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Help Finding Headlight Adjustment Bolt

838 Views 8 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  Billy Numb Butt
2
The bolt which controls the headlight adjustment fell off. I visited my local dealer and they could not find it in the schematic. They believe it may be included with the purchase of a new headlight assembly. The assembly costs over $800.
I’ve included a photo of the bolt/screw. Please help me find a part number.
2021 model year.
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Is there a spring inside of it ?
This may be your best bet, make a new one.
A new screw, piece of aluminum spacer (Amazon) and a chunk of bar stock. Apply a file to the bar stock.
Probably lots better than spending $800.
5
Do you have an R or a GS? It matters.
If you have an R, I believe the parts you need should be an Adjusting Plate (63121600288) ($11.89) and a Fillister-Head Screw - M6X20-8.8-Znniv (11118557331) ($3.35).

If you have a GS, it's more complicated because the parts diagrams do not reflect reality. Everything below here applies only to a GS.
The detail below should enable your dealer to work this out with BMW. Let us know what happens. If your dealer is still unable to get what you need based on this, let me know and I'll try with my dealer.

I happened to have the front end of my 2022 G310GS fully disassembled at the moment. There are four parts associated with adjusting the headlight. These parts are shown assembled in the first picture below and disassembled in the second picture below.
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The first part below is a "C-Clip Nut, Self-Locking - M6". The second part below is not shown or named in the parts diagrams for my 2022 G310GS (provided below), so lets call it the "Lower Headlight and Headlight Adjuster Mount" because, on my 2022 G310GS, the bottom of the headlight is mounted to this piece via the holes on each side of this mount and the Headlight Adjuster mounts through to the center hole of this mount. The third part below is also not shown or named in the parts diagrams for my 2022 G310GS, so lets call it the "Adjusting Plate and Cylinder". I'm calling it this because the parts diagram for my 2022 G310GS does show a part that's called the Adjusting Plate which looks like the top flat rectangular section of this part (I think this Adjusting Plate is correct for the G310R, but not the GS). The fourth part below is a "Hexagon Socket Screw With Flange - M6X50".
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The first picture below is supposed to be the parts diagram for the "Front Panel Carrier" of a 2022 G310GS, but it's actually the front panel carrier of the non-LED G310GS. The second picture below is supposed to be the parts diagram for the "Headlight for 2022 BMW-Motorrad G310GS"; it correctly shows the LED headlight; it correctly shows #6 as "Hexagon Socket Screw With Flange - M6X50"; however, it completely omits the second part above; and it shows an incorrect adjuster part - it shows #7 as an Adjuster Plate when the actual part is a single piece with a plate on top and a cylinder below (what I called the "Adjusting Plate and Cylinder" in the above picture). I think this LED headlight diagram is actually for the G310R, not the GS.
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Below is the actual front panel carrier on my 2022 G310GS. Note that the three circular holes on the left side are not original; I drilled those. On my bike, the "C-Clip Nut, Self-Locking - M6" slides onto the tab at the end of the wood pointer and the "Hexagon Socket Screw With Flange - M6X50" secures what I called the "Adjusting Plate and Cylinder" and what I called the "Lower Headlight and Headlight Adjuster Mount" to the "C-Clip Nut, Self-Locking - M6". It then looks like looks like the assembled parts in the first picture above except that the C-Clip would be on the tab at the end of the wood pointer below.
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Possible (temporary?) fix:

The bolt you lost is a "Hexagon Socket Screw With Flange - M6X50". I'm assuming you also lost what I call the "Adjusting Plate and Cylinder" since it was secured solely by the "Hexagon Socket Screw With Flange - M6X50". The other two parts needed are not secured solely by the missing bolt so you should still have them, the "C-Clip Nut, Self-Locking - M6" and what I call the "Lower Headlight and Headlight Adjuster Mount". This means the only thing you need is what I call the "Adjusting Plate and Cylinder". This is a single piece of what looks like brass with two sections, a rectangular section on top of a cylindrical section. The rectangular section measures 25mm x 15mm x 7-8mm. This 7-8mm dimension is because it's slightly curved along the 15mm side with 7mm in the middle and 8mm on the edges (this curve isn't critical). The cylindrical section is 26mm long with an outer diameter of 14mm; has a 6.5mm hole through the cylinder (the M6 bolt goes through it); and has flat areas on the end so a 10mm wrench can hold this piece while the M6 bolt is tightened.

To make a substitute that should work, make a rectangle =25mm x ~15mm x ~7mm out of hard plastic or metal (=25mm is the important dimension; approximate is fine for the other two), drill a ~6.5mm hole through the center of the 25mm x 15mm face. Then make a ~26mm high stack of M6 washers (or similar) that have an outer diameter of ~14mm. Put the washers on an M6x50 bolt and then put the rectangle piece on the M6x50 bolt. Put some blue thread lock on the end of the bolt. Screw the bolt through the "Lower Headlight and Headlight Adjuster Mount" into the M6 C-Clip. The rectangle fits into a 27mm wide side-to-side space on the underside of the "Lower Headlight and Headlight Adjuster Mount". Keep tightening the bolt until it adjusts the headlight where you want it.

P.S. Have you ever adjusted your headlight adjusting bolt? If not, this should be covered by your warranty. If you have adjusted your headlight adjusting bolt, you might have backed it out too far and then this wouldn't be covered by warranty.

Good luck.
Standing by for questions.
JerryG
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Interesting discovery as I was reassembling this, despite the parts listing as "Hexagon Socket Screw With Flange - M6X50", the bolt on my bike is not the usual 5mm hexagon socket, it's a T30 Torx socket. Weird. I'm going to replace it with a hex head since I don't carry Torx wrenches on this bike.

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Do you have an R or a GS? It matters.
If you have an R, I believe the parts you need should be an Adjusting Plate (63121600288) ($11.89) and a Fillister-Head Screw - M6X20-8.8-Znniv (11118557331) ($3.35).

If you have a GS, it's more complicated because the parts diagrams do not reflect reality. Everything below here applies only to a GS.
The detail below should enable your dealer to work this out with BMW. Let us know what happens. If your dealer is still unable to get what you need based on this, let me know and I'll try with my dealer.

I happened to have the front end of my 2022 G310GS fully disassembled at the moment. There are four parts associated with adjusting the headlight. These parts are shown assembled in the first picture below and disassembled in the second picture below.
View attachment 18446

The first part below is a "C-Clip Nut, Self-Locking - M6". The second part below is not shown or named in the parts diagrams for my 2022 G310GS (provided below), so lets call it the "Lower Headlight and Headlight Adjuster Mount" because, on my 2022 G310GS, the bottom of the headlight is mounted to this piece via the holes on each side of this mount and the Headlight Adjuster mounts through to the center hole of this mount. The third part below is also not shown or named in the parts diagrams for my 2022 G310GS, so lets call it the "Adjusting Plate and Cylinder". I'm calling it this because the parts diagram for my 2022 G310GS does show a part that's called the Adjusting Plate which looks like the top flat rectangular section of this part (I think this Adjusting Plate is correct for the G310R, but not the GS). The fourth part below is a "Hexagon Socket Screw With Flange - M6X50".
View attachment 18447

The first picture below is supposed to be the parts diagram for the "Front Panel Carrier" of a 2022 G310GS, but it's actually the front panel carrier of the non-LED G310GS. The second picture below is supposed to be the parts diagram for the "Headlight for 2022 BMW-Motorrad G310GS"; it correctly shows the LED headlight; it correctly shows #6 as "Hexagon Socket Screw With Flange - M6X50"; however, it completely omits the second part above; and it shows an incorrect adjuster part - it shows #7 as an Adjuster Plate when the actual part is a single piece with a plate on top and a cylinder below (what I called the "Adjusting Plate and Cylinder" in the above picture). I think this LED headlight diagram is actually for the G310R, not the GS.
View attachment 18444 View attachment 18445

Below is the actual front panel carrier on my 2022 G310GS. Note that the three circular holes on the left side are not original; I drilled those. On my bike, the "C-Clip Nut, Self-Locking - M6" slides onto the tab at the end of the wood pointer and the "Hexagon Socket Screw With Flange - M6X50" secures what I called the "Adjusting Plate and Cylinder" and what I called the "Lower Headlight and Headlight Adjuster Mount" to the "C-Clip Nut, Self-Locking - M6". It then looks like looks like the assembled parts in the first picture above except that the C-Clip would be on the tab at the end of the wood pointer below.
View attachment 18448


Possible (temporary?) fix:

The bolt you lost is a "Hexagon Socket Screw With Flange - M6X50". I'm assuming you also lost what I call the "Adjusting Plate and Cylinder" since it was secured solely by the "Hexagon Socket Screw With Flange - M6X50". The other two parts needed are not secured solely by the missing bolt so you should still have them, the "C-Clip Nut, Self-Locking - M6" and what I call the "Lower Headlight and Headlight Adjuster Mount". This means the only thing you need is what I call the "Adjusting Plate and Cylinder". This is a single piece of what looks like brass with two sections, a rectangular section on top of a cylindrical section. The rectangular section measures 25mm x 15mm x 7-8mm. This 7-8mm dimension is because it's slightly curved along the 15mm side with 7mm in the middle and 8mm on the edges (this curve isn't critical). The cylindrical section is 26mm long with an outer diameter of 14mm; has a 6.5mm hole through the cylinder (the M6 bolt goes through it); and has flat areas on the end so a 10mm wrench can hold this piece while the M6 bolt is tightened.

To make a substitute that should work, make a rectangle =25mm x ~15mm x ~7mm out of hard plastic or metal (=25mm is the important dimension; approximate is fine for the other two), drill a ~6.5mm hole through the center of the 25mm x 15mm face. Then make a ~26mm high stack of M6 washers (or similar) that have an outer diameter of ~14mm. Put the washers on an M6x50 bolt and then put the rectangle piece on the M6x50 bolt. Put some blue thread lock on the end of the bolt. Screw the bolt through the "Lower Headlight and Headlight Adjuster Mount" into the M6 C-Clip. The rectangle fits into a 27mm wide side-to-side space on the underside of the "Lower Headlight and Headlight Adjuster Mount". Keep tightening the bolt until it adjusts the headlight where you want it.

P.S. Have you ever adjusted your headlight adjusting bolt? If not, this should be covered by your warranty. If you have adjusted your headlight adjusting bolt, you might have backed it out too far and then this wouldn't be covered by warranty.

Good luck.
Standing by for questions.
JerryG
Thank you, thank you. I have the GS. When I was at the dealership, they had an R and GS model next to each other. The R component looked shorter. I am excited you've identified the part for me. Time to order it.
With respect to adjusting the headlight...I've never touched it. Not sure how the warranty would cover this. I've had the bike for close to 2 years. Would be nice. Have a great day.
5
I am excited you've identified the part for me. Time to order it.
The R component looked shorter.
We don't have the part number you need to actually order. We do have enough information to prompt your dealer to ask BMW to find the part number you need.

I suggest you discuss the following with your dealer. If it was me, I'd do it in person with printed versions of the paragraph and pictures below. That way, you'd be able to show them what you saw on their showroom G310R and G310GS. If you can't go in person, send an email with the paragraph and pictures below. I've written this in third person. Feel free to edit it to work best with your dealer.

BMW says, via #7 in the first three pictures below and the fitment table in first picture below, that the Adjusting Plate (63121600288) fits 2020 to 2023 G310R and G310GS. BMW also says, via the #8 in the second and third pictures below, that the G310R uses a 20mm screw with this Adjusting Plate while the GS uses a 50mm screw with the same Adjusting Plate. However, @JerryG (on G310rforum.com) happened to have his 2022 G310GS front disassembled and provided pictures of his headlight adjustment components, assembled in the fourth picture below and disassembled in the fifth picture below. Note that instead of an "Adjusting Plate", there is an "Adjusting Plate and Cylinder". @JerryG also reported that this Adjusting Plate and Cylinder was 33-34mm long (it varies because the rectangular top is curved). This means that this Adjusting Plate and Cylinder is far too long to work with the 20mm screw specified for G310R. Given this, @VOR2021 looked at a new G310R and G310GS and found that G310R headlight adjustment assembly looks shorter than the G310GS headlight adjustment assembly. Given all this, it appears that the Adjusting Plate (63121600288) is G310R-specific while the Adjusting Plate and Cylinder as shown in the pictures from @JerryG is G310GS-specific. Unfortunately, we don't know the part number for this G310GS-specific Adjusting Plate and Cylinder. @JerryG suggests a dealer who has both a G310R and a G310GS in stock could definitively figure this out by removing and comparing the headlight adjustment components of the two bikes.

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IMHO hands down, this is the reply of the year. Thanks for sharing @JerryG
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IMHO hands down, this is the reply of the year. Thanks for sharing @JerryG
I have to agree with Gillard. This is the Reply of the Year, indeed. THANK YOU, GERRY G. I would go further and suggest that this comment applies to any I've read online. It not only tracks the parts, but suggests temporary solution, directs how to communicate with a dealer, includes clear photos. It's just an exemplary technical 'report'. I'd give it top rating. This took mechanical reasoning, logic, great language use. MOST OF ALL it shows a desire to help others, and the wish to spend whatever time it takes to provide that help. EXCELLENT.
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