Adjusting Headlight on a slope
Road Master
Joined: Jan 2013
Posts: 756
Likes: 2
From: Virginia
How can I check the adjustment on my headlight without having 25' of level surface. My garage is only 20' deep and the drive starts to slope away at the garage entrance as well as the garage must slope too.
With my front axle at 25' my rear axle would be 6.5" below level and my front 5.5" below level. Say I set the rear tire on a board giving me about 1" more height it would justify the bike; could I then mark my alignment position on the wall 5.5" lower then the calculated height per the service manual and make necessary adjustments?
With my front axle at 25' my rear axle would be 6.5" below level and my front 5.5" below level. Say I set the rear tire on a board giving me about 1" more height it would justify the bike; could I then mark my alignment position on the wall 5.5" lower then the calculated height per the service manual and make necessary adjustments?
Tourer
Joined: Jan 2011
Posts: 424
Likes: 1
How can I check the adjustment on my headlight without having 25' of level surface. My garage is only 20' deep and the drive starts to slope away at the garage entrance as well as the garage must slope too.
With my front axle at 25' my rear axle would be 6.5" below level and my front 5.5" below level. Say I set the rear tire on a board giving me about 1" more height it would justify the bike; could I then mark my alignment position on the wall 5.5"lower then the calculated height per the service manual and make necessary adjustments?
With my front axle at 25' my rear axle would be 6.5" below level and my front 5.5" below level. Say I set the rear tire on a board giving me about 1" more height it would justify the bike; could I then mark my alignment position on the wall 5.5"lower then the calculated height per the service manual and make necessary adjustments?
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 7,776
Likes: 2,252
From: wet coast BC
How can I check the adjustment on my headlight without having 25' of level surface. My garage is only 20' deep and the drive starts to slope away at the garage entrance as well as the garage must slope too.
With my front axle at 25' my rear axle would be 6.5" below level and my front 5.5" below level. Say I set the rear tire on a board giving me about 1" more height it would justify the bike; could I then mark my alignment position on the wall 5.5" lower then the calculated height per the service manual and make necessary adjustments?
With my front axle at 25' my rear axle would be 6.5" below level and my front 5.5" below level. Say I set the rear tire on a board giving me about 1" more height it would justify the bike; could I then mark my alignment position on the wall 5.5" lower then the calculated height per the service manual and make necessary adjustments?
does your manual tell you to adjust the high beam at the mark like mine does?
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 2,034
Likes: 128
YOU NEED TO TAKE INTO ACCOUNT THE REFRACTION OF LIGHT FOR CHANGING THE DISTANCE. HERE IS A SIMPLE FORMULA TO HELP:
Given a normalized light vector l (pointing from the light source toward the surface) and a normalized plane normal vector n, one can work out the normalized reflected and refracted rays:
Note: 
must be positive. Otherwise, use
Given a normalized light vector l (pointing from the light source toward the surface) and a normalized plane normal vector n, one can work out the normalized reflected and refracted rays:
Note: must be positive. Otherwise, use
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 3,504
Likes: 12
From: DOWN SOUTH
Now that I look at your sig pic, how about pointing your bike towards that fence, looks level enough and round about 25 feet or so, or you could find the side of a building with a level empty lot, just take your tools with and knock it out right quick. Good luck.
Thread Starter
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Road Captain
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 528
Likes: 0
From: Bel Air, MD
Fence may work that is the most level spot I have, I could even strap a sheet of plywood to it. Either that or I saw the school around the corner has a nice brick wall along the parking lot that would work.
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Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2012
Posts: 129
Likes: 1
From: Florissant
Did mine the other day on the garage door, still doesn't seem like I have a very good spread of light. Flashed between hi and low behind a truck at stoplight and could see the bulb change left to right, should it be top to bottom? Do I just need a new bulb?