Headwinds: How To Aim a Headlight

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How To Aim a Headlight

Q: How to aim a headlight?

A: When aiming a headlight, we use a "rule of thumb"
     The bike or car (referred to here after as the "vehicle")
     should be laden: the gas tank should be 3/4 full, all
     tires be properly inflated and a motorcycle should
     have a rider on it. When aiming the headights, the
     lens should be 10 feet from a vertical wall, 20 feet
     is better.

1. Measure the distance from the ground and the center
    of the headlamp (lamp height).

2. Using chalk or pencil, mark the vertical wall with a
    horizontal line indicating the lamp height. Then draw
    a parallel line 1" below the first line called the 1" line
    and a parellel line 2" below the first line called the 2"
    line (more on that later)

3. Start with the vehicle as far from the wall as possible,
    make sure it is perpendicular to the wall, and then
    slowly pull up to it. This will set your front and rear
    wheels tracking straight towards the wall.

4. Notice where the "hot spot" is (the brightest part of
    the light), draw a vertical line on the wall that is in
    the center of the hot spot.

5. Back the vehicle away from the wall, watching the
    wall (not the light) keeping the vehicle perpendicular
    to the wall. Stop with the lens at the 10' mark or the
    20' mark.

6. You may notice the hot spot diverging from it's
    center. If it is then the light is out of adjustment.

7. If you are 10' from the wall, adjust the headlight so
    that the hot spot is centered on the vertical line and
    on the 1" line. If you are 20' from the wall, adjust
    the headlight so that the hot spot is on the vertical
    line and on the 2" line.

8. For vehicles that have independent headlight
    housings (not mounted in a fender or cowel type
    nacelle). Loosen the mounting nuts or bolts just
    enough so that the headlight stays in place and
    can be moved by hand. Rotate headlight until the
    hot spot is centered in accordancewith paragraph
    #7 then tighten the mounting nuts or bolts.

9. For vehicles that have fixed headlight housings
    with gimbled mounting rings, adjust the aiming
    screws that are visable from the front of the lamp.
    You should not have to remove the trim ring (beauty
    ring). One screw will adjust the light up and down
    and the other will adjust the light left and right.