LED: things I learned today

[StratTuner]

It occurred to me today, as I couldn't stop wondering what you meant, that the light itself must come apart. That is the thing you talked about that takes a 1/4 turn. Must be... I thought.

I did not know the light came apart and removed the two screws that hold that shiney metal plate on to the light.
After I got the light into the boot (with the larger hole I cut), I screwed the plate back one with its two very tiny screws.

It might have been useful to know that the light came apart. 'Sorry I missed that.

Sounds like that you may have to adjust your headlight aim down a little. I did mention that to you, if you reminder right.

Thanks. I'll go try to find something that explains how to adjust the headlight position.
(The idea turns my stomach... how do you do that and not screw it up?)

the service manual (the big one, not the small owner's manual) doesn't explain how to adjust the headlight beam. I just did a search for "adjust headlight", and nothing comes up in the PDF file. Now, maybe it's under something else.
Maybe it's in the owner's manual... I'll check that.

found it in the big manual...
wow... another screw to try to locate on the NC.
Questions that come to mind without even trying:
How do you know which way to turn it?
How do you know when you've turned it too far? too little?

 

[Grey1one]

It occurred to me today, as I couldn't stop wondering what you meant, that the light itself must come apart. That is the thing you talked about that takes a 1/4 turn. Must be... I thought.

I did not know the light came apart and removed the two screws that hold that shiney metal plate on to the light.
After I got the light into the boot (with the larger hole I cut), I screwed the plate back one with its two very tiny screws.

It might have been useful to know that the light came apart. 'Sorry I missed that.



Thanks. I'll go try to find something that explains how to adjust the headlight position.
(The idea turns my stomach... how do you do that and not screw it up?)

the service manual (the big one, not the small owner's manual) doesn't explain how to adjust the headlight beam. I just did a search for "adjust headlight", and nothing comes up in the PDF file. Now, maybe it's under something else.
Maybe it's in the owner's manual... I'll check that.

found it in the big manual...
wow... another screw to try to locate on the NC.
Questions that come to mind without even trying:
How do you know which way to turn it?
How do you know when you've turned it too far? too little?
View attachment 26887

found the following post

http://nc700-forum.com/forum/nc700-technical/3575-aiming-adjusting-headlight.html#post52972

 

[StratTuner]

Well... that's not even an NC soo what to make of that?

I suppose the big important question is
"How do you know when you've done it correctly? "


Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

 

[Grey1one]

The location is in the the post above that one.

Given it works identical to the EU version, this is a nasty procedure.
Probably the most nasty thing with the NC so far.
You need to crawl under the beak with a Phillips screwdriver and fumble in the dark near the right fork tube until you detect the 90° offset cogwheel where the screwdriver fits in (hardly visible), directing upwards. Prior to that, check manual which way to turn (logical thinking would not explain it). Then, turn cogwheel and watch beam raising or lowering slowly. I personally tried several times even on the workshop platform, but was not really sure about success.

Ok, not everything can be as easy as riding a NC700X DCT.

The procedure is described in the manual, so just have a look there. However, the pictures in the manual showing the location of the cogwheel are not helpful at all.

 

[Brillot2000]

Well... that's not even an NC soo what to make of that?

I suppose the big important question is
"How do you know when you've done it correctly? "


Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk

Now that you know where the adjustment screw is. I'd recommend that you use a stubby Phillips screwdriver for making the adjustments directly to the screw head. The adjustment screw is located and accessible just below the left-hand side of the instrument cluster. This screw controls the "Up & Down" adjustment of the reflector. You can also use a longer screwdriver that can engage the screw head while you are sitting on the bike to make the adjustments.



I'd recommend that you position the bike 25 feet away from your garage door. Wait until it gets dark and make your adjustments with the headlight on.

Use the image below to see assist you with determining the height of the beam.



When you are satisfied with the adjustment, flip the "High Beam" on. You should see a light pattern similar to the one in the right image.

Let me know if you have any further questions regarding this subject.

 

[670cc]

Now that you know where the adjustment screw is. I'd recommend that you use a stubby Phillips screwdriver for making the adjustments directly to the screw head. The adjustment screw is located and accessible just below the left-hand side of the instrument cluster. This screw controls the "Up & Down" adjustment of the reflector. You can also use a longer screwdriver that can engage the screw head while you are sitting on the bike to make the adjustments.

That's weird. My NC headlight beam adjustment is per the manual, and as was mentioned in an earlier post. It's a cog wheel engages with a cross point screwdriver accessed from below and to the right of the headlight. Surely there are not two different versions of the headlight assembly.

 

[StratTuner]

OK... the photos are helpful. (Service manual photos frequently look like black and white spaghetti)

If I can locate the adjusting screws on the motorcycle, then it might be worth trying to adjust it.
First, I have to find a flat driveway with a garage door at the end of it... (not around here you won't.)

It might be better to go out on a level, dark, two lane road and

- sit on the bike to level it
(can't use the rear wheel stand. That would tilt the headlight)
- turn on headlight
- see where the beam hits the road
- turn off headlight
- dismount
- make small adjustment
(repeat)

I suppose the goal there would be to have the low beam aimed at the pavement in front of you, and the high beam at the horizon?
Maybe the highbeam oval should be half on the pavement and half above the horizon?

In writing all this down, I realize that it becomes an exercise in personal preference (much like mirror adjustment).

In as much a NO driver flashed me with his lights when staring at my oncoming low beam, I can guess that the setting is currently "acceptable" to other drivers.

The high beam seems OK...it lights up the trees above the sides of the roads a little. ( I think that's what it did before.. would have to put the old bulb in to test it.).

Logically, adjusting the low beam seems most important since the high beam has no independent adjustment and is a set distance up from the low beam.
Get the low beam where you want it, and trust that the engineer who designed the light housing will put the high beam where it should go.

OK... maybe the low beam needs to be a little lower. (a smart person once said that to me. I think he's right).

 

[Brillot2000]

That's weird. My NC headlight beam adjustment is per the manual, and as was mentioned in an earlier post. It's a cog wheel engages with a cross point screwdriver accessed from below and to the right of the headlight. Surely there are not two different versions of the headlight assembly.

No, you are right on this. I was confused since it has been quite awhile since I did this adjustment. I do remember reaching down through the top of the bike behind the headlight to make the adjustment, just could not remember which side though. The correct adjustment is done in the lower left-hand side near the bottom of the headlight assembly. Sorry for the confusion.

I still recommend the using a screwdriver directly on the screw head. The "Cog Method" is not that good or reliable. I found that my screwdriver would slip more than it would engage to move the cog wheel.

The screw that I showed is for the "Side to Side" adjustment, if that is needed.

 

[Brillot2000]

I suppose the goal there would be to have the low beam aimed at the pavement in front of you, and the high beam at the horizon?
Maybe the highbeam oval should be half on the pavement and half above the horizon?

In as much a NO driver flashed me with his lights when staring at my oncoming low beam, I can guess that the setting is currently "acceptable" to other drivers.

The high beam seems OK...it lights up the trees above the sides of the roads a little. ( I think that's what it did before.. would have to put the old bulb in to test it.).

If you are going to use the street method, choose a street that has street signs on it. When the "Low Beam" is active, there should be a flat light pattern on the ground about 20 to 30 feet in front of you that will not light up high elevated items such as street signs or the tops telephone poles directly.

Position yourself about 150 to 200 feet away from a street sign that is reflective or has white lettering. When you have the "Low Beam" active, these should not be illuminated directly. When you switch to the "High Beam", the sign and other items will be illuminated directly.

I hope this explanation make sense to you.

The actual adjustment is more "Trail & Error" or to your personal taste that does not irritate other drivers.

 

[StratTuner]

That sounds doable...especially the part about the signs. I did notice that those were lit up even on low beam, so your advice about adjusting down is well taken.

It would be great if that adjusting screw were accessible while seated with the head light on. That would make this go a lot faster.
Has anyone done that? Adjust vertical aim in real time? (while the light is on?)

 

[Brillot2000]

That sounds doable...especially the part about the signs. I did notice that those were lit up even on low beam, so your advice about adjusting down is well taken.

It would be great if that adjusting screw were accessible while seated with the head light on. That would make this go a lot faster.
Has anyone done that? Adjust vertical aim in real time? (while the light is on?)

If I remember right, I used a small cordless screwdriver to run the reflector to point the beam all the way down. Then I adjusted it up from there. On my unit it did not require much more adjustment form the mechanical stop of pointing the reflector down all the way.

Good luck to you, this will require some patience.

 

[dbtx]

I'd like to say thanks to everyone who contributed to this thread. I was able to successfully replace my headlight with the Cycle Gear LED light without removing any bodywork. That retaining clip is definitely a pain...

I also tried out one of the SuperBrightLEDs license plate bolt lights. It was pretty straightforward and I think two of them will do an acceptable job.

 

[dbtx]

Also, while I was in there I replaced the tail light bulb with a red LED from SuperBrightLEDs


https://www.superbrightleds.com/mor...ion-45-smd-led-tower-bay15d-retrofit-car/814/

Here are some pictures of how I did the wiring for the license plate light and the Skene P2 controller in case it helps anyone

 

[Therapy]

Why a brightness controller for the rear lights?

 

[dbtx]

The Skene P2 controller is for the additional LED brake lights you can see on either side of my license plate in the previous post. It was a previous farlking project that I forgot to take photos of.

 

[ryder]

I agree with Brillot regarding using the "screw" as opposed to the "cog" to adjust the aim of the headlight. The directions in the manual are poorly done however the text indicates that you should use the "screw" to adjust the headlight aim. If you look closely at the picture you can see there is an arrow pointing at the philips screw along with the number [1] and that matches the text exactly.
The rest of the pictures regarding the adjustments appear to indicate putting the screwdriver directly on the cog. I believe in this instance the screwdriver is a prop used as a pointer and to clarify the impact of the rotation of the cog. It is very misleading however the text and the expanded view clearly indicate using the screw to adjust the aim.
I looked at both the horizontal and vertical adjustment screws on my NC using a flashlight and mirror and noticed there was a permanent ink mark on both screw heads indicating the aim was correctly set at the factory.
Trying to adjust the aim using the cog instead of the screw could deform the cog teeth.

 

[StratTuner]

I never found the adjusting screw, so I gave up on the idea. The factory setting is close enough for me.