Headlight Question

paroyboy · Post by **paroyboy** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 10:22 pm

Rode my 04 R home today in the rain. Ran fine, made it home fine. Looked at my headlight later on and its white. Looks like a bulb does when it blows. High and low beam still work fine but the glass is "hazy". Ideas? Doesnt really look lilke moisture. Have to tear it apart this weekend if it doesnt clear up.

Post by **DJ Downunder** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 10:41 pm

It's a fairly common problem...it will go clear again when it drys out.

You could try taking off the front of the headlight by undoing that little screw underneath..and check that the spring wire clips are equally spaced around the back of the headlight..they tend to all move down after a while..and this means you don't get equal pressure around the rubber seal.

DJ

MIXR · Post by **MIXR** » Thu Sep 28, 2006 11:20 pm

Same deal as DJ said. Mine filled up every time I washed the bike. It's a real easy job to remove the glass and pop the spring wires. Took me a while to clean mine up, and I had two goes at getting the spacing 'just right' to stop water entry.

Also, some have suggested using a silicone sealant to help the rubber sealing ring between the lens and shell to actually 'seal'. I gave mine a light smear with petroleum jelly (Vasaline here) which seems to help the glass and back-shell to form-up tight against the rubber sealing ring.

It's not a good arrangement, and when mine fails with a rock hit I'll replace it with a one-piece H4 unit.

paroyboy · Post by **paroyboy** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 5:46 am

Yep, must have been water. I turned the dehumidifier on last night in the garage before I went to bed. This morning, clear as..well..glass! Never noticed it when washing the bike. It was a pretty hard rain though. Thanks

Post by **gregor** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 6:57 am

Does the R1150R headlight have an external rubber seal around the bulb base?
Mine does not and I was surprised because my K75 did.

And my various VWs over the years. When I recently lost one from my car the glass fogged up.

Post by **challey** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 8:02 am

paroyboy
I have noticed the same thing about my headlight. Haven't worried too much about it since the "haze" seems to disappear quite quickly after the rain stops. I've just accepted this as one more BMW quirk, like the engine/drivetrain noises and the horn button placement.

paroyboy · Post by **paroyboy** » Fri Sep 29, 2006 7:37 pm

I dont mind the horn button placement but operating it is kind of strange.

H8terboi · Post by **H8terboi** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 1:08 pm

I recently noticed that when I drive at night my headlight is pointed up instead of ahead of the bike. Does anyone know the proper way to get it back in line. I recall a prior post stating that at 6 feet the top of the beam should be certain amount of inches above ground. Can't seem to find this anywhere in the owner's manual.

Post by **DJ Downunder** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 5:15 pm

The headlight is rubber mounted so you can just tilt it by hand..or hit a big bump..or do a wheelie and drop the front down and the headlight will sometimes move.

There is a formula for correct headlight alignment..but all you need is the low beam as high as poss without getting the cars in front of you in their rear vision mirror.

I have mine adjusted so the cut off (top of the low beam) is about level with the bottom of the car in front's rear window.

That's what I do anyway.

DJ

SLEDGE · Post by **SLEDGE** » Mon Oct 02, 2006 7:36 pm

I do the same as DJ. Works for me too.

Post by **rdsmith3** » Tue Oct 03, 2006 7:10 am

I also aim mine the same way as DJ. Headlight aiming in a motorcycle is never that precise, anyway, because leaning changes the height of the lamp.

BTW, you can easily clean the inside of your headlight lens without taking the reflector off, so you don't have to mess around with all those spring clips. I did it recently. Just unscrew the one little screw that holds the lens and ring on, and disconnect the bulbs. Pour some alcohol in through the hole into which the bulb is inserted. Swish it around and pour it out. Then stuff some wadded paper towels into the hole and move them around with a plastic pen or some non-metallic object to wipe the lens clean. Remove the paper towels and reassemble. The inside of the lens will now be crystal clear.