is shown below - it doesn't seem possible to get into it to clean the contacts, etc.

Is there anything else I can do? If I buy a new part will this fix the problem or is there a chance it's something else?

enter image description here

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  • Check the connectors/contacts for the indicators are clean and working correctly. the fast clicking is due to the relay not having enough load on it, when the indicators finally kick in they slow the relay clicking. I'd be suspecting bad contacts at the indicators (either the lamps or the bullet connectors on the wires themselves). – Mauro Jul 15 '14 at 11:10
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There's a chance the relay needs to be replaced. There's a couple steps you could try beforehand though.

  1. Check resistance between all the wires from the light controls to the relay to the light bulb itself. As long as there's zero to very little resistance you know all your wiring is ok.
  2. You can clean the contacts. Use some steel wool and/or sandpaper to clean any contacts that are exposed, fold up some sand paper to clean any contacts that might be hard to get to.
  3. Once they're clean, and if that does the trick, put a little dieletric grease on all the terminals.

If that all fails just replace the relay, as long as they're available they're probably really cheap. I doubt it could be attributed to anything else. Wouldn't be a bad idea to just take a quick look at your bulbs and bulb sockets.

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  • I don't think it's the relay or the bulbs because the left-hand turn indication works fine (which uses the same relay) and so do the hazard lights (which use the same relay and the same bulbs on the RHS). – parsley72 Aug 2 '14 at 5:57
  • Oops, missed that. Scratch replacing it. – gh0st Aug 2 '14 at 18:04
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    Cleaning the contacts in the indicator switch seems to have done the trick. – parsley72 Mar 28 '15 at 3:23
  • Great! Just don't forget that dielectric grease. – gh0st Mar 28 '15 at 5:13

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