Accessing the headlight bucket on RS/RT
and cleaning the headlamp assembly, re-aiming the headlight, etc.
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headlightbucket.htm-36

There are two ways to gain access, one way is to remove the glass, not absolutely necessary even if cleaning it, the other, easier way, follows.   NOTE that the front glass is pricey, so the following is a nicer way to go if you are hamfisted about removing and replacing the front glass, and, frankly, a lot easier, overall.

Don't do any disassembly of the fairing! As always disconnect battery before starting to do anything electrical.  The best way to do that is to remove all the electrical wires from the battery negative terminal.

Fold back, barely, one corner at a time, each corner of the rubberized material surrounding the $$$ glass in the fairing...that will expose a phillips screw.   Use a phillips screwdriver on the screw in each corner (thus, 4 screws). Remove the screws, or at least loosen them fully.  You can now pull out the entire rubber headlight assembly we call the Headlight Tunnel, but BMW calls the Light Shaft with Molded Glass.   Now, to open the headlight:
   The two very large side nuts that hold the metal headlight bucket to the metal ears, are, even when tight (which they should be), acting against rubber pads in such a way that the headlight bucket can be moved (rotated) up and down.  There are two types of setups holding the headlight bucket to the ears, but, no matter, with both, even when tight, the bucket is moveable for adjustment, without loosening anything here.  Grab the headlight bucket, and tilt it up, facing the front, somewhat.  Do this enough to allow a phillips screwdriver to access the screw at the bottom center of the front of the bucket at the outer chromed ring;.....that screw holds the headlight and reflector/chrome/assembly, to the bucket.  Loosen a few turns...do NOT remove the screw.   Tilt the chrome assembly up and out from the bottom, it is 'catched' at the top.  Lift the chrome ring with the headlamp and reflector and headlamp lens as a unit, up, out, and forward, and remove electrical plug going to headlight lamp, which is usually fairly tight.

You now have everything in front of you.  flasher on left, headlamp relay on right...as you face it.   When in there, good idea to be sure all wires are tight, nothing loose, fuses making good contact (remove, clean/burnish fuses and prongs with eraser, do NOT break prongs, bend carefully a bit if need be, they must grip fuses tightly).   If you want to, now is a great time to remove the headlight lamp, clean the inside of the reflector with alcohol and swab and clean the lamp, do NOT leave fingerprints or anything at all on the quartz glass of the halogen lamp itself, doing so can reduce lamp life.  Clean with alcohol!    You can clean things with something like Windex, but I prefer NOT to use ANYthing with ammonia in it.  Clean the front protective glass too.  When you are sure you have no cleaning streaks left on the glass, reassemble. Adjusting the headlight: Most people simply grab the headlight bucket from the rider's seat position, and push it to the desired position for low beam...moving it once or twice until they like the results, and letting the high beam fall where it may.   There is an official setting.  For the nerdy, here is the official way to do it, to at least get you into the ballpark in the case you don't like it:     On your flat floored garage, make a mark on the floor, 16 feet 5 inches from the wall (officially 5 meters).  Whilst sitting on your bike, with a normal load, that means balancing and having your big feet on the pegs!...have someone measure the distance from the CENTER of the headlight to the ground.  Put a mark at this same vertical distance on the wall, and another mark 2 inches below it (5 cm).  Move your bike, that means don't put it on the centerstand, until the FRONT AXLE is above the 16'5" floor mark. Aim the headlight for the two marks, with your normal weight and load as before.    The bucket should be adjusted for the cutoff to dark area on top to lighted area, is between the two marks.

02/25/2005:  clarifications