Article [13] ST1300 - Vertical Headlight Adjustment (made easy?)

[Aladinbama]

I picked up a ST1300 and wasn't happy with the headlight height. The adjuster knob was all the way up and they still didn't seem to shine "too far out there". After reading many of posts here on the subject there didn't seem to be an exact way to adjust them. Some people said do it this way and others said do it that way. Some said a screwdriver, others said an allen and others still said a 10 or 12 or 13mm. And I don't think anybody remembered which way adjusted up or down.
Anyway, I got it done and rather simply.

My adjustment bolt (CIRCLED IN YELLOW HERE - picture credit to CYYJ) was at near the 6 o'clock or down position. I took a 12mm socket, a long extension AND a not so long extension together with my ratchet and a flashlight and managed to adjust it from under the headlight area without taking anything off. Position the forks right and you have a straight shot to it. One hand went up to feel the bolt and guide the socket to it. To raise the headlight beam , turn the bolt COUNTER CLOCKWISE (loosening position on the ratchet, left). To lower the headlight beam turn it clockwise (tightening position on the ratchet, right). It takes quite a few turns to make any significant adjustment. Be patient. The socket easily slips off of the bolt and I believe it's also plastic so be careful. I only used the flashlight to verify the knob was turning! You might be able to do this with a screwdriver, but I couldn't get my JISes in the bolt as easily as I could the socket on it!

My adjustment knob is now in the middle (instead of all the way up) and the beam is a bit higher than it was when I started. Now I can actually use the adjustment knob for BOTH up and down adjustments as needed!

My apologies (if this post is redundant), but I found that in reading most of what's here about adjusting the headlight there were contradictions and a LOT of missing information. It would be nice if we could say righty raises and lefty lowers, but it's exactly the opposite so I'll leave it with loosening setting on the ratchet raises the beam and tightening setting on the ratchet lowers the beam! And yes, at some point you'll want to verify your adjustments up against a wall on a flat surface with you sitting on it!

I hope this helps somebody!

 

[CYYJ]

What I have found helpful in the past, when adjusting headlight alignment on the ST 1300, is to put the electrical adjustment knob in the middle of its range, then adjust the two independent (left and right) adjusters so that the bulb reflector lines up with the trim piece on the bottom of the assembly. That puts the two beams at the same vertical angle.

I then adjust the horizontal alignment of each reflector so that the flat bar at the bottom of the reflector is parallel with the trim strip (inside the headlight assembly) at the bottom of the reflector - see the picture below.

Once I have done that, I then fine-tune the individual adjusters to get an approximately 1.2° downward angle with a person the same weight as me sitting on the motorcycle, and with the panniers loaded with the same weight I normally carry when touring.

I have found that this works well for headlights that are equipped with either the OEM spec bulb, or a H4 incandescent bulb. If you are using a LED bulb - not something I would recommend - then all bets are off.

Michael

PS: Thank you for the photo credit in your post above, but the photo above is not mine - I scarfed it from somewhere else, and could not find the name of the creator. If anyone knows who made it, let us know so we can give them proper credit. (The photo below is mine, though).

 

[RaYzerman]

I have observed many headlights on various bikes aimed such that you aren't conspicuous enough. Best you have someone ride your ST while you ride or drive in front of it a hundred feet or two. Adjust the headlights to where they become brighter in the mirror so you will be visible, yet not blinding, especially with the halogens. LED's highly recommended, same method. This with the knob in the middle position, and you may even want to have the right headlight a tad higher than the left.

 

[dduelin]

What I have found helpful in the past, when adjusting headlight alignment on the ST 1300, is to put the electrical adjustment knob in the middle of its range, then adjust the two independent (left and right) adjusters so that the bulb reflector lines up with the trim piece on the bottom of the assembly. That puts the two beams at the same vertical angle.

I then adjust the horizontal alignment of each reflector so that the flat bar at the bottom of the reflector is parallel with the trim strip (inside the headlight assembly) at the bottom of the reflector - see the picture below.

Once I have done that, I then fine-tune the individual adjusters to get an approximately 1.2° downward angle with a person the same weight as me sitting on the motorcycle, and with the panniers loaded with the same weight I normally carry when touring.

I have found that this works well for headlights that are equipped with either the OEM spec bulb, or a H4 incandescent bulb. If you are using a LED bulb - not something I would recommend - then all bets are off.

Michael

PS: Thank you for the photo credit in your post above, but the photo above is not mine - I scarfed it from somewhere else, and could not find the name of the creator. If anyone knows who made it, let us know so we can give them proper credit. (The photo below is mine, though).

I no longer have an ST to check but don't they have the right side (right hand roads) headlight factory adjusted so the beam is aimed a little higher or is that vertical lift built into the reflector? I generally never adjust the individual verticals as the factory setting has the classic adjustment of slightly dipped LH compared to RH.

 

[CYYJ]

Hi Dave:

I don't know what the OEM alignment specifications are. I set the headlights so that both are aimed 1.2° down, this to put the (low beam) light where I want it to be, and to avoid annoying oncoming drivers with glare.

I'm not too worried about high beam performance from the headlight, because I have a set of PIAA 910s mounted on Dick Seng (Ron Major) brackets - they are activated by relay when I turn on the high beams, and they split the night when I need high beam performance.

Michael

 

[Aladinbama]

I just set the adjustment knob at 6:00 and set the lights level at 32" on a wall at 25 feet with me on the bike (top of the light beam at 32"). 32" probably isn't right, but it's a heck of a lot better than what it was. If I have issues with people flashing me, I'll adjust it accordingly - the adjustment knob is actually useful now.

I had to go to a nearby school's entryway to get a good flat spot and used blue painter's tape to mark everything. I would imagine they had some pretty neat video to watch the next morning - lol!

The result - I can actually see stuff at night now! I'm headed out on a 2,300 mile trip next week and wanted to be able to see at night if I needed to. I do have additional driving lights, but those are more for others to see me than for me to see with them.

Again, the main reason for this post was to inform people what size nut it was and which way to turn it for which direction the lights needed to be moved. Seems in all the posts I read, neither was mentioned in any concrete way (I guess people just didn't remember).
Thanks for you help!

 

[Jambriwal]

Wow great responses. I will check this over tonight because sadly it may be last good riding day here in western NY. Brought this bike home one week ago today. Working on getting my 600 mile break in miles to change engine oil and filter. 430 miles so far.
Thanks to all for the help.
Great site you have going here.

 

[randii]

Exercise some care if you try to turn the adjuster from the bottom. Use enough pressure to keep the socket engaged but not too much... darn it.

I apparently popped the adjuster off the larger motor adjuster unit. It snaps in place... and i put too much mustard on it (not much, really!) and the adjuster snapped right off... doesnt appear to be damaged, happily. I'm in the midst of disassembly to snap it back in place. I can't squeeze my hand on center, so plastics need to come off. Fun, fun!

<update> Well, that wasn't too bad. I popped the instrument panel (IP) off and that provided great access. The manual adjuster snapped back in place... the front-facing side of the manual adjuster has a circular set of clips cast into the plastic that snap onto the aft-facing side of the headlight vertical adjuster unit (of which it is sold as a single assembly, according to the Honda diagram).

Better yet, there's maybe a dozen slots around the perimeter of the manual adjuster that mesh with a tab on the back of the motor. This allowed me to clock the manual adjuster relative to the electric adjuster motor, so now I can adjust easily from the bottom of the fairing with the wheel mostly straight. This is an unanticipated benefit from ham-handed wrench-spinning!.

 

[TerryS]

Just to add to the above, the plastic nut on the vertical adjuster is a 12mm and I found that I could turn it easily enough by hand with just a socket on for some leverage (but no ratchet driver). The adjuster on my 1300 also is positioned differently to the photo above in that the adjuster nut hangs almost vertically. This certainly makes for easier adjustement from below when it is positioned that way.

 

[Mr.E]

As Terry mentions above, some may have a slight difference with the adjuster position, this is my 2010 ST1300A --- much easier to access from below the headlight.

 

[randii]

At risk of staying the obvious, you can pop the adjuster off and clock it for better adjustable ablity.