A Much Requested Video explaining "Motorcycle Headlight Aim" and How-To set it up for MOT and Road Safety. If you would like to help support what we do here, you can become a 'Patron' of our channel, here is a link:- www.patreon.co...
You sir, are a gentleman and a scholar, no big ups, no shout outs, no fannying around, straight and simple. Many thanks to you, and your charming assistant Penny.
Thank you so much for your very kind words Adrian, we're glad you enjoy the videos and really appreciate your generous feedback, Take care and keep safe. Del.
Brilliant video. I just upgraded my 2010 Harley Davidson Ultra Glide Classic head light and spots to LED. After watching your video, I realized that if I tried to ride with the set up I had I would have blinded everyone on the road. That was on low beam. High beam would have blinded low flying aircraft. Thankfully I saw your video, avoiding disaster. Keep up the good work.
Hi Joseph, Thanks for your kind feedback my friend, im glad the video was able to help you out.. and Ultra Classic... that's one awesome bike buddy... Ride safe and enjoy the sunshine.. summer's coming..
I know it's an old video, but just wanted to say thanks! Just fitted a fly screen on my Triumph Speed 400, thought my light had dropped a bit so I set it to how it looked in a photo from collection day. Beam is now pointing 3/4 the way up my wardrobe in the garage! Oops! Thankfully it has been light when I've used her! Job for tomorrow to reset to where it should be! Lol Thanks for the video! 😊👍
Huh, I've always used the "Drive at night and adjust" method. I guess I've always known that there was a way to set you headlight, but never thought to look it up. I hardtailed my Harley this past winter and adjusting the headlight is still something I haven't done yet. Thanks for this!
+Hunter Thanks mate, these days bikes are so efficient and reliable, that this has become the kind of triviality that bikes now fail on... if you know how to set it up, then you won't even fail on that !
I can remember watching this video ages ago, today I am trying to raise the headlights on my R1. I remembered this video and watched it again. very informative Del, you have a great way of explaining things. Let me tell you one thing tho, the headlight set up on the r1 is a right pain in the a*se to adjust.
Thanks Shane, im glad the video can help... i had a Blackbird that was the same.. took an hour just to get all the inner panels off to get to the adjusters... good luck with the R1 fella.. ride safe.. del.
Extremely useful info! You can see the facet pattern on the headlight lens with the upward cast to it. I am also willing to bet the pattern on the E3 lens is different than a DOT US spec Scrambler would have due to the traffic being on the other side of the road. Excellent! Certainly worth the support of a Patreon membership and valuable. Thanks for making the vid. Cheers! Mike
+Michael Rench Hi Mike, I considered whether to cover that lens section and explain how it works, but wanted to keep the video concise... the E4 lights have no cast either side, but any light with a cast is easily dealt with when we go to Euro and switch road sides, you just cover that 'pie slice' section of lens with black tape, as long as you don't cover more than 50% of the lens you're good to go! You can also cover it with a yellow diffuser, which they usually sell at the customs gate lol ! ...
I just need to say I have watched a lot of your videos, and not to take anything away from anyone else. But your videos are all great, keep it up. Y'all are awesome!
+Jill Zolun Thanks Jill, you are so kind! You have no idea how encouraging it is to receive such generous praise...there are many great creators on the Tube, but also some who are very successful that don't have much to offer, it's a constant battle to keep the contet interesting, so we really appreciate your kind support... take care and thanks for getting in touch, Del & Penny
cheers del this was something I was researching yesterday as I have just built my bandit from scratch and will be going for not soon but your vid has simplified all the complicated ways I found on the net cheers bud ride safe👍
+Barry Morehen Hi buddy, that's very kind of you, I know what you mean, just try looking up the government sponsored websites and you need to be able to read Chaucer, and understand it, before you can evern get close to understanding anyting on the .gov websites lol ! Thanks for watching!
Cheers D & P, back to basics, the street fighter is a proper good long term but this is the bread and butter stuff and the reason why we all started watching in the first place. Great job.
+750spud Thanks buddy, had a few videos to kill whilst stocking up on parts and materials, and getting ready to carry on with the project, back to business from the next video !
Spot on my Bro from the other side of the pond! We do not have the MOT inspection in the States, but I wish we did. My opposing traffickers appreciate your insight! Cheers mate!
Thank you. I'm in the USA and we have an annual inspection. I'm unsure if the rules vary from state to state. I saw someone in Texas do the distance rules there but I'm in Massachusetts. I own a Street Twin (used) and I suspect the lamp is WAY off. All the information I found was on replacing the lamp, not adjusting it. So this is appreciated. All I need do is find the up/down and Left Right for my state and I think I should be fine. But frankly, as you say, I need it right for safety. I knew it had to be done but had no idea how to do it. Much appreciated.
Thank you my friend,I've always had a common sense attitude to these things and I take the view that safety is one thing and rules/regulations are another, so if you can't find any information, then do it the long way.. park the bike facing your car but off-set as if you're riding along the other side of the street, face the head stock of the bike forward and turn the lights on... then sit in your car and see if it's glaring at you... judge whether you need to tip it down a bit... I know it's a bit long winded and you'll need a bit of space in an empty street, but it works in real time and ensures you won't be blinding any on coming drivers... good luck with your inspection !
Never worry about being boring, this is good stuff... bikes are finely tuned instuments like spitfires so need fine tuning which means detail, you guys will never bore us. Great vid Del and Penny, really enjoyed it and am looking for a wall as I've just taken he old man fairing off the Bandit 12 and put the 7" round headlamp back on with some aftermarket black brackets, I've Cobra lines coming and a Simmi carbon fibre can coming with some Black Widow down pipes, will be phoning the insurance folks to get the value bumped up. I also have a GSXR 1000 K8 rear shock coming. I've got the bug with your fighter project. I want the Bandit to be an extension of my spirit and not some old tired thing, which I'm not. Thanks again guys, loving the whisky and your vids, you have to have whisky, it just wouldn't be right! No!
+James McCreadie Hi buddy, if I wasn't driving tomorrow, I'd join you in a few lol ! Thanks for watching fellah, very much appreciated, as always mate !
+Moonfleet41 that's quite enlightening that... I don't have a garage or even a wall but I do have a drive, tripod and whiteboard. So there's me out at 10.30pm, like a mad scientist. I've got the height of the beam right but boy does it pitch up to the right, I mean I should be driving on the right, it's totally pointing the wrong way, I did buy beam deflectors because the mechanic I use told me it was pointing the wrong way. I looked for an adjuster on the Bandit headlight but it's too dark tonight and getting cold so knocking it on the head tonight. I reckon it a US or Euro lamp I've got! It's opposite to Penny's bike in your vid.
+James McCreadie Sounds like it James, but at least, hopefully, with the video, you can what's what... need some daylight like you so to have a proper look... let us know how you get on !
Thanks for this. I've been afraid to ride my bike at night because I know the headlight wasn't properly adjusted. I was going to wait til MOT and get them to do it. Now I've done it myself
my bike just failed on this today . the bulb what was in it (Chinese) could not make a line so could not be adjusted. new bulb ordered and thanks to you i can set it up . thank
That was really well explained. Thank you! I guess, in the parts of the world where we drive on the right side on the road, the 2% line should be to the right of the center, wright?
A massive help. Loving the new videos I cant wait to get home after my long days bus driving to and from manchester to watch them. Keep up the great work...
Great video Del & Penny. There's no M.O.T over here in Ireland, although there's talk of it coming in. A easy to understand how to of how the headlight is all set up. Ride safe, Cheers, Al.
+Alan Bell Thanks Al, glad you enjoyed it, it's odd that most countries in Europe and USA don't have MOT, can't see the point in it any more with modern standards, but heyho!
Cheers Del, I had no idea headlight aim was this involved. I noticed on my Hornet there are little direction arrows on either side of the headlight (near the bolts) and when lined up parallel to the ground the headlight appears to aim down as it should. I'll need to check mine out and see for sure. MOT basics is such a great topic to cover for the DIYer like myself. Thank you once again !
+Orenchis That's right buddy, those arrows are actually a fatory set up facility - when the dealer un-boxes the bike from the crate, and sets it all up during PDI, it gives them an instant point to set the light correctly... which is the same reason there are holes in the handlebars and pegs in the switch blocks, so the switches are in the correct place first time!
That's good info even to us across the puddle. Even if the standards are different it still shows how to meet standards and a novice can use this and simply adapt it to their local measurements. Nice job.
Thank Del&Penny. I've tried to find some guidance I could use to set my beams correctly but all I can find here are guidelines where the bike has be to be 25 feet away from the wall and my little garage/car port is not that long. I couldn't use the house wall either because the ground is slanted. Now, 12 feet, I can work with that! SeattleRod.
+rmulchi Hi Rod, good to hear from you again buddy... yeah, 12.5ft is the British MOT standard, and those tolerances work with that distance, the most important thing is that the beam doesn't shine above your 0% line and if you have a side cast (in your case to the right) then that must not raise above the centre line until 80mm from the vertical 0% line... all as in the video buddy, glad it can help buddy!
Great video. I assume the verticle 2% line would be right of the center verticle line for countries such as the US that drive on the right side of the road.
+David Jebson (thebiglad) Perhaps I should register my bike in France & then just ride it in the UK. Do you think that would be legal, I don't see why not?
Mark Leadbeater I think you might run into problems trying to do this. To register a bike in France you need to have an address in France that you can justify as yours, with utility bills etc. Where would you insure the bike - England or France? If it's England are you sure you can insure permanently a French reg bike with a UK company?
+Ian O'Riordan Hi Ian, yeah, we keep hearing that the days for the MOT test are numbered, bikes are so much more well made these days, and the pass rate is so high these days that it's largely irrelvant, which is why the most common failure is something as trivial as headlight aim...!
Nice one mate! Funnily enough there is no legal recuirement of mot in belgium for motorcycles. I get my bikes check at my dealer every year anyway! These things as you say are very important for your own safety as other road users'! Ride safe
+Chris Dalvik Hi Chris, so many countires have no MOT any more that I think it's only a matter of time before ours is abolished... bikes are so reliable and safe now, which is why the most common failure is a simple thing like headlight aim !
thanks del our mot centres here are goverment run like aircraft hangers with six or seven lanes all civil servants so that out will see what happens when time comes in march been like this in norn iron for decades dont know where you find the time cheers ardie take care both of you
Delboy was not clarific about how he got the position for the top Blue Line and where it is positioned in relation to the Dotted Horizontal Line; what is it in proportion to and a percentage of? I am very enthusiastic about this method of positioning the headlight and I will have to use it very soon.
Yes, I'm confused by that as well. The info on UK Gov website doesn't help either... Here's my best guess... Assuming the distance from the headlight to the test surface is 12.5 feet or 3810mm. I believe the % values are based on a % of the distance (3810mm) rounded up to the nearest 10mm -850mm 0.5% 3810 x 0.005 = 19.05 (20mm) 2.0% 3810 x 0.02 = 76.2 (80mm) +850mm 1.25% 3810 x 0.005 = 47.625 (50mm) 2.75% 3810 x 0.02 = 104.775 (110mm)
Great vid.Top notch information for us wanna bees! It's hard to believe it's that darn technical!!Sending off the master to get production on the CDs! I'll send you a pic of the cover.
+BlueOnion Hey Ron, just a note on your Harley, if you have the top mounted headlight, the one that kinda hangs under a cap from your top tree, then flip off the disc cover and there's a huge nut inside, if you break the tightness on that nut, your headlight dangles around like a Buffalo's balls lol ... you can set it where you want it, then tighten the nut.... Fantastic news on the music, I remember our first conversations about it, seems like years ago... you must have put so much work in to it! Nothing has changed, am still locked and loaded over here, ready to do full on promotion and get the word out there and get them selling... just say when you're ready! All the best, D&Px
You beat me to it Del. In one of your older uploads, I think it was when you were putting the Motone indicators on the scrambler and had the guts of the headlamp open, you mentioned that you had a mark on the door (of the Old garage!!) for re-setting the light. I've put the black motone's on my bonnie now and was about to ask you hw to do this...You my firend are a gentleman and a bloomin mind reader!! Cheer Del, as always worth watching.....Now....where did my wife put her whiteboard?? Doyou think she'll notice its missing??
Hi Del; Just to let you know bike passed the mot. Got the proper tools and the wd40 loosened up the screws. Cheers for your help. Just like to point out a bad thing about mot for bikes in N. Ireland, dont know if this happens in England, but we now have to put the bike in rollers to test the breaks. What happens is when you break the bike is kicked back which actually caused my bike throusers to scuff the tank. It might polish out, I have no tank protector because I have a cruser, but I might get one now. Looks like a dangerous thing for new riders, I found it a bit dodgy
+John Fox Hi John....congratulations mate, thats good news... yes we have the same brake test here...but the MOT tester does it.. he sits on your bike and opperates the machinery with a remote button... same you picked up a scuff... just get busy with the T-Cut, perhaps you can get rid of it..! good luck.. and thanks for your support... Del.
Twin lights should give an identical beam pattern that should be a single image on the wall, so adjust them in an identical way to keep that image singular.
It's bringing me to tears when I see how easy is on a naked bike... I must literally break a finger or two and dance a ritual to adjust both of my bikes headlights... However, just an advice for people with smaller garages - you can use a building and chalk to draw the lines and do the adjustment. And finally be glad you have such strict MOT test - you don't want to drive in my country where there is no will to apply the rules...
+Ludmil Stamboliyski Hi Ludmil, I've always been aware that we have it very easy here in Britain, it's an extremely safe place to ride, compared to many countries in the world!
Great video and I followed everything to the T , I have one issue regarding mot tho , basically I only ever ride with a pillion so I set the headlights up with both of us on the bike with the dipped beam line about three quarter's of the way up between the 20mm and 80mm mark as my headlight is 830mm high , but when the wife gets off the beam goes slightly below the 80mm threshold , I don't want the mot place to set it up for one rider every time as we dazzle on coming traffic . Have you ever faced this problem or am I missing something simple , I also have the suspension set up for the pillion too 👍🏼👍🏼
No, I set mine for solo rider, take it for MOT, once it passes, then set it for how you're going to ride it every day, and if that means a pillion, then set it for that!
I think this is the only video that explains headlamp aiming in detail..i have one question though..what should be the height of the projected light when you use the high beam? should it not go over your 0%?
i see..because i had my mechanic install a new led headlights..the low light seems ok and lits up the road pretty well..however..when i switch the high beam on..its so high you could see the tip of the trees on the road up ahead..its like a projector for a cinema..
Great tutorial as always......but my 2018 T100 doesn't have any means to make the horizontal adjustment. Both owners' and workshop manual both say only vertical adjustment is available. Manuals that cover the older models do show the horizontal adjusting screw that I'm familiar with and what DB talks about.. Web searches appear to suggest a recent change in regulations to limit beam adjustment to the vertical plane only - I guess that horizontal deflection is built into the headlight itself. Anyone confirm, contradict or know more? Cheers.
Good job your not covering types of bulbs lol. I currently have HIDs on my thunderace (flew through MOT as they are not allowed to dismantle the bike to look for CE marks) but changing them to LEDs sometime this week when they come. Perks of 80% night time riding lol. See if it passes the MOT next year or if I have to do a quick swap out
Just bought a used bike. The headlight beam hits the road about 8 feet in front of my bike. Even the high beams not just the dim... I don't know how they are adjusted but the way they are now with the light hitting the road 8 to 10 feet in front of me means I can't SEE jackshiite. I am hoping the light is adjusted too low. If not , I don't know. The headlight is supposed to be one of the expensive qauranteed for life headlights. If the thing is adjusted correctly I'll go back to the old fashioned headlights if I can find one. Or else pray I don't have to ride anywhere at night!!! Lol
I have a question concerning headlight adjustment on a Sportster. According to the service manual for the 2001 sportster headlight aiming is done at 25 feet at a height of 35 inches while running high beams. so the question I have is if you adjust your light according to the service manual would it pass the British MOT?
Del just watched your update and have a suggestion. If you know any machinists you could get a 1 piece top made for your bar clamps and have a slot machined in the middle for your idiot lights with a hole going through for the wires this will be Deseret and in my humble opinion damn cool looking
+Barry Morehen Now that's a great idea buddy, like your thinking! We have a plan to fabricate a 'dash' for the top of the tank to house the speedo and lights, rather than clutter the bars, but that would have been a great solution had we not ! Thanks for your input buddy, it's great to get good ideas from our viewers!
I've bought a honda 550sc nighthawk from America. Will I need to change the headlight to suit uk roads or is the headlight change not necessary. I know European cars need changing because of the direction of beam but bikes only have one headlight. Are American bikes beam different from the uk. Can someone please help me asap!!!!
