Greenhound386 Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 So I picked these up off of Amazon for ~$17 shipped: http://www.amazon.com/Universal-Inceased-Davidsons-Kawasaki-motorcycle/dp/B002GTKAHQ I figured if they didn't fit (or I didn't like them), I'd be out less than $20. I got them super quickly, and I installed them yesterday. I knew the bike would look better without the antenna mirrors, but I didn't realize how much better. I absolutely love the look of the bike, and I just need to get rid of the license plate bracket at this point. Installation was a huge pain in the booty. The stock bar-ends screw into the handlebars via a threaded insert inside the bars. The bar-end mirrors do not install with this insert, and I didn't want to ruin the threaded inserts in case I ever wanted to go back to the stock configuration. As a solution, the bar-end mirrors have the ability to mount directly to a 7/8" bar. With that in mind, I was easily able to get them mounted to the inside of the stock bar-end. I then used a copper tube that I had laying around to create the equivalent of a washer. I inserted this inside the bars, and this allowed me to tighten the bar-end into the threaded insert just like normal. This was easy enough on the clutch side; the throttle side took me hours to figure out. The challenge was inserting the copper washer in such a manner that it wouldn't make the throttle tube stick. The solution was to make my copper washer a smaller diameter than the throttle tube. This allowed me to tighten the bar-end back on without affecting the throttle movement. If this is confusing, I can take some pictures of the copper tubes / washers that I made. For $17 and an outstanding looking end result, I was OK with the challenging installation. As for the mirrors' functionality: I haven't ridden with them, yet. They are convex and sit wider on the bike than the stock mirrors. As a result, they appear to give me a much better field of vision, and they eliminate any blind spots in the mirror. The convex nature of the mirrors makes everything appear tiny, but this is something I can live with. I always turn my head to double-check anyway. I'll report back once I have had the chance to actually ride with them. 2011 ZX-6R 2015 FZ-07 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enderokc Posted August 8, 2014 Share Posted August 8, 2014 Very Cool!!! they look awesome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator Guru Posted August 8, 2014 Global Moderator Share Posted August 8, 2014 I like it too! The stock mirrors tend to show a lot of arm instead of road so this might be a nice solution. I am sure others would be interested in a How To write up with some pictures of the copper tubes / washers etc.. Thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator mjh937 Posted August 8, 2014 Global Moderator Share Posted August 8, 2014 I like it, but think I would not like the convex mirrors. With my 49 year old eyes bigger is always better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerryv Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 I was wondering how functional bar end mirror would be. I think you will need to turn your head and look down pretty far but I guess that's how they work. Can't wait to hear how functional they are for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Global Moderator Guru Posted August 9, 2014 Global Moderator Share Posted August 9, 2014 When I bought my previous bike, it has those low mirrors. They where ridiculously impractical. I couldn't get used to looking down. First mod I did is get some decent ones. https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/33459059/4371a0k_20.jpeg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenhound386 Posted August 9, 2014 Author Share Posted August 9, 2014 I got ~45 miles on the bike today with the new mirrors. I like them a ton, and I officially prefer them over the stock mirrors. I like having a totally unobstructed field of vision with the stock mirrors out of the way. On the freeway, I can see the bar-end mirrors by just moving my eyes towards their position. I am tucked / leaning forward just a bit in order to counteract the wind. If I am riding around the city at a slow pace and sitting completely upright, I only need to move my head a tiny bit in order to see in the mirrors. The mirrors provide a much wider angle of view than the stock ones. The cars seems a tad smaller in the mirror, but this doesn't bother me. I might be able to identify the make/model of a car 20 yards behind me with the stock mirrors; the bar-ends make the car a bit smaller and not quite as easy to identify. This is only important if you're trying to identify a police officer coming up on you. I typically ride within the realm of sanity on the street, so I'm OK with this one small issue. If the car is closer (within 20 yards), I can identify it just as easily as the stock mirrors. I feel that they offer no compromise in the way of safety. 2011 ZX-6R 2015 FZ-07 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenhound386 Posted August 9, 2014 Author Share Posted August 9, 2014 2011 ZX-6R 2015 FZ-07 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member pgeldz Posted August 9, 2014 Premium Member Share Posted August 9, 2014 That does look awesome! This bike is just screaming for a pair of Suburban Machinery bars tho. I may have to look into that - Paulie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
knuckleup88 Posted August 9, 2014 Share Posted August 9, 2014 Sweet I just ordered the same ones I would love to see a how to write up! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lusiphur Posted August 13, 2014 Share Posted August 13, 2014 That does look awesome! This bike is just screaming for a pair of Suburban Machinery bars tho. I may have to look into that - Paulie Do they make something for our bikes yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member pgeldz Posted August 14, 2014 Premium Member Share Posted August 14, 2014 That does look awesome! This bike is just screaming for a pair of Suburban Machinery bars tho. I may have to look into that - Paulie Do they make something for our bikes yet?Nope, and they won't either. Talked to them twice, and he's way too busy to start any other projects. He does have a few bars that might work though. I may give them a try, and if all fails, I'll probably have a set made. I have a vision for this bike and prob won't stop until it's realized - Paulie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest montana07 Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Huge improvement, but would love to see a set with a an angular design to match the bikes styling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reaper308 Posted August 16, 2014 Share Posted August 16, 2014 Just ordered a set of CRG arrow bar end mirrors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kysersosa Posted August 17, 2014 Share Posted August 17, 2014 I would love to see pictures of the copper tunes and washers, I have the same pair and looking to I stall them on mine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
azfz Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 Interesting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member V8titanpwr Posted September 15, 2014 Premium Member Share Posted September 15, 2014 These ended up growing on me so I went ahead and ordered a set today. Can't go wrong for $15. Keep the rubber side down and the shiny side up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeisan Posted September 15, 2014 Share Posted September 15, 2014 These ended up growing on me so I went ahead and ordered a set today. Can't go wrong for $15. Same here. I was trying to decide between these and the arrow-shaped ones and decided to try these out first, since they are a lot cheaper. Both look great to me. Life is good on 2 wheels! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenhound386 Posted September 18, 2014 Author Share Posted September 18, 2014 I still love them! 2011 ZX-6R 2015 FZ-07 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeisan Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 Got mine in and installed them last night. I will say... You get what you pay for. Both were very loose at the rivets (or are they screws?) that attach the round mirror part to the pivot arm. I was able to jam something between the mirror part and that arm to tighten them up, so we'll see how long that lasts. For $16... It was worth a shot. Life is good on 2 wheels! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member V8titanpwr Posted September 18, 2014 Premium Member Share Posted September 18, 2014 I should be getting mine tomorrow so i'll see if I can't figure a fix out. Keep the rubber side down and the shiny side up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeisan Posted September 18, 2014 Share Posted September 18, 2014 It's hard to tell, but it looks like they are screws and the mirror glass actually covers the heads of the screws. So once the mirror is adhered to the backing, you can't tighten the screws any more. Either that or they are rivets and just loose. It's not too bad. I haven't ridden with them yet, but I'll report back if they are so loose they vibrate too much to be useful or not. Life is good on 2 wheels! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenhound386 Posted September 19, 2014 Author Share Posted September 19, 2014 Aeisan:I had the same issue on one mirror after ridig a bit. I poured super glue in the open space, and it has been fine. 2011 ZX-6R 2015 FZ-07 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeisan Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 Just rode to work... They are definitely screws. One side backed out read bad. Not sure if glue will help that one - need to find a way to screw it back in. Wondering if the lens can pop off to have access to the heads? The side I jammed a piece of plastic in held up fine. I love the convex effect - feel like I can see a lot more. Life is good on 2 wheels! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aeisan Posted September 19, 2014 Share Posted September 19, 2014 I found this post in the Amazon reviews. Exactly the issue I have: After initially installing this product I was happy with the way they looked and functioned. After my first 2 rides with them however, my opinion changed. The screws that hold the mirror portion to the mounting arm started vibrating loose and there is no way to easily tighten them. The mounting hardware that goes into the bar end is also inferior to other mounting systems I've seen. My solution was to carefully remove the mirror glass from the housing and remove the screws and add Loctite thread locker to the screws and reinstall them. I also added extra glue to hold the mirror glass in the housing. I used the mounting hardware that came with my Cycra Probend handguards for a better fit. I also used Loctite on the hex bolts that clamp the mirrors to the bar ends. All of this should not be necessary on a finished product but I guess you get what you pay for. With the modifications I made the mirrors are acceptable, but, if you aren't willing to invest the time and effort to modify these mirrors and possibly purchase new mounting hardware I would look elsewhere. I also did a search for the more expensive CRG mirrors and they seem to have similar screws holding the mirrors on to the arms. So, I'm not certain this issue would be just due to the fact that these are more cheaply made (but it could be). Life is good on 2 wheels! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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