Objective:
The stock turn signals are ugly...and really nice, machined flushmounts are
expensive. I wanted to put a flushmount turn signal on the FZ1, without
modifying the fairing. The reason is because the little "just-in-case" voice in
the back of my head was exceptionally loud that morning. Also, state vehicle
regulations change fairly frequently, so this allows some other options down the
road.
Required and Suggested Items:
- Lockhart Phillips Flushmount III dual-filament indicator lamps
- 20 gauge sheet
steel
- Tin snips
- Bench grinder
- Hand files
-
Power drill and various bits: 1/8", 3/16", 1/4"
- Thread tap: 4mm
X 0.75
-
Phillips screw driver
- Dremel and various bits: cutting disk, drum
sander
- Utility knife
Fabricating the Plates:
- Using the following templates (Adobe Acrobat PDF), cut the four mounting plates out of 20 gauge steel. Use tin snips to make the rough
cuts, and then the bench grinder to clean up the edges. The pieces are
symmetric face-to-face, so they can really be ground down at the same time. Be
sure to test fit often. Hand files work the best for the tight corners

- Drill the two holes for the mounting hardware and the hole for the wire
pass-through. DO NOT drill and tap the lens mounting holes until after the
lens have been test fitted.
- Bend the flanges using the bending profile as a guide. The front flange is
bent at approximately 45 degrees and the rear at 90 degrees.
Modifying the Lens:
- Place the lens trimming guide on the lens edge. The guides are marked
with TOP, BOTTOM, FRONT APEX, and REAR APEX. The apex lines should be the
center line along the mounting screw holes.
- Trim back the lens. A Dremel with a fine tooth metal blade for rough cut and the
sanding drum to smooth it out works well.
- Trim the mounting screw hole housing to 1/8" from the new lens edge. With
a screw in the lens, it's fairly easy to tell how far is "too far".
Making It Look Nice:
- Trim the bottom of the lens gasket with a utility knife. This is to give
some space along the area where the fairing lip sticks out. Getting this
perfectly right isn't as critical since the lens is going to go up and cover
it.
- Double check the placement of the lens mounting holes and mark as needed.
Drill and tap the lens mounting holes.
- Shorten the lens mounting screws. The front one will probably be a little
longer than the back.

Making It Work:
- Remove the light socket from the old mounting plate. Since they are
attached by spot welds, drill from the backside with a small bit to break the
weld.
- Test fit the fixture to the new plate. Trim off the excess of the mounting
flange.
- Attach socket to the new flange. JB-Weld works great.
- Attach the wires to the stock harness. (Pat's
Motorcycle Page has great information on this.)

Tips:
- Print the patterns on sticky paper, and then use them as guides right on
the parts.
- Remove the bulbs first and place them in a safe place.
- Put masking tap over the lens to protect it from scratches.
- Test fit often. Go slow when cutting. Test fit often. More material can
always be removed, but not added. Have I mentioned to test fit often?
- The patterns are derived from paper patterns and prototype parts. Some
dimensions may need adjusting.
Comments:
- I made thin gaskets to fit between the fairing and the plates. If you're
not concerned about marring the paint around the mounting hole, it's probably
not needed.
- I plan on painting the front of the mounting plates with reflective
chrome-like paint.
Last Updated: 01-15-2004
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here is to be relied upon for issues of rider safety nor to replace the services of a qualified service technician.
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