R1200GS Headlight adjuster problem
I replaced my headlight lamp and when pushing the connector onto the new lamp, I felt something give. It seems that the ball joint inside the headlight fitting has come apart. Is there any way to reconnect the ball with the socket? My headlight is lighting up all the overhead road signs rather than the road ahead.
Bird spotting 
I replaced my headlight lamp and when pushing the connector onto the new lamp, I felt something give. It seems that the ball joint inside the headlight fitting has come apart. Is there any way to reconnect the ball with the socket? My headlight is lighting up all the overhead road signs rather than the road ahead.
Hi Kim, open it up. Post a close-up pic of the broken bit. I am sure some superglue or Q-Bond will sort it out. Here is a pic where a Macgyver repair was done on the clip mounting.
Stolen from http://www.snafu.org/pics/r1200gs/2009/0122-headlight/
Kevin
Hi Kevin
My problem is a little deeper than the back of the reflector.
Inside the headlight assembly, on the bottom of the combined reflector, is a bracket which holds a springloaded device that allows you to flip your beam set (bright and dim) up or down depending on whether you have a "heavyweight" pillion or not. It's that bracket that has a ball joint and socket, about 8mm in diameter, that has come adrift.
I found some references to it on the web but it is almost impossible to "hook" the thing and pop it back into the socket. Someone seems to have done it with a monstrous crochet hook but I can find anything thin enough and strong enough to hook it back in with.
Kim
Hi Kevin
My problem is a little deeper than the back of the reflector.
Inside the headlight assembly, on the bottom of the combined reflector, is a bracket which holds a springloaded device that allows you to flip your beam set (bright and dim) up or down depending on whether you have a "heavyweight" pillion or not. It's that bracket that has a ball joint and socket, about 8mm in diameter, that has come adrift.
I found some references to it on the web but it is almost impossible to "hook" the thing and pop it back into the socket. Someone seems to have done it with a monstrous crochet hook but I can find anything thin enough and strong enough to hook it back in with.
Kim
Have you seen this thread? Simple fix with a piece of string.
And I thought that I was the only one with the clip problem - I after fighting with it for 45 minutes had to Mcguyver it and used a soft brass strap to secure the clip. So far so good.
I had seen the post referred to by Kevin and tried that without success.
I tried it again with a strong piece of nylon washline and jackpot!!
It is fixed and we are sorted. but make no mistake you really have to pull on that piece of string. It's not a gentle job at all.
The alternative (replacement of the sealed unit) is however so costly that there was motivation to give the thing a really good pull.
I had to follow my own advice yesterday. My headlight has been vibrating and illuminating the stars for a few weeks now. So yesterday I checked it out. It was this same issue. The ball and socket mechanism had popped out. I followed the advice from advrider above however I did not remove the headlight assembly. I merely removed the main beam plastic cover (left side) and connector and proceeded as per instructions. I turned the adjustment knob so that it created a gap between the ball (small black piece of plastic) and the socket (white plastic that fits over the black piece of plastic). I slipped a shoelace under the white plastic socket, it's a little tricky but can be done. This can be seen in the picture below. I sprayed some silicon lube onto the area to ease the replacement. I then applied pressure on the shoelace and pulled gently. It lifted and popped over the socket. Easy peezy. Sorted in 10 minutes.
R1200GSA Headlight
| © BMW Motorrad Club Cape 2006 - 2020 | Back to live site | Site built and hosted by HoneyBadger.net |
