Hypothetical WOF issue - headlight aim.

[jono035]

First thing to do when you fail a WOF on anything questionable is check with somewhere else. My accord was fine for 4-5 warrants and then the guy failed it because of spacers on the front wheels. Replaced the mags, got failed again, took the car to the garage next door where they took the wheels off and got the WOF guy to come over so they could point out that the 'spacers' were actually part of the wheel hub.

Never got so much as an apology for the massive hassle.

[Conquiztador]

And the "Hypothetical WOF issue - headlight aim" is hypothetical why?

[Mully]

And the "Hypothetical WOF issue - headlight aim" is hypothetical why?

Mainly because I don't want to "name and shame" or throw stones at the workshop concerned. I wanted to get people's (hypothetical) opinion without having a "I went there, they were shit", "I went there, they were great" debate.

[vifferman]

While I think the tester is being a dick, remember that many of them are failed mechanics, have an axe to grind, love being bureaucratic bumholes, etc., etc. You need to be pragmatic: do whatever it takes to get the WOF (soften front suspension settings, or set the light however it satisfies the tester), get the WOF, then reset the bike to how it was.

Many of us do that already, by either going somewhere that we know is not too picky about non-safety items, or temporarily modifying the bike (like me using the quieter of two 'spuds' in my Satantune just for the WOF).

Whatever we think is reasonable is irrelevant to getting your WOF. Push a bureaucrat who's convinced he's right, and he'll throw even more grief your way. You need to humour them.

[CookMySock]

Hey Dangerous Bastard....you must have pearls of wisdom on this.

Yeah mate. Put your bike on their 2009 model $35,000 test machine and set your headlights up how they tell you to. There is no better authority on headlamp setup than that.


Steve

[vifferman]

Hey Dangerous Bastard....you must have pearls of wisdom on this.

Yeah mate.

Thank goodness for that!

For a while I was worried that KiwiBiker was broken.

[Ixion]

, you take said motorcycle for it's six-monthly WOF checks at a respected local motorcycle shop (because you don't trust car WOF stations to do a correct job on a motorcycle).

There's your first mistake right there. Unless you're one of their money machines, taking a bike to a bike shop for a WoF invariably produces shit loads of pedantic or incorrect failures.

Mainly because the mechanics in bike shops (or the ones who do WoFs anyway) are young squids who have no concept of any motorcycle that is not a flat out 20000 rpm race machine. And no concept of any technology earlier than 2005.

Go to a carefully selected VTNZ. Cavendish Drive in Wiri is good . Old guy, still rides seriously. VTNZ Papakura , ditto. The testing station in Henderson appears good (sensible, anyrate)

[Swoop]

The testing station in Henderson appears good (sensible, anyrate)

Yes, they are OK. Only two guys that can "do" bikes though.
They also use a beam tester for the bikes...

[Coldrider]

I get my wofs from the local VTNZ station. They set up my headlight beam there & then with me on the bike, aimed at the light sensor, I am happy with that till I ride with my pack on somewhwere late home from a rally or whatever, when cars start getting annoyed with the beam up in the sky I stop & wind the beam down, that's where it stays till next wof time, the cycle repeats.

[jono035]

Go to a carefully selected VTNZ. Cavendish Drive in Wiri is good . Old guy, still rides seriously. VTNZ Papakura , ditto. The testing station in Henderson appears good (sensible, anyrate)

Carefully selected being the operative word there...

I usually use the VTNZ in Parnell but I've had a string of issues with them, the most major being the one I listed earlier that resulted in the replacement of my rims for no reason.

[Ixion]

Maybe it would be worth setting up a sticky of sane, or insane, testing stations?

Not looking for dodgy ones, just sensible, understand bikes (including old ones); versus idiots, only tester either rides a scooter , hasn't ridden a bike in 40 years, or is an 18 year old who believes that motorcycles begin and end with the ZXR250.

[Marmoot]

hmmm......

[Voltaire]

Yeah mate. Put your bike on their 2009 model $35,000 test machine and set your headlights up how they tell you to. There is no better authority on headlamp setup than that.


Steve

DB Earlier wrote this on a HID light thread.............advocated swapping lights to get a WOF...



You don't even HAVE to have a fullbeam light. The lowbeam must be WOFable. Thats it.

The bottom line is, if it gets a WOF and it looks kosher, then nothing else matters. Mr Fuzz is not going to go out of his way to track you down and process you coz you have a fonky headlamp.

My lowbeam is factory standard, my highbeam is modified HID. No one cares except me - it looks awesome and NO ONE pulls out in front me coz it is scary bright.

I don't know the answer to your question, but I would like to suggest that if you want to do the mod, then you don't want to know either. Just do it and have fun.

If it won't get a WOF, then put an incandescent bulb back in to get the WOF and then swap the HID back.

I see you are near to me. Shoot over and look at our mods if you like.

Steve
__________________
"I am a licenced motorcycle instructor, I agree with dangerousbastard, no point in repeating what he said."
A bird in the hand is worth more than a hand in the bush!

[my_r32]

On the last two occasions I tried to get a WOF there I was told that they couldn't do it, as they didn't have anyone qualified to do WOFs on bikes over 250cc. WTF???

Went to the AA place in Mt Roskill (Carr Rd??). No problem.

Reason why they couldn't WOF a bike over 250cc is because even though you may be a qualified mechanic or tester, for motorbikes, you can only test on bikes for which the license you hold. So since the learner and restricted licenses are restricted to 250cc bikes, then thats all they can legally do WOF's for. They need their full license to be able to WOF all bikes

[Voltaire]

Reason why they couldn't WOF a bike over 250cc is because even though you may be a qualified mechanic or tester, for motorbikes, you can only test on bikes for which the license you hold. So since the learner and restricted licenses are restricted to 250cc bikes, then thats all they can legally do WOF's for. They need their full license to be able to WOF all bikes

This may be true, but the point was that everytime I go to that particular testing station the guy who can is not there.
Has happened more than once....but never again as I go elsewhere.