Put a screen on the bike today which meant fitting some brackets to the
headlight mounting point. Headlight aim is way out (scary when I went to
main beam and everything went dark ... cos I was no longer lighting up the
road but scanning the skies for German bombers).

Anyway being the eminently resourceful and intelligent chap I am I thought
'I'll Google and find out how to set the headlight properly'. Can't find
**** all apart from the Vehicle Inspection Agency site which only tells me
that if the aim is out the bike fails the MOT (oh! really?) and some site
about MOT which implies I need about twenty grands worth of the right test
equipment and has some diagrams on which will take me months to decipher
(that's after finding the magnifiying glass so I can
read the buggers).

All I want to do is see where I'm going, stop oncoming cages veering of the
road and not disturb plod. How do I set the headlight aim correctly?
--
Martin -Yamaha
XVS650A (Im a Norfolk boy ... nearest thing I could afford to a tractor)

Norfolk n' good

www.rockdoctors.org.uk



Norfolk n' good

www.rockdoctors.org.uk

"Sean" wrote in message

> Below is the result of a google search on the ukrm group. There is more to
> the internet than that bloody Johnny come lately www stuff.

Cheers for that. I knew I had seen something by a UKRM'er before but
couldn't find it. Right' I'm of to the garage noW.


--
Martin -Yamaha
XVS650A (Im a Norfolk boy ... nearest thing I could afford to a tractor)

Norfolk n' good

www.rockdoctors.org.uk

On Sat, 23 Aug 2003 22:38:48 +0100, "Martin Watts"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>All I want to do is see where I'm going, stop oncoming cages veering of the
>road and not disturb plod. How do I set the headlight aim correctly?

TBH, I reckon the only way to do it is to go out to a nice dark road
with the appropriate tools (and a torch) and set it so that you can
see with it.

A good rule of thumb is to find yourself a level bit of concrete
facing a wall, or a garage door perhaps. Set the bike perpendicular
to the wall and measure from the headlight centre to the ground.
Chalk a horizontal line on the wall (or door) at this height and set
dipped beam so that the horizontal cutoff line runs parallel to and
just below the line. I'd still tweak it on the road, though.

As long as you don't get flashed too often - and can see where you're
going - is about right.

--
Pip, Hairy Gfedcker. RF 900RR, Ruff and Rattly.
WS* DFWAG#0 IbW#27* DIAABTCOD#15 GP#0 EKP FUB#4 MKA+E#3
ANORAK#8 MIRTTH#15 BOTAFOT/F#47/34a BONY#13 KotMIB# <space>
UKRMRM#14 TWA#2

Using the patented Mavis Bacon "Hunt&Peck" Technique, Martin Watts
<(E-Mail Removed)> typed

(Of adjusting headlamp aim)

>
>All I want to do is see where I'm going, stop oncoming cages veering of the
>road and not disturb plod. How do I set the headlight aim correctly?

Find out what Nidge does. That's exactly wrong, so do the opposite.

Sorted.
--
Nigel
WS* GHPOTHUF#24 APOSTLE#14 DLC#1 COFF#20

ZZR1100 and Enfield 500 Curry House Racer "The Basmati Rice Burner" (No , I'm
not sure how that happened either).

On Sat, 23 Aug 2003 22:38:48 +0100, "Martin Watts"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Put a screen on the bike today which meant fitting some brackets to the
>headlight mounting point. Headlight aim is way out (scary when I went to
>main beam and everything went dark ... cos I was no longer lighting up the
>road but scanning the skies for German bombers).
>
>Anyway being the eminently resourceful and intelligent chap I am I thought
>'I'll Google and find out how to set the headlight properly'. Can't find
>**** all apart from the Vehicle Inspection Agency site which only tells me
>that if the aim is out the bike fails the MOT (oh! really?) and some site
>about MOT which implies I need about twenty grands worth of the right test
>equipment and has some diagrams on which will take me months to decipher
>(that's after finding the magnifiying glass so I can
>read the buggers).
>
>All I want to do is see where I'm going, stop oncoming cages veering of the
>road and not disturb plod. How do I set the headlight aim correctly?

Well bike headlights are really only appropriate for mood lighting
anyway so just set it up for a gentle wash with maybe a pearlescent
bulb and you'll be fine.

--
Bandit 600 (Gone)
GSX-R600(His) VFR800I(Hers)
apf@BIN_ITdsl.pipex.com to reply.

Martin Watts wrote:

> Put a screen on the bike today which meant fitting some brackets to the
> headlight mounting point. Headlight aim is way out (scary when I went to
> main beam and everything went dark ... cos I was no longer lighting up the
> road but scanning the skies for German bombers).
>
> Anyway being the eminently resourceful and intelligent chap I am I thought
> 'I'll Google and find out how to set the headlight properly'.



Below is the result of a google search on the ukrm group. There is more to
the internet than that bloody Johnny come lately www stuff.

Originally posted by Alan Gower of this parish.

<begin quoting>

Position the bike in a straight line at a right angle to a wall. The
bike must be off its stand and the rider seated on the bike. Measure the
height from the ground to the centre of the headlight. Mark a horizontal
line on the wall with this height. Position the bike 3.8 metres from the
wall (measure from the front of the headlight to the wall). Draw a
vertical line up the wall central to the centre line of the bike.
Switched to dipped beam and check that the pattern falls slightly lower
than the horizontal line and to the left of the vertical on the wall



<end quoting>

On Sat, 23 Aug 2003 23:50:46 +0100, Fr. Jack
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>The unit known as Spida wrote:
>
>
>>Well bike headlights are really only appropriate for mood lighting
>>anyway
>
>Not on a Tiger, matey!!
>
>Kin great, they are!!
>
>Still thinkin about puttin some spotlights on it, tho

I think a blow lamp and some infra red goggles might do the trick.

Seriously though, I took the gixxer out at twilight the other day and
found that I was looking at least 20% further ahead than the cutoff
point of the (dipped) headlight when cornering. And I was going much
slower than I would normally go on that particular stretch of road.
And the lights are set as high as I dare. Main beam is fine for 90+mph
but cornering on dipped is a test of faith.


--
Bandit 600 (Gone)
GSX-R600(His) VFR800I(Hers)
apf@BIN_ITdsl.pipex.com to reply.

Martin Watts wrote:

> How do I set the headlight aim correctly?

As well as Alan's text version there is also a diagram from my ever handy
MZ factory manual.

"..The vehicle is placed according to the scheme, loaded with the driver.
The suspension units are set to 'soft'.
The light/dark boundary must not lie above the 'Z'-line, the angular
deflection of the asymmetric passing beam starts in the centre between
the lines 'V' and 'W'.

For check-test, the suspension units are set to hard and the motorcycle
additionally loaded with a pillion rider.
The 'Z'-line complies with the road illumination of 25m for the passing
beam as stipulated by the lighting regulations of this country [GDR].."

http://www.sweller.co.uk/sob/lamp.htm

HTH

--
Simon

Brighton | MYSOB: http://www.sweller.co.uk/sob/
England | MZSOB: http://www.mztech.fsnet.co.uk/