Ducati Monster Forum

I have had my S2R 800 for just over 12 months and I have destroyed 3 mirrors on my right hand side of my Handle bars.

- 3 months into ownership the RHS mirror swivel (up at the mirror) cracked and it flopped around like a Cock in a shirt sleeve

- Dealer swapped it for another and within about 3 months same thing has happened

- Purchased a set of Monstrack Alloy mirrors and now about 6 months later the RHS mirror is loose and bouncing around, the base has flogged out from vibration.
(Monstrack want me to pack them both up and return them to them in the USA from Australia with a 2 - 3 week turnaround, with my bike being used as a commuter bike, that is just not practical, they refuse to take just the faulty one)

So, I suppose I'm asking can I get a set of mirrors that this won't happen to?
Or is there something I can do to the Handlebars to stop the vibration?

I have been considering bar end mirrors or something from Rizoma, but with the current exchange rate that won't be happening anytime soon.

have you applied a threadlocker on the bolts when installing them? may stop the vibration from loosening things up.

There are no bolts loosening up, the ball joints on the OEM mirrors just flogged out, and the alloy arm that mounts to the stainless steel base also just got flogged out, no threads or bolts to apply thread locker to.

The mirrors are not working loose in the threads on the handle bars, the mirror mounts are just being shaken apart because of vibration.
(http://www.monsterparts.com/mm5/graphics/00000001/black5.jpg)

This photo may be a bit small, but the black alloy section attaches with a pressure fit pin into a stainless steel base that has the thread that attaches to the handle bars, the connection between the alloy black arm and the Silver stainless part is flopping around.

The pin is not moving in the alloy arm, but the pin is loose in the stainless steel base.

But, that is beside the point, the mirror is make the beast with two backsed and vibration is the culprit, how can I remove or limit the vibration?
I have heard of people squeezing half a tube of silicon into there handle bars to limit vibration..
 

i've also heard the variable diameter bars reduce vibration as well.
some people say the CRGs are tight mirrors and don't vibrate loose.

A vibration that breaks mirrors is not normal and the root cause must be fixed.  I would start by inspecting the handlebar/triple and also the master cylinder or mirror mount for proper mounting and cracks.  Also check the motor mount bolts.  Is the vibration at a particular RPM or road speed?  Vibrations can be tough to isolate.  I watched one of the best shops inspect the flywheel and clutch looking for a vibration.  Turned out to be the license plate mount on a DIY tail chop.

You might ask Monstrack if you could buy the mirrors and get a refund when you send the others back.

 

+1.

How about the bar clamps?

do you still have your bar end weights in?  If the bar is vibrating soo badly that it's flaring metal bits on your mirrors, your right hand must be really numb after just a few minutes! 

You need to figure out what is going wrong to cause this kind of intense vibration. 

THEN....  you could mount the bars into the clamps with a bit of rubber jammed betwixt the bars and the clamps.  And a lot of Kawi owners fill their bars with ball bearings as this dampens vibration greatly.  Neither of these methods will fix the root issue that is your bike vibrating more than is standard.  And if this vibration is breaking mirrors with that kind of consistency, one must ask what is going to break next?

Now what's a person supposed to do with an image like that stuck in their head??   :-\

Seems that a vibration bad enough to compromise mirrors would be kinda noticeable thru the grips, too. Does it feel harsh when you go on decent length rides?

The Vibration does not feel to bad, I have owned a couple of other bikes and they all seemed about the same,
Motor mounts are all up to spec, The bike has done this from new, I have to say it is not a intense vibration, There is no bad feelings or shaking up through the handle bars, the risers are on there tight and aligned, the bars are not cracked or damaged (pulled them out and checked it all over) and they are centralized in the clamps. Bar end weights are still fitted and tight. Master Cylinder is tight and no cracking on the mount, clamp or the housing itself.

The bike is good to ride for long distances, I read in bike reviews all the time about road testers complaining the mirrors vibrated to much for them to clearly see what is going on behind them.

I assume this is a similar problem, just seems to be a little worse on the RHS of the bars, I have heard of people filling the ends of the bars with silicon (about 3 - 4 inches worth in each side of the bar) this ,plus the bar end weight is enough to change the resonant frequency of the bars to limit the problem.

Just allow to this bike is a daily rider, I commute every day on this bike and then ride on the weekends, and our roads up here are not the best, pretty course roads, daily use, a L twin that naturally shakes and vibrates.
I'm just wondering if this is all adding up to be a mirror killer?  ???

If you want some good mirrors for cheap I suggest Napoleon bar end mirrors. Dirt cheap and durable enough to last you a few crashes.  ;D

Holy thread revival, batman!

didn't feel like starting a new one... apparently I am having the same problem? but with barracudas on a hyper, and so far it's only my first set.

they start getting saggy on the ball joint, but nothing else seems out of sort.

obviously, the bike is pretty buzzy, but what started out as only the left side, and only once I hit freeway speed is now happening to both mirrors at moderate speed

 ???

maybe shoot some silicone on the ball jt? or epoxy?

The bars of a S2R might be vibrating a little more than let's say a Honda 600 4 cyl but it should never lead to loosening the mirrors. I have recently installed a pair of Rizoma's circuit mirrors, costly indeed but the result is a great improvement over the stock Mickey Mouse mirrors. Hardly any vibration and sofar no sagging or loosening of the mirrors. (For pics see my thread) I used a set of adapters on the original mounts and tightened the adapter to the original mirrorholder with 28NM. The mirror arm is tightened to the adapter with 13NM. Just apply a bit of grease in the thread to avoid sticking (aluminium adapter vs steel allen screws) and you should be fine to go unless the vibration has another cause. Personally I would not choose bar-end mirrors, but that's mainly because here the streets are small and the traffic dense, but like I said, that's personal. A good option might be Ferrara mirrors, not as costly as Rizoma's and a good choice, also bar-end.

 I've fitted a pair of HVMP stainless bar end weights on my '03 1000 and that did improve what little vibraration it had - then had the throttle bodies tuned properly so now she's smooth as a smooth thing on silk. Luvverly.
 Aside from that, I have accumulated a few spare mirrors from fleaBay (don''t ask - though they're mostly made in RPC), so I can supply a couple of sets of these - cheap - if you really need 'em.
 And if all else fails, but the vibration isn't severe enough to do damage,  there's always Qwi Gel gloves...

I've had every kind of mirror in my sv then in my s2r1000 and I've found the crg's seem to be the sturdiest and easiest to see behind with. The hindsightLS mirrors even have a hinge the allows them to be folded in which is nice if you bump something since they'll just move out of their own way and not steer you into a crash. You could also put strips of rubber between the bar and the clamp at the triple and this might alter your frequency adequately.

But seriously, the CRG's work great, don't give you a view of your shoulder, but do give a rather nice wide view of at least two lanes. I only use one because it's adjusted to show me behind me and some of the left and right lane.