Ride height set up

[Lazer Kid]

After 3 years of riding with poor visibility in the dark, i finally decided to park my 2002 1150GS 10 meters from a wall and check the headlight alignment. It is totally out....way too high.

So....before i adjust anything, i thought i should get the correct ride height - it could just be that i have the front suspension set too high (or the rear too low).

So, can some kind owner (with a standard R1150GS) measure the following distances - this will help me get the bike sitting correctly on the road.

Any other advice greatly appreciated (except 'fit some spotlights').

Thanks,
Mark

(not on center stand, with no rider - fuel, what ever you have...but an indication of how much you have in will be helpful).

Photos at http://www.etribes.com/gallery/view/31129
img1350 - rear bolt under cylinder
img1349 - a screw fixing the beak
img1347 - rear rack

 

[Trippy]

They'll be sh*t however you set them up.
Never known such crap lights on a bike

 

[D6]

whats the correct ride height?, should be set up how you like it, , then adjust the beam

 

[Lazer Kid]

Digger06 - i have run out of adjustment....and i am still about 1meter to high! That is why i think i have it set up totally incorrectly.

No one out there will to put a tape measure to their bike?? Or is there no one out there with a standard bike!!?? ;o)

 

[ELIMINATOR]

Have you got the adjuster at the back of the lights set correctly? If I have a pillion I flick the lever, if I don't return it when solo????????????????

 

[Rolf]

I set mine up by parking bike on centrestand 17 feet from front of garage doors; measuring up from ground to middle of headlight (? 42 inches from memory); marking garage door at that height; turn headlight on and adjust so main line of beam is about 2 inches below mark on garage door. Since fitting HID lights adjust beam another inch further down. As has been said make sure have flip switch in correct position!

 

[Cole]

So....before i adjust anything, i thought i should get the correct ride height - it could just be that i have the front suspension set too high (or the rear too low).

The headlight height is not going to vary more than a few mm from bike to bike (unless its been modified) and in any case, the centre of a headlight on a motorcycle can be anything from 500 to 1200 mm above the surface of the road, so its really not particularly relevant.

Its the aiming thats important ... and you need to do that when sitting on the bike. With a bike with a highish light, like the 1150, you would want the flat part of the cutoff to intersect a flat road 30-50 metres down the road.

Regardless of how high your headlight is above the road, measure it. Lets call it 1000mm to make it easy. On a flat road take the bike about 25 feet from a wall (25 feet = about 8 metres. So let the headlight cutoff lose a fifth of its height by the wall and you will have a cutoff about 5 x 8m = 40 metres down the road ... about right for the 1150. To do that mark on the wall with a bit of masking tape 80% x the height of your headlight (80% x 1000mm in the case above or 800mm). Adjust the flat part of the cutoff till it matches the tape.

... then get HID light ... The 1150 has a decent enough projector low beam unit but the 55w H1 halogen bulbs are just not man enough to project an appropriate amount of light on the road to match the performance of the bike.