What mirrors ?

[georgesgiralt]

Hello,
When I bought my R65 in 84, the dealer offered a special RT fairing at a reasonable price.  (it was a special offer from the French importer to assist sales, my bike having sat for two years in the showroom).
So I rode the bike for 30 years with the fairing. Last year I removed it to be easy on the bike and returned it to stock. At that time I got the black plastic mirrors (OEM) which seems to have short stems.
They do not look right. Not at all.
So I would like to put chrome mirrors instead. But I wonder if I should get the short or the long ones ?
As my bike is a European version, it should have the standard low handlebar, and as I have wide shoulders, I need to have good clearance to see the pursuant...  
So I would be pleased to get your advice and insights on this brilliant matter !
Have a nice day.

[Bob_W]

I too removed a fairing and had short bars. My choice was bar ends to give a wide enough spread to see beyond my shoulders and whatever may be behind me.

[Barry]

I have the original low bars and long stem mirrors. The low bars are narrower as well as lower so you are always going to have the rear view at least partially blocked with your elbows. I get 1/3 elbow and 2/3 view which isn't too bad although I'm fairly slim. It's been the same on every bike I've had with low bars unless I fitted bar end mirrors. Only other way around it would be long stem mirrors substantially wider than the bars. They are already a little wider. I've learned to live with it and tuck an elbow in when I need a better view.

You can't tell much from this picture except you get some idea of the stem length.

[montmil]

I recently purchased mirrors for my mirror-less R100S. I bought the matte black, short stem bits just because I like them better than the "insect antenna" long stems.

Motobins was my choice of vendor due to their large selection of matte black and chrome, long or short stem mirrors. The clincher for me was the fact that the mirrors I bought are manufactured by Bumm, the OEM supplier to BMW. The prices are way below BMW dealership numbers -I looked 'em up!

Like Barry, I'm slim which helps out with the mirror's field of view. On the other hand, old Phorqs is attempting to fit a pair of those electric, slide out, Dodge Ram truck mirrors that will make his GSA about six-feet wide.

I kid the Crunchster but he has, like me, become a gym rat since retirement. It's those Shiner Bock 12 ounce arm curls...

[georgesgiralt]

Thanks guys,
I'll go the long stem (and Motobins) route.
Now I've to decide on black or chrome ....
Tough  

[montmil]

Thanks guys, I'll go the long stem (and Motobins) route.
Now I've to decide on black or chrome ....Tough  

Be sure to study the mirror offerings for the R65 as they have difference ending shank lengths due to the bar-mounted master cylinder and the thickness of the "perch". They are also different side-to-side. A small detail but will determine if the mirror fits or not. Maybe not so small after all...

The chrome mirrors look oh so shiny but are prone to cracking of the chrome plating where the mirror's reduced shank passes thru the perch. Over time and tightening, cracks develop and the plating will begin the flake off. Ugh.

That's why I tossed the flaky chromes on my '81 R65 and also went with the blacks on the R100S.

Your dinero. Your choice.  

[Bengt_Phorqs]

Like Barry, I'm slim which helps out with the mirror's field of view. On the other hand, old Phorqs is attempting to fit a pair of those electric, slide out, Dodge Ram truck mirrors that will make his GSA about six-feet wide.

Huh?  The GSA has stock mirrors.  No way I'm changing them out because they work well.  Besides, the Tourtech panniers are more than an axe handle wide, more than the bars.  Now on my R90 I have low bars but with bar end mirrors.  I'm a huge fan of bar end mirrors, especially if you have manly broad shoulders, unlike Monte the Slim.  And it's true, he does have to drink a beer just to keep his pants up on his hips.

[tvrla]

Ok, you guys! Break it up! Quit picking on Mr Phorqs!

I too have low bars and short mirrors, preferring the look. I find I can see behind me just fine - position the right mirror to see more of the lane to the right, but some behind me, and the left gets more of the left lane. What more do you need?

The longer the stem the more vibration.

As for the flaky chrome at the mounting base - that's caused by trying to tighten a steel rod into an aluminum mounting. The aluminum dishes out and puts more pressure on the outside of the shaft = pressure on the plating.

The solution is to place a washer between the two surfaces - and I've found that a hardened washer from the hardware store works perfectly!

[fbenach]

Bar ends was the choice for me... the OEM mirrors that came with the bike had poor visibility (short ones I believe)... as Bob W said above, they do give a nice view of whats behind your shoulders... and actually, are pretty good regarding vibration... these are Napoleons, bought at Amazon some time ago...

[Matt Chapter]

My opinion is that any functionality gained from the mirrors during normal travel is bonus.  I definitely prefer the stock chrome look for my 400, and I've replaced them twice.

It's not that hard to touch my helmet chin to my shoulder to have a peek in the next lane.  You can also change your lane position to get a better angle at those struggling to keep up.

No offense to those that have the bar ends, but I've never seen a set that looked good enough that I would actually want to use them instead of put my eyes out.