Headlight bulbs

[yamahaha]

Hello ... took the nc 30 for a mot again today and it failed on the headlights again.....aaargh .....the beam pattern on the left hand light ws spreading upwards .... not enough to dazzle but enough for the headlight police to fail it so i took the bulbs out the light that failed had a 55watt the one that was borderline had a 35 watt so i bought another 35 watt and the lights are much the same ....the only thing i can think is that i cut the two lower lugs off the new bulb off by mistake ....it was the top one which was stopping it going in and now the bulb is fractionally out of allignment ......anyone had problems like this ????? the bike is a jap import

oh btw he passed the straight through race can

[thunderace]

There should be an adjusting screw on the back of the headlight to alter the height of the beam. IIRC, it's at the top and you screw it clockwise to lower the beam. Bulb wattage is irrelevant.

[yamahaha]

i tried that but the mot man wasn't having any of it .....me thinks he is just being too picky

[thunderace]

i tried that but the mot man wasn't having any of it .....me thinks he is just being too picky

Wasn't having any of what? The bulb wattages? If so, I'd go elsewhere, the guy's a knob.

[Neosophist]

i tried that but the mot man wasn't having any of it .....me thinks he is just being too picky

Wasn't having any of what? The bulb wattages? If so, I'd go elsewhere, the guy's a knob.

Headlight beam can be a bit picky.

Are you using the proper H4R bulbs 35/60watt?

If not you can use H4's if you have a realy just cut the tabs nice and flush to make sure the bulbs are located properly.

Beam alignment is done by adjusting the screws on the back of the headlamp.. many places will adjust the beam for you for a small fee.

If you have somewhere dark you can do it yourself.

I re-aligned mine after the crash bent the headlight brackets and I had to remove and re-straighten everything..

http://www.motorcyclistonline.com/howto ... index.html

This has some good pictures.

On the NC30 you turn them with a number 2 screwdriver and the one moves the beam up and down and the other left and right.

So how are you supposed to aim the beam? A lot of riders simply adjust until the light startles oncoming drivers--and then back off a half turn. Believe it or not, there are official recommendations. Find a flat patch of ground with a white or light-colored wall at one end. (You may have one of these right there at home--it's called a driveway.) Place the bike 25 feet from the wall or garage door (4). Measure from the center of the headlight to the ground with the bike level (5). Now go over to the garage door and mark one line at the same height above ground, and another two inches lower (6). Use a carpenter's level to draw a horizontal reference line (7).

Switch on the headlights and mount the motorcycle. The low beam's upper cutoff point should rest right on the lower line (8). Because most bikes have combined high- and low-beam reflectors, setting the height (and checking to see that the beam is centered along the bike's long axis) is about all there is to it. But if you have separate high beams, make the center of the high beam land on the upper line. That's it. Button everything up--don't leave that screwdriver poking through the fairing--and enjoy autumn knowing you're ready for the dark, short days of winter. Brrrr

[yamahaha]

result ..........bike passed ........took it to another place the guy was amazed it failed on the headlight considering it has a race can (loud ) and no reflector on the back .....i asked him what he thought of the headlight allignment
he just said i didn't even look at it but .......i now have a surplus of fucking bulbs that don't fit this bike
he got a packet of chocalate hob nobs for his advice .....my advice to you lot ...find a decent mot tester and as long as your bike is in good repair he will be lenient with you .....the bike is totally roadworthy and he knew that
just a slight problem with the headlight aim ........which he could not give two chuffs about ..............like he said to me all he is strict on is faults that could potentionally harm the rider .....like brokenchain bad brakes etc etc
thanks to all that have replied

[Neosophist]

result ..........bike passed ........took it to another place the guy was amazed it failed on the headlight considering it has a race can (loud ) and no reflector on the back .....i asked him what he thought of the headlight allignment
he just said i didn't even look at it but .......i now have a surplus of fucking bulbs that don't fit this bike
he got a packet of chocalate hob nobs for his advice .....my advice to you lot ...find a decent mot tester and as long as your bike is in good repair he will be lenient with you .....the bike is totally roadworthy and he knew that
just a slight problem with the headlight aim ........which he could not give two chuffs about ..............like he said to me all he is strict on is faults that could potentionally harm the rider .....like brokenchain bad brakes etc etc
thanks to all that have replied

Follow the guide above though and see if you can dial the headlights in a bit better when you have time and a dark night, it's not diffcult and as I found out on my NC30 it makes night and day difference.. especially at speed, I can see a lot further into the distance now which was dangerous before.

Glad it's passed, headlights are important.. hopefully they are not too out of line.

[yamahaha]

Yes mate thanks i will look into adjusting the lights a bit better once i have got some new bulbs .....
both the bulbs fitted have had the lower lugs cut off them so tend to move which is throwing the allignment off
the mot tester said to me fitting 55w bulbs can burn out the headlight handelbar switch ...... is this true????
also the cheapest i have seen the bulbs for is about 14 quid from david silvers...... are they available anywhere else????? thanks for all the replies

[yamahaha]

scratch that i have just seen the h4 bulb and relay mob and will be attempting it next time the fairing is off for spark plugs