Bike India

Best Bikes in India | No.1 Two Wheeler Magazine

  • Home
  • News
    • Upcoming Launches
    • Latest News
    • New Bike Launches
  • Reviews
    • First Ride
    • Road Test
    • Comparison
  • Features
  • Our Bikes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
  • NG Auto
    • AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA
    • CAR INDIA
    • COMMERCIAL VEHICLE
  • Brands

What is AHO – Automatic Headlight On?

April 3, 2017 by Sarmad Kadiri 1 Comment

Ducati Diavel motorcycle AHO headlight on in India
All new motorcycles and scooters that roll in to the market need to feature AHO from April 1st, 2017 onwards.
As if the confusion about BS-III and BS-IV vehicles weren’t enough, many two-wheeler owners are now puzzled about the new rule of AHO. So, let’s break it down for the uninitiated.

What is it?
Most two-wheeler manufacturers term AHO as All-time Headlight On or Automatic Headlight On system. As the name suggests, new motorcycles and scooters which are sold and registered after April 1st, 2017 need to have the headlights on at all times. Yes, even during the day. So, there’ll be a whole bunch of well-meaning passers-by doing that magician-like hand-signals to remind you that the bike’s headlight is on.

This is in compliance to a notice issued by the Road and Transport Ministry of India. All new bikes equipped AHO will not have a button to switch on the headlight, since it will always be on, but will only get high-beam and low-beam buttons along with the pass switch.

Yamaha FZ25 AHO headlight switch

Why do we need AHO?
This is a safety measure initiated by the ministry and is followed in many international countries. The idea behind this is that keeping headlights on throughout the day, even when the sun is nice and bright, makes spotting two-wheelers easier on the road. So, others on the road can see the motorcycle or scooter from a distance. It is also helpful during tricky light conditions during dusk, dawn or in case of sudden clouds casting a shadow.

Is there an alternative?
Many bike manufacturers have also installed DRL (Day-time Running Lights) on their motorcycle headlights as seen on the Bajaj Dominar or the 2017 KTM 390 Duke / RC 390. This is basically a small, but fairly bright strip of light incorporated in the headlight console. This strip remains illuminated even if the headlight isn’t switched on, so that the on-coming traffic can clearly see the motorcycle or scooter approaching.

Bajaj Dominar 400 AHO headlight on with DRL

What impact will AHO have on the battery?
To be honest, this will strain two-wheeler batteries a little more, but without hampering the battery in any way. Most modern motorcycles and scooters use advanced battery and alternators system, which can comfortably manage the extra load. This will no way alter fuel economy either. So, no need to sweat.

_MG_9684 Web

What about AHO on older bikes?
Well, that’s going to be strange because now there will be some older bikes and scooters without their headlights on during the day, while newer bikes with AHO will be beaming along with the sun. Since it’s a safety feature (as we mentioned above), we recommend all bikes / scooters with strong enough batteries and alternators to also keep the headlights illuminated at all times. No one’s forcing you, but do it at least for your safety.

We just feel that the government and the ministry for road and transport should have raised more awareness about this. The only way to implement a safety feature like the AHO is by educating the two-wheeler community. Also, maybe a small request to people to stop doing that magician-like hand gesture.

Sarmad Kadiri – who has written 171 posts on Bike India.


Email

Related posts:

California Superbike School - Taming the Track
Royal Enfield 650 Twins Get Cast Alloy Wheels and Other Updates
Bajaj Pulsar NS200 And NS160 Gets USD Forks

Filed Under: Features, Latest News, News Tagged With: All time headlight on, Auto headlight bikes, bikes with AHO, BS4 AHO India, headlight effect on battery, Motorcycle AHO

Trackbacks

  1. Bajaj Auto Hike Dominar 400 Price says:
    April 20, 2017 at 2:21 pm

    […] Bajaj Auto are the first to take this decision in order to partially offset the impact of rising input costs, and the upgrading of their portfolio to BS-IV emission standard. As per the guidelines from the Government of India, all new two-wheeler models from April 1, 2017 must comply with BS-IV emission norms across the country and also be equipped with AHO (Auto Headlamp On). […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

AlphaOmega Captcha Classica  –  Enter Security Code
 ⟲    ➴
 


MARCH 2023

Bike India - India's no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

17TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

Bike India - India's no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

Anniversary Ride to the Isle of Man with Freddie Spencer and Sid Lal

TVS Ntorq Ncounters I – Navigating the Night

BMW G 310 GS Explores Nagaland

SPECIAL Featured Story

Yamaha MT-10 SP – Ready for Road, Track, and Touring

Yamaha MT-10 SP – Ready for Road, Track, and Touring

In recent years, however, the MT-10 has begun to show its age, especially in terms of technology and rider aids. It was always on the thirsty side, too, and, by modern standards, the brakes were lacking. It was time for an update, which is why for 2022 Yamaha introduced a new MT-10 earlier this year.

More about this.

Car India and Bike India Awards 2019

Recent Posts

  • California Superbike School – Taming the Track
  • Royal Enfield 650 Twins Get Cast Alloy Wheels and Other Updates
  • Bajaj Pulsar NS200 And NS160 Gets USD Forks
  • MARCH 2023

Car India

Car India Magazine - Get your Digital Subscription

Latest News

Royal Enfield 650 Twins Get Cast Alloy Wheels and Other Updates

Bajaj Pulsar NS200 And NS160 Gets USD Forks

Hero MotoCorp And Zero Motorcycles Collaborate For Premium Electric Motorcycles

Massive New Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle 135 Crate Engines

Subscribe to Car India

Subscribe to our Car India Magazine

Bike India: India’s no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

BIKE India covers the two-wheeler industry in its entirety, both from the local and the international perspective. Also delivers the most definitive verdict on machinery and performance by explaining the hows, whys, and whats on every new bike in a lucid and user-friendly manner. BIKE India is the India’s most authoritative two-wheeler publication, a magazine for people with a passion for bikes and everything to do with their history and heritage.
SiteMap

Copyright © 2023 · BIKE INDIA INDIA’S NO. 1 TWO WHEELER MAGAZINE, BY FAR! ·