Can you see anything in your mirrors? | Page 2 | GTAMotorcycle.com

Can you see anything in your mirrors?

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I see fine although blurry at higher RPMs. Interesting to me that many people are saying their inline 4 bikes have useless mirrors as on the 650R forums I'm always reading people say that our mirrors suck because of the vibey twin. Although I've got a friend with two I4 bikes, one twin, and a single and he says they all vibrate, just differently.

I've also tried the blindspot mirrors and found they did nothing for me other than use up a good portion of my otherwise useful mirror space.
 
Griffin said:
Keep in mind you don't want anything to take your eyes off the road in front of you for any longer than is absolutely necessary. The fastest supercar climbing up your rear is still approaching you much slower than the bus coming at you head on. You don't want to be watching the Ferrari and getting taken out by the bus.
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exactly, which is why I find straining to look behind compromises safety a lil bit, as (while a bus you may see) you never know what changes happens on the road surface before you while you were cranking your neck to looking behind.
At least with the convex mirrors, you should be able to keep a eye ahead while glimpsing in the mirror.
Still shoulder checks, it seems, are extremely vital, but to turn the head to look all the way back, while taking my eyes off the road ahead of me (for me) seems "interestingly unsafe"..
 
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rideitlikeyoustoleit said:
What were you taught in your driving course? Side mirrors do not check your blind spot. You need to look over your shoulders to check your blind spot.

And your mirrors may be loose to be vibrating so much that you can't see far with them. How far exactly do you want to see with your side mirrors?
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My mirrors are definitely not loose. Like I said, the bike just vibrates enough to make anything beyond a couple hundred meters back a total blur.

jolomatic said:
Mirrors can't see into your blind spot, that's why it's called a blind spot.
But they should let you see what's behind you, and somewhat to the side.
Only a shoulder check will confirm it's safe to move over, but a proper mirror will save you from unecessarily taking your eyes off of what's in front of you.
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If you guys think that the crappy rider and driver training courses we get in Canada are the gospel, you're welcome to your opinion. But did you know in Europe a shoulder check is an automatic fail on the exam? That's because there they teach you how to properly set up your mirrors, and they expect to keep your eyes on the road at all times. Craning your neck to look behind is one of the dumbest moves possible, because by the time your eyes focus on what's to the side of the vehicle and then back what's in front a good 2-3 seconds have passed. A lot can happen in that time...

I can tell you in my car the centre mirror covers the back view and the side mirrors cover the blind spots. I have a 180 degree view of what is happening behind and I NEVER have to take my eyes off the road to do shoulder checks. If you look in the centre mirror and you see the same thing in the side mirrors, they are set up incorrectly. Ironically that is how the vast majority of people set their mirrors up, and then wonder why they can't see the blind spots. On the bike it's a bit tricky because obviously there is no centre mirror. But the side mirrors still cover the blind spots to a large extent.

I really don't expect to change anyone's opinion on this matter, especially since shoulder checks are mandatory on all exams in Canada. I just know what works for me and most of the world. Jim Kenzie from Toronto Star has been advocating this technique for years btw.
 
croco said:
My mirrors are definitely not loose. Like I said, the bike just vibrates enough to make anything beyond a couple hundred meters back a total blur.



If you guys think that the crappy rider and driver training courses we get in Canada are the gospel, you're welcome to your opinion. But did you know in Europe a shoulder check is an automatic fail on the exam? That's because there they teach you how to properly set up your mirrors, and they expect to keep your eyes on the road at all times. Craning your neck to look behind is one of the dumbest moves possible, because by the time your eyes focus on what's to the side of the vehicle and then back what's in front a good 2-3 seconds have passed. A lot can happen in that time...

I can tell you in my car the centre mirror covers the back view and the side mirrors cover the blind spots. I have a 180 degree view of what is happening behind and I NEVER have to take my eyes off the road to do shoulder checks. If you look in the centre mirror and you see the same thing in the side mirrors, they are set up incorrectly. Ironically that is how the vast majority of people set their mirrors up, and then wonder why they can't see the blind spots. On the bike it's a bit tricky because obviously there is no centre mirror. But the side mirrors still cover the blind spots to a large extent.

I really don't expect to change anyone's opinion on this matter, especially since shoulder checks are mandatory on all exams in Canada. I just know what works for me and most of the world. Jim Kenzie from Toronto Star has been advocating this technique for years btw.
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I agree with you (and Kenzie) for cars. I can't cover my blind spots on the bike with mirrors though. I angle them outward to cover them as best I can while still maintaining rear coverage but there is still too much for landscape for two little mirrors to cover.

And regarding vibration, my Honda I4 and BMW I4 don't vibrate the mirrors.
 
unL33T said:
I see fine although blurry at higher RPMs. Interesting to me that many people are saying their inline 4 bikes have useless mirrors as on the 650R forums I'm always reading people say that our mirrors suck because of the vibey twin. Although I've got a friend with two I4 bikes, one twin, and a single and he says they all vibrate, just differently.
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No issues with vibrating mirrors on any of my V4 bikes.
 
Yup - very well thanks -


Picture3.jpg


at 100kph - not much vibration and lots of visibility despite being on the outside of the curve.
 
Dumb luck shot but the 73 year old Harley rider behind me loved it. :D - shot of the year and shocked me when I saw it - caught the blurring roadway but the mirror was pretty crisp for a little handheld Pannie.
 
croco said:
My mirrors are definitely not loose. Like I said, the bike just vibrates enough to make anything beyond a couple hundred meters back a total blur.



If you guys think that the crappy rider and driver training courses we get in Canada are the gospel, you're welcome to your opinion. But did you know in Europe a shoulder check is an automatic fail on the exam? That's because there they teach you how to properly set up your mirrors, and they expect to keep your eyes on the road at all times. Craning your neck to look behind is one of the dumbest moves possible, because by the time your eyes focus on what's to the side of the vehicle and then back what's in front a good 2-3 seconds have passed. A lot can happen in that time...

I can tell you in my car the centre mirror covers the back view and the side mirrors cover the blind spots. I have a 180 degree view of what is happening behind and I NEVER have to take my eyes off the road to do shoulder checks. If you look in the centre mirror and you see the same thing in the side mirrors, they are set up incorrectly. Ironically that is how the vast majority of people set their mirrors up, and then wonder why they can't see the blind spots. On the bike it's a bit tricky because obviously there is no centre mirror. But the side mirrors still cover the blind spots to a large extent.

I really don't expect to change anyone's opinion on this matter, especially since shoulder checks are mandatory on all exams in Canada. I just know what works for me and most of the world. Jim Kenzie from Toronto Star has been advocating this technique for years btw.
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So the European system is to blame for the countless times that I've nearly been sideswiped and not poor drivers?

If I hit something in front in the fraction of a second that it takes to check my blindspot, then I messed up long before I started the check.

My bike mirrors don't vibrate (haven't on any single, V4, I4 or V-twin that I've owned), they're out far enough that I don't have to look at my elbows, and pointed in enough to be able to see tailgaters without turning around to look.

Car-wise I like to have a touch of the vehicle in the side mirrors which is not correct, but allows me to judged close distances much faster. Since I always accelerate and check to the side to change lanes, this works well for me, but is not for everyone.
 
Griffin said:
I agree with you (and Kenzie) for cars. I can't cover my blind spots on the bike with mirrors though. I angle them outward to cover them as best I can while still maintaining rear coverage but there is still too much for landscape for two little mirrors to cover.
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I agree bike mirrors are tricky to cover the blind spots because they are a lot smaller. At the same time, they are also closer to the rider. So even a small shift of your head changes the viewing angle considerably, allowing you to see the blind spots as well as far behind. But that does require the rider to move a bit and not be lazy. :p

And regarding vibration, my Honda I4 and BMW I4 don't vibrate the mirrors.
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My old SV mirrors were fine. Strangely, my GSXR600 mirrors vibrate more. It's nothing too serious, but enough to make focusing in them a bit more time consuming. Either that, or my eyes are starting to fail on me. :D
 
I'm 6'2 and i ride a GSXR750 k9. I have huge problems even using my mirrors effectively (mostly see shoulders or arms, no matter what. Sure i can see beside me, but i rather do a shoulder check. I want to see whats coming up on the side lanes and behind me!!

The SW-MOTECH is what i want, but with the new LED mirrors they don't offer it. I'm in the process of designing one that will work with the LED lights. If it works well, ill may make a few batches with enough interest.
 
Xitaxine said:
Just wanted to know if this is a fairly common thing on sport bikes
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Yep.
My girlfriend just bought an 85 FZ750 so I know exactly what you're talking about. Most, if not all, sport bikes have this issue with mirrors.
They are great to see what's in the lane next to you, but if you want to see behind you, you have to tuck your elbow and lean over a bit.

I had a cop follow me for 2kms with his lights on before I saw him haha.
When he asked why it took me so long to stop, I told him I couldn't see him until I pulled my elbows in.
Thankfully he believed me since when he saw me tuck elbows and lean my head, that's the exact moment I signaled right and started to pull over.
No ticket(s). Just a warning stop. :D
 
Xitaxine said:
I just bought a new (to me) 1986 FZ600, it came with these tiny little cat eye mirrors. I tried readjusting them but all i could ever see is my arms. So i put the stock mirrors back on it hoping this would help. Definately a bigger mirror but same issue, no matter how i adjust it most of what i see are my arms. i have to awkardly lean and move my arm to check my mirrors. Just wanted to know if this is a fairly common thing on sport bikes or if i'm simply just doing something wrong. I've tried different seating positions but nothing really helps.

Any suggestions / input would be greatly appreciated
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I can see my elbows
 
Nice picture, what kind of car are you driving? and why is there a handle bar with a clutch lever?... I'm confused :confused:

MacDoc said:
Yup - very well thanks -


Picture3.jpg


at 100kph - not much vibration and lots of visibility despite being on the outside of the curve.
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