Mirror Extenders queery

Hi Gang!
I have just returned from England to my adopted home in Austria and rode my SW the 200km from Vienna to the airport in Linz and back. I strapped my hand luggage to the passenger seat and cruised along the autobahn in complete comfort whilst enjoying my new bike's power for the first time since passing my test!
I could even park my bike up right outside the departure lounge free of charge for the 10 days I was away!

Anyway, since returning armed with my newly purchased Oxford Hot Grips and Italian Hand Muffs in preparation for the rapidly approaching winter months, I was keen to start installing .............. I decided to start with what I thought would be the simplest add-on, which was the mirror extenders ordered from California and recommended by many of you on this site. Now it has suddenly occurred to me that on my previous Honda (PS 125i), the right hand mirror had the opposite thread to the left mirror ie you had to screw it clockwise to undo it. Now I assume that the same is the case for the SW and yet the bolts that come with the extenders seem to both be of the same type ie clockwise screw to tighten up!?! Is this not going to make it impossible to fix the right hand mirror??

Any guidance would be, as always, greatly appreciated!

SteVe

Both right and left mirrors are right threaded on the Silverwing.

I've got the mirror extenders from California too, they're OK but I'll have to put a dab of thread lock on the bolts as a slight knock on the mirrors loosens them. Of course the extenders have to be adjusted so that the mirrors clear the sides of the Airflow lower section on full lock. The right side extender also has to be moved into a position where it doesn't interfere with operation of the Go- Cruise throttle lock I occasionally use.

I have Honda's own extenders - no idea of the cost as they were fitted (at my request) before I collected the bike from my dealer.
They have yet to come loose but are probably not as wide as other types.
They are a very good 'adequate'.

Simple---get set of old CB750 mirrors. Hein Gerike or Polo should have them in your area or in Germany.

Burgman400 mirrors fit and stick out further........and they're chrome.

You'll need bolts that are right hand threaded to hold the extender to the swing and the mirror extenders themselves have to be right hand threaded. Got mine from Lucky Bike and they're very nice.

MikeO wrote:

Burgman400 mirrors fit and stick out further........and they're chrome.

They also rotate through 90 degrees to enable you to squeeze through those tighter little places!!

Thank you Waspie, Skrone, MikeO, John, Tom, and Meldrew for your help and advice! I have now successfully installed the extenders and what a difference they make! Highly recommended!

I now want to tackle a far trickier job (fitting my Oxford Hot Grips), but I guess it makes sense to request help with this job with a new posting

SteVe

The standard 2"wider 1" higher mirror extenders were quite to my liking. They bronzed and the cap screw got rusty. So...








No more head movement, just eyballs:cheers:

Nice report Phred501, but I would still use head movement when changing lanes. Those cagers are tricky and can find all kinds of hiding places.

U R wise Yo. I've recently overcome my fear of Chicago expressway traffic and realized the
S-wing's unique ability to maintain a safety cushion like nothing I've ridden. The double extenders afford me peripheral to see the maniacs who are trying to invade my cushion. My head still moves
like a spring necked porcelain doll, I'm just seeing everything behind me easier. My scooting motto, "assume your invisible, eye contact means nothing, & be prepared to get the hell out of the way".

Hi Yo wrote:

Nice report Phred501, but I would still use head movement when changing lanes.

I tried your technique, but the bike stayed in my lane when I turned my head. I then tried turning the handlebars. That seems to work better for me.

Got mine for the standard mirrors off eBay and they are superb. Didn't fancy the Burgmann chrome mirrors on my black Wing. Get some, one of the best modifications you can do.

One reason to move your head (and not just when looking behind you) is that every human eye has a blind spot.
http://io9.com/5804116/why-every-human-has-a-blind-spot-+-and-how-to-find-yours

Moving your head even a small amount can overcome the problem of that blind spot, (where that cager just happened to be). Sometimes that SMIDSY incident wasn't caused by the person not looking but you were in their blind spot.

Cheers,

Yes, correct and all very well but you miss the point actually. The real reason for using extenders is so that you can fully utilise the imaging area of the mirrors to assist you better with seeing what is behind and close beside and showing much less of elbows, passenger etc. Who advocated using extenders to eliminate the fundamental need to also move your head when necessary? Not me.

You also miss another important point. Riders who, like me, are spectacle wearers often need to turn their heads much further when looking over shoulders than a non spectacle wearer so as to get a clear, in focus view of the road situation. In certain situations, this can be difficult or even hazardous. So, I have always ridden with my mirrors set so that, by constantly scanning them I am pretty aware of the situation behind and so that I am shown traffic which is approaching pretty close behind & beside me on dual carriageway roads, by which point I can usually hear it too.

That doesn't mean I don't turn my head to look, I do when it's necessary or when I feel unsure of a situation. Not fool proof but it has worked for me for over 30 years. Then again, suffering with useless mirrors and constantly turning your head to look around isn't fool proof either. And your link wasn't entirely relevant since it was about the human eye blind spot and didn't explain anything about the motor vehicle blind spot which is something different and not related to actual vision: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_spot_(vehicle)

Although this system is recommended for cars, it can be adapted for bikes too:

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/how-to-adjust-your-mirrors-to-avoid-blind-spots

Since so many factors affect what any vehicle driver can actually see, either directly or in their mirrors, it's really incumbent upon the vehicle driver to be sure to do everything to see as clearly as possible. It is, of course, up to others to be equally aware also and to try not to be in blind spots, but the existence of a human eye blind spot is not a reason to dismiss mirror extenders as a valuable aid to safer and more confident riding.