Your Motorcycle Mirrors

S

stickman88

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Hey guys,

Just wondering if any of you had problems with your motorcycle mirrors or don't like how they are setup. I ride a 250 ninja right now and i hate the small mirrors that come with the bike. It is usually hard for me to see who is in my left and right lane. It only becomes easier if say i want to make a left lane change and i'm on the left side of the dotted line alreayd. If i 'm on the left side of the dotted line, it 's basically impossible for me to see who is on my right. Is this normal for all of you or for those who have ridden a 250 ninja before? Please let me know how I can fix this or maybe change the way i ride. Right now my mirrors are basically positioned so that i can see my forearm and the top part of my glove. Also, whenever i have to make a lane change, it always seem that i have to tuck my hand in first or move it away from the handles for me to actually see the full lane. Sorry guys, i'm a beginner rider.
 
Ahhhhhh, please tell me you're doing a shoulder check and not just relying on your mirrors

stickman88 said:
Hey guys,

Just wondering if any of you had problems with your motorcycle mirrors or don't like how they are setup. I ride a 250 ninja right now and i hate the small mirrors that come with the bike. It is usually hard for me to see who is in my left and right lane. It only becomes easier if say i want to make a left lane change and i'm on the left side of the dotted line alreayd. If i 'm on the left side of the dotted line, it 's basically impossible for me to see who is on my right. Is this normal for all of you or for those who have ridden a 250 ninja before? Please let me know how I can fix this or maybe change the way i ride. Right now my mirrors are basically positioned so that i can see my forearm and the top part of my glove. Also, whenever i have to make a lane change, it always seem that i have to tuck my hand in first or move it away from the handles for me to actually see the full lane. Sorry guys, i'm a beginner rider.
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regder said:
Ahhhhhh, please tell me you're doing a shoulder check and not just relying on your mirrors
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Of course i do shoulder check but what i'm saying is that it's hard for me to literally see cars that are maybe only 20 meters away. I'm thinking it's just the ninja 250 mirrors..
 
stickman88 said:
Of course i do shoulder check but what i'm saying is that it's hard for me to literally see cars that are maybe only 20 meters away. I'm thinking it's just the ninja 250 mirrors..
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nope, a lot of bikes have issues. I have used Mirror extenders on bikes before.
 
Think your mirrors are bad? Ask a Ducati owner.

In a perfect world your mirrors should be adjusted in such a way that you see the entire right portion of your rear view & the left portion with your left mirror.

As mentioned add convex for better view. I have those
 
Many bike mirrors seem to be designed for looks over functionality.

Mine gave me a really good view of my elbows but not much else.

There are extenders that I bought for them, that give a better view.
 
Adjust your mirrors properly. You shouldn't be seeing any of your body parts in them... My mirrors are tiny, I do not complain. Use your eyes and neck. Necks can swivel, this is a helpful motion when navigating traffic. Be aware of what is around you. I personally don't really use the mirrors, seeing from them takes more effort than using my eyes/neck.
 
Matthew.Tremayne said:
Adjust your mirrors properly. You shouldn't be seeing any of your body parts in them... My mirrors are tiny, I do not complain. Use your eyes and neck. Necks can swivel, this is a helpful motion when navigating traffic. Be aware of what is around you. I personally don't really use the mirrors, seeing from them takes more effort than using my eyes/neck.
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Yea!! See u the rds soon Matt
 
When I had my 250r I had similar issues. Adjust them as best as you can. But as others have mentioned , shoulder checks as required. At least the 250's mirrors didnt vibrate so much. My 650r has longer stocks which allow me to adjust them easier. But they vibrate like crazy and all I can see is a blur ...
 
RockerGuy said:
Think your mirrors are bad? Ask a Ducati owner.

In a perfect world your mirrors should be adjusted in such a way that you see the entire right portion of your rear view & the left portion with your left mirror.

As mentioned add convex for better view. I have those
Click to expand...

Your not kidding Rocker Guy, Ducati mirrors, what mirrors. Always, always do head checks regardless your mirrors as advised above.
 
RockerGuy said:
Think your mirrors are bad? Ask a Ducati owner.

In a perfect world your mirrors should be adjusted in such a way that you see the entire right portion of your rear view & the left portion with your left mirror.

As mentioned add convex for better view. I have those
Click to expand...

On the Diavel, they are perfect. Ugly though, so I got the Rizoma. One of the only bikes I have ever ridden that are perfect from the get go.
Shoulder checks, oh most definitely. all the time. Full checks, not a glance a full turn and twist.

Gears make a mirror. http://www.gearscanada.com/180-degree-blind-spot-mirror.html

Waiting now for the comments about them. Lol.
 
Dino Z said:
Your not kidding Rocker Guy, Ducati mirrors, what mirrors. Always, always do head checks regardless your mirrors as advised above.
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That tear drop shape seemed like a good idea at the time, and the only reason I left them was cause the turn signals are in the mirrors, but absolutely useless. Between the vibration and size...bah.....

but they are pretty :agave:
 
Matthew.Tremayne said:
Adjust your mirrors properly. You shouldn't be seeing any of your body parts in them... My mirrors are tiny, I do not complain. Use your eyes and neck. Necks can swivel, this is a helpful motion when navigating traffic. Be aware of what is around you. I personally don't really use the mirrors, seeing from them takes more effort than using my eyes/neck.
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+1,

Simlar to cars, there is no "blind spot" when mirrors are properly adjusted. Most people angle car mirrors so that 30-50% of the area is the car door. You should not see any part of your body in your mirrors.
There is a tendency for people to do this because they fell uncomfortable looking at the rear-view mirror image without their own image as a relative position.
 
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250R-ICE said:
When I had my 250r I had similar issues. Adjust them as best as you can. But as others have mentioned , shoulder checks as required. At least the 250's mirrors didnt vibrate so much. My 650r has longer stocks which allow me to adjust them easier. But they vibrate like crazy and all I can see is a blur ...
Click to expand...

If you can, add weight to the stalk end or the back of the mirror glass to dampen the harmonic (tape a wheel balance weight just to try).
Sometimes after market non-OEM mirrors look identical, but are thinner and lighter and vibrate more.
But, the 650R does have most parts rubber mounted for a reason.
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