German BMW GS1200 rider needs help

[Matsche]

Hey, we finally got here and I tried to register my German bike.

And, no suprise, I didn't meet NZ rules because of the pattern of my headlight. It's not about adjusting but about the pattern of the mirror/bulb.

So, in case of my wifes Honda we could manage it by turning the bulb a little around.

Has anybody heart of anything I can do besides buying a new headlight.

Oh, by the way, we are in living in New Plymouth.

Cheers and thanks
Juergen

[Cajun]

strange a friend brought his bmw across from UK, and hasn't had this problem

[vifferman]

In UK they drive on the left!
You need to get a headlight that dips down to the left. You may be able to engineer it to do this, but more likely you will have to try and find a second-hand one to fit.
I guess that on your wife's Honda, turning the bulb anticlockwise (as viewed from the rear) accomplished this? And this isn't possible to do on the BMW?

[oldrider]

Zealots at testing stations have really got hold of this aspect lately and are flogging it to death.

You may be able to tape out the offeneding area of the headlight reflector! Cheers, John.

[slimjim]

rewire a H4 BULB...surely it only needs diping down from high beam...not sideways as on a car.?

[Matsche]

In UK they drive on the left!

I guess that on your wife's Honda, turning the bulb anticlockwise (as viewed from the rear) accomplished this? And this isn't possible to do on the BMW?

That's it: In UK they drive on the left too!!!

And yeah, that's about the only thing I can possibly do: Try to turn the bulb.
BUT: I do have a different bulb than Honda. No mirror at the bottom of the lamp. AND: The mirror in my head-light is cut obviously different left&right of the bulb!

BMW is quit sophisticated - Makes it so difficult to fix it the "kiwi-style" ...

Thx to everybody

Juergen

[vifferman]

rewire a H4 BULB...surely it only needs diping down from high beam...not sideways as on a car.?

Not so.
If you look carefully at the H4 bulb in those bikes that have them, they're not mounted straight, but at a slight angle.
Actually, I had it wrong - they are angled so viewed from the front they tilt down at the right, so are twisted clockwise from vertical from the rear.
However, as Juergen said, some lights (like the BMW) are more sophisticated and the lighting patter is partly from the way the bulb is mounted, but mostly from the reflector.
I'd imagine new GS1200 headlamps (or even just the reflector, assuming you could buy one on its own) would be horrendously expensive, and a wrecked bike would be unlikely to have an intact headlamp unit. The best bets would be either an aftermarket unit, or to try and obtain a secondhand unit from wreckers here, in Australia, Japan or the UK.

[Ixion]

In Early e times, dipped beam simply cut off the light at the top (ie if you imagine a cone of light, and put your hand over the top part).

But modern ones try to shape the beam left/right also, so that the (in NZ) left hand side of the beam has longer range than the right hand side.

In some cheaper fitments this was done by a bulb with a shield in it. More sophisticated lamps , the refractor pattern on the lens itself does the job (ie the "ridges" in the lens).

Sometimes you may be able to turn the whole lens 180 degrees. If this is not possible either

Replace the headlamp or
Disable the dip bulb in the headlamp and fit a cheap(ish) auxiliary headlamp, to provide dip beam

Unlike Germany, where the second option would be illegal, we can do it in NZ. After market headlamps are readily available for fitment to off roads machines and street fighters (Trademe is your friend).

You may have to argue about the second option if you encounter an anal WoF inspector but it is legal. For WoFs anyway. I'm not certain about VINs

[pete376403]

Do you know anyone with an NZ spec 1200 who could lend you the headlight parts to get through the wof check? Put your own light back in once the bike has passed the tests and that wins you a bit of time to source the correct part

[The Baron]

Good luck with that... But I think its a new headlight needed

[oldrider]

I think your thread title says it all really.

German BMW GS 1200 rider needs help!

I suggest anyone who rides a BMW needs help. Pefection is after all a "British" word. Triumph is another. Cheers John.

[Matsche]

@ In Germany the whole headlight unit (don't know it the reflector is available alone) would have costed about N$ 630,--.
That's why I didn't buy one straight away.

@ I have a H7 bulb in!


I'll tell you in the next days, if I could make something about the reflector or adjust the complete unit or whatsoever ...


Cheers JM

(The BMW is a perfect bike - as long as everything is running like it should.
Ohterwise you're in big trouble. Especially in NZ I guess.)

[That looks like fun]

As we drive on the correct side of the road in this fair country your head light will not dip the way it should. In gemany it would dip down and also to the right, or wrong side of the road. In NZ it should dip down and to the left side Or right as we say . This effect is create by the shape of the reflector, placement of the bulb inside the lamp and also the focus effect of the lense (thats the glass bit in the front). This works for round headlights so it may work for you. Face the offending bike facing a wall and turn on the headlight (Dip beam). You should notice the headlight beam forms a line level with or below the centre line of the actual light. On the right hand side this will rise at an angle. This rising piece is the offending article on your light If you get a piece of tape and blank of a small area of the lense to the left of the centre of the lense at the same height as the bulb that area of light should magically dissapear. Main beam will not be affected
Good luck jim, This message will self destruct if you fail