Highsider Relays and Resistors

The Highsider relays and resistors are there to make LED indicators flash at the right rate on a bike set up for bulbs. The range includes flasher relays for LEDs, load resistors in several power ratings and control units for indicators with a built-in position light.

Why an LED flashes too fast

The original relay keeps an eye on how much current flows through the indicators and, when it drops, it concludes that a bulb has blown and warns you by flashing faster or by not flashing at all. An LED draws a fraction of what a 10 or 21 W bulb does, so the bike reads it as a fault even though everything works.

Resistor or relay: two ways to fix it

Load resistors

They put back into the circuit the current that is missing, one per indicator. Highsider has 10 W and 21 W ones for the most common cases, power resistors with a lead (25 W, 3.9, 6.8 or 8.2 ohms) and 27 ohm ones with a cable adapter. The trade-off is that they dissipate that current as heat, so fix them to a metal surface, away from plastics and wiring.

Relays for LEDs

An LED flasher relay, such as the PW-Nano or the SY-03, replaces the bike's own and sets the flash rate without depending on the load or heating up. It is the cleanest solution when you change all four indicators. If you mix LEDs with bulbs, or your bike monitors each lamp separately, resistors are the safe choice.

And with 2-in-1 indicators

The Control-Box CB2 control unit is designed for 2-in-1 indicators, which combine the indicator and the position light in one unit, and the CB1 for a daytime running light. The indicators to pair them with, and the brackets to fit them, are in the Highsider turn signals; to go over approval, see our guide to motorcycle turn signals.