BMW R1200RT/R1250RT Forum

A true safety danger, with such an easy fix.  Every vehicle I've ever owned has this feature, but BMW's cancellation occurs after about 13 flashes.  In the meantime you may be inviting drivers to dart out in front of you or across you since they falsely think you'll be slowing and turning.  Have beemers alway had this same lame system?

On a Camhead, the turn indicators are cancelled automatically after you have ridden for approximately 10 seconds and covered a distance of about 300 m.

With a Hexhead, the turn indicators are cancelled automatically after you have ridden for approximately 10 seconds, or covered a distance of about 200 m.

So, an improvement in distance of 100 m but the riding time of 10 seconds is the same.

I sometimes find myself holding the switch on with my thumb to the L or R, until the manoeuvre is completed, then pushing the centre button to cancel.

jackronner wrote: A true safety danger, with such an easy fix.  Every vehicle I've ever owned has this feature, but BMW's cancellation occurs after about 13 flashes.  In the meantime you may be inviting drivers to dart out in front of you or across you since they falsely think you'll be slowing and turning.  Have beemers alway had this same lame system?

Think they cancel after a measured distance, because if your stationary they don't cancel. This was the same system on my 2014 and my 1250. But can't say this has ever been an issue, as I don't rely on them to cancel, if I've finished the turn, I cancel them my selves. More of a niggle for me, is if you indicate at the 300 yard marker to exit a motorway, they normally cancel just before you reach the slip road, so I always set them off again to confirm the turn

I dont know of any motorbike which has auto cancel after a turn, am I missing something in the OP?

Think my Yamaha self cancelled in the 1970's and certainly most of my Japanese 4's in the 80's and 90's did too.  Have always found my RT to go on for several hundred yards before self cancelling. As a result I never use the function and just turn indicators off manually after making the turn.

Nick,  Don't recall if my Bonneville had them in '71, but all my Japanese bikes did from then on, from small to large bikes.  Just a sensor under the steering head between the forks that sense the turn and recovery.  Ever had a car that didn't have this feature?  Not I.  I find it hard to remember to manually cancel since it was never an issue before, and still don't have the muscle-memory to do it routinely.  I've had a number of close calls because the peristing indicator was sending out false info to other drivers.

The problem seems to be that we are human and that we "will" at sometime forget to cancel the indication. (This of course applies to all types of vehicles not just bikes and is sited as a common cause of collisions, usually sharing a 50/50 blame between the two participants)) As we don't have the benefit of an "Audible" active Turn Signal indication the problem could be alleviated somewhat if the "Tell Tale" repeater light on the Instrument Panel was more prominent than it is. Although having said that I have just tested my own in the semi darkness of my garage and the Left / Right repeater arrows are positively dazzling. In normal daylight or bright sun, not so good. I suppose that it all comes down to the old "Self Preservation Switch" that we motorcyclists need to activate every time we ride. Observation / Indicate Intentions / Manoeuvre / Cancel Indication. To rely solely on automation to matter how sophisticated is not a good thing. Ask any Airline Pilot.

When I did my motorcycle test in 1976 (around Thornaby town centre) on a Honda C90, I chose to use hand signals.

Although the bike was fitted with indicators, not self-cancelling, I thought that hand signals would be more visible to the examiner (on foot) and they couldn't be left switched on after completing the manoeuvre.

As drummed into me during post-test training, a flashing indicator bulb means no more than it's working and not to be taken as an indication of intent.

I have been riding bikes for about 20 years, I have never had self cancelling indicators on Hondas (CB125, Hornet, CBR600, VFR750, ST1100, only for a week), Yamaha (FZR600), Kawasaki (ZXR750).
Citroen used to have a design philosophy which meant they did not use stalks on the steering column, so the indicators were a rocker switch on the left hand side of the dash just behind the steering wheel. These were not self cancelling.

My UK 1980 Yamaha XJ650 is fitted with self-cancelling indicators. (For Germany, the indicators did not self-cancel).

The self-cancelling activated after the motorcycle had travelled about 10 seconds or approx. 150 m whichever is greater.

Both my K1600 and R1250RT have self-cancelling indicators (in addition to those fitted to every bike - they are called arms, LOL).


I believe that any BMW dealer can adjust the time/distance for the indicators to switch off, but I doubt that they will do it for free.


I still cancel my indicators after completing each manoeuvre, as that is what I have always done, since the 70s (first bike with trafficators).


Old Foxy

Old Foxy wrote:


I still cancel my indicators after completing each manoeuvre, as that is what I have always done, since the 70s (first bike with trafficators).


Old Foxy

It's when you forget to cancel that the problem arises.

anyone else remember the annoying little black box you could buy in the 80's that beeped when the indicators flashed  :))  mine used to speed up with the revs... good old 6volt electrics

While we're sort of on the subject, most of my prior bike had the indicator select buttons all on the left hand grip.  Plus, if you wanted to cancel the indicator, you just pushed the indicator button inwards (plus it had the post-turn auto cancel feature).  Horn on the same unit. It seems logical to place all such functions on the left, since it leaves your right to keep the throttle hand free to keep your speed consistent.  Took me a while to get used to the beemer buttons on each side.

No automatic cancelling signal can get it right every time, I cancel or restart mine as the situation dictates.