mcnam1rj's on-going extensive mirror mod

[Deathdiesel]

Some of the consumables I had laying around the house so I didn't have to buy everything, and some stuff that I did buy I only used a portion of. I rounded each amount to the closest dollar.

Covering stock mirror holes:
Two J-B Weld epoxy packages @ $6 each = $12
Colorrite.com primer/paint/clearcoat = $63 shipped
Sand paper = $3
Packing tape and painter's tape = negligible cost (only used a small portion of each roll)
Total = $78

1st setup:
Two Tusk mirrors @ $12 each = $24 shipped

4th setup:
Koso mirrors = $17 shipped
Threaded bar clamps = $6 shipped
Total = $23

With black im honstly surprised you were able to look near that good with a brush. Black is very very picky about thew slightest specs on paint.

I would love to fill my stock mirror holes, but god thats a lot of work, and I hate hate hate painting. Would have to have a professional do it, and that costs money. Otherwise though, last mirrors look best for sure. Glad how cheap they turned out too.

 

[SpawnXX]

Looks good man, glad it turned out well for you. Do you get a lot of vibration/mirror shake with those new set being on the handlebars?

 

[klipnov]

Awesome

Good job. I really like those handlebar mirrors. Superb :zombie:

 

[Rob]

So obviously you had to move your brake and clutch to the center more to fit these but do you have any issues at all with how they pull in, do they come close to hitting the controls at all?

Thank you for the question.

The levers worked just fine. The picture with the stock lever is with the plastic Tusk mirror clamps. Those clamps are actually the same width as the metal clamps I currently use. I should note that there are no gaps between the grips, clamps, and levers on the handlebar. Even though the clutch lever made contact with the instrument panel it was still pulled in enough to make a smooth shift. With the aftermarket knock-off levers I now use, they also make contact but still provide for a smooth shift. Those levers are adjustable and I have the clutch set to 3 of 6 and the brake lever set to 1 of 6. The brake lever would work just fine on any setting but I can only speak to the clutch lever shifting well on setting 3. The plastic clamps and the metal ones I ended up using are the same width, so if you plan on using the same clamps I did but with stock levers you should still get a smooth shift, assuming you have all clamps bunched together like I did on the handlebar.

In the 3rd picture I have the brake lever pulled in roughly to where I use it for regular breaking pressure during everyday riding. The 4th picture is it pulled in all the way until it makes contact with the instrument panel. At that point you'd be making an emergency stop with the brake fully applied.

I've ridden a few hundred miles with the clutch hitting the instrument panel each time I shift and there are no markings on the plastic housing.

 

[Rob]

With black im honstly surprised you were able to look near that good with a brush. Black is very very picky about thew slightest specs on paint.

I would love to fill my stock mirror holes, but god thats a lot of work, and I hate hate hate painting. Would have to have a professional do it, and that costs money. Otherwise though, last mirrors look best for sure. Glad how cheap they turned out too.

Thank you. I got an OEM match from colorrite.com so it should be an exact match of the stock paint. But yeah, obviously with the way I painted it I'm glad it ended up matching as well as it did. I used very tiny brushes and the bristles kept separating which didn't provide for a smooth application. I was too impatient to go out and buy some better brushes so I had it comin' to me, haha.

I got a quote from a local collision shop to have that front panel repainted. They said they'd be able to match the black. They quoted me $90 and an extra $20 if I wanted them to shave down the hump that was left after epoxying over the holes. The hump is only a slight one on either side and doesn't bother much. $90 is lower than I thought it'd be to have it professionally done. I'm not sure what the quote would be if they had to cover up the holes AND paint it. Had I known it would have been that cheap I might have brought it to them in the first place since I spent near that much doing it myself. At least it ended up being a good learning experience though.

 

[Rob]

Looks good man, glad it turned out well for you. Do you get a lot of vibration/mirror shake with those new set being on the handlebars?

At first there was vibration in the mirrors but as soon as I tightened the bolt on the underside of the mirror that went away completely. I do have a thin piece of rubber between the bar and the clamps (see picture in earlier post), but I doubt that reduces any vibration that may otherwise exist.

Thanks. Surprisingly I don't get any vibration. All I had to do was tighten one small screw on the underside of each mirror and all the vibration went away. Hopefully they stay that way or else I'll have to put some loctite in there if that screw starts to shake loose after I put some miles on them. In regards to that piece of rubber I mentioned in the earlier post, at the very least it'll help keep the clamps from possibly marking up the handlebars.

 

[Rob]

I'll cut to the chase, the 4th attempt is the winner! Not only do they look the best of the 4 setups but they also provide the best field of view, excluding of course the stock mirrors which you can't beat ..... The field of view is still taken up partly with my arms but roughly 2/3 of the view is still available. If I need the full view I only have to pull my arm in 2 inches or so. For reference I am 6ft 160 lbs. Now if you had Anthony's Hulk arms then you'd need the extenders. I don't think I will need to buy the riser/extenders I found, but I will make that final determination after a couple weeks of testing these out. Not only can I see the sides of the roads but with the adjustability of the mirrors I can now see behind me as well.

I just installed Woodcraft's with 1.5 inch risers. The field of view improved substantially. Although I stated the previous field of view was roughly 2/3 of the mirror, after riding with them a bit it was closer to 50%. Now with the Woodcraft's I get roughly 75% field of view. Not too bad for a $23 setup. So if you've got clip-ons and are looking for a set of inexpensive yet stylish handlebar mirrors with great visibility I suggest giving this setup a try.

(updated pics to come...)

 

[Rob]

updated pics as promised with my new 1.5 inch riser woodcraft's and the 4th and final mirror setup.

 

[JT]

updated pics as promised with my new 1.5 inch riser woodcraft's and the 4th and final mirror setup.

Holy cow that is amazing. where did you get those brackets that wrap around the bars? I have the same mirrors and hate looking at my hands. I want to try this set up if you don't mind

 

[pjmac5]

Thank you. I got an OEM match from colorrite.com so it should be an exact match of the stock paint. But yeah, obviously with the way I painted it I'm glad it ended up matching as well as it did. I used very tiny brushes and the bristles kept separating which didn't provide for a smooth application. I was too impatient to go out and buy some better brushes so I had it comin' to me, haha.

I got a quote from a local collision shop to have that front panel repainted. They said they'd be able to match the black. They quoted me $90 and an extra $20 if I wanted them to shave down the hump that was left after epoxying over the holes. The hump is only a slight one on either side and doesn't bother much. $90 is lower than I thought it'd be to have it professionally done. I'm not sure what the quote would be if they had to cover up the holes AND paint it. Had I known it would have been that cheap I might have brought it to them in the first place since I spent near that much doing it myself. At least it ended up being a good learning experience though.

I think you can do this yourself and get a near professional result. I would commit to painting the entire nose piece using Colorrite spray paint (2 cans) and 2K Spraymax Clearcoat (1 can). Take down the epoxy a little with heavy grit and finish with Bondo filler. Be patient, sand (600 grit) and fill with Bondo several times until perfect, then wet sand the entire nose 1000 grit. Do not miss any spots. Paint and then Clearcoat within an hour of painting. let that dry for a few days, then wet sand gently with 2000 grit and buff with a fine compound. It will look beautiful and you will so proud you will rub it with a baby diaper everyday. Colorrite has great paint but it is expensive so if you look at the local O'reilly, you might be able to find a very close match. If you paint the entire nose, you can get away with a slight variation However, do not go cheap on the clearcoat 2k Spraymax.

 

[Rob]

Holy cow that is amazing. where did you get those brackets that wrap around the bars? I have the same mirrors and hate looking at my hands. I want to try this set up if you don't mind

thanks these are the clamps. this is the cheapest price i found online too.

Pair Motorcycle Bike Handlebar Rear View Mirror Mount Adapter Holder Clamp 10mm | eBay

i wanted to get some that were better looking like these cruiser ones. they're for 1 inch bars though. i could make a rubber shim to make them work but i just couldn't justify the cost, almost $17 shipped. and that's just for one! $34 for a pair compared to $6 for a pair of the other ones. that was a no brainer.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/BLACK-CUSTOM-MIRROR-TURN-SIGNAL-CLAMP-HARLEY-1-HANDLEBARS-5-16-MOUNTING-/321109123092?_trksid=p2047675.m1850&_trkparms=aid=222001&algo=SIC.CURRENT&ao=1&asc=11&meid=7065342787315687159&pid=100011&prg=1005&rk=1&sd=321057779561&

 

[Rob]

I have the same mirrors and hate looking at my hands.

the other thing i don't like about the stock location is having something that much in my field of view. having handlebar mounted ones really opens up what is in front of you. these handlebar ones only require a slight move of the head if any. mostly i just have to move my eyes and keep my head forward.

 

[Rob]

I think you can do this yourself and get a near professional result. I would commit to painting the entire nose piece using Colorrite spray paint (2 cans) and 2K Spraymax Clearcoat (1 can). Take down the epoxy a little with heavy grit and finish with Bondo filler. Be patient, sand (600 grit) and fill with Bondo several times until perfect, then wet sand the entire nose 1000 grit. Do not miss any spots. Paint and then Clearcoat within an hour of painting. let that dry for a few days, then wet sand gently with 2000 grit and buff with a fine compound. It will look beautiful and you will so proud you will rub it with a baby diaper everyday. Colorrite has great paint but it is expensive so if you look at the local O'reilly, you might be able to find a very close match. If you paint the entire nose, you can get away with a slight variation However, do not go cheap on the clearcoat 2k Spraymax.

damn, that is a lot of work haha. you're right i would be proud if i got it to come out looking good but since i already attempted it once, albeit amateur style, when i get it done next time i'll have a professional do it for the $90. or my friend's friend who's semi-professional at that stuff would prolly do it just for the cost of materials. the reason i have the hump there is because the plastic underneath the stock mirror boot isn't flat. there's a ridge there and the only way i could get a smooth finish is to create that hump. i didn't want to cut a chunk of the fairing off and risk cracking the fairing in places i wasn't going to be epoxying over. now that there is epoxy surrounding that ridge it would be a b%$*& trying to make that area completely flat.

 

[pjmac5]

damn, that is a lot of work haha. you're right i would be proud if i got it to come out looking good but since i already attempted it once, albeit amateur style, when i get it done next time i'll have a professional do it for the $90. or my friend's friend who's semi-professional at that stuff would prolly do it just for the cost of materials. the reason i have the hump there is because the plastic underneath the stock mirror boot isn't flat. there's a ridge there and the only way i could get a smooth finish is to create that hump. i didn't want to cut a chunk of the fairing off and risk cracking the fairing in places i wasn't going to be epoxying over. now that there is epoxy surrounding that ridge it would be a b%$*& trying to make that area completely flat.

Amazing how much work is required to fill a couple of holes!

 

[nismos14]

Amazing how much work is required to fill a couple of holes!

Absolutely sick setup for a that's what she said joke!! LMAO.


Nice job with the clip ons and risers. How dramatically does the riding position change with the clip ons?

 

[Rob]

Nice job with the clip ons and risers. How dramatically does the riding position change with the clip ons?

not much. only a slight lean forward. but if you still want to cruise at low speeds sitting upright with just one had on the bars you can. i'd say i only lean forward an extra 2-3 inches maybe. and like other threads say, the bike is more responsive now.

 

[JT]

thanks these are the clamps. this is the cheapest price i found online too.

Pair Motorcycle Bike Handlebar Rear View Mirror Mount Adapter Holder Clamp 10mm | eBay

i wanted to get some that were better looking like these cruiser ones. they're for 1 inch bars though. i could make a rubber shim to make them work but i just couldn't justify the cost, almost $17 shipped. and that's just for one! $34 for a pair compared to $6 for a pair of the other ones. that was a no brainer.

Black Custom Mirror Turn Signal Clamp for Harley 1" Handlebars 5 16 Mounting | eBay

you got some rep!

 

[dart1963]

That is great work, I like how much cleaner she looks from the front and sides!

 

[Rob]

you got some rep!

right back atcha! oh, wait, i'm still blocked :shakehead:

 

[nismos14]

Hmm I wonder if you could have them on opposite sides to bring them closer to you for better upright riding position. Also how do you ensure they are angled appropriately and ones not slightly off?