OEM mirrors

[Barry]

I do use the life saver when changing lanes but my head doesn't turn as well as it used to either.  I'm a much more comfortable on single lane roads where you  have more complete vision through the mirrors and it's very rare to get surprised by someone passing. Even on multi lane roads if I do get surprised when something overtakes I always think I've not been riding well as I should have been using sufficient observation to see it coming. One bit of advice I give to new motorcyclist is that even if you are going slow on a learner bike you must command your lane by riding in the middle of it and not in the gutter which is an invitation for someone to squeeze past and cut you up.

[tvrla]

There are small convex blind-spot mirrors, but I couldn't ever see anything, they're so small. They're a waste of good mirror space in my book!

[Graeme]

....  As long as my helmet does not restrict my view too much - which is why I prefer open face helmets...Rev. Light

This is a comment on Open Face helmets that I've been looking for. Nobody has actually stated in my inquiring as to which allows the better peripheral vision, open or full face helmets. Usually I'm just told that they are safer (full face) and I should stick with them.

As for Bar End Mirrors, I think Bruce Launceston feels that the Hercules Brand is the go.

Anyway, I'm not comfortable with my "rear viewing" with OEM Mirrors & Full Face.

Now, I have been doing some "neck stretch" exercises (turning my head left to right to its limit a few times a day, when no-one's looking, of course) and that seems to have helped.  

[Barry]

I have a full face helmet and an open face.  I much prefer to wear the open face. It does give better visibility and it's much quieter. Even without those benefits I would prefer it for the lack of claustrophobia and wind in your face.

I'm under no illusions that it's as safe as a full face helmet and I even read up on what percentage of accidents I would be disadvantaged by wearing one. 30% of those occasions when the helmet hits the ground was one figure I saw recently. I don't recommend it to others and won't allow a passenger to wear an open face. It's not remotely a sensible choice but lots of people regard motorcycling as not sensible. It's just one more risk assessments involved in riding and I make my own choice.

[davidpdx]

A friend gave me a set of bar end mirrors and it took a few rides to get used to them but now I love them and would not go back. It does make the bike a little wider for parking in tight spots but the clear view of the road behind is well worth it.

[steve hawkins]

I am with Barry on this.

The only fly in the ointment is when it starts raining.....Dang that hurts!

Break out the full face jobby.

Trouble is, my son has taken a shine to my open face Davida Jet for his Vespa P125X......He has already nicked a pair of my boots and gloves!

Rev. Light

[k_enn]

I agree that periphal vision is better with an open face (and perhaps best with a "shorty" helmet).  On the other hand, I have a set of riding glasses/goggles that actually impairs my periphal vision more than my current full face helmet does.  

Personally, I prefer a full face for safety reasons.  Over the years, I have found that the degree of periphal vision you have with a full face varies greatly from brand to brand and model to model.  

k_enn

[georgesgiralt]

Yes, I agree with you !
I once bought an open face helmet for hot summer use (I use my bike all year round) and found it too much limiting because of the googles I had to use.
A friend of mine had an accident with an open face helmet. He fell at less than 30 km per hour being pushed by a car. Boy, you should see his face ! He had to suffer many many facial surgery to recover. The surgeon said that if he had had a "real helmet" (his exact words) he would had nothing at all.... the injured face was the ONLY trauma.
When I saw him at the hospital, I put the open face helmet in the garbage first thing I've done back home....

[tvrla]

I've been wearing a full face for the last 20 years. The Arai seems to have a fairly wide opening and I don't have any vision complaints about it. Maybe I'm just that used to it...   I do remember feeling closed-in when I first started wearing them.

We get enough rain and cold here in the Portland area that it keeps me much warmer and dry. I close off the bottom with something that looks like a neck brace and it cuts out the wind noise as well.

With my mirrors positioned to view the adjacent lanes I barely need to turn my head to verify the space is empty. I still say it's more important to see to the side at a glance than to the rear (at a glance).  

[Barry]

Back in the 80's I used to wear a Griffin Clubman which had a a bigger than usual aperture that gave good visibility. Wish I still had it as it was a quality helmet commonly used in racing.

[Ed Miller]

We get enough rain and cold here in the Portland area that it keeps me much warmer and dry. I close off the bottom with something that looks like a neck brace and it cuts out the wind noise as well.   

I never noticed, do you have a washable cover for that thing?  I could see it getting pretty gross, if not.  It would keep rain from spraying up inside the lower part of my helmet though, and cut down even more on noise.  I don't get cold.

[tvrla]

Nope - no cover on the thing. I tend to wear a neck warmer in cooler weather so the neck thing doesn't get dirty from me or my sweat - not that I sweat that much here. We tend to get only a week or two of really hot weather. I've never washed it, but maybe riding in the rain counts?

How do you keep your neck from getting cold?

[Ed Miller]

How do you keep your neck from getting cold?

I don't know.  Windjammer.  My Olympia riding suit, especially with the liner, zips up around my neck fairly well, but not as high as a turtleneck sweater does.  It closes up pretty snugly.  It was about 35 this morning and raining, and I was warm.  I wore a cotton long sleeve T shirt (Scowling Street Terrors, not that anybody here was probably ever on Brit-Iron-L except maybe Semper Gumby), a polar fleece shirt over that, then my suit.  That suit is really warm.  

I should rig up some kind of shield to stop water from blowing up from my front tire and brakes and stuff, and coming up by the forks.  That gets dirty water on my gas tank and, presumably, me, and it does blow spray up on my face sometimes.  Maybe if I could find lowers for my Windjammer that would do it.  I've never even had a chance to look at some.

[tvrla]

I'm pretty sure I've got a set of those lowers around here. Scarce item! They're worth more than the whole fairing.

They close off the area from the bottom of the fairing to the cylinders. But they don't close off the area behind the wheel... but I may be wrong about that. Haven't looked at them in a long time.

[RSMike]

Mirror selection for the R65 can be frustrating, especially if you have the lower "euro" bars fitted. Both my R65s have the lower bars, which I prefer, although quite a few North American imports had a higher bar fitted.

The short stalks can be problematic, often requiring moving about on the seat to confirm no banditos on your six. I've learned to deal with it although it would be nice to be able to take a quick rearward glance without the gymnastics.

The mirror install on the R100S, even with the short stalks, does not have the "cramped" rear view due to the slightly wider than stock low bars installed.

The long stalk mirrors would probably clear the dreaded arm pit view but I think they give the bike more of an insect look.

[smiley=2cents.gif]

Thanks Monte, for the tip on the bumm mirrors.

One of my non-OEM chrome mirrors was badly speckled with rust, I was searching for one to replace it when I came across your post on the bumms.

Liked them so much I ordered a pair from Motobins. Just arrived today, very pleased with the fit and the look.

Unusually for this side of the pond my bike has the high bars, so the short bumms are just perfect.


PS: I haven't posted for a long time, occasional visitor, but work has been keeping me very busy for the last year, I really need to retire so I can enjoy my bikes and spend more time on here (and tidy up my garage)!