NancysToy
Motorbike Professor
I thought maybe I would fill in a few gaps here, with a primer on Spyder headlights. A lot of you will know this stuff, but it may be useful for others.
The Spyder headlights in North America utilize halogen bulbs behind a projection lens, located in the upper lighting nacelles (which are high, and quite close to oncoming traffic's eye level. During low beam operation, a shutter covers the upper half of the lens, limiting the beam to the lower portion only. These characteristics can cause some peculiarities. First, the projection lenses cast a relatively narrow (focused) beam. If the alignment is too high, this can shine quite brightly into oncoming drivers' eyes, even on low beam. If you are getting flashed at night, on low, the alignment is probably too high. Look for the shutter line on the car ahead, and you can usually tell if the beam is too high. A heavy rider, or a rider carrying cargo or a passenger will have the headlights aimed higher than he/she thinks. Lowering the rear end on the shocks raises the focus of those narrow beams quite significantly, so cargo or a passenger can alter the setting. An RT will have different aim, depending on the air suspension setting.
If you are getting flashed in the daytime, you are seeing another effect of the focused beam. To oncoming traffic (or in a rearview mirror) you may appear to be flashing your lights on and off, as the narrow beam goes in and out of the other vehicles direct line of sight. This is common for motorcycles that tend to bounce on the bumps more than cars, but the focused beam enhances the effect, and seem even worse than a typical two-wheeler. On low beam, the shutter narrows the beam even more, making things worse. The oncoming driver see what he/she thinks is you flashing your lights on and off, and flashes (or pulls over) in return.
There are two "cures" for these situations. First, adjust the headlight aim. Your manual tells you how. This is best done with someone sitting on the passenger seat, or with an equivalent weight. To be honest, I seldom do a measured adjustment. I just lower (or raise) the headlights a bit, shine them on a wall to get them even, and try things out. This trial and error method works fine for me. Sometimes I follow my wife in the car before and after, and have her tell me if the lights appear to be flashing or are too bright. The oject is to keep the direct focus below the eye level of traffic ahead...and preferably get the low beam cut-off line low enough that it will not "bounce" into direct sight.
The other "cure", for being flashed in the daytime, is to ride with brights during the day. The low beam shutter cuts the beam just below the eye level of traffic ahead. As you bounce, the edge goes in and out of the other driver's direct sight, appearing to make your lights flash. If you ride with high beams in the daytime, they tend to see a more continuous, less annoying light.
I hope this helps. Headlight adjustment is not a one size fits all thing, especially with the Spyder. Taking some time to fine tune the adjustment, then riding with high beams in the daytime, should get you less flashing in return.
The Spyder headlights in North America utilize halogen bulbs behind a projection lens, located in the upper lighting nacelles (which are high, and quite close to oncoming traffic's eye level. During low beam operation, a shutter covers the upper half of the lens, limiting the beam to the lower portion only. These characteristics can cause some peculiarities. First, the projection lenses cast a relatively narrow (focused) beam. If the alignment is too high, this can shine quite brightly into oncoming drivers' eyes, even on low beam. If you are getting flashed at night, on low, the alignment is probably too high. Look for the shutter line on the car ahead, and you can usually tell if the beam is too high. A heavy rider, or a rider carrying cargo or a passenger will have the headlights aimed higher than he/she thinks. Lowering the rear end on the shocks raises the focus of those narrow beams quite significantly, so cargo or a passenger can alter the setting. An RT will have different aim, depending on the air suspension setting.
If you are getting flashed in the daytime, you are seeing another effect of the focused beam. To oncoming traffic (or in a rearview mirror) you may appear to be flashing your lights on and off, as the narrow beam goes in and out of the other vehicles direct line of sight. This is common for motorcycles that tend to bounce on the bumps more than cars, but the focused beam enhances the effect, and seem even worse than a typical two-wheeler. On low beam, the shutter narrows the beam even more, making things worse. The oncoming driver see what he/she thinks is you flashing your lights on and off, and flashes (or pulls over) in return.
There are two "cures" for these situations. First, adjust the headlight aim. Your manual tells you how. This is best done with someone sitting on the passenger seat, or with an equivalent weight. To be honest, I seldom do a measured adjustment. I just lower (or raise) the headlights a bit, shine them on a wall to get them even, and try things out. This trial and error method works fine for me. Sometimes I follow my wife in the car before and after, and have her tell me if the lights appear to be flashing or are too bright. The oject is to keep the direct focus below the eye level of traffic ahead...and preferably get the low beam cut-off line low enough that it will not "bounce" into direct sight.
The other "cure", for being flashed in the daytime, is to ride with brights during the day. The low beam shutter cuts the beam just below the eye level of traffic ahead. As you bounce, the edge goes in and out of the other driver's direct sight, appearing to make your lights flash. If you ride with high beams in the daytime, they tend to see a more continuous, less annoying light.
I hope this helps. Headlight adjustment is not a one size fits all thing, especially with the Spyder. Taking some time to fine tune the adjustment, then riding with high beams in the daytime, should get you less flashing in return.
pps:......................:yes:.....................:roflblack:
