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Motorcycle mirrors-no broken wrists! Motorcycle mirrors-no broken wrists!
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Equipping the Bike - what's the best gear? Anything to do with the bikes equipment, saddlebags, etc. Questions on repairs and maintenance of the bike itself belong in the Brand Specific Tech Forums.
Photo by Alessio Corradini, on the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, of two locals

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Alessio Corradini,
on the Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia,
of two locals



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  • 1 Post By AnTyx

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  #1  
Old 9 May 2022
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Motorcycle mirrors-no broken wrists!
I have a vague recollection of seeing a set of motorcycle mirrors which were designed to prevent wrist injuries if you were flung forwards suddenly. As we know, many standard mirror arms are set at about the height where the wrist meets the lower arm, which could leave nasty injuries in the case of the above scenario occurring, especially if standing up on the pegs.
I have looked at quite a few mirror types lately including "Double take" mirrors (possible ram ball replacement needed due to the ram ball not holding the arm as it is eventually prone to flattening) various type of Bar-end mirrors and so on but naturally all have trade-offs, such as mounting position issues and poor design. I haven"t yet seen a mirror that may satisfy requirements. I'm expecting to go on an extensive RTW trip. Perhaps I expect too much? Opinions...mirror types please.
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Old 9 May 2022
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You're overthinking. In that kind of accident, the mirror stalks (which are not all that solidly fixed to the bike) will be the least of your problems.

(Source: both of my lower arms are held together with titanium.)
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Old 9 May 2022
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Double take RAM mounted mirrors are great if you plan on dropping your bike. They can be folded in for off-roading and they also move in all and any directions in a fall as long as you don't over-tighten the clamps
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Old 9 May 2022
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Originally Posted by *Touring Ted* View Post
Double take RAM mounted mirrors are great if you plan on dropping your bike. They can be folded in for off-roading and they also move in all and any directions in a fall as long as you don't over-tighten the clamps
Those are indeed very neat. But we just saw Itchy Boots break both sides of hers in quick succession in relatively simple falls.
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Old 9 May 2022
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If you're running OEM mirrors then they should do what you're hoping anyway - ie. rotate forward in the event of you hitting them with your arms if you were thrown forward in an abrupt impact - since mirror mount threads are designed to remain tight against the wind-flow - the right hand mirror having a usual right hand thread, while the left hand mirror (even if the bar/perch mount itself has a traditional right hand thread) has a reverse thread portion (which is why you need to tighten the lock nut in reverse on that side) so that the force of any wind pressure does not undo that left hand mirror...

In other words, when you're travelling forward the mirrors naturally remain tight against their threads - so it follows if you ever hit them from behind (with your arms) they would then loosen.

However, regardless of that, I tend to agree with AnTyx - if you're crashing that hard, the mirrors stalks are probably the least of your worries!

Jenny x
Last edited by JMo (& piglet); 10 May 2022 at 00:43.
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Old 10 May 2022
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Never heard of that. Never talked to anyone who got hurt that way.

I have heard of people getting their hand/wrist trapped under the barkbusters frame and getting injured that way. ......but I still use barkbusters and I'll take that risk for the crash benefits- no broken levers, less chance of bending handlebars, etc.

I won't worry about my mirrors. YMMV.

...............shu
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Old 10 May 2022
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Mirrors-no broken wrists
Yes, getting your wrists hammered by mirrors isn't a predicament that entered my mind for a while until I went to a Horizons Unlimited weekend and it was raised by an experienced rider. Thanks everyone for the input. I'll see where it takes me. I follow Itchyboot's travels and saw the Doubletake mirrors on her bike as she went up through SA but I didn't know she had broken them (haven't got to that episode yet perhaps)- the ram ball seems to wear quickly according to one reviewer and replacement within 12 months was what he was looking at. Happy travels.
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Old 10 May 2022
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RAM balls shouldn't wear - although sometime people have trouble with them gripping the Double Take mirrors (which have hard plastic ball ends, not rubberised) and therefore do the arms up really tight, correspondingly squashing the rubber on the actual RAM ball...

If this is the case, Double Take suggest you put a short piece of 1" heat-shrink tubing around their hard plastic ball end on the mirror, and then you need far less pressure to hold them in place - stops the dreaded droop too.



Jx
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Old 10 May 2022
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That seems….odd. Do you know if there’s a reason Double Take doesn’t use a softer surface? Or rough it up enough to give it some grab?

I didn’t realize Ned is no longer in charge. If it’s a widely-experienced problem I’m puzzled that the new owners can’t do better than suggest heat-shrink tubing.
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Old 10 May 2022
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Originally Posted by markharf View Post
That seems….odd. Do you know if there’s a reason Double Take doesn’t use a softer surface? Or rough it up enough to give it some grab?

I didn’t realize Ned is no longer in charge. If it’s a widely-experienced problem I’m puzzled that the new owners can’t do better than suggest heat-shrink tubing.
I'm sure it's a cost thing... the mirror housings are moulded in a nylon resin, and it would cost more to then dip them in some sort of rubber compound presumably?

Typically the RAM arms are metal, so roughing them with sandpaper etc isn't really going to be that effective - which is why I'm sure they suggest the heat-shrink trick if you're suffering from them drooping - typically over rough terrain.

Jx
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Old 10 May 2022
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Thanks for the response. I was thinking rough up the resin ball, not the RAM connector. I'd probably be tempted to dip them in that plastic goop used for tool handles, whether as owner or manufacturer.

I'll let it go now. I've never felt the least bit threatened by my factory mirrors, but I admired Ned's creative sense.

Mark
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Old 10 May 2022
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Originally Posted by markharf View Post
Thanks for the response. I was thinking rough up the resin ball, not the RAM connector. I'd probably be tempted to dip them in that plastic goop used for tool handles, whether as owner or manufacturer.

I'll let it go now. I've never felt the least bit threatened by my factory mirrors, but I admired Ned's creative sense.

Mark
Sorry, yes that is what I meant - roughing up the ball won't really work as the arms are [smooth] metal so won't grip them anyway even if they were slightly rougher... if you've got some of that tool handle goop, then that certainly should work.

Jx
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Old 10 May 2022
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Originally Posted by AnTyx View Post
Those are indeed very neat. But we just saw Itchy Boots break both sides of hers in quick succession in relatively simple falls.
Did she have them folded in whilst off-roading ?

They do claim to be "unbreakable". But anyone on this forum knows there is no such claim.

But they're certainly less likely to break. Fixed mirrors are GUARANTEED to break themselves, their clamps, or bend bars and wrists when they dig in to the ground.

I have a graveyard of mirrors. And through my years of fixing dropped bikes in bike shops, I know it's ALWAYS the fixed mirrors that are guaranteed to break in a fall.

I've heard of RAM balls wearing on occasion although I've never experienced it personally. I believe it's down to not tightening them up and letting constant vibration wear them down. Like on any loose joint. Especially in the days of Garmin StreetPilot GPSs in Touratech aluminium cradles. Oh the weight !!!

And I'm sure everyone knows that you can different size RAM balls ?? B, C etc. 1" and 1.5" etc.

1.5" balls are for heavier equipment.

I've seen people mix and match and wonder why things aren't going well.
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