gs main beam (not!)

[snow]

I'm sure this subject has been done to death somewhere on here, so apologies.

I have HID on dip and bmw main beams which provide a very nice general glow but are b***y useless when travelling at any speed above walking pace. My vision area is always in front of the beam which is a scary way to ride looking at darkness. My previous bike had hid mains and they were no better, just a brighter pool of light for me to look beyond.

Unfortunatly my 4 wheel transport has brilliant lights, as standard, and shine for miles up the road so a bit of a let down when on the bike.

Can anyone suggest a different light system that throws a longer beam

 

[cookie]

i have HID main and dip and can ride unlit country lanes at night nearly as quick as i would in the day.

you're doing something wrong.

 

[snow]

I'm on my third GS and they are all rubbish on main beam, sorry, but its not me, they just don't throw the distance cars do or a required to do riding at any kind of pace

 

[cookie]

it's true that the halogen lights on my octavia are still better than my bike's HIDs, but they are much larger and there's four of them.

...and the bike would undoubtedly be better with a purpose built HID headlight unit, but i've had two HID equipped 1200s now, and i think i can ride at a decent pace using them. they are certainly a massive improvement on the stock halogen bulbs.

maybe what you consider a decent pace is faster than mine?

 

[Sgt Bilco]

I have HID on dip and standard on main and hardly ever use main beam to be honest and it does get very dark in these parts.

The HID is the best light I've had on a bike and plenty for spirited riding in the dark

Stupid question but have you adjusted them correctly

 

[zoot]

HiD

Hi Les Wassall fit HiD to all my gsa lights and can ride at a goodly pace in the dark, high beam light up time is slower than halogen (even if warmed up first) but i tend to use high beam for riding, (no oncoming traffic), rather than sending messages to car drivers in morse, most are to easy to confuse as it is. As stated above the number of lights on a car has a huge bearing on the total lux compared to a bike.

 

[NLC]

I have HID on dip and standard on main and hardly ever use main beam to be honest and it does get very dark in these parts.

The HID is the best light I've had on a bike and plenty for spirited riding in the dark

Stupid question but have you adjusted them correctly

Sounds like an adjustment problem which I did after installing my HIDs. I would park the bike 25ft away from a wall making sure it is flat on the centre stand. Measure from the centre of the dipped to the ground and transfer that mark on the wall and then adjust. One day coming home I found that I was getting flashed more than normal and it turned out that the adjustment was way out. So some friend or joker decided to turn it so worth checking again.

 

[sven]

The best way to improve your lights is to sell the GS and buy a VFR800VTEC - they're better than most cars

Got to agree that the GS headlight is very poor, but I've only ridden it on unlit roads once or twice in two years/11,000 miles so it's never been a concern of mine

 

[snerkler]

When I first got my GSA I thought the lights were shocking, they only lit up a tiny amount of road just in front of the bike. However, after reading posts on here I adjusted them correctly and now I can see perfectly well, in fact they're probably the best lights I've had on a bike. And they're the standard bulbs

 

[seadog]

i put a HID on my dip beam 04 plate, and its like riding in daylight all the time , as much light as i need to light the road, as said before, if you are not getting this with your HID on dip there is something wrong with the set up.


mike

 

[davegs]

Lights

They are crap, 1150 ones were dreadful when I down graded to a 1200 I thought these would be good....no! crap again! mine had had main beam turnd down to use as a dip. However now got Les's light on dip so hope all wil be ok as the 1150 certainly is with HID's.

 

[Nutty]

Just adjust the height

 

[jags]

brother has a tiger 800 on standard bulbs, says the lights are excellent. haven't tried my gs ones yet but the f800s ones were crap with hid.

 

[GSMax]

Sounds like an adjustment problem which I did after installing my HIDs. I would park the bike 25ft away from a wall making sure it is flat on the centre stand. Measure from the centre of the dipped to the ground and transfer that mark on the wall and then adjust. One day coming home I found that I was getting flashed more than normal and it turned out that the adjustment was way out. So some friend or joker decided to turn it so worth checking again.

Hi,
I believe adjustments while bike is on centre stand is not really correct procedure... But, i may be wrong!

 

[Engineer]

When I first got my GSA I thought the lights were shocking, they only lit up a tiny amount of road just in front of the bike. However, after reading posts on here I adjusted them correctly and now I can see perfectly well, in fact they're probably the best lights I've had on a bike. And they're the standard bulbs

+1 my standard dip and main beam are fine if set up correctly.

 

[Packer]

This was my experience with my 1150GS and may apply to the 1200 as well.

Standard lamps are dire. On unlit roads and especially in the wet the lights are so poor as to be dangerous. I fitted HID dip and main and found that the main barely projected beyond the cut-off for the dip beam. A little checking identified the adjusters to move the main beam independently to the dip and so I raised the main lamp. Now the HID main is like a searchlight and if I choose I can ride as fast at night as during the day (except for not being able to see around corners) The main beam illumination starts at the farthest reach of the dip beam and projects for miles ahead on a flat road.

 

[Beemerman59]

This was my experience with my 1150GS and may apply to the 1200 as well.

Standard lamps are dire. On unlit roads and especially in the wet the lights are so poor as to be dangerous. I fitted HID dip and main and found that the main barely projected beyond the cut-off for the dip beam. A little checking identified the adjusters to move the main beam independently to the dip and so I raised the main lamp. Now the HID main is like a searchlight and if I choose I can ride as fast at night as during the day (except for not being able to see around corners) The main beam illumination starts at the farthest reach of the dip beam and projects for miles ahead on a flat road.

On the 1200 you can't adjust the beams independantly - or I can't see how to anyway on mine. I have a HID on dipped beam and I have tried HID on main beam as well but frankly whether that has HID or not its largely ineffective. Dipped beam HID is well worth it as an upgrade. The OEM lighting for me is pants on the 1200. To get any decent lighting at night for fast country roads the 1200 needs additional lighting in my view and FF50's are a good compromise between cost and performance. I have mine upgraded to HID as well and now I can maintain the same speeds at night as during the day.

 

[cookie]

I have tried HID on main beam as well but frankly whether that has HID or not its largely ineffective.

you're not the first person i've heard say that, but i still don't understand how that can be as my HID main beam has been fantastic

 

[Packer]

On the 1200 you can't adjust the beams independently - or I can't see how to anyway on mine.

You are correct unless the later ones have changed. I found an old thread which stated that the lens and reflector assembly for the 1200 combines both lamps in one unit. Big brother has got you! No customisation of beam spread permitted.

 

[snow]

gs main beam

well i'm glad its not just me, mixed bag here.

The problem is not really brightness but length of and power of the main beam. It seems to throw a reasonable distance but with such a poor level of light output.

I am not sure if different bulbs have different beam lengths as I have had jhid's on previous bikes and whilst they are much brighter they seem not to throw a longer beam.

Maybe rider height has something to do with it, I am 6'3" and naturally look further up the road than a rider of lesser height, and no I am not going to ride laying flat on the tank!

Anyone know anyone who knows anything about bulbs, failing that a set of hellas off a rally car seem the only solution!