have you tried a multistrada?? i swapped my 748 for one - and love it, course the 748 was special - and on a trackday i know which i would have( i think as i haven't had a trackday on the multi yet). Anyway. the multistrada has a great headlight, easily adjusts, good power characteristics for the winter roads, low maintenance etc etc and is great fun to ride - try one if you get the chance - they are a bargain.

It's crossed my mind. :)
But Multistradas are a bit more than I'm prepared to pay at the moment. That said, it's quite possible I wouldn't like them at all. I might try to get a run out on one.

And hey, I feel like I'm starting to become some sort of Seinfeld-style Headlight Nazi around here! ;)

It's hardly my first priority in choosing a bike. But the lights on this bike at at the moment as less than adequate.

Spent yesterday twiddling beam adjusters, fitting Halfords supa-dupa bulbs (15 quid each! :o ), and scagging my knuckles. Bulb changing is an increasingly fiddly job on both cars and bikes these days: why? Car's used to have screws on the outside of the lenses: you removed the lenses and took out the bulb; easy-peasy. Now you have scag your knuckles behind the bumpers. Bikes are the same. Some progress...

Anyway, I reckon I've got the lights "about as good as they'll get".

One thing strikes me, though. The main beam has very little impact. Closer examination reveals that this is because it points towards the hedge on the opposite side of the road, not 'straight down' the road at all.

Anyone else noticed this? Or is my light unit misaligned?

Is it a UK bike?

Sooo how did it go ? - and did you see any good filums ? ;)

Since you ask ;)

Romanzo Criminale, a cool Italian gangster movie with lots of great old Italian cars!


rockhopper> Yup. Well, as far as I can see. It has mph clocks. How are the lights arranged on "Euro" bikes? Does dipped beam swap over to the right hand side, or is it invariably on the left?

The lights look the same, I think its just a bent piece of metal inside the headlight that makes it left hand dip. What does the log book say?
Might be worth checking the frame number with Ducati UK. Actually someone posted a list of frame numbers and destinations a while back.

I'm not much help when it comes to headlights, in six years of St2 and St4 ownership i've only ridden it in the dark one and that was down the M1!

Hmmm - I'll look it up - I've been partially converted into allsorts of foreign films recently - Ade loves em :confused:

Check the Headlight Lens
 

The UK / Aus / Japan all have the same lens cover: 520.4.011.2C

If you have a european spec bike the lens cover will not have a "C" on the end - but - "A". If yours has this then it will naturally point the beam the "other" way.

Also, if it is an early ST it may have a "Supersport" headlamp lens fitted, in which case the part numbers to look for are in top left corner of lens unit. 45991-C - again if it ends in "A" you have a european lens.

Finally, there are no metal plates to bend inside the lens unit.

Thanks. The lens glass has (amongst other numbers) 45991 on it. No "C", or "A" for that matter.

Ducati Bristol are literally on my way home. I might pop in and ask them if they can be of any help.

Any way, it was always my understanding that only dipped beam was ever deflected to the left on any motorcycle, and main beam just pointed directly ahead, regardless of LH and RH driving. I'm damn sure the 748 main beam pointed straight ahead.

Is this not the case?


[edit]
Athelstan's post above implies that the plastic lens cover itself is the thing that does the deflecting. If that were the case, then presumably it would deflect both beams, and what I said above wouldn't apply.