headlight adjustment on gl1200 standard

[bernyboy]

My bike (1984 gl1200 standard) has the most onerous headlight vertical adjustment method. I had to do a little electrical work that required removing the headlight housing for access. As far as I can tell, in order to reset the headlight beam height I have to : remove the headlight from the housing, loosen the housing mounting nuts (which also hold the signal light arms), pivot the housing up or down, tighten the nuts, reinstall the headlight, turn the light on and check the beam height. Then I have to go through the whole process again and again until I have the beam height just right. Is there a way to simplify this process? The only way I can think of is to bring math into the process. I can calculate how many degrees I want to drop or raise the beam and then I can use a fine digital level (something I happen to have for my work) vertically across the face of the housing to adjust the housing by that amount. But most people won't have a level like that handy. Is there something I am missing? Maybe I can just loosen the nuts just enough to move the housing for adjustment, put the headlight in, pivot the housing into position, and then take out the headlight and tighten the nuts without knocking the adjustment out again. I guess I'll try that once I find a suitable site. It just seems pretty primitive.