Mirror Vibration

FloridaBiker wrote:

pstrbrc wrote:

Now, the only question is, is lead shot still available?

If not, wheel weights (again).
They are lead, and most tire stores will give you the old ones.

Of course lead shot is still available - any self-respecting gunsmithy with a NASCAR sign out front sells it in bulk - helps keep the stop sign and skool X-ing herds to manageable levels....

You can try all the above. But I think with aftermarket mirrors you get what you pay for. I have a set of the JCWhitney rubber mounts and did'nt find that they help a whole lot. Sometimes the vibration is between the glass and the rubber/plastic gasket and therefore the mirror vibrates inside its own housing. You can try to shim it with something or try squeezing some clear calk between the mirror and the gasket to tighten it up. Probably the best thing to do is get some OEM mirrors off a different bike or buy some high priced aftermarket mirrors. I ended up buying some mirrors off a 2004 Shadow (Chrome round type)that were made in Japan. Solved the problem, and they look like the stock Kawis only their chrome instead of black plastic.

I've also heard of folks filling their h-bars full of sand with good results, which is considerably cheaper and more obtainable than lead-shot, old wheel weights or BB's.
But if you still have the OEM h-bars on your bike, I highly recommend NOT filling them with anything since the wiring for the switches runs through them.
The BB's/sand/etc could possible make it out through those openings, or worse yet, possibly damage the wiring! :pinch:

If you decide to get a set of mirrors like the black plastic type suggested (round or rectangular), be sure to get the Napoleon brand.
The Emgo brand is usually cheaper, but they won't solve vibration problems. Ya get what ya pay for with them, trust me!

Currently I have a set of the rectangular Napolens on my bike, and initially even those had some slight distortion at very high RPM's. I cured that lil' problem by adding a set of black universal 7/8" bar-end weights (about $10~$15 on eBay), and haven't had any probs since.
I've even seen those bar-end weights anodized or painted in just about every color imaginable to match your bike too.

Post edited by: RetroRiceRocketRider, at: 2007/03/11 18:33

I put a set of aftermarket mirrors on my LTD 1000, couldnt see squat at highway speed, wound up going to the honda dealer, put a set of OEM Honda mirrors on, they are not round, but they stay put and I have had the bike up to 100 mph, and still clear, if memory serves I paid about 80 bucks for the set and all the hardware

I agree with you RetroRocket the Emgo brand suck. I also like the convexs glass, seem you get a better view of what's behind you.

Here are a few pics of the bar-end weights and rectangular Napoleon mirrors mounted on my KZ650 (don't mind the dust, it's been garaged for the past few months).
The bar-end weights combined with the foam grips even took away the buzzing feel in my hands too!







Post edited by: RetroRiceRocketRider, at: 2007/03/11 20:09

Not much changed in the garage since I was out there, huh R4!!??!!??:silly: :lol: :blink: :whistle:

Post edited by: indykaw77, at: 2007/03/11 20:23

indykaw77 wrote:

Not much changed in the garage since I was out there, huh R4!!??!!??:silly: :lol: :blink: :whistle:<br><br>Post edited by: indykaw77, at: 2007/03/11 20:23

ACTUALLY, I finally cleared all the stuff off the longer of my two work benches in preperation for when I start the rebuild on my 650......I simply piled it all on top of the smaller bench buried in the corner out of the way. :whistle: :pinch: :laugh:

That and a few spare Honda and B&S general purpose motors "magically" found there way in there for yet to be decided projects.

Got my JCW rubber mirror adaptors today (actually I screwed up and only ordered one, I'm a moron) Went on fine, have to tighten with pliers and a rag. Will see what happens...

i'd be interested to see how those help!

any chance you have a link for those?

My 2 cents worth? Don't waste your time or money on these JCW mirror dampners! Went to work today and around town they vibrated and the other (remember I'm the moron that ordered only one) mirror was rock steady. On the freeway at 70mph (6000rpm) the JCW mirror was actually wobbling around (too much rubber?)and the view was horrible. I reached over and felt the buzziness of the regular mirror and then the JCW mirror and it was buzzing twice as much! Now, these may work on other bikes, but not on mine. Paulie, I believe there is a link in one of the posts before this...

As I stated earlier they didn't really work for me either. Best bet is to buy some NOS OEM mirriors of your choice. Seems like the Japaness are still quality oriented. Sometimes you can get a good deal on eBay with some take-offs from someonelses custom project.