How good are my headlights!

[Andy OH]

I've been conducting a bit of a personal study over the last month or so, especially with the days getting shorter and I have concluded that the headlights on my 2004 R1 are very good.:thumbup:

Tonight I was on a stretch of my regular route home, the M11, it was persistantly raining and I came up behind a Peugoet 206, the next thing I see is the guys fog light flashing like a spider on speed, so I then decided to show him my full beam to point out to him I only had my headlights on (which are now permanently on modern bikes). Anyway I then went past him, shook the beans at him and fooked off into the distnace whilst his high beam was fading in my mirrors:D.

I seem to have this same problem most evenings now with oncoming cars and cars I pass flashing me as if to say turn off your high beam when I only have the headlights on. Has anyone else with an 04/05 R1 had this happen to them?

I must say I am impressed with the standard bulbs and lights of the R1, much more so than my 2004 Blade which were like candles in comparison.;)

Andy

[Vitesse39]

93 ZXR750 - I get the same people flashing at me, but i'm only on dipped and my lights are correctly adjusted (at least the MOT man thought so), but yes my lights which I beleive to still be standard are excellent.

[Carrera2]

Hmmm, nothing to do with brightness and everthing to do with the angle.

Your lights can be very bright and not upset the car ahead (think of Xenons). On a bike it's difficult to keep the beam dipped as the front suspension is constantly changing the angle of the beam so it can appear to be on 'full'.

Extraordinary that you gave him 'the beans'.

[Andy Oh]

Carrera2 said:

Extraordinary that you gave him 'the beans'.

I think you would have also given him the beans if you would have seen how the guy was behaving on the road

[Carrera2]

Andy Oh said:

Carrera2 said: Extraordinary that you gave him 'the beans'. I think you would have also given him the beans if you would have seen how the guy was behaving on the road

Fair enough...I just thought he flashed you.

I hate riding at this time of year...dark, wet, miserable and cold. Your headlight story just reminded me that when I next set off to work on my bike it'll be dark and when I leave work it'll be dark.

[bsa 500]

We prob get flashed(ooer)for two reasons..

1.The numpty in the approaching car assumes we are also a car with only one working headlight(been there seen that!!)
2.They still don't understand that bike lights are positioned higher anyway so even on dip will shine into their faces/rear view mirror a little

or they are just w*nkers

[Al_g]

Think yourself lucky, I ride an old mk 1 fazer and the lights are shocking. My push bike has better lights, I can only see about 6 feet infront of me, very scary on dark country roads at night!

[s2ooz]

I agree, its not the brightness, thay are set to high, get them adjusted to point down a bit.
My mate follows me on his and its bloody annoying seeing the flashing in te mirrors.

You are also asking for aggressive behaviour toward you from "less brain celled" drivers who will think of nothing to swerve at you for annoying them.

If you want to avoid getting swiped at (albeit wrongly) get them fixed. Its better than a stretch in hospital.

Also they tend to be just at the point where as you go over bumps you appear to be flashing. I myopic elderely marina driver may take this as an invite to pull out from a junction. creating yet another visit to A&E.

Seriously, its in your best interest to get these adjusted down.

[Andy Oh]

So if you guys are suggesting getting the headlights adjusted then why do the manufacturers set them so high and surely they must be set at a certain level to pass an MOT (not that my bike needs one). The headlights must be set by the manufacturer at a predetermined level according to guidelines they are given by the respective authority.

[FAT MATT]

Maybe the level of the lights are set in relation to the weight loaded to the shocks? Therefore if the damping n stuff are too soft for our pie eating weights then the front will point higher up resulting in the higher dipped beam?

[nords]

Out of interest, how many wheelies were you pulling behind him?

Hehehehhehehe.....

[s2ooz]

Andy Oh said:

So if you guys are suggesting getting the headlights adjusted then why do the manufacturers set them so high and surely they must be set at a certain level to pass an MOT (not that my bike needs one). The headlights must be set by the manufacturer at a predetermined level according to guidelines they are given by the respective authority.

No, the headlights are not set. They should get adjusted by the dealer when they sell it at PDI - pre delivery inspection. They don't have MOT's for 3 years so the dealer isn't interested in it being legal.

they dont have to by law or any other reason, in fact a lot are "locked" in top position to avoid damage in transit. MOT/road legal is the OWNERS responsibilty not the sellers.

I have been at a LOT of dealers - they don't bother, its not profitable to spend time checking bikes over.
Anyone buying a bike from new is highly advised to do a full check of their own, of everything, from wheel bolts and chains to lights, oil and suspension.

One dealer told me the first time they inspect a bike is at the first service - when the manafacture/owner pays for their time to do so.

I have checked about 9 R1's in the past week, and the all had suspension settings that were not stock.

big deal? well when the left front fork is set differently to the right - yes.

tyre pressures were wrong, bolts were not torqued enough, chains were tight, lights were in "lock", cables were trapped on full lock, fuel overflow pipes dripping onto the rear tyres..

Trust me, check your bike over, and set it right yourself. Owning a bike really does involve home mechanical skills and daily or weekly checks. They are not cars.

[catso]

The Headlight height adjuster on my bike is by one screw, it has a tendency to loosen with vibrations causing the Headlight to shine into the trees.

I now 'Loctite' the adjustment screw in place and all is well.

I wish the light was bright though, I find it to be barely adequate even when on full beam despite having modded it for both lights on at highbeam (it was originally Low or High beam)