What I found helped as far as illumination patterns was this....measuring(or looking at) the wall,with lows on(HID's)....you will see a line across the top of the light pattern(sitting on your bike about 15 feet away from the wall or whatever).If you look at your lamps without lights on,you'll see the metal "half circle" piece in there that cuts off the "brighting" ability of the low bulbs.When you fire up your low lamps,you'll see a "line" across the top of the light pattern that will be slightly off color...you'll notice it.Get that set straight even on both sides.Overlapping.You'll see that line move up or down as you adjust beam height.Get them sitting on top of each other.NOW...in my case,I was riding at night for a while...and was getting brighted frequently at first.I realized the low beam was hitting the oncoming drivers right in the face at the windshield from around 70 or so feet oncoming.I saw how low I needed to drop the beam "line",and did so.Lowered it to hit at the front grill,not at the windshield.You can see where it hits em...then pull off somewhere where you can get a berm or something ahead of you,and then start lowering the beams equally,keeping that "line" on top of each other.I lowered mine initially about a foot or so while parked in front of a berm of dirt around 30,35 feet out in front of me.That's with LOWS on.It may take several times of stopping and adjusting the height to get it right.You'll know she's okay when one out of 20 cars brights ya!(while yer on LOWS)
I ALSO(which was very important as well)moved the beam angle off to the "driver's side" of the vehicle(my right as sitting on the bike).I set my bike in my driveway,and stood back about 60 feet.With Lows on,I positioned myself as if I was at the height of a driver sitting in his rig coming at me in the other lane.So I wasn't right in front of my bike.I was off to the side around 8 feet or so,and 60 or so feet out,at the position of an oncoming driver.I adjusted the low lamp(which also is the high lamp adjustment)to hit me in the eyes at those positions.When I stood directly in front of my bike at those positions(60 ft,straight in front and at the "sitting" position of an oncoming driver...the beam was well away from hitting me in the face.These are projector beam reflectors...they will focus on where you set em,and illuminate well out to the sides without blinding the drivers,but you can't have them pointing straight ahead...they're just too intense.
You'd think that pointing them off center(both sides)would ruin the forward illumination...but it doesn't.You can't even tell that they're not pointing straight ahead.But the oncoming drivers will not get blasted by a focused beam of white light.So it's all good.
I normally have brights on.Oncoming car say,5,600 ft ahead...I switch to lows.Stay that way and as I'm approaching about 100 ft or so,slightly angle the nose away to the right as I pass IF I can.This is the deal here.If they know you've switched to lows..they usually won't hit ya with their brights cause they already know if you switch back to HIGHS...they're dead meat!You will have serious,maximum illumination setting you lamps as I did.Plenty of visibility without pissing people off and maybe causing a head on cause they've been temporarily blinded.
* Last updated by: blue07 on 12/29/2010 @ 1:39 AM *