Passing Lamp Alignment

Headlamp alignment. Let's take a moment and discuss proper alignment. Whether it's a large seven inch on the FL series, the touring series, or a five and three quarter on a Sportster, or any of the variations that lie in between, proper headlamp alignment is important. First of all, you need to see clearly as you're traveling down the road in the dark. Secondly you don't want to blind oncoming traffic with a misaligned headlamp. Always refer to your service manual. Take the time, make sure your headlamp is aligned correctly to the road. Not only low beam, but also high beam. You don't want it aiming up in the trees. You also don't want it catching the tip of the front fender and not illuminating far enough ahead of you so you can see. This particular Road King and most of the touring models are built with auxiliary passing lamps. These kits are also available for installation after purchase on most other models. Passing lamp kits are typically wired only to work on low beam. Again, you need to factor in oncoming traffic. You don't want to blind oncoming traffic, but you do want to add additional light to your travel path as you go down the road. I'm gonna take a moment now. I want to remove the lower turn signal assembly. And then I want to show you how to properly adjust passing lamps. Very, very important. Before you start any adjustment procedure, anytime you're removing a component. Turn on the ignition switch, check proper operation. Not only running lights, but turn signals. The same will apply for high beam and low beam and passing lamps. Make sure both lamps are illuminated. Both lamps go out on high beam. You don't want to blind oncoming traffic. You also don't want to make an adjustment and then find out something's not working, and not know if it was working before you made your adjustment. You'll notice I covered the painted surface on the front fender. I don't want to cause any damage. I use a ball Allen to loosen the turn signal mount. This allows you to kind of get in there on an angle. Again, you can use a regular Allen bit or an Allen wrench, whatever you're comfortable with. Make sure you do it correctly. Make sure when you reassemble this, all your hardware is clean, Loctited and torqued correctly. You don't want any of these coming loose while you're riding. Before I can reach in through the access hole on the back of the mounting bracket and loosen the inboard turn signal mount screw, I you need to remove the windshield. Of course, like any component you remove, set it aside in a safe place. With the windshield removed, I can access through the hole in the mounting bracket. Make sure I engage into the head of the screw. I can loosen the screw and remove it. You want to hold the turn signal housing. You don't want to be loosening it and having it bang around. It'll cause damage to the chrome. And you may cut one of the wires. Again, that's why it's important to check for proper function before you start taking anything apart. Once the housing is loose, I like to wrap it in a clean towel. Put a piece of tape on it so the towel stays in place. And just make sure that it hangs freely out of the way. It's not gonna contact anything. I really don't think the weight of the turn signal housing will affect the wire or the wire harness, but you want to make sure that the housing can't swing around and cause damage either to the chrome on the turn signal housing or any of the front fork. Turn signal housing removed, we can get the hardware out of our way. You're gonna need a specialty socket. You can purchase them. This is actually a pre-made purchased piece. Or a tricky fellow can make his own. You just take a standard socket. 9/16 is what this is. Take the time, cut a notch into it. Make sure that it goes right the depth to the socket. The reason you need a specialty socket like this is because you have to go up around the wire. And you have to be able to loosen and tighten this assembly with the wire in place. If you just try to put a standard socket up there, you'll pinch the wire and you won't be able to loosen or tighten the passing lamp assembly. When you're loosening the passing lamp, make sure you hold the base that the turn signal assembly mounts to in position. It only takes a little bit, about a half a turn, for the passing lamp assembly to be free. Again, another note, the notch in the lower turn signal mount always faces the rear of the motorcycle. At this point, you've got free movement forward and back, left to right, and up and down on the auxiliary passing lamp bracket. I myself prefer to have the left side passing lamp slightly tip downward and slightly inward towards the headlamp. Something similar to that. I also like to have my right side tipped slightly upward and slightly outward. Let's call it towards the wood side or the gutter side of the road. I like to aluminate the dark side of the road when I'm riding with the right side lamp. I like to aluminate the center of the road, off of the yellow stripe. I don't want this passing lamp pointed out into oncoming traffic. Again, when these passing lamps are correctly adjusted the way I prefer them, aesthetically they don't look good on the front of the motorcycle. One is pointed down and in, one is pointed slightly upward and out. If you're strictly in aesthetics person, take the time get them both to line up evenly across the front, evenly front to back and evenly across the top. If you're a person like myself who prefers function over form, make sure you take the time. Use a dark room if necessary. Aim them correctly. Retighten them the same way you loosened them. Make you hold firmly onto the lower mount. Make sure the opening in the socket fits up around the wire. And hold the bottom tab. A lot of time you can hold it with your thumb as you tighten the lamp bracket. Once you get it close, you can do a little final adjustment without it being over tightened just by hand. And then you want to make sure that you tighten it to factory specification. You definitely don't want it moving around when you're riding. The lower turn signal mounts, obviously you want them nice and straight. You want the turn signals to look even, aesthetically, looking at the front of the motorcycle. But again, preference prevails. Make sure you're getting the function out of the auxiliary lighting system that you deserve. Don't just say it looks nice and even, but it does nothing for you at night. I can leave the protection on the turn signal. Make sure my wires are not twisted. The notch in the back of the turn signal mount allows the harness to exit the assembly towards the rear of the motorcycle. Make sure they're not pinched. At this point, you could almost just hold the turn signal up in place. Again, turn on your ignition switch. Go high beam, low beam. Make sure everything's working, including the turn signal function. And then you can finish bolting it together. Start your hardware by hand. Thread it down as far as you can by hand. When you're putting this back together, make sure you draw all the hardware evenly. Make sure all the mating surfaces line up evenly. Not only so they look correct, but they function correct. You'll draw them both up evenly. Use the access hole through the passing lamp bracket. Tighten up the inboard turn signal retainer bolt. And again, refer to your service manual. Use correct service procedures. Use correct torque spec procedures. This particular alignment, once you're comfortable where they are on the motorcycle, you're happy with the excess light that these give you, they should stay locked down that way for a long time. Just a friendly piece of advice. Everybody's got their buddy who knows better than the service manual. You need to do your adjustments in your alignments this way. Everybody has the friend who's gonna tell you, "You don't need to loosen anything. "Just go up behind it and give it a good rap. "Aim it where you want it, it'll stay there." Two problems with that. One, you're gonna loosen up the hardware. They're gonna vibrate excessively and come loose when you ride. Two, the force of him slamming the light from the back to adjust it where he likes it may break the filament in the light bulb. Now you only have one lit when you really need it. Thirdly, you may cause that wiring harness to move in an unnatural position. If it doesn't cut immediately, it may chafe and break on you on the road. This ties directly into the headlight. So if you pop a fuse for the passing lamps, chances are the headlight's gonna go out, too. Nothing worse than being on a dark night in a dark area without any lamps.