Mirrors

[jt_234]

I know bike mirrors are never going to be perfect at highway speeds, but has anyone found any universals that give us less vibration and a better view?

I didn't find much on a search, and I can see fine past myself, so they don't need an extension (unless they help with vibration dampening).

My bar-end weights are screwed in all the way, does it help to move them out?  I haven't seen any noticeable difference when I've played around with their positioning.  I would just like a little less vibration to improve visibility without having to grab hold of the mirror every time.

I don't depend on my mirrors, but I am blind in my left eye, so I have more dependence on the left mirror than most riders.

Any suggestions???

[Danny500]

Do you have clip-ons, or bars? How are your bushings in your top-clamp bar mount? (The silver part that bolts to the top of the tripple trees.)

Sitting on the bike you should be able to push/pull the handlebars about 1/4 inch forward and back... if not, then your bolts may be too tight, or your bushings may be shot.

I've noticed NO vibration in my bars, ever. That's stock, and with upgraded suspension/Vance and Hines exhaust. If your mirrors are flopping/vibrating that hard you may want to invest in a heavier set of bar weights. That, or possibly find a set of bar-end mirrors, but that may be too low for your visibility issues.

Most mirrors that have a T mount on them are rubber mounted, I don't believe the stock GS ones are... The T mount has a rubber/plastic cap on the top you can remove and adjust the damping of the mirror mount... (Complex? No... just silly.)

Here's a pic of what I'm talking about.



Notice how the mirror doesn't go DIRECTLY to the mount, it mounts to the T, then the T goes to the mount. These might help with mirror vibration... you can find a TON of these styles on E-bay, or your local Stealership may have some decent ones kicking around.

Also, invest in a good set of MEDIUM ply hand grips if you're noticing vibration... your hands can act as an absorber for most bar vibration and a softer compound (without going too soft) will help to eliminate some of it.

Good luck! 

[fred]

I have slightly convex mirrors. They are more usable at high speed because vibrations make less of a difference...

[jt_234]

Do you have clip-ons, or bars? How are your bushings in your top-clamp bar mount? (The silver part that bolts to the top of the tripple trees.)

Here's my mirror setup, I assume stock for the '02.

Sitting on the bike you should be able to push/pull the handlebars about 1/4 inch forward and back... if not, then your bolts may be too tight, or your bushings may be shot.

I've never heard anything like this before, new to me.  You're saying my handlebars should have 1/4" play in them where they mount to the fork???

I've noticed NO vibration in my bars, ever. That's stock, and with upgraded suspension/Vance and Hines exhaust. If your mirrors are flopping/vibrating that hard you may want to invest in a heavier set of bar weights. That, or possibly find a set of bar-end mirrors, but that may be too low for your visibility issues.

I don't get any excess vibration/feedback to my hands/arms from the bars, just the mirrors at anything above 40mph.  Where can I find the heavier bar end weights?  I don't think I would like the bar end mirrors.

Most mirrors that have a T mount on them are rubber mounted, I don't believe the stock GS ones are... The T mount has a rubber/plastic cap on the top you can remove and adjust the damping of the mirror mount... (Complex? No... just silly.)

Here's a pic of what I'm talking about.




Notice how the mirror doesn't go DIRECTLY to the mount, it mounts to the T, then the T goes to the mount. These might help with mirror vibration... you can find a TON of these styles on E-bay, or your local Stealership may have some decent ones kicking around.

Are those in the picture aftermarket?  What year is your bike?  What I'm trying to get to...would those fit my bike?

Also, invest in a good set of MEDIUM ply hand grips if you're noticing vibration... your hands can act as an absorber for most bar vibration and a softer compound (without going too soft) will help to eliminate some of it.

Good luck! 

I haven't changed out my handgrips yet, I've thought about it a couple times, but haven't gotten to it...I'm sure you know how that goes.

Thanks for the info!

[Danny500]

Yes, those mirrors are after market on an 00' GS... but the GS threads in the mirror mount are allll the same... acutally, most bikes that are Japanese are all the same thread... so any after market mirror made for a Jap bike will work, hands down. If not, most come with adapter kits.

Check FlyNCycle.com or MotoSport.com for mirrors... even EGhey... they have the same ones as mine from time to time.

Just look for ones with that T connector and you'll be in business.

The "Weights" you have on the ends are simply a small metal fitting with a plastic sleeve over it... they sell SOLID stainless, or painted ones that are much, much better at anti-vibration.

You can find those, too, on those sites mentioned above. Happy hunting! Let us know what your results are!

[jt_234]

I ended up ordering grips from MotoSports and mirrors that look similar to yours from FlyNCycle.  Hopefully they get here by Saturday so I can get them on and see if I get any improvement.  Its supposed to get colder and start raining on us and not give up until Sunday...hopefully that doesn't happen. 

I want to get back to being able to ride to work everyday.  Oh well, moving back to TN in June...counting the days 

I didn't find any bar ends...well, one set, but they were chrome and didn't look any bigger/heavier than the stock ones.  I'll try the new mirrors first and see how that helps.

[blooton]

I switched from a KLR650 to my GS500F. Being a big thumper, those bikes are well known for mirror vibration. There is a mirror dampener available from  http://www.aviciouscycle.ca/mirroranti.html   . I put these on and it really made a difference. I am sure there is a similar product available in the US....but I would not know if the threads are the same.

[jt_234]

I switched from a KLR650 to my GS500F. Being a big thumper, those bikes are well known for mirror vibration. There is a mirror dampener available from  http://www.aviciouscycle.ca/mirroranti.html   . I put these on and it really made a difference. I am sure there is a similar product available in the US....but I would not know if the threads are the same.

Thanks for the link.  Those should fit the GS.  May be worth a try.  I'll see how the mirrors go first.

[jt_234]

Thanks for the link.  Those should fit the GS.  May be worth a try.  I'll see how the mirrors go first.

So bought some mirrors from FlynCycle.  They showed up quick, but were terrible. I called and emailed multiple times to return them, but no response.    THEM

I just moved and my bike got knocked over on the truck on the ride...no damage except for it shredded the bar end and tore the new grip...so I had to find mirrors and bar ends or go with the bar end mirrors.

I went to a shop that let me try the bar end mirrors out and I liked them, here's the final result:




Does anyone know where to find galvanized flanged bolts to put in place of the mirror mounts?  I tried Lowes and Advance Auto, but no luck.  They're 10mm, but I could only find 1.5 and 1.25 (thread numbers) and they didn't work.

[bill14224]

Why don't you fill the holes with black RTV silicone?

[jt_234]

Why don't you fill the holes with black RTV silicone?

I had thought about that, but wanted to try to find bolts first.  Sounds like I may be going that route.

[Toogoofy317]

You may be able to get the plugs that they use on the "F" models. When my mirror was broken I had to use some '83 Honda mirrors 'till I could find a replacement and the old mirror holes were there thank goodnes but they are plugged up with two small black little plugs. I can take a picture of what it looks like if you want!

Mary