[V-Tom]

Adjust your headlights independently and you will be surprised at how well they work. I had similar issues until I caught on to that.

Put something (a piece of cardboard for example) in front of the bike with horizontal lines on it. On low beam, mask one side and adjust the other, taking note where the top of the lighted area is. Then do the same for the other and make the other line up the same way. Go for a ride and note at around 55 mph where the beam is. If it's too high or low then you can easily adjust accordingly.

..Tom

 

[PTRider]

Larry, check to see that your bulbs are correctly seated in the light assemblies. The bulbs will fit into notches in the back of the reflector with the two vertical blade contacts on the sides and the horizontal blade contact on the top of the circular bulb base. Roll this image to the left so the contacts are flat on top and straight up & down on the sides:

The three tangs on the base fit with one at 12 o'clock and two at 8 & 4 o'clock, something like this:

 

[manleytoulin]

i have noted the same thing with my high beams when coming home in the wee hours after a night shift. ('05 Wee) the only time the high beams are useful is when approaching an uphill grade because then they shine perfectly on the road. outside of that, i have been using strictly low beams for night time rides.

 

[OydnaR]

make sure yer preload/sag is adjusted, right spring rates etc, and adjust with your weight on the bike

 

[AceRider]

i notice that also - there seem to be too much of an angle difference between low and high beam. If u set your low beam on on being just adequate for 50km/hr or 30mph, it would be ver good at 100km/hr - the problems is that we all like adequate lighting to at least 80km/hr on low beam - the high beam then become an issue.

i think the the suggested solution of adjusting left and right differently might be a good compromise!

cheers

 

[V-Tom]

i notice that also - there seem to be too much of an angle difference between low and high beam. If u set your low beam on on being just adequate for 50km/hr or 30mph, it would be ver good at 100km/hr - the problems is that we all like adequate lighting to at least 80km/hr on low beam - the high beam then become an issue.

i think the the suggested solution of adjusting left and right differently might be a good compromise!

cheers

I didn't mean to adjust them differently, but to make sure each one is adjusted correctly. To do that you need to adjust each one with the other not illuminating where you are projecting. It made a huge difference in illumination once that was done.

..Tom

 

[larry0071]

Mine appear to be pointing at the same location on the garage door and the low beam is really about purrrr-fect. Like others notice, the click to high beam makes a dramatic change in beam direction resulting in the beam being way to high.

Also like mentioned, if going down into a valley tyhe high beam works great to shoot the beam up at the next rise.... but on level my beam never lights the road. I guess if many of us are seeing this issue, it is simply a design flaw in the reflector. I am not going to lower the low beam and limit my "normal" field of view so that the rare times I need the high beam it is right. I use the low beam 90% of the time, so I feel keeping it correct is more important.

Issue discussed, problem is normal, case closed.

 

[Tollster]

I then put a bottle cap off a sode bottle on it, running the bolt in from the thread side, then put it back in the hole. Now I just turn the cap for on the fly adjustments, handy when its cold, dark, and your laoded down on some desolate deer laiden road.

 

[AceRider]

V-tom,

given the greater than necessary angle change on flicking to hi-beam, i think to adjust left and right beam slightly differently to how far/close they project on the road is a good compromise.


----------------
What tollster mean:

I used the coke bottle idea i saw here to allow quick adjustment of headlight to cater for any load changes. - i cut a little groove into it, so i can feel the relative amount of change i am dialing - wife on, adjust the preload and 1/4 of turn on the headlight and i am good.

Drill the coke bottle cap with a drill similar but just smaller to adjustment bolt. Find a bolt in the same size of adjustment and heat up and push through the slightly undersize hole drilled - do not move until it cools and it will fit on the adjustment bolt perfectly. apply a small amount of eproxy glue and all is fine.

 

[V-Tom]

V-tom,

given the greater than necessary angle change on flicking to hi-beam, i think to adjust left and right beam slightly differently to how far/close they project on the road is a good compromise.

I have found that most headlights are not aimed correctly (mine wasn't) and adjusting them correctly made a huge difference in how they worked. If that doesn't do it for you, then adust them to different angles; but it would make sense to start with them both adjusted properly in the first place and see how that does.

..Tom

 

[tmcgee]

i think the the suggested solution of adjusting left and right differently might be a good compromise

It's the only way that makes sense to me. Otherwise the brights are aircraft spotters.

 

[PTRider]

the brights are aircraft spotters

Something is wrong with all the headlights with these characteristics. They weren't made this way...it is illegal in the U.S. and doesn't comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 108 Section 7.4. And my '04 Strom headlights are aimed fine on hi & lo beam.

 

[ezrdr55]

My '09 is like this too. Set low beam = high bean too high...set high beam = low beam too low. I have set the high beam and just live with the too low low beam. I've been thinking about going to HID, but I'm not sure how this will cure/change this issue.

 

[greywolf]

I once felt like I had this problem. Carefully aiming one headlight at a time solved it. It's especially easy to have the right light aimed too high and it's the one that lights up tall objects on the travel side of the road. In left side drive countries, it would be the left light.