Headlight Aiming

[crazy steve]

With all the whoop-de-do over HID 'conversions' and getting more light on the road, obviously aiming is important. But how to do that? The service manual doesn't have anything, and I didn't have much luck tracking down a motorcycle-specific procedure. But I did find this: http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/aim/aim.html which I have used for some of my cars with great results. But this doesn't address motorcycle headlights, some of which have different 'cut-off' patterns compared to car lights. So I asked, and this was the answer...

If you're using an E-code automotive light or have a 'V' shaped cut-off (which would be any of the XS OEM headlights), use the VOL chart. If you have the 'V' pattern, set the bottom of the V to the 'B' line. One other thing to note here; this is allowing you less down angle (compared to the E-code), so you'll get light a bit further down the road. Also note that the higher your headlight, the more down angle you'll have.

If your headlight has a flat or a 'stair-step' cut-off, use the VOR chart. This will give you even less down angle.

If, after adjusting to these directions, you still have poor lighting, you might want to look at replacing/upgrading the lens/shell. If you're getting 'flashed', you may need to adjust down a bit, but this has worked great for the cars I've done it on so should be good.

[bikerphil]

I've used this procedure before...

Motorcycle Headlight Aiming
Thanks to Paul Glaves, Technical Editor of the BMW Owners News

Getting a correctly aimed headlight is straightforward. You need to make a couple of measurements and then aim the light at a flat wall, as follows:

With the bike upright on its wheels (off the side or center stand) and your weight in the seat, have a helper measure the distance from the floor to the center of the headlight lens.

Pick a flat wall where you can locate the bike on level ground so the headlight is 17 feet from the wall. Place a horizontal mark on the wall two (2) inches lower than the height of the center of the headlight.

With you again sitting in the seat adjust the vertical screw (usually at the very top or very bottom of a headlight next to the lens but inside a trim ring) so the flat top of the low beam is just to the line you put on the wall (a two inch drop at 17 feet).

The horizontal adjustment (screw will be on the left or right side of the headlight lens) should center the beam ahead of the line of the bike.

If you have spotlights use this same procedure to aim them.

Go ride!

[DGXSER]

All that technical stuff, silly me I just pointed it about where I wanted it, took a test ride at night, made an adjustment, took another ride, made one more slight adjustment, took another ride, made no more adjustments but took another ride anyway.

[petejw]

we used to do it pretty much the same way bikerphil
explained but used the high beam height equivalent
to the height of the headlight against a flat wall at 20
feet away.

[CatatonicBug]

Here's a link to a good, easy description of how to aim your headlight.

[cywelchjr]

It's interesting that the owners manual of my XS400 had instructions on how to adjust the headlight, but the manual for the XS1100 doesn't. Did they just assume that XS11 owners were smarter and more technically savvy or did they figure they had more money to pay the dealer to do it for them?

[crazy steve]

I'm picky about headlight aim, so I'll go the 'extra bit' to get mine as close as possible without causing problems for oncoming vehicles (that's a real bee in my bonnet). I went so far as to buy a mechanical headlight adjuster set years ago, but it doesn't fit anything now... The trouble with the 'one size fits all' adjustment procedures is that may not get all there is from your particular light as not all lights have the same cut-off pattern.

It depends on where you live too; if you're in an urban area, most streets have illumination and headlight adjustment isn't a big deal. But if you're rural where street lights are few and far between, that extra few feet of reach may make the difference between seeing and hitting bambi..