How did my headlights get so out of whack?

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

Bull Grackle

Pack Dog
Joined
Feb 18, 2010
Messages
111
Reaction score
0
Location
Robertson
Bike
BMW R1200GS
This post will cover two related topics: why won't my headlamps adjust down far enough (?); and how to fix the dreaded ball-off-the-socket adjuster snafu.Disclaimer and culpability statement: until last Sunday I had never ridden my 2007 GS at night. This explains why I never thought to check the headlamp position. Through various miscalculations I found myself with a couple of hundred km of gravel roads between me and home around 17:30. No problem, just ride home in the dark except for the fact that both my high and low beams were pointing toward the stars. I found myself following an indistinct grey smudge that I assumed was the road and most of the time it was. Three and a half hours to go 200 km on otherwise good gravel roads. What a witless end to an otherwise fine ride. Today I wheeled the bike into the barn and began to crank down the adjustment knob I couldn't turn the other night because of numb fingers. At full down the top of the low beam was about 130 cm above the floor. The high beam a bit more. That's with me sitting on the bike.  The level should be about 110. The lever that drops the lamp level with a passenger and baggage on board wouldn't go down at all. What gives?  If the socket has jumped off the ball, I found a fix online that looks promising. Just click on the following link: https://advrider.com/index.php?threads/07-1200gs-headlight-aiming-help.590440/  It shows how to pop the socket back on the ball using a shoelace or other strong cord. If someone can advise me on how to finish the adjustment without removing the headlight assembly I'll be most appreciative. If not, I'll report on how the shoelace remedy works (or doesn't).
 
Top