Headlight adjustment, only a phillips screwdriver needed

roy

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Not sure everyone knows this or not but you can adjust the headlight vertical by simply using a phillips screwdriver to turn the star wheel adjuster same as on a auto or at least that is the same as my Toyota Tundra. If you look up under the housing you will see a channel that is molded there, insert phillips and lock into the star wheel teeth, adjust away. No need to try and get a big hand up in behind there to turn the nut. However you can do it the hard way if you like. ;)
 

roy

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yammie said:
Mind pointing where mate?
Sit on the floor or look directly up under the headlight housing/black box you will see the silver adjusting screws with a teeth looking side. Directly in to that is a channel molded to guide the screwdriver into the teeth on the ajusting screw. Lock in the phillips on those teeth and turn in he direction needed. It is easier to just sit on your butt and look up under there than it is for me to explain but if you know where the adusters are then directly below them is the molded channel for the screwdriver. only reason I know this is what its for is my Toyota has the same adjuster and I recently had to adjust them too.

The picture you show look at the number 1 that is the direction you will be lookign from the bottom of the headlight box. Easy to adjust right side sitting on the floor left side of bike, left side sitting on the floor of right side of bike. Your screwdriver will be in at the angle shown on the above diagram with the 1 listed.
 

sportrider

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I couldn't get my philips to find the grooves so I used a 8mm socket. Thanks for the tip!
 

maddog5150

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hojo in sc said:
I'm wondering how many turns it takes to notice any difference, I made a lot of turns (to lower) and I can't tell a difference.
I don't remember howard turns I did when I adjusted, but just shine them on the wall or garage door and make a mark and adjust in increments.
 

3putt

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I wondered what those little teeth were for. LOL
 

tomatocity

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yammie said:
Mind pointing where mate?
This looks to be from the 2010 Service Manual. The same information in the 2012 Service Manual is 3-31 (page 168).

Thanks for the information. Inspires me to check the level of my headlights and raise them one notch to see if I can get better distance.
 

tomatocity

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Does anyone know what the headlight height difference is by adjusting a 1/2 turn, 1 turn, 2 turns?
 

Don in Lodi

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tomatocity said:
Does anyone know what the headlight height difference is by adjusting a 1/2 turn, 1 turn, 2 turns?
Not much. It wasn't height, but my lights were cross eyed badly, took a LOT of turning to get things to my liking.
 

tomatocity

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Did a search and did not find the answer I want.

Did any of you keep track of how many turns you made to raise your headlight height?
 

KingChicken

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Great instructions, finished this in excellent time.

We used the 8mm ratchet to do it, took 4 and a half turns to get it down about 2.5 inches.
 

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Thanks for this information - mine are shinning up in the trees on high beam and people flash me on low beam - so they need to come down a bunch and I couldn't find anything in the manual!
 

Haar

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Here's my deal . . . first time I was in the dark, I had just changed my right bulb. Put it in (H-7) with tab to the top (the other one was installed like that). Nope, wrong way. Looked at diagram in manual and the bulb tabs were placed on an angle (going in at 7 o'clock) and noticed that the plug ins were at that angle too. So, put them in at that position, turning slightly to 7:30 o'clock and presto, that's how they go. Then back to getting the crossed-eyes adjusted. Went with the phillips for the bottom adjustment (oh, by the way, used a small drill driver on slow cause mine needed a LOT of adjustment. Bottoms are for "up and down" and top adjustment screws (done with 1/4" drive 8mm with a 6" and 8" extension with a universal swivel in between) are for left to right. And note from diagrams the direction of the arrows for proper movement. I've reached a good level of up and down but I think the "shutter" is ridiculous. Going into a curve at night leaves the apex in the dark. I've got the dims so high that I anticipate a lot of flashing lights back at me. NOT my favorite headlight system, shuttered projectors suck.
 

4jranch

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I also could not get the screw driver technique to work very well. Ended up using an 8mm rachet and working from the space behind the headlights next to the forks. It helps to turn the wheel to the opposite side you are working on. I had to put the socket in by feel. Thiighten (turn to the right) to lower the lights. Both lights have an adjustment bolt.
 

Shovelhead

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Haar said:
I think the "shutter" is ridiculous. Going into a curve at night leaves the apex in the dark. I've got the dims so high that I anticipate a lot of flashing lights back at me. NOT my favorite headlight system, shuttered projectors suck.
Agree.

I've read a bunch about adjusting the headlights but have not seen anything that tells me how to "correctly" adjust them.
What's the baseline for adjustment? So many feet away from a wall and mark the beam at what height/distance???
Do you adjust them on low beam or high beam?
Just start cranking on the adjustment screws till yer happy or what? < that seems to be the best solution.

These lights suck, got a straight edge of darkness just above my line of sight and it gets really bad in a corner. I'm really surprised these things made it to market.

Could someone please explain the correct method for adjusting these lights to their optimal capability.

Thanks
 
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