ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
Makes And Models => Zero Motorcycles Forum | 2013+ => Topic started by: Semper Why on August 08, 2016, 03:10:21 AM
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Like many here, I have been less than pleased with the view offered by the stock mirrors. I picked up some cheap bar end mirrors off of Amazon and installed 'em. The results were... well, good & bad. I hope this helps the community. This is for a 2016 S.
I bought these: Astra Depot 7/8" Universal Oval Handlebar End Side Mirror Rearview Light Brown Anti Glare (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DIHK7TU/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_x_kl5Pxb0K2DPKT). I picked these because the price was right and they looked angular enough that I thought they would go with the aesthetic of an electric bike.
First step: pull out the plugs on the end of the handlebars.
(https://c7.staticflickr.com/8/7555/28214696174_f07b099064_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/JZeGbS)
Next, select the proper expansion sleeve. In this photo, you can see both sleeves. Ignore the larger one, you want to use the smaller.
(https://c7.staticflickr.com/9/8774/28214696054_5815571ee8_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/JZeG9N)
The trick is to tighten the nut to the point where it is held tightly against the expansion sleeve and starts to expand. But not so much that it expands more than the interior of the handlebar. Stick the bar mirror end, expansion sleeve first, into the bar end and then tighten with a 5mm allen wrench. A wrench is provided for you, but it's small and sucks so I used the one out of my toolset. I also had to hold the black portion of the end cap still in order for it to expand properly.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/8/7680/28214695944_8f9077a293_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/JZeG7U)
At some point, the allen wrench will stop turning and you have a black ring sticking out of the end of your handlebars. Tighten it up a little more. Quite naturally, the mirrors will attach onto these rings. Use a 3mm allen wrench to mount the rings, position the mirrors and tighten everything up. Everything on the mirror assembly itself takes a 3mm allen wrench.
When you're done, you can take the old mirrors off to get rid of that bug antenna look:
(https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8057/28214695724_8559fb5456_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/JZeG47)
(https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8738/28214695594_1085970894_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/JZeG1S)
So... neat and all, but the mirrors are tiny. Here are the new mirrors up next to the old mirror.
(https://c3.staticflickr.com/9/8701/28214694874_5485b8271f_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/JZeFNs)
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Proof that the moon landing by NASA was staged! (attached)
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I like my end bar mirrors but I have to dip my head down much further then before to see them. But at least I get a good picture as to what's behind me.
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I like my end bar mirrors but I have to dip my head down much further then before to see them. But at least I get a good picture as to what's behind me.
I have to dip my head so far down and around (with bar ends on clubman bars) that the same movement doubles as a shoulder check. So I conceivably save time.
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Proof that the moon landing by NASA was staged! (attached)
Hah! That's funny as hell.
So after one day with the mirrors, the damn things went floppy on me. The right side was completely useless and wanted to show me a picture of my ankle. The left side held a bit better and showed me either directly behind, or the lane to my left with a slow droop to show me the wheels of the car to my left. There is no feel for the adjustments on the back of the mirror, and in my attempts to tighten it, the mirror itself popped off the right side. So naturally, I documented it for you guys.
When you take it all apart, it looks like this:
(https://c5.staticflickr.com/9/8098/28754574692_10b2093d06_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/KNWHgb)
To wit: The right side is the back of the mirror (two bolts), that feed through the two holes in the mirror housing. On top of the ball joint is a plastic cup, topped with a rubber O ring, which fits into the depression in an aluminum bracket. The bracket has two holes for the allen bolts. As you tighten the allen bolts, it compresses the o-ring and pushes the cup onto the ball joint, preventing movement. FYI - The ball joint in the mirror housing is 4.5mm (you probably won't need to adjust it), all of the adjustment allen bolts are 3mm and the bolt that keeps the mirror attached to your handlebars is 5mm.
With the cup, o-ring and bracket in place, it looks like this:
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/9/8667/28242093304_781ab2d384_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/K2E7pb)
The glass itself has a mildly adhesive backing and sticks to the oblong ridge around the adjustment hardware. I'm going to apply some glue to this tomorrow, as I don't trust it to hold worth a damn.
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Hardware aside, I was expecting the tiny mirrors to be a problem. They're not as large of a problem as I had assumed. For starters, I was expecting to have to do a visual hunt for the mirrors, being used to them being in the factory locations. This turned out to not be the case, as they were located off the outside edges of my hands. You know where your hands are at all times, as they are a part of you. So glancing to the edge of my hands was exceptionally easy.
With the mirrors on the very outside edges of the bike, they could show me what was directly behind me with considerable ease. No problems at all with the mirrors showing me my elbows or my chest (which was the problem with the stock mirrors). The downside is that you have to choose whether to see what is beside you or what is behind you. You pretty much can't see both. This may not be an issue with a different style of bar-end mirrors. Either by a different manufacturer or a different style (say, a convex round mirror). But with my particular choice of manufacturer and style... I get to choose one or the other.
There were a couple times on the commute home today where the lane to my left was free of vehicles. But turning my head didn't give me enough visibility down that lane to see if someone was coming up fast. A mirror pointed to the lane to my left didn't give me visibility down the length of that lane. Not enough for me to feel safe making a lane change even with the Insta-Torque of the Zero. It will take some time to adjust to the mirrors. I may find a technique that I can live with. In the meantime... I don't take chances.
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4 mirrors? Put the original ones back on to show the lane beside you and the bar end mirrors to show whats behind you?
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Astra is a knock-off of the CRG Arrow with plastic mirrors, 1/8 the price. Worth it?
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I'm not happy with the original mirrors either, that's why i installed Ferrara bar-end mirrors on my DS
Ordered High-Sider bar ends for intallation but they are a pain in my ass.
The middle and small sleve are too small. The big sleve to big for the inside bar diameter so i had to work on them. I'ts impossible to wrenche them to 'rock-solid'. So i carry my allen wrench with me in the tank trunk.
The mirrors themselfs do give a very good sight and are good quality.
Will try to post some pics
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Astra is a knock-off of the CRG Arrow with plastic mirrors, 1/8 the price. Worth it?
I think so, yes. I looked hard at the CRG mirrors but I wasn't willing to drop $200 on something I might like or I might find unusable. For $24, I was willing to risk it. I'll use these until they fail or until I scrape up the funds to get the CRGs.
Wow, now that I look closer these are nearly identical to the CRGs.
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Ferrara mirror
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And check out my small message under the 'M' in our ugly big license-plate.
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I just finished an 8800 mile month on my KTM with similar and now I think they are the way to go. Same mirror but mounted to the hand guards so a little forward of the bar ends. I really like the mirror convexness (is that a word :)) because from that out angle you really get a full view of the road from both. Takes time to adapt to the :farther than they appear" effect but you adapt. They have a dual purpose of reminding me my panniers are wider than my handlebars as well. These have been tested to fold up fine when the bike takes a nap also.
That iPhone holder is the bomb too. Google Hondo Garage. (no affiliation)
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Anyone know if the CRG Lanesplitters will fit a '16 S?
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They will fit with the adaptor kit, simple install, but suggest you look at the Arrows.
They fold up or down for splitting lanes and have a great field of view.
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I've had them on for a week now and they work really well.
One thing though, I had to use the aluminum inserts from these: but they are only 11 bucks
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002GTKAHQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002GTKAHQ/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
To make them fit.
Here is the Amazon link for them. They are only $18.88, but don't look and feel like Chinese shit, although they are.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MY5HROM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MY5HROM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)
The ones from the zeromanual
http://constructorsrg.com/mirrors/arrow.html (http://constructorsrg.com/mirrors/arrow.html)
Are not Chinese shit, but rather expensive but justified if they are good quality, have the glass replaceable and good warranty.
Rider7
G
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Rider side view
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So I finally installed bar end mirrors with my Cycra hand guards, just needed longer screws. (added to unofficial manual) Oh, and I replaced all the screws on the handguards and drop bar with stainless. And installed LED headlights that look really GOOD. (Guess I'll have to take some pictures and post that as well.)
(http://zeromanual.com/images/thumb/c/c5/Barendwithguard.jpg/800px-Barendwithguard.jpg)