Is this a healthy headlight pattern?

[geekonabike]

Attached should be pics of the spread of light I'm getting.  It is from 4.5 feet lamp-to-wall, on the centerstand.  I have tried a couple brands of H4's (Sylvania and Phillips IIRC) and get the same.  

I'm wondering if this is normal, or if my reflector is messed up (or a nonstock replacement).  Maybe this is a non-issue, but I bring it up because I rode an '03 Savage that had MUCH better lighting up front with its single lamp.  I felt a lot more confident riding that one at night than I do my GS for that reason.  Maybe the Savage wasn't stock, but it was a low-mileage specimen at the dealer and I think they would have told me if they put something better up there, as they told me a lot of other things they did to the bike.  I'm told both Savage and GS are H4 bulbs.  (Maybe I'm wrong there too.)

So is this a normal pattern or did someone mess up, or replace, my reflector before I bought it?  Any info appreciated, including replacement front headlight assemblies that might be huge improvements.  FWIW also attached is a pic of the front of the light, which has the letters KOITO in the middle.  (Ignore the dates.  I have to figure out how to change them on the camera.  Sigh.)  --Mike D.



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[The Buddha]

Looks normal ... atleast the bottom one does ... now the other on on the garage door ... seems to be OK but I thought mine was more taller and less wide ... might be more camera error ...
Cool.
Srinath.

[RedShift]

The spread seems fine but the angle appears off.  

Motorcyclist magazine offered a useful article titled, "How-To: Your Aim Is True -- Headlight aiming explained".  I followed it to get the general setting, then made personal adjustments to taste.

Roy...

[geekonabike]

Thanks Srinath.  That's one vote for mostly normal.  I wish I could have taken a similar photo with the Savage's pattern.  I don't know what bulb they had in there, but that lit up not just the front very well, but also the sides.  It seemed more of a conical pattern.  Maybe I'm getting picky.  I'll ride around some more tonight and check it out some more.  I just may want to add supplemental lighting, though I think I'll avoid nighttime highway riding as much as I can.  Just outside town though, more lighting would help a lot too.  --Mike D.

[geekonabike]

The spread seems fine but the angle appears off.  

Motorcyclist magazine offered a useful article titled, "How-To: Your Aim Is True -- Headlight aiming explained".  I followed it to get the general setting, then made personal adjustments to taste.

Roy...

Thanks Roy.  That's two votes for mostly normal I guess.  I'll check out that method for aiming the beam and see how far off I am.  I may have to go vandalize a building, as my driveway is not flat.

And I'm going to go back to the Suzuki dealer and have another look at that Savage's lighting!

--Mike D.

[geekonabike]

Roy, you're the winner!

It is an aim problem.  OK not 100% sure but pretty sure.  It lights up my neighbor's house very well, and according to your website ref my lights are aimed too high.

Unfortunately the previous owner put some itty bitty replacement turn signals in there, and their threads stick back far enough that the headlight assembly can't tip down far enough for a proper aim.  So tomorrow I'll find some rubber washers or some other solution to get those threads out of the way.  Hopefully then I can aim it true and get the kind of visibility I got on that Savage, and you guys take for granted.

Thanks!

Mike D.

[RedShift]

I wish all problems were as easy to solve.

Ride safe...

[Kerry]

For another method, see BOTH of my posts in the headlight adjustment thread.

[geekonabike]

For another method, see BOTH of my posts in the headlight adjustment thread.

Thanks Kerry.  Someday I will ride to Orem and buy you lunch.  Not a vegan I hope.  (And Roy, let me know if you ever need help with a math problem!)

It seems the two techniques should give very similar results.  It is intersting that your diagram, Kerry, has a conical beam and the other seems more compatible with my beam shape.  One has it slightly below from about 10+ feet and the other two inches below from 25 feet.  Having it tilt slightly to the side you're riding on is good too.  That might be harder to figure out from 25 feet away.

It would sure be nice if one could adjust these on the fly, like the mirrors, but I guess one could get into trouble if accidentally, and suddenly, losing the beam.

Thanks again to all.
--Mike D.

[The Buddha]

Roy, you're the winner!

It is an aim problem.  OK not 100% sure but pretty sure.  It lights up my neighbor's house very well, and according to your website ref my lights are aimed too high.

Unfortunately the previous owner put some itty bitty replacement turn signals in there, and their threads stick back far enough that the headlight assembly can't tip down far enough for a proper aim.  So tomorrow I'll find some rubber washers or some other solution to get those threads out of the way.  Hopefully then I can aim it true and get the kind of visibility I got on that Savage, and you guys take for granted.

Thanks!

Mike D.

OK This is one more thing I have screamed about for so Long I gave up ... and all my GS'es I swap the rear T/S'es but leave the fronts alone ... cos the threads on the front are super short and I cannot find any that will work on the front ... commonly some dodo fits the rear's on the front and the T/S'es point up like a V ... my 95 was that way ... In your case its hitting the headlight bucket ... pathetic ... But get front T/Ses and keep the aftermarket ones for the back ... BTW the front wire plug in is close enough that aftermarkets with 3 inches of wire actually reach wihtout splicing ... pity ...
Cool.
Srinath.

[RedShift]

For another method, see BOTH of my posts in the headlight adjustment thread.

As Kerry mentioned in his second response, Figure 2 isn't quite right:



Be aware that the beam is directed both down and to the RIGHT, not to the Left as the Figure suggests.

Roy...

[Aussie GS]

Out of interest what size bulb is everyone runing, my owner's manual says 55w/60w which surprised me,every other bike I've had ran 55w/100w. Any reason I cant go up to the 100w,I'm on country roads, no white lines,few reflectors and a bloody lot of wallibies,possums and anything else that creeps in the night  

[RedShift]

Out of interest what size bulb is everyone runing, my owner's manual says 55w/60w which surprised me,every other bike I've had ran 55w/100w. Any reason I cant go up to the 100w,I'm on country roads, no white lines,few reflectors and a bloody lot of wallibies,possums and anything else that creeps in the night  

Aren't there more efficient bulbs (than stock) out there that shed more light for the same wattage?  I though there were folks like PIAA or others that made "Super White" or "Super Plasma Blue" H4's that throw more light than standard.  I seem to recall they're 3x to 4x the price, but would be kinder to the alternator.

I'm apprehensive to drawing more power than per design (8.3 amps for 100w versus the stock 5 at high beam).  

Roy...

[The Buddha]

Same wattage but more light due to better efficiency ... Sylvania super whites ... walmart 9003 type bulb ... heck its 45 watts as opposed to 55 that will blow the doors off most 80 watters ...
Cool.
Srinath.

[danci1973]

I use Osram Silverstars (I think Osram (Europe) = Sylvania (USA)) on my bike and they kick ass. They're 55W/60W.

The problem with hihg-wattage bulbs is potentially too much heat (could melt the reflector) and too much current (GS generator is not really a power plant). The wiring is also not quite up to the job with high-wattage bulbs.

D.

PS: BTW, I've never seen 55/100W bulbs - just 90/100W. I had them on my car and they don't make much difference over Silverstars. But they burn out sooner.

[danci1973]

While we're on the subject, what about HID lamps? Are there any aftermarket HID lamps one can bolt on a bike featuring both high and low beam?

If yes, any links? Prices?

D.

[geekonabike]

Wow, it's great to have a discussion about bulbs show up here.  Informative, even if it comes up from time to time.

Thanks to all for the suggestion to aim the beam lower, and for the diagrams on how to do it.  I finally got around to it.  There was a problem with the replacement signals a PO put on there, with threads sticking way back keeping the bulb from being able to be aimed down far enough.  I painted a couple washers and nuts (one for each signal) and used them to shim the signals, which now stick out farther, pulling the threads away from the middle, so the lamp could be aimed lower.  The difference is dramatic.

I might try another bulb myself, but danged if it didn't take FOREVER to get the rim/bulb/reflector cone thingy assembly back into the black rear end of the whole headlight assembly.  All those wires conspired so there was always something in the way.  I don't remember that happening last time I messed with the bulb.  I guess I should see how the wires are arranged in the service handbook.  But it's together now, so I'll put it on my list of stuff not to think about for a while.

Thanks again.

--Mike D.

[Kerry]

I guess I should see how the wires are arranged in the service handbook.

It just so happens that I took my headlight out of the bucket for the first time just before my recent trip.  For a (large) picture of the original wire routing on my '99  CLICK HERE.

But it's together now, so I'll put it on my list of stuff not to think about for a while.

Oops - I hope I didn't get you all worked up again!  :lol:

[geekonabike]

Thanks Kerry,

Yours is a whole lot prettier than mine.  My wires were all taped together farther up into the the assembly, and some mounted clips thingies behind the assembly held the wires in place there tightly, so the amount of slack was pretty much fixed, and the wires inside the assembly collectively made a rather stiff super-cable.  Perhaps someone had worked on them before.  Still, they were easy enough to accomodate the first time I switched out a bulb (which yep, may be the last time, ho ho ha ha).  Just not this time.   Anyhow  I stored your image on my HDD for future reference.

I'm sure my curiosity about other, brighter bulbs will eventually get to me.  Until then when you think of dim bulbs think of me.  Uhm, never mind.   Anyhow thanks again.

You're the best!
Mike D.

[danci1973]

All those wires and connectors can go under the tank - I only had to lenghten (is this the correct word?) two wires for the aux light. Everything else was long enough (even too long).

I had to do it cause of my twin-headlight - the big bunch of cables hanging down behind the nice, shiney headlight assembly was just too ugly.

D.