I hate these mirrors: Difference between revisions

You have mirrors on your bicycle, right? You don't? Think of riding your motorcycle in the same way. Turn your head and save your life.  

Not being able to see behind you is a common complaint, especially from those new to the Ninjette, but some long-time riders say that the stock 250 mirrors are better than on other bikes. If you're trying to see behind you as well as you can in a car, you're bound to be disappointed.  

There are some tweaks you can do to your Ninja to improve rearward visibility; these are listed below. Just remember to also turn and look before you change lanes. Motorcycle mirrors should never be completely trusted.

These mirrors will give you more visibility to the rear. The main advantages to bar-end mirrors are that you don't need to move around to look in them, and even with flat glass they give an unobstructed view of what is behind and to the side of you. Another advantage is that you can turn your bars while you're stopped and get a better view of what's coming up from behind.  

There are different kinds of bar-end mirrors. Some replace the stock bar ends, some are designed to fit around bar ends, and some bolt through the bar ends into the bars. Try to get a mirror that will preserve your bar-ends, as they are there to reduce handlebar vibration.

====Companies to look at====

*[http://www.bikemaster.com/bmstrv2.nsf/home?openform Bikemaster] Like Emgo, sold at shops. A major player in aftermarket parts & accessories.  

*[http://www.constructorsrg.com/mirrors/index.html CRG] Billet mirrors that are expensive but much better-made than those that look the same on eBay.

*[http://www.denniskirk.com/jsp/tpl/product.jsp?store=Main&catId=115&leafCatId=11508&skuId=391929&productId=p391929&mmyId= Cipa] A teardrop-shaped mirror that's a little out of the ordinary.

*[http://www.rkexcelamerica.com/street_ken_sean.html Ken Sean] Affordable and widely available.  

*[http://www.motostrano.com/nabarendmi.html Napoleon] May not be available due to distribution problems.

 

*[http://www.classicpartsltd.com/classicmotorcyclemirrors.htm  Halcyon] Pricey, for the cafe racer crowd.

 

eBay often has many dealers selling bar end mirrors. These may come without a brand name (many of them are distributed by Emgo) but the price is right. These are shown below. They are available at dozens of places on eBay (just search 'bar end mirror') or from [http://www.d2moto.com/p-5498-universal-honda-kawasaki-suzuki-yamaha-black-billet-motorcycle-bar-end-mirrors-street.aspx D2MOTO], among others. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 'body' mounted mirrors of the Ninja are a bit forward of mirrors that would be mounted in the more traditional handlebar mount method. Bar-mounted mirrors are further back and make it easier to get a little more of a view behind you without necessarily going wider. They are also easier to make wider without having to resort to fabricating or other more drastic methods.  

If you want to put your mirrors on the bars there are plenty of options. Later 250's have mounts on the brake and clutch perches for mirrors. Most have at least the one on the clutch side. Handlebar-mount mirrors are available from [http://emgo.com/main_layout.html EMGO] & [http://www.bikemaster.com/bmstrv2.nsf/home?openform Bikemaster] (both sell through shops) and nearly every parts house on the web. Download the Emgo Filter-Mirror Catalog pdf or look at the Bikemaster site and see all the different styles of mirrors you can get.