My stock mirrors were getting a bit flimsy towards the end of last year so over the winter I bought a pair of the stealth winglet mirrors. Now I have them on I'm not really sold on them. There doesn't appear to be a lot out there tbh. Didn't know whether to remove the mirrors, add blanking plates and fit a single bar end mirror on the throttle side. What are peoples thoughts? Sent from my SM-G991B using 675.cc mobile app
The mountings on the originals are kack! I'm looking at finding replacements myself ATM and I might go with some carbon fibre - alike cheapies from AliExpress. How bad can they be...? As you say though, there's not exactly much choice out there. My friend's got bar end mirrors in their Gen2 and whilst they do their job (ish) I personally think that they look really out of place on a sports bike and are a mismatch with the sleek lines of the rest of the bike.
Fwiw when I got my first "proper road bike" (DON'T ask how long ago, but it was L-plates on a 250cc) I was a teenager and blessed with that confidence of my immortality that is only bestowed upon the young. One of the first things I did was to remove those "stupid great mirror things", after all I'm only interested in what's in front of me & not what I've left in my wake..... Many decades (and a lifetime of experience ) later & I look back & wonder how it is that I could have been right.... - I am still alive so perhaps the immortality bit anyway.! However my regard for the use of mirrors has increased exponentially. Fairly quickly I discovered that a rear view of some description ensured that my first awareness of being followed by a police car wasn't when they pulled in front of me all lights blazing & comments about my expected enrolment at the IOM TT that year.. I now never ride on the road without both mirrors, and use them constantly. Lifesaves are also a vital tool, however the moments it it takes to check over your shoulder also mean your attention is taken away from the hazard ahead search that becomes the default. Deflecting the eyes momentarily to the mirrors is most efficient imho. Between those two viewpoints (see what I did there) I will have tried probably hundreds of different mirrors on all sorts of bikes. OEM, aftermarket, bar end, the lot. My general overall impression is that almost always the OEM mirrors tend to offer the best compromise between functionality and form. There will be aftermarket options that look better ( e.g. Rizoma usually have something to satisfy anyone who feels their wallet is too full & want their bike to look special) but invariably some degree of usability may be sacrificed. There will be other aftermarket options that offer better function, but having a pair of large square slabs on stalks doesn't necessarily enhance the aesthetics of your pride & joy. The manufacturers will have spent a great deal of time effort & money to arrive at what they believe achieves the most practical mirror without detracting overly from their styling. I am well aware that our Daytona mirrors give a great view of your arms when you first try them. But they are not the worst I have used by a very long shot & you (well I anyway) soon learn to move my elbows out of the field of view instinctively in synchronicity with my furtive glimpses. Hth.
Love my bar ends on the thruxton but personally don't think they look right on a sportsbike. I replaced one of mine when it went wobbly but when the other one started I made these little inserts from wet n dry glued back to back. Just rotate the mirror and hold then in place when you turn the mirror back and no more wobble. Not ideal if you regularly have to move your mirrors but I don't. Apologies for the rubbish dark pics.
After a few rides I think I'm going to stick with the winglet mirrors. I've got them adjusted and worked out how I can position myself to get a decent field of view considering their size. Sent from my SM-G991B using 675.cc mobile app
