Contents
– Step 1: Prepare the installation
– Step 2: Measure the beam
– Step 3: Adjust the beam
Seeing well and being seen are the two essential functions of motorbike lighting, which must be switched on.
There are two ways in which a motorbike’s headlights can be out of adjustment:
– If your beam is not high enough, you do not have sufficient visibility;
– if your beam is too high, you are putting others at risk by dazzling them.
The police can fine you, so it’s important to adjust your motorbike lighting and replace a faulty bulb when necessary.
Here’s how to adjust a motorbike headlight and replace a bulb.
1. Prepare the installation
– Two people are needed to adjust a motorbike headlight. This allows you to ‘load’ the motorbike (get on it), which lowers the suspension and replicates the riding conditions.
– Put the bike upright, with a person of the same height as you, if not you, at a distance of 5 metres in front of a wall.
– On the wall, place a (large) cardboard box taped flat to the wall.
2. Measure the beam
– Then, measure the distance between the bulb and the floor with a tape measure.
As a rule of thumb, you should subtract 10 cm from the measurement to ensure that your setting is correct.
– Draw a line on the cardboard with a pencil; the top of the light beam should reach this limit.
– If the setting is correct, you do not need to read.
3. Adjust the beam
If the adjustment is not good, you have to adjust the beam. There are two possibilities:
– For a round headlight:
o Loosen the side fixings of the headlight.
o Adjust the height by lowering or raising it.
o Some models have a height adjustment screw on the bottom or side.
– On motorbikes with a fairing or forkhead:
There is a more or less accessible adjustment wheel; it allows you to adjust the height of the light beam. To change the height of the light beam:
o Use the appropriate tool to adjust the knob. Depending on access and your tools, this can be a Phillips screwdriver or a spanner (flat, pipe or ratchet).
o Loosen or tighten until you get the right light.
Changing a bulb
Changing a bulb is simple, if not very simple. However, depending on the bike, you will need to be patient as access to the bulb is difficult due to the fairing or windscreen.
Refer to the bike’s manual; if you don’t have it, dismantle the components with skill and patience. Don’t forget to put each screw in a small box to avoid losing them and thus facilitate reassembly. In any case, once you have access to the rear of the headlight, proceed as follows:
– Remove the protective rubbers.
– Unplug the plug to access the bulb.
– Remove the bulb.
– If accessible, you can wipe the bulb with a clean cloth.
– Fit the new bulb.
– Reassemble the various components in the reverse order, paying attention to the seal.
– Adjust as detailed above.
– Dispose of the used bulb at a waste disposal site.
Materials needed to adjust motorbike headlights
Cardboard boxes
Cloth
BTR spanner
Felt
Tape measure
Phillips screwdriver
Flat screwdriver
Hope the above helps you out. In case you cannot proceed to change your motorbike headlight, call Classic & Vintage Motorcycle Garage in Cheltenham, and they’ll get the job done for you.
Read more:
– Bleeding Brake Fluid From a Motorbike;
– 5 Steps to Repaint Your Motorbike Frame.