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Ok, far too many bikes I see about the place have their low beams aimed just a bit too high. This seems especially
common on old 250s with shagged suspension
If you are lighting up the mirrors of an average-sized car in front, yours are probably too high. Mine seem to sit
about number-plate height on the average sedan.
It's a simple job, and can be done pretty easily. Someone of similar weight to sit on the bike while you fiddle might
be helpful
Benefits of a well adjusted headlight are - your light is pointed where you need it, and you don't give other road
users the shits. Especially during a group ride, there is not much that irritates me more than a bike behind me
causing mega glare in my mirrors. I can't see you, or anything else behind me, all I know is that you are there,
and that I hate you
If you think that high beams and lots of glare are good, and will save your life, then please go here and don't clog
up my thread with shit. Thanks
Tools Required
- A Phillips-head screwdriver or about a 10 or 12mm socket or spanner, depends on your setup.
- Some tape or maybe a marker pen
- A tape measure, or something almost a metre long to gauge height
- Your bike
- Yourself or someone close to your weight
First, take your bike, and find somewhere suitable to do it. You will need about 4 or 5 metres of level ground, and
a wall or something similar to shine your light on
I chose my garage.
Find your owners handbook.
Flip to the page about headlight adjustment.
Bit light on details... lucky I already know everything
I backed it up against the wall, and had just short of 4m to the opposite wall. A bit longer would have been better,
but it'll do
Hold the bike up straight (I cheated because I didn't have enough hands to take the photo at the same time), and
measure up from the ground next to the tyre. Getting your head down at the same level, you can now eyeball the
height of the low beam globe. Someone to hold the bike up straight at this point is a huge help
Now, take that measurement and see where it lands on the wall.
Then put the bit of tape (or pen or whatever) on at the right spot. I was going for the centre of the tape.
Go sit back on your bike, and see how it looks... a bit too light in here, now we see why I chose the garage...
Now that it's a little darker, we see that the TOP of my beam is about AN INCH OR TWO BELOW MY MARK.
This is about right
With the door open a bit to get a better look
If you need to adjust at this point, you find the right adjuster on the back of your headlight unit. You may have
one for horizontal adjustment as well, so best to be sure which is which
Make an adjustment, and see how it looks. A helper of similar weight to sit on the bike will mean you aren't climbing
on and off a dozen times to get it right.
The two adjusters on mine look like this, I think it's the one on the right from memory, but not sure. It may be
stamped into the plastic.
You should be able to adjust it without taking anything off the bike, that's usually how they are made.
There's one...
And another...
Please excuse the blurriness, but you can see this one can be adjusted by a phillips-head screwdriver, or maybe a socket.
And this one with a socket or spanner on the nut. If you look at the photo further up, you can see the washer
looking thing has teeth on it. Underneath this adjuster is a little channel in the plastic, so a phillips-head stuck
straight up from below can also be used to turn this one
The tool you use will depend on the adjuster, where it is, and what tools you have.
Good Luck!
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Originally Posted by Thomas Crown 
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