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RT Headlights Aimed Too High?

SPOKESMAN

New member
5,000 miles on my '09 RT.

When I ride at night, I can see my headlights illuminating the reflective overhead freeway signs. The nearby cars don't do this, which leads me to believe that my headlights may be aimed improperly. Been this way since new.

Any words of wisdom? Could this be normal? I seem to remember that the proper procedure for aiming auto headlights is a bit involved, requiring specialized equipment, more than just a level driveway and garage door, which I don't have anyway.

I would hope that the headlights would come properly aimed from the dealer, but who knows?

Increasing rear spring preload helps a little, but does not eliminate the problem.
 
Check your manual for the location of the headlight adjustment lever. It is on the left inside of the front fairing and is used to raise or lower the headlight assembly if you are carrying a load or passenger. It has two positions, yours might be set on the higher of the two and its easy to flip it over to the lower and vice versa.

Jeff
 
wow I had the same problem when I put a lowering Shock in so what Did I Do?
if you pull off the left side mirrior hang on to it it will come right out after a little tug and when you look in there is a hex head plastic screw that runs the vertical control and on the left side there is the same screw that runs the horizontal control so I used a 12mm socket (beacause it is easier to hold on too) few turns moves it,so know you now where the adjusters are now follow the MOM (motocycle owner manual) and Good Luck!
 
R1200RT Headlight Adjustments

Unfortunately, the owner's manual doesn't tell the whole story.

Quoted from the thread linked below:

Here's what I found out.. There are two adjustments on the RT, one on the bottom right (looking over the Speedo/Tach, and one on the top left. The one on the bottom right will change the beam left / right and the one on the top left does the up/down. I had the same problems you describe, but a few trys with a 12 MM socket and mine settled right down.. On the upper left one, there is a lever that will adjust for two up riding. It lowers the beam to compensate for the rear settling lower.. The owners manual describes it so be sure (if you intend to use it) that it is positioned properly while you adjust..


http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showthread.php?p=425790&highlight=r1200rt+headlight+adjustment#post425790
 
R1200RT Headlight Aiming

Once you find the Headlight Module elevating screw, use a 13mm socket with a 3" extension on your ratchet wrench to turn the adjuster CW (clockwise) to RAISE the headlight, or CCW (counter-clockwise) to LOWER the headlight. How much you'll need to turn it depends on how much adjustment it needs!
 
R1200RT Headlight Aiming

Ideally you should be sitting on your bike while your assistant makes the adjustments, but don't let the bike sit idling for much more than a few minutes: She can overheat and melt things. Better to aim the bike towards a wall, note where the headlight falls on the wall, shut off the engine, make an adjustment, restart the bike, note where the headlight now falls on the wall, shut off the engine again, make another adjustment, repeat until satisfied with the aim. What a fantastic motorcycle the R1200RT is! Thanks BMW.
 
Turn the adjuster, go for a ride. I set mine so it will not shine into the back window car on low beam. It still illuminates the signs on the side.

I set my spring preload so the light shines the same as before I was loaded.

David
 
In direct answer to the original post, the behavior of your 09 RT is normal. Pretty much every RT I've looked at from several years around that time period, including mine, was delivered with the headlight set too high at the factory. I don't know how they did it but they were quire consistent in getting them high by good amount. You can find threads about it on various sites if you search.

Finding the adjuster on mine happened the first week I had it. The little white lever doesn't provide anywhere near the range needed to compensate for how far off the factory was. Takes a wrench on the real adjuster

I wondered if they simply set them with unloaded bikes that had no gear, cases, or fluids..
 
I wondered if they simply set them with unloaded bikes that had no gear, cases, or fluids..

Maybe no setting going on at all, but merely assembly of the mechanism until the adjuster runs out of threads. Maybe the factory says "aim headlight" is part of the uncrating and setup the dealer's supposed to do.
 
Riding my R1200R home from the dealer, the headlight was set for coon hunting. I could see in the trees great. Luckily it was not even tight so I just turned it by hand.

David
 
My '09 RT needs a little downward adjustment too. I happened to notice this excerpt from another post on another forum....

As to the two adjusting hex knobs on the back of the headlight module....BMW tool kit trivia...the oil filler cap removal tool has a hex portion that can be used to adjust the headlamp knobs.

How clever/handy is that??

John
 
I read over these instructions and was adjusting my 07 R1200RT when the left hex head screw cap fell to the ground. Now I can't see how it reattaches. I know it goes in where the white lever is but not sure how. Don't see any threads on the internal barrel. Ideas?
 
BMW Headlight.

Dealers charge about $600.00 for setup/PDI and similiar amount of money for first time service which include headlight alignment.
Unfortunately in my case every new BMW motorcycle I ever purchased (9 new bikes from three different dealers) did NOT have headlight alignment done, so this is very common practice and nobody seems to care.

The following is the method that was posted on this forum a few years ago:

Park your bike 17 feet from the wall, sit on the motorcycle and have somone measure the distance from the ground to the center of the low beam light bulb on the headlight lens. Now start your engine and adjust the headlight beam line (low beam) on the wall one inch lower than distance from the ground to the center of the headlight.
That's it, it works perfect for me.:clap
 
Broken bolt.

That is what I was trying to do when the left hex head came off!

Sounds like you exceeded adjustment range, and still kept rotating bolt until the plastic head seperated itself from the metal threaded bolt.
Possibly you can remove the headlight assembly and try to reattach the bolt with the plastic head by using some type of commercial glue.
 
Most posts tell you to measure from a wall...
I set mine so that the top of the low beam just barely slices into the rear window of the car ahead of me.
This may be a little rude, but it's an "active" setting that not only actually illuminates where I am going, but also helps ensure that oncoming vehicles will be more likely to see me.
(And in Los Angeles, sometimes they even get back in their damm lane!)
 
That is correct, 17 feet from the wall, 1 to 2 inches below center of headlight, equals 40 to 50 yards of light beam on the road.
 
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