When to crouch? And how to see your mirrors when crouching?

[CentralCoaster]

When do you guys crouch?  I have an aftermarket windscreen and tried staying crouched behind it at highway speeds but it gets tiring fast. 

Do you guys stay crouched, or just when accelerating hard?  How far down?  Just enough to keep the wind off your chest I assume?

I also noticed is I can't see squat from my mirrors when crouched.  Do you guys add blind spot mirrors, or convex mirrors, or just sit back up before doing lane changes?  I like knowing who's behind me at all times, especially cops! 

I don't really like turning my head while sitting up at speed though, since it turns my bike into a sail boat.

[groff22]

Good question. I crouch usually to stay out of wind, like when ear plugs are forgotten on the highway, or if I feel like going fast! Like yourself, I can't see my mirrors when crouched. A small convex mirror is a great idea; that should work well. Another alternative would be a bar-end mirror.

Dunno... I feel kind of goofy laying on the tank anyway with stock handle bars being as high as they are.



Cheers,
J

[Kasumi]

I dont bother with it, im always riding the twistes or riding hard, racers duck behind the bubble because the extra 5 mph they gain is important but its not on the road and is just dangerous cos you can't see anything and have less control. The only time i tuck in behind the screen is on long motorway journeys to have a break from the wind and noise for abit.

[ohgood]

I crouch for a change of pace when I'm on the boringstate provided there is -no- traffic. Occasionally if the wind is strong I will then also. No other time or reason for me.

You can super glue a couple of those blindspot mirrors on your flyscreen. I set them up while in the crouched position, and could see a fair amount beside and behind, at sane speeds. The thing is, anytime I was over 65-70, the buffeting and vibration made them unusable, and were removed.

Most likely I look like an idiot doing it, so it's better I don't. 

[Teek]

The only time I have done so is when there is NO traffic in front or behind, I'm on a straight, and I'm FREEZING!    Then laying on the tank out of the icy wind feels really nice for a few moments. BUT I really pay extra attention, because I don't think it's safe on the road with other traffic, and I can't even see the stock mirrors, let alone anything in them.

[mach1]

I have no fairing or a windscreen so If I doing 80 down the freeway I will tuck in so the wind will it my helmet and push it down and not back I can sit up at 80 with one hand it Im riding close behind a car or truck. anything over 80 and Im tucked and I dont feel at all like a dork cuz my clip-ons are low Im low and I can care less about the mirrors I usually look behind anyways.

[Ronin]

I just crouch when it looks cool! Naw...just when the wind buffeting gets to bad.As far as the mirrors I hope to have pictures soon of my bike.I'm in the process of painting her right now..but I made my own mirror stands out of 3/8''s inch mild steel round I bought at Lowe's.I hand bent it in a shop vice with wood in the jaws.And threaded them..then painted.

I lowered them by about 2inches and lengthened the arms outward by about the same amount.I was tired of just seeing my arms all the time,when looking back! they give the bike a whole new look..Not like the rabbit ears of stock design! I'm also fabricating a perch for my Bel radar detector...using Kerry's 12vacc hook up

P.S. The small round convex mirrors placed on the lower corners is a must!! Buy'em at Wally world for 97cents!

[Kerry]

I'm also fabricating a perch for my Bel radar detector...using Kerry's 12vacc hook up

Cool ... are you gonna take a better set of photos than I did?  That was about the first "How To" I ever did, with a fixed-focus 2MP digital out in my poorly-lit shed in the middle of the night. 

P.S. The small round convex mirrors placed on the lower corners is a must!! Buy'em at Wally world for 97cents!

Hmmm ... I wonder if those would work on my big-boat windshield?  (For seeing behind me when I'm lying on the tank with my fingers hooked under the bars next to the clamps. )

[Ronin]

I'm also fabricating a perch for my Bel radar detector...using Kerry's 12vacc hook up

Cool ... are you gonna take a better set of photos than I did?  That was about the first "How To" I ever did, with a fixed-focus 2MP digital out in my poorly-lit shed in the middle of the night. 

P.S. The small round convex mirrors placed on the lower corners is a must!! Buy'em at Wally world for 97cents!

Hmmm ... I wonder if those would work on my big-boat windshield?  (For seeing behind me when I'm lying on the tank with my fingers hooked under the bars next to the clamps. )

I thought your pictures were fine... The convex mirrors have a two side tape on the back and last for years,I've got them on every vehicle I own.They make large ones but they don't work as good as the small ones..don't know why,but they do.

[Domindart]

I am just getting used to riding my gs (got it a couple mos ago) and I like crouching.  I wondered though if it takes too much weight off the rear end of the bike.   

[ohgood]

I am just getting used to riding my gs (got it a couple mos ago) and I like crouching.  I wondered though if it takes too much weight off the rear end of the bike.   

na, don't worry about it.

You're going to sit up for stability while braking anyway.

I've always stuck those convex mirrors on the inside bottom corner of mirrors. My gs came with them on the OUTSIDE UPPER edge, as did my truck. I hate them positioned there. It blocks the long distance things, and makes seeing anything in the convex mirrors more difficult. Ripped them right off, and stuck them in the RIGHT place.

[frankieG]

i set my left mirror up for straight up riding and my right mirror for when i am tank hugging and kissing my bike 

[Kasumi]

Ive heard of a few bikers who set their mirrors up different to each other. My dad always sets his right mirror up for perfect vision behind, He always sets his left mirror up for looking up slip lanes on motorways duel carriageways and hidden police car locations so he can see when the traffic cops are jumping on the road hehe. Personally i just set em up so i can see as much behind me as possible.

[speeddemon190]

i set my left mirror up for straight up riding and my right mirror for when i am tank hugging and kissing my bike 

i do the same thing, i only use one mirrior when im riding normal, and then the other when im crouching. when im riding normal im usually constantly looking around anyways. i look around enough i think riding normal i probably could ride without the mirror, but i keep them on anyways. if you look around enough tucking is the only time you need them, becuase you have limited your ability to move around as much. but i crouch when im on the highway, i dont like the wind, and usually when im on the highway i dont change lanes that often, so i place my left forearm across the tank and lean on it, (make sure you only do this when not changing lanes, or in alot of traffic) thats my relaxed riding position.