BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

My latest madcap scheme is to import my UK 2004 Rockster into Spain, and take my unbelievably fabulous Honda NC750S 6-speed auto-tranny bike to the UK for my middle son to use for his new 120 miles per day commute. It does between 85 and 95 mpg when driven sensibly.

The great thing I appreciated when originally importing that UK-version Honda into Spain 3 years ago, was that its headlight dips vertically, not to the side. So no replacement dipped lamp was needed, to comply with EU regs.

Not so the Rockster. And for the annual technical inspection, the ITV ( MOT ), one can't just slap a coupla strips of black sticky tape over the lens to bend the beam the 'other' way. Only tourists can do that, but not if the bike lives here.

So a new dipped lamp is required, pointing down to the right, not the left. Remember the Rockster has two separate lamps, a bit like the old R1100S.

Guess what The Greedy Berlin Pig wants for a new lamp unit....no, don't; you might have an attack.

Anybody has any ideas ? When my previous UK-version 650cc single-cyl belt-drive Scarver was due its annual ITV, ( "..like riding on a cement mixer with a brick in the front", said a mechanic once..) I knew a pal who had an EU-version Scarver and we simply used to swap headlamp units in the car-park not far from the testing station, then swap back after my bike passed its inspection.

Here in Spain, Rocksters are like hens' teeth.

Trying to understand the dilemma!

Are you saying that on low beam the light is blocked on the left all the time? I seem to remember that on hired motos when I needed to hire one and cars too. I rarely ride at nite in Europe. (have an apartment in Paris w/an old GS (airhead and I'm sure it doesn't have that type of lite)

Surprised the China connection doesn't have those.
I will inquire to a couple of folks I know in the business in Paris.

BTW I never liked those "cut offs" on the left. My Clearwater HID will not blind the on coming vehicles but they are not probably legal in the EU. The blubs last many hours (2000) and are pricy ($150) .

Moto GP today Argentina 9am states.

The R1150GS headlight dip/low lamp can be used in Rockster headlamp.

Or hack a Hella 90mm ECE lamp module to fit in right hand side, as replacement for the Rockster's high beam.

No, sweatmark, thanks for the suggestions, but the 'main' beam lamp unit isn't the problem when bringing a UK drive-on-the-left-of-the-road bike into Europe, where we drive on the right.

The problem is the dip-beam lamp unit, which has inside its welded-on lens construction, a cutoff blanking piece made of metal that blocks the beam downwards and to the left, to point towards the "sidewalk" or footpath / pavement as we Brits call it.

In a European Vehicle Testing Station that is a failure point. The dip beam lamp, the one that's ON all the time the motor is running on EU-spec motos, whether in daylight or darkness, must point slightly downwards and to the right, to avoid dazzling oncomers.

I'd hoped that one could simply fiddle with the blanking piece or rotate the bulb holder in order to change the direction of the beam - but no, A new lamp unit is needed which has a slightly different BMW Motorrad part number - priced at nearly 400 snoojits. Sufferin' succotash....

To clarify: suggestion is to keep the OE low/dip beam as is, and replace the OE high/main lamp with CE right-hand dip beam. The Rockster OE high beam 90mm lamp is weak: when using HID conversion in low/dip for years, my only use for the high beam was slightly broader light reach, more like low position fog lamps. With stronger light source, the projector does good job with light throw down the road.

My 2nd suggestion is to include R1150GS OE low/dip lamp in your search: more parts available than Rockster.

OK I understand now. You would think that it would be a common enough problem that someone would come up with a "fix".

Do they (EU) have a device that you shine the light in and it decides if pass or fail or is it by eyeball?
I know my Clearwater ($$$$) will not blind on coming for EU or in the states but that is a whole system that isn't made any more.

You may have to bite the bullet for the High $$ fix..ugh.

You can change the direction of the dipped beam throw.

Does anyone have the owners handbook? Mine is back home in UK (I'm in Morella, Spain at the moment).

I can't remember exactly how it works, but you can definitely change the throw of the dipped beam on the Rockster (and GS). I never bothered with it when I rode the bike in France, but I remember figuring out how to do it just in case I was asked to by a gendarme.

Bravo riceburner, I figured if anybody knew or had a good idea you would.

Thanks riceburner - it's great news to read that one can fiddle with the dip-beam lamp to change it's direction of dip. I'll rip the bucket open later this week when I get to the UK again for a few weeks' hols. Such a fiddle wasn't possible on either my K75(s), the R1100S (s ) or on the Scarver(s). New EU-dip lamps need in each instance. Come to think of it, that's around a grand-and-a-half in loot - I must be mad. She says I most certainly am....

So what was the left- versus right-side driving headlight trick?

Syko - did you get this sorted?

No, riceburner, not sorted yet.

My UK tiger-stripe Rockster is now sitting happily in my Andalusian garage, after I collected it from its pallet at the depôt of the international shipper in Barça, who loaded onto the same pallet,the Honda that I'd ridden there for shipment off to the UK. A round trip of 1,000 miles. Whew....

In passing I must endorse the superb shipping service offered by staunch Yorkshireman Tony Barker of eurobiketrans in Manchester, which he operates in conjunction with the gigantic shipper D.S.V. to save holidaying bikers the chore of riding their machine all the way to southern Spain or Italy or wherever, in order to tour around there. His prices are carefully worked out to be cheaper than the total of ferry-plus-cabin charges, not forgetting the necessary overnights and fuel- plus toll-road costs for riding all the way there and back yourself.

Anyway....

In about a month or so from now, when I go through the laborious documentary process of registering the UK Rockster into the Spanish Tráfico system with a new year-appropriate white rear number-plate, immediately it will need to submit to an ITV ( annual vehicle roadworthiness test ). 'Cos the bike is 14 years old.

The very first thing the testing station official will do, is to wheel a cumbersome beam-capturing device right up to the bike's headlights, to check the aim of the dip-beam lamp. This is before any emission tests or mechanical soundness tests whatever. If that dip beam isn't pointing down to the right, to avoid dazzling oncoming traffic when out on the public roads, the bike will immediately fail the ITV. Bear in mind that the dip-beam lamp is ON all the time the motor is running, in daylight or darkness. Not like a UK bike where you can switch the headlamp off whilst riding. Or USED TO be able to do. That was daft.

This is nothing to do with the o t h e r headlamp unit on the bike, the "main-beam" driving lamp, but its' why my UK bike's dip-beam lamp has to be changed for residence in Spain. Currently the beam points down to the left of course. But how ? Without giving the Greedy Berlin Pig 400 snoojits for a replacement EU right-dipped lamp unit. Gggrrrrrr.

SORTED - thanks to tips on this forum and detailed instructions, with ref to the bike's companion booklet "Maintenance instructions", page 38, from two correspondents on the UKGSer forum.
Moral of the story clearly is RTFM !
viz :-

Yes but; yes but.
Those booklet instructions are WRONG for a 2004 Rockster. Incredible when you think how many revisors and editors are involved before a Rider's Handbook is published for supply with a bike. Nobody's perfect.
These page 38 details in the accompanying "Maintenance Manual" are incorrect for a 2004 Rockster. The 4 screws labelled “2” in the diagram are for fine control of beam throw angles. They do NOT release the front of the nacelle shroud, which incidentally is in 2 halves. Instead, there are two tiny Torx-head sheet-metal self-tapper screws on the top edge of the front cover, and 2 below. To get at those underneath ones, of course as usual you need a torch and have to stand on your head. Those 4 are the ones that release the front moulding.

The brief instructions, apart from being wrong, also don't mention that the "front fairing" is held on simply by three grommetted bungs. Just pulls off. Use Surgical Spirit ( US rubbing alcohol ) for lubing the rubber grommets at re-fitment. Leaves no residue and a 250 ml bottle at the chemist's costs one tenth of the price of Halfraud's "Rubber & Nylon Lubricant" spray can.
That chain of traders will be the next lot to go bump, in my estimation.

And my dip-lamp was indeed set already for driving on the right-hand side of the road. My UK MOT tester had passed the bike on two separate annual tests, even though the dip angle was wrong. Very accommodating chap, knowing I was going to export the bike.

Glad you got it sorted, and also, good on you for posting the details, hopefully they'll help someone else in the future.

Finally, here's my redrawn page 38 of the Rockster A5-size Maintenance Handbook that accompanies the little Rider Manual.