ST1300 - Headlight: Vertical Adjuster Issues.

[jfheath]

Putting my fairing back on, I noticed that my vertical adjustment is not operating.

That is: When I press the up button, the motor whirrs for a while and then stops. If I press the down button, the motor whirrs for a while and then stops.

But the headlamp does not move. I believe that it is supposed to move the entire unit - bulb and reflector - both at the same time.

There is also a white adjuster knob on the back of the unit - which doesn't have any effect either. So I am guessing that the gear mechanism has stripped teeth and is stuck in the current position.

Does anyone know exactly how this works and can it be serviced please ? I cannot see how it is possible to separate the parts. There are some latch type tags all around the unit. I tried to ease one away and the plastic is now so brittle, it just snapped.

Edit - I have seen a second hand one - it appears to be a bayonet type fitiing into the headlamp body. Maybe if I can get it out, I can see what it screws into.

 

[Terminator2]

Mine is doing same thing. Low current to the connector. Low current to position lights. Low current to other items. Turns out that the red/black wire at my ignition switch base is providing all that low current (worn out?). New ignition is in transit. I'm expecting great things.

 

[Mellow]

Your headlight adjuster motor is likely at fault and needs to be replaced.

 

[jfheath]

Thanks for the replies. Much appreciated.

I’d found the adjuster and tested it out with the bike about 4ft from the wall. No apparent movement.
It wasn’t until I saw the picture of the adjuster that I realised it could be taken out and replaced. I spotted that it looked like a twist and pull out fitment. Elsewhere I saw reported that the internals were plastic gears nd prone to failure. Fowlers have one in stock for about £100.

I still don’t know how it works. Clearly there is a threaded rod which probably moves in and out. I can only guess that it pushes against the base of the reflectors which hold the bulb mount.

Anyway, I waited until night time, measure out the correct 12’6”. And marked up a board with the horizontal lines and vertical lines. And covered each light in turn. This time the adjuster could be seen moving the beam up and down.

So it is working. The issue now is that it is quite low - below the minimum, but the kick up on the left (Uk bike) and the max height is well out of dazzling area. And if it is working, it’s always been like that and has never been an issue at mot. I always felt the main beam could be higher, but it’s hs passed mots so I assumed it was in the correct range.

I’m going to leave it as it is, and see what happens - but the rear is jacked up quite a bit cos I never wind it down after riding two up. So that will drop the main beam.

Sorry about that. A lot of fuss and all seems to be working - but it didn’t seem to be moving with the bike 4ft from the wall.

 

[SMSW]

I believe the big gray knobs are for gross adjustments of the headlights and the electric tilt is for finer adjustments.

 

[jfheath]

I believe the big gray knobs are for gross adjustments of the headlights and the electric tilt is for finer adjustments.

The motor driven adjuster is for the height of both beams simultaneously. The single grey knob on the motorised unit - I believe can be used as you say for moving the aim through a larger range, but I have yet to verify that. When I tried earlier it seemed to make no difference - just like the electric aim. The other night when I discovered that the motor driven adjuster was working after all, it was cold and I’d had enough. I thought I’d end the evening on a success.

The large yellowish knobs are for lateral adjustment - one on each side. In the uk we have a wedge shape beam of light from the centre to the left hand side so that it can illuminate the near side of the road further ahead, without dazzling oncoming traffic. That is checked for in the MOT. Usually if this is too far to the right, the tester will use the knobs to adjust it. It’s easier for them to do than with the equipment than us with bits of board 12’6” away .

But thanks for pointing that out, I’ll have another go at that today see if I can get it just below the max height line when I am sitting on the bike with the motorised range at its highest. Then the motor can be used to drop it lower if my measurements / weight are different from the testers. But it has never failed due to light aim before, and I have never messed with them.

 

[Andrew Shadow]

See below for adjuster knob usage. I think that this was originally posted by @SupraSabre.

 

[Sadlsor]

Fascinating. (Really.)
To my knowledge, turning the "coarse" adjuster on the dash has never shown any effect... maybe it did, but I can't remember.
I never mess with it anyway, as my headlight is adequate, if not optimum.
The GSA is supposedly equipped with THAT LED lights which is called "adaptive" something- or- other, designed to swing in the direction I'm turning.
But I have never seen any effect of that, either. Sounds cool, but in reality, ...meh.
What I DO know, is the blooming contraption would cost two grand to replace. ‍
*SHRIEK!"

 

[jfheath]

I think I will start a new thread - “How to look like an expert mechanic”.

The first entry will be - Remember to check that your horn works before putting the fairing back.
And the second will be to check that you use a female spade connector with a proud spot.

The first I did not do, and had to remove the right hand side fairing to discover that the earth lead had pulled off.
When I checked why, clearly on a previous occasion (installing a louder horn), I had failed to observe the second rule.

Still, this is what retirement is for: Taking all day to carry out a task that should take only an hour.

This morning, I checked the light aim. And also checked that the plastic hex headed turn button on the adjuster gives me more movement than the vertical aim than the electric motor. Yes it does, but it is difficult to access with the fairing on. A 12mm socket on a short extension bar did the trick, but it would have been much easier with the bike on the ramp. That would have been an approximate adjustment, as I can’t sit on the bike, or get it 12’6” from a wall. As it was, flashlight in one hand, socket on extension bar laying on back to see and then stand up holding the socket and extension bar in position. I couldn’t use a longer bar because the fairing was in the way.

The position in the annotated photo above, does not match with mine. Looking from the back of the headlight, my hex adjuster knob is in the 7-8 o’clock position - more like @Mellow’s photo of the part with the connector pointing straight down. I think with more practice, I could feel my way to the turn button from in front of the headlight, but it’s a skill that I have not needed in the last 18 years of owning an ST1300, so probably not worth the effort ! It is worth noting that there are left and right side motorised screen adjusters available. The St1300 uses just one - the left side version.

So I measured the height of the headlamp bulb with me sitting on the bike. I drew a series of lines on a board to mark the vertical and the max and min dipped headlight horizontal lines, and an area where the kick up must not exceed the maximum line.

It needed to be raised some considerable distance. And I still don’t understand how it passed previous MOT’s ‘cos I have never adjusted this before, ever.

So now, on dipped beam, measured from 12’6” from the board, the dipped beam is just below the maximum height line, with the electronic adjuster set at max. The adjuster on the dash can be used to bring it well down, way below the minimum. So I’m now happy that whatever the MOT machine reads, the tester will be able to simply use the buttons on the dash to correct it. They are allowed to do that, and the horizontal aim adjusters are very easy to access.

I’m in the uk, so probably not worth posting charts and such like on here for a primarily non-Uk audience, but DelBoy’s You tube demonstration of setting headlight aim for any motorcycle is well done and accurate. I checked his info and measurements with the DVLA MOT information. The DVLA site refers to 2%, 0.5% etc lines, but do not say 2% of what. Delboy gives measurements rather than percentages. These are consistent with a value of 4000mm - 4 metres. Which I guess is the distance between the light bulb and the measurement board. He quotes 12’6” - so there is a slight discrepancy, but not enough to worry about. If the light is below the line at 12’6” then it will be just slightly lower at 4m.

 

[rogo]

I replaced my headlight adjuster motor earlier this year.

The grey adjuster turns the threaded rod 3:1
The motor turns the threaded rod 150:1
The rod screws into the head light linkage, drawing it in or out.