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From: animal@ihlpa.UUCP (D. Starr)
Newsgroups: net.cycle
Subject: Re: Daytime high vs low beam
Message-ID: <2035@ihlpa.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 13-Oct-86 16:11:12 EDT
Article-I.D.: ihlpa.2035
Posted: Mon Oct 13 16:11:12 1986
Date-Received: Tue, 14-Oct-86 06:43:33 EDT
References: <730004@hpfcms.HP.COM> <222@atux01.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Naperville, IL
Lines: 19

[various and sundry discussions about how annoying it is to see an
oncoming bike with high beams during the day deleted]

I tend to doubt that all that many motorcyclists run their high beams
in the daytime; it's more likely that they have low beams out of adjustment.
A 50 watt low beam halogen is quite blinding when it's aimed at oncoming
traffic rather than the road, and let's face it, an awful lot of the people
you pass on the road have trouble remembering to change their oil, let alone
worry about the headlight adjustment.  This can be especially true on bikes
that are ridden primarily during the daytime (less motivation to adjust
lights) and have lots of suspension adjustability (Dan--when you finished
fiddling with all your suspension knobs, did you adjust your headlight?)
Putting a passenger on the back of a softly-suspended cruiserbike can also
give a good imitation of a high beam to oncoming traffic.  The manufacturers
don't help this situation when they give you an owner's manual that just
says, "take it to the dealer for this adjustment" instead of telling you 
where it should point (something about product liability--if you follow 
their instructions and adjust it wrong, they are liable; if you just neglect
it they're not).