how do you level fog lights?

[Corey]

I have a question. I just finished installing my fog lamp kit, and I know they are not level. Is there a formula to a certain height at a certain distance from an object (i.e. wall or similar) for the center of the beam of a halogen so I can get the best out of them and not anger oncoming vehicles, or ones in front of me? any help would be appreciated.

 

[Rick McC.]

I reckon if you don't have them shining any higher on the wall than your headlight on low beam; you'll likely be OK.

There'll probably be several of the more technically inclined members on soon to give you some better advice, anyway.

 

[barbagris]

Beam should be HORIZONTAL - So if it's 50cms from the ground - the cut off should be too.

IF you mount them up at 100cms (headlight level) I'd say you should follow ricks advice. Same as DIP - i.e Horizontal - 1.5º.
1) The fuzz won't hassle you.
2) most fogs don't have too great a reach You might as well light the road.

 

[cr0ft]

Measure the height of the center of the lamp when you're sitting on the bike normally. Ie, you need an assistant. Record the height, then find a level surface in front of a light colored wall and mark the same height on the wall. and move the bike 25 feet from said wall (surface has to be level for this to be right) and sit on it again. The low beam (or driving light beam) should land just barely under the line. If it's not, adjust it.

Rinse and repeat on all the lamps (cover the others so you only do one at a time.)

This will ensure you don't blind people while riding normally with low beams on, and high beams should shoot out pretty accurately when you ride at night (they shine higher than the low beam).

 

[Joesmoe]

My lights came with the Touring model, and I have not even checked (shame on me) their aiming.

My only comment here is there is a separate rocker switch for them on the left quadrant, and I'm one of those who whines (NO WHINING !) about the single headlight on the Touring (so installed the Eastern Beaver headlight bypass kit -- and BY THE WAY -- knowing what I know now, had I to do it over again, or ever need to do something with the EB kit, I would order the DeCosse version preferentially -- and I have an "off road" 130W/90W H4 bulb in there) . . .

. . . where was I . . .

oh yes, the only comment here is that with the rocker switch for the driving lights I treat them like a second high beam. So for setting (that is, aiming), I second @barbagris and repeat, "You might as well light the road."

OBTW, also, I too am in search of alternative - read more light - driving lights.

This is a classic requirements exercise, amenable to a full systems engineering decision matrix.

1) I want to keep the chrome shells and plastic (!) reflector and existing wiring, if possible.

2) I want more light.

3) I would like to keep the cost down.

It's not nice to fool Mother Nature (and her physics - at least in this universe), and more lumens requires power (to wit, my 180W high-beam, above).

So keeping existing wiring, and wanting more lumens, necessarily means seeking a light source more efficient than the current incandescent halogen H3 35W, and as a number of members here have found, are looking at the new offering of higher-output LEDs.

Given the above requirements, I'm looking at a replacement H3 though it's too early to talk about it here . . . if it works out, I'll post a new thread adding to the options out there.

 

[cr0ft]

'm one of those who whines (NO WHINING !) about the single headlight on the Touring

Halogens and HID's are yesterday's tech. I'd be extremely leery of trying a 180 watt bulb in the stock reflector, I supect you'll have melting plastic dripping out of the bottom of the bucket...

http://www.jwspeaker.com/products/led-headlights-model-8700-evolution-2/ will solve any whining tendencies in a hurry - besides, the 7 incher (cheap though the reflector is) on the Touring is probably better than the 5.75 inchers on the others even combined, from what I hear. A friend of mine has a Speed Triple with round headlights; if the Rocket lights are anything like those we're lucky to have the single 7.

You need two of these too http://www.jwspeaker.com/products/led-fog-lights-model-6045/ to make the combo look good and to get truly superior light out of all 3. The 8700 is just over $250 now on Amazon, the 6045's are almost as much each as well for some reason. So total cost should be $750-ish if you change out all three.

The 8700 is a plug and play replacement. Open shell, remove reflector, insert new reflector, close shell. Done. The same is true for the driving lights, but you'll have to cut the wires and use something like Posilocks to wire them in. The whole job will take you 15 minutes if you rush, half an hour if you go slow. Only tool you need is a screwdriver and a cable stripper.

End result:

 

[CanberraR3]

@Joesmoe I'm using a Cyclops LED H4 replacement at the moment. While not perfect it certainly improves vision and visibility. Just plugged into existing light as a straight replacement bulb. Cost well under $100.

 

[cr0ft]

'm using a Cyclops LED H4 replacement at the moment. While not perfect it certainly improves vision and visibility. Just plugged into existing light as a straight replacement bulb. Cost well under $100.

Also, illegal and will be firing light into areas it doesn't belong. Halogen reflectors are made for halogen lights and the placement, shape and "radiating pattern" of the glowing filament in those. That's why HID conversions suck so hard - they blind on-coming motorists and doesn't even necessarily give you more usable light because a bunch of it is going anywhere but the road.

The same is no doubt quite true for LED "bulbs".

 

[barbagris]

and I have an "off road" 130W/90W H4 bulb in there

As I'm NOT familiar with the INSIDE of the R3T headlight shell - I'm making a be careful comment.

High Watts is not just more light - but more heat. Depending on the reflector material and how well ventilated the shell is this can (I've seen it) create HUGE problems.
If the T reflector is anything like the 5&3/4" units extra heat WILL turn the reflector brittle and the silvering WILL vaporise away. Guess how I know!.

I know croft likes his 8700's but for T owners there are other more wallet friendly LED solutions.

 

[cr0ft]

Sure, you can get a Truck-lite Phase 7 and both fog lights for $300 or something like that in a kit. The fog lights are less than half the lumens of the JW Speaker ones, and the same goes for the Phase 7. Which still makes them hugely superior to to any halogen solution one might reasonably mount. They do look a lot more traditional than the JW Speaker ones, but the main 7 incher sticks out a lot beyond the trim ring, unlike the 8700. So a frenched trim ring might be required if one has issues with that look.


For the record (since I removed my reflector and remember what it looks like) the stock reflector is thin, lightweight silvered plastic. Which is why I said that stuff about plastic dripping out of the bottom of the headlight - I have zero confidence that the reflector would stand up to the kind of heat a 180 watt bulb would generate.