To See or not to See? Mirror..Mirror on my Bike

[Mars]

Since recently purchasing my 696 Monster, I have discovered that the stock mirrors are basically a decoration and have no actual function. It is as if the moon pulled in front of the earth and is blocking the view from Mars. Has anyone else experienced this issue? Rear visibility is limited in these mirrors. It is making it very difficult to explore the possibility that while I'm driving at any speed I feel like driving, lurking somewhere behind is either a raging lunatic riding my tail or a UFO with blue and red flashing lights. Is there a cure for this blindness? Has anyone installed aftermarket mirrors that actually filled in all the blind spaces. If so what worked and where can I find them? Anyone ever tried stock mirrors plus additional mirrors to get a full view of whats behind? Was it effective?

[Plumbers Crack]

http://bellissimoto.com/MirrorIndex.html

I cant sleep..

I have rizoma .. Yes they are very hard to see.. My shoulders are my problem..

CRG is what most have.. Im sure pjs has a set on one of their bikes.. Or just meet up with us and you can test the ones we have..

Good luck..

[mstevens]

I really like my M696 mirrors. Compared to the ones on my 620 they're vastly better.

I had little difficulty getting them adjusted so I have a great view of my blind spots on each side with only a small touch of my arms.

[hadesducati848]

compared to my 848 my GFs stock 696 mirrors are like a wide screen tv. i found that if you pivot the mirror arm forward and then tilt the mirror its self outward i can see halfway decently... on my 848 the only thing i can do is lift up my arm and lean my body to the side a bit. then i can almost tell whats in my blind spots... and that is assuming that the vibration isnt shaking the mirror so bad that its just a small messy blur.

[ms. mel]

when i bought my 696 i thought the opposite. i was used to my CRG from my bimmer so when i looked in the hideous stock mirrors i was surprised at how well i could see *shrug*

i have CRG on my 696 now and really like it.

[JJ]

The Italians are a racing breed..they build fast machines on sweat blood and passion, then add the touch of sexiness to it...ofcourse then comes the mirrors, license plates, etc. & when asked about the mirror, their reply is as expected "The machines are built to race and be ahead, why worry about what's behind!"

Having said that my previous 999's were worse than the 1098...However, I kept the standard contrary to popular belief and adapted the riding style. Orient the left so you can see one lane to left, to see what is behind, ride with right hand and keep the left on your thigh (you can see an elephant through the triangle!), orient the right by your preference...I have special settings for the right when Cloner is behind me...

The extended concave mirrors that most of the group uses is a good alternative... Just had to drop my 2 cents on the little things that stick on to a bike..."The rules one lives on and the rules thy make 'emselves...just like money"  Luck mate!

[Cloner]

At this point I have three motorcycles in my garage, but the Marvin the Martian must have used the Iludium PU36 Explosive Space Modulator on the mirrors, as there isn't a single one between them.

I don't miss them very often.

[Zaster]

I got rid of my stock mirrors on my monster due to the vibration issue. Bar end fixed it for me.

[Ratfink749]

I pulled off my stock "Elbow viewers" and put on a bar ender today.  I haven't ride-tested it yet due to the searing heat outside.  Just sitting on it in the garage I think I made the right choice.  Stock mirrors have been replaced with black zip ties.  No real hotrod can function without zip ties or duct tape.

[ms. mel]

I pulled off my stock "Elbow viewers" and put on a bar ender today.  I haven't ride-tested it yet due to the searing heat outside.  Just sitting on it in the garage I think I made the right choice.  Stock mirrors have been replaced with black zip ties.  No real hotrod can function without zip ties or duct tape.

duc tape! 

[Mars]

Thanks everyone! You're all very helpful and gave some very useful tips. Plumbers crack and I have a shoulder span syndrome.  It appears that both Plumbers crack and MS. Mel recommend CRG mirrors so I checked them out on-line. I think their new arrow bar end mirror line may be what solves the problem. A little pricey, but I guess we all have to pay to play! Also, Cloner said it best, the stock mirrors must go! Disintegrate 

[KRJ]

   One CRG Hindsight mounted on the left bar end is very useful to see red & blue flashes approaching from behind, still at enough distance to make a responsible decision.....or not....