Mirrors?
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Mirrors?
I have read most of the posts on available folding mirrors. Any real life experiences in this area would be appreciated. I would like to make make my Control area as "Boof Proof" as possible. (Is that even a word)?
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 791
From: Winston-Salem, NC, USA
RE: Mirrors?
The Ken Sean style mirror seams to be the folding mirror of choice for most folks, including me. They are a bit of a pain to adjust when you first install them, I think, but after you get them set, they are great. They are also pretty cheap. I think most places carry them for something between $9 and $12. Emgo makes a very similar mirror. It might even be identical and just sold under a different brand name.
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From: Houston
RE: Mirrors?
ORIGINAL: cwgoff
The Ken Sean style mirror seams to be the folding mirror of choice for most folks, including me. They are a bit of a pain to adjust when you first install them, I think, but after you get them set, they are great. They are also pretty cheap. I think most places carry them for something between $9 and $12. Emgo makes a very similar mirror. It might even be identical and just sold under a different brand name.
The Ken Sean style mirror seams to be the folding mirror of choice for most folks, including me. They are a bit of a pain to adjust when you first install them, I think, but after you get them set, they are great. They are also pretty cheap. I think most places carry them for something between $9 and $12. Emgo makes a very similar mirror. It might even be identical and just sold under a different brand name.
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Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 791
From: Winston-Salem, NC, USA
RE: Mirrors?
The mirrors are very stable. I would say that they are about as stable as the stock mirrors, maybe just a touch more vibration, but not near what you would expect. They are completely functional. I am not one of those guys that puts a token mirror on just to comply with the law. I use my mirrors a lot, so if they functionality was compromised, I would not be using them.
It sounds like you have seen pictures of them, so a bit of explanation might be helpful. The corrugated rubber boot that you see near the mount point is just a sleeve covering the nuts that set the orientation of the mirror. There is a pretty beefy little spring in the unit that holds pressure upward on a ball & socket joint. You further stiffen things up with the nuts/setscrews or whatever they are called. If you want to, you can lock them down so tight that you can not fold them over at all. I find it to be a balancing act between how easily I want them to fold (no very) and how little vibration I want to put up with (not much).
I suggest that you go with them. I am pretty sure you will be happy. Of course there is always the option of just removing your stock mirrors when you get to the trail. Many folks do exactly that. It is easy to do, so it's really not that bad of an idea.
Good luck.
It sounds like you have seen pictures of them, so a bit of explanation might be helpful. The corrugated rubber boot that you see near the mount point is just a sleeve covering the nuts that set the orientation of the mirror. There is a pretty beefy little spring in the unit that holds pressure upward on a ball & socket joint. You further stiffen things up with the nuts/setscrews or whatever they are called. If you want to, you can lock them down so tight that you can not fold them over at all. I find it to be a balancing act between how easily I want them to fold (no very) and how little vibration I want to put up with (not much).
I suggest that you go with them. I am pretty sure you will be happy. Of course there is always the option of just removing your stock mirrors when you get to the trail. Many folks do exactly that. It is easy to do, so it's really not that bad of an idea.
Good luck.
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Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 656
From: Houston
RE: Mirrors?
Thanks for the explanation. How do these mirrors compare to stock as far as seeing behind you?
Im either too tall or something because my stock mirrors just enable me to see my shoulders more than anything...lol
Im either too tall or something because my stock mirrors just enable me to see my shoulders more than anything...lol
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RE: Mirrors?
ORIGINAL: cwgoff
The mirrors are very stable. I would say that they are about as stable as the stock mirrors, maybe just a touch more vibration, but not near what you would expect. They are completely functional. I am not one of those guys that puts a token mirror on just to comply with the law. I use my mirrors a lot, so if they functionality was compromised, I would not be using them.
It sounds like you have seen pictures of them, so a bit of explanation might be helpful. The corrugated rubber boot that you see near the mount point is just a sleeve covering the nuts that set the orientation of the mirror. There is a pretty beefy little spring in the unit that holds pressure upward on a ball & socket joint. You further stiffen things up with the nuts/setscrews or whatever they are called. If you want to, you can lock them down so tight that you can not fold them over at all. I find it to be a balancing act between how easily I want them to fold (no very) and how little vibration I want to put up with (not much).
I suggest that you go with them. I am pretty sure you will be happy. Of course there is always the option of just removing your stock mirrors when you get to the trail. Many folks do exactly that. It is easy to do, so it's really not that bad of an idea.
Good luck.
The mirrors are very stable. I would say that they are about as stable as the stock mirrors, maybe just a touch more vibration, but not near what you would expect. They are completely functional. I am not one of those guys that puts a token mirror on just to comply with the law. I use my mirrors a lot, so if they functionality was compromised, I would not be using them.
It sounds like you have seen pictures of them, so a bit of explanation might be helpful. The corrugated rubber boot that you see near the mount point is just a sleeve covering the nuts that set the orientation of the mirror. There is a pretty beefy little spring in the unit that holds pressure upward on a ball & socket joint. You further stiffen things up with the nuts/setscrews or whatever they are called. If you want to, you can lock them down so tight that you can not fold them over at all. I find it to be a balancing act between how easily I want them to fold (no very) and how little vibration I want to put up with (not much).
I suggest that you go with them. I am pretty sure you will be happy. Of course there is always the option of just removing your stock mirrors when you get to the trail. Many folks do exactly that. It is easy to do, so it's really not that bad of an idea.
Good luck.
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 791
From: Winston-Salem, NC, USA
RE: Mirrors?
I can't say for sure that the mirrors will eliminate your issue, but I think there is a decent chance that they will work for you. You can position the actual mirror part to either extend above the support bar (the thing the mirror connects to) or below it. I put mine below to create a bit of a low-profile effect. I think if you do this you can position the mirrors a little further out and allow you to see beside your shoulder instead of over it.
I don't know if this is clear, but the bottom line is that this mirror is as adjustable as any mirror you are going to find, so it will probably work about as well as anything else.
You might want to buy just one and try it out.
I don't know if this is clear, but the bottom line is that this mirror is as adjustable as any mirror you are going to find, so it will probably work about as well as anything else.
You might want to buy just one and try it out.
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RE: Mirrors?
Here are some pics of Thunderchild's and my bike with the dual star mirrors.
https://www.kawasakiforums.com/m_101218/tm.htm
https://www.kawasakiforums.com/m_101218/tm.htm
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RE: Mirrors?
They work to see traffic in the left lane, but you have to move over too see directly behind you. The onlygreat mirror I have ever had was a bar end mirror, but it would get knocked right off in our situation.
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Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 966
From: Ottawa, Ontario
RE: Mirrors?
I've got the same mirrors as Chris, but they were sold under the "Bike Master" label.
I pretty much agree with Chris-- they give a fairly good view of what's going on behind you. I'm 5'10" and for the way I've got mine mounted, about 1/4 of the view is my arm/shoulder, but still very functional.
Adjusting the spring tension is a bit tricky, though, but once you get it tightened up just right, they work well. I've got mine setup so that I fold them down manually when I go off-road, as opposed to leaving them up and folding "automatically" during a fall (i.e. hitting a tree / the ground / my helmet, etc.).
I pretty much agree with Chris-- they give a fairly good view of what's going on behind you. I'm 5'10" and for the way I've got mine mounted, about 1/4 of the view is my arm/shoulder, but still very functional.
Adjusting the spring tension is a bit tricky, though, but once you get it tightened up just right, they work well. I've got mine setup so that I fold them down manually when I go off-road, as opposed to leaving them up and folding "automatically" during a fall (i.e. hitting a tree / the ground / my helmet, etc.).
