Denial of Petition for Reconsideration; Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 108; Lamps, Reflective Devices, and Associated Equipment

This document denies a petition from Koito Manufacturing Co., LTD. (Koito) to reconsider a final rule implementing new photometric performance for motorcycle headlamps. Koito requested that the upper beam maximum intensity limit be removed or increased from 75,000 cd. to 112,500 cd. Koito also requested that the foreground (4D-V) limit increase from 7,500 cd. to 12,000 cd. No safety reason for these changes was claimed. Because of existing research raising concerns about increasing maximum upper beam intensity because of glare problems, and because of safety concerns about making foreground light too bright in comparison to H-V (down the road) light, the agency has decided to deny the Koito petition for reconsideration.