MOT and headlight "kickup" confusion

[titusni]

Got my trike MOT later this evening (writing this at 3am). Wasn't really expecting any problems as the trike's 1 year old now.

I decided to double-check the headlight aim as I fitted a flyscreen a while ago. So, measure headlight height off ground, mark line that height on garage door, mark point 3.8m from door and park trike there. Adjust aim...........and then realise that, to my eyes at least, the kickup is on the right-hand side (offside) rather than the left-hand side (nearside).

The twin headlights are the ones on it when it went through MSVA and MOT a year ago - the lenses are marked E4.

Have 3 sets (i.e. pairs) of H4 bulbs - 2 sets marked E1, the other E13 - try all 3 sets and still seems to kickup to the right.

What governs where the kickup is - the bulb or the lense?

Checking "http://www.motuk.co.uk/mcmanual_160.htm" confirms that the kickup should be on the left. It does say that the kickup is 15 degress typically so it not as "severe" an angle as I thought it was supposed to be - well maybe I'm going blind but I could swear this kicks to the right. Indeed I'm not even sure the "horizontal cutoff" is even level - it seems at a slight angle itself - maybe my drive's not as flat/level as I think.

So comments/suggestions? Am worried now that I'm gonna fail the MOT...

[dracken1]

in a headlight with a non faceted reflector it is the lens that determines beam pattern.
only possibility i can think of is that the lenses have rotated. so what you see as the kick up on the right would be horizontal if the lenses were in the correct position.
if the lenses are in the correct place then i'm at a loss to understand what the prob could be.
good luck :)

[titusni]

in a headlight with a non faceted reflector it is the lens that determines beam pattern.
only possibility i can think of is that the lenses have rotated. so what you see as the kick up on the right would be horizontal if the lenses were in the correct position.
if the lenses are in the correct place then i'm at a loss to understand what the prob could be.
good luck :)

Lenses are marked E4 which I've found out is Netherlands.

The lense/front cover onlt has a single screw hole to hold it in place and when fitted the lense markings (i.e E4 etc) look aligned fine so I dont see how the lense could be rotated. It seems like I've got headlight lenses for non-UK use (i.e. driving on RHS). I found a good doc "http://www.danielsternlighting.com/tech/lights/codes/codes.html" and according to it a lense for UK use should be marked with an arrow to indicate this (no arrow implies right-hand drive use - i.e. on the continent) - my lenses have no such arrow.

Feck knows how this happened - these exact headlights were **definately** fitted between the 1st MSVA test and the MSVA retest just under a year ago (I have a picture which clearly shows these headlights and I know the date the pic was taken) and as far as I know, but dont have proof, they were fitted before the 1st MSVA date.

[Doro]

not saying it's a good thing but our MOT inspector just looked at the trike and passed it - only checked the handbrake...


hmmmmm

[Gypsy]

Shhhhh :D

[titusni]

I've stuck some electrical tape onto the lenses in the shape of wedges to blank out the kickup - I guess I know in another hour or so if they'll accept that...

Updated: it passed no problem - they didn't even comment on the tape over the lenses... :D