- Joined
- Jul 27, 2010
- Messages
- 5,485
- Reaction score
- 659
- Location
- Blouberg, Cape Town
- Bike
- KTM 890 Adventure R
Not sure about you, but through the years I have been plagued by mirrors folding in the wind. From Honda to BMW, from 125s to 1200s and all in-between.
Clients come, asking to buy new mirrors as theirs are folding, and they complain about the quality. Or is it?
Riding city speeds usually don't reveal the fault, but hit the open road, and soon the bug begins.
Folding mirrors, round mirrors, shaped mirrors. They all start folding at speed at some point, constantly needing adjustment. It becomes a pain in the...
Some mirrors has a screw that can adjust the stiffness of the mirror, but what if yours don't have a screw?
I found a simple solution:
Each mirror has a ball joint for infinite adjustment.
Eventually dirt, oil, silicone or any type of lubricant enters the ball joint between the mirror base and arm.
This causes the mirror to adjust easier, but then wind pushes it out of position easier as well.
The solution is simple. Use brake cleaner to clean the ball joint.
Apply brake cleaner generously on the ball joint, and then rotate the mirror vigorously in its joint to work out all oil and dirt. Repeat a few times until you are happy.
Then leave the mirror joint to dry, preferably in the right setting. And of course replace the protection rubber, if it has.
Trying to adjust the mirror afterwards you will most probably find that it has regained it stiff setting from new.
I have not had a mirror moving on me again. A mirror that started moving at 120km/h is now stable at 200km/h.
Pity that it took years to discover.
Go figure.
Clients come, asking to buy new mirrors as theirs are folding, and they complain about the quality. Or is it?
Riding city speeds usually don't reveal the fault, but hit the open road, and soon the bug begins.
Folding mirrors, round mirrors, shaped mirrors. They all start folding at speed at some point, constantly needing adjustment. It becomes a pain in the...
Some mirrors has a screw that can adjust the stiffness of the mirror, but what if yours don't have a screw?
I found a simple solution:
Each mirror has a ball joint for infinite adjustment.
Eventually dirt, oil, silicone or any type of lubricant enters the ball joint between the mirror base and arm.
This causes the mirror to adjust easier, but then wind pushes it out of position easier as well.
The solution is simple. Use brake cleaner to clean the ball joint.
Apply brake cleaner generously on the ball joint, and then rotate the mirror vigorously in its joint to work out all oil and dirt. Repeat a few times until you are happy.
Then leave the mirror joint to dry, preferably in the right setting. And of course replace the protection rubber, if it has.
Trying to adjust the mirror afterwards you will most probably find that it has regained it stiff setting from new.
I have not had a mirror moving on me again. A mirror that started moving at 120km/h is now stable at 200km/h.
Pity that it took years to discover.
Go figure.
