How do you align the headlights?

[banner]

I dropped my bike ever so slightly on sand and i'm wondering how do i align my headlights now? They are facing right and upwards now..and not on the road as it should.

I had a fun time driving back to san diego from san fran a week ago (3 hours of riding at dark).

Any help would be appreciated.

Also if anyone has a windscreen for sale



btw...i tried to adjust the headlight via the two bolts on the sides but it didn't move really...so i'm guessing there is another way

[Kerry]

See if this thread helps.

[banner]

ah thanks kerry.

Thats it.

I'll adjust it asap.

[RedShift]

As always, Kerry has a pocket full of information on every topic.  

One thought that did cross my mind was that his thread reference did not mention the propoer "throw" angle.  I used to have a link to a method to set the right trajectory of the low beam -- but it's gone.

I did a Goggle and found this on the BMW F650 web site which largely hits what I remember the adjustment process to be:

Q. How do I Reset the Headlight Throw Angle?

A. Check the tire pressure and correct it, if necessary. Place motorcycle on its wheels with the rider on it, on a level surface, 5 meters from a light-colored wall. The rear springs should be set for solo operation. Measure distance from ground to head light center ( H in the picture ), mark this distance on the wall with a cross and draw another cross 5 centimetres below the first one. Switch on low beam and align the head light, so that the bright-dark boundary runs from the left, from the center of the lower cross, rising to the right to the horizontal line of the upper cross and then falls off.

Hope this helps.  (I find personal taste takes over for horizontal angle. )

Unit Conversion: 1 Meter = 39 inches; 1 Centimeter = 2.54 inches

Roy...

[Kerry]

This old thread contains a scan from the Haynes manual that's very similar to the diagram posted by RedShift.  (Thanks for the reminder!)

NOTE: Please see my 2nd post in that thread for a modification that most non-Brits should make to the procedure.