575M Turn Indicator - what does the rotating bit do?

We drove our new-to-us 575M along Massachusetts' Mohawk Trail scenic byway yesterday. 380 miles round trip and I just could not figure it out.

I had already read the Owners Manual from cover to cover. I searched through the 456/550/575 forum and I could still not figure this out: what does the rotating bit on the turn indicator control? See picture.

I thought maybe it controlled the dash panel's light intensity, but that's controlled a different way.


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I don’t think it does anything, rubber may just be loose and rotates if twisted. Mine does the same

 

Same thing on my 355. The rubber loses its elasticity. You have to grip the rubber hard to make the light switch work. The switch is for external lights & headlights.

 

Nice! I have driven the section east of Greenfield, but need to get out to the western portion one of these days. I'm in northeast MA.