Best Mirrors for Lane Splitting
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Squid
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 5
Best Mirrors for Lane Splitting
Hello All,
Been commuting on my NT650 for a while, and just bought a VTR1000 to do the same.
What mirrors do you guys recommend for the VTR? (my "new" VTR is missing the right side mirror). OEM mirrors are rock solid and have good visibility but are right at car mirror height.
I would prefer to stay away from bar end mirrors in an effort to keep the bike as narrow as possible.
Thanks,
-Mitch
Been commuting on my NT650 for a while, and just bought a VTR1000 to do the same.
What mirrors do you guys recommend for the VTR? (my "new" VTR is missing the right side mirror). OEM mirrors are rock solid and have good visibility but are right at car mirror height.
I would prefer to stay away from bar end mirrors in an effort to keep the bike as narrow as possible.
Thanks,
-Mitch
Senior Member
SuperSport
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 987
From: San Diego, CA
Do they need to be narrow?
I have FZ1 mirrors and they stick way out, but when I clip a mirror, they just fold in and I keep on going. My bars are right about where most car mirrors are, and my mirrors are up by the trucks and vans mirrors. These vehicles are wider, so I suppose a lower mirror would clear them more often. Any narrower than that, and I'd worry about catching a bar. My mirrors are the widest thing on the bike, so I use them like a cat uses its whiskers.
I have FZ1 mirrors and they stick way out, but when I clip a mirror, they just fold in and I keep on going. My bars are right about where most car mirrors are, and my mirrors are up by the trucks and vans mirrors. These vehicles are wider, so I suppose a lower mirror would clear them more often. Any narrower than that, and I'd worry about catching a bar. My mirrors are the widest thing on the bike, so I use them like a cat uses its whiskers.
to the forum!
Senior Member
Superstock
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 308
IMHO if you're splitting so close to cars/trucks that your mirrors hit/might hit, you probably shouldn't be splitting that gap. The only impact's I've had are from vehicles moving over on me.(like I said, 1-2 times a year, and I commute 100 miles a day on LA freeways)
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Squid
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 5
Do they need to be narrow?
IMHO if you're splitting so close to cars/trucks that your mirrors hit/might hit, you probably shouldn't be splitting that gap.
Haven't clipped a mirror yet.
haha just dont use mirrors problem solved, i never look back
I think the stockers are about as narrow as your going to get. I split everyday with no problems. Car/truck mirrors vary in height, no point in trying to match that.
I'll probably end up with stock VTR mirrors again and "re-learn" the bike width.
Has anyone tried these?:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...m=370236734589
Member
Squid
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 63
From: Dromore, Northern Ireland
Senior Member
SuperSport
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 987
From: San Diego, CA
Having mirrors narrow enough for splitting is almost as bad as none at all. Because you won't be able to see behind you with em.
Once I clipped both sides at the same time! Another time I dragged the right mirror down the rivets on the side of a truck trailer.
These are pretty wide though, and give an awesome view behind me.
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Once I clipped both sides at the same time! Another time I dragged the right mirror down the rivets on the side of a truck trailer.
These are pretty wide though, and give an awesome view behind me.
Who are you?
SuperSport
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 731
From: Las Vegas, NV
You need those mirrors to be able to check what's going on behind you. In fact, most motorcycle accidents occur while stopped at a stop sign or stop light.
Senior Member
Back Marker
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 186
From: Santucky, CA
I have FZ1 mirrors and they stick way out, but when I clip a mirror, they just fold in and I keep on going. My bars are right about where most car mirrors are, and my mirrors are up by the trucks and vans mirrors. These vehicles are wider, so I suppose a lower mirror would clear them more often. Any narrower than that, and I'd worry about catching a bar. My mirrors are the widest thing on the bike, so I use them like a cat uses its whiskers.
Nice mirrors! Buy them at the dealer???
I currently use the 'tuck the elbow in' method if I need to check for the occasional slow-lane officer.
Greenmeansgo!
Back Marker
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 199
I can split fine with my bar ends and aftermarket handlebar. Just measured and it's a solid 35". I don't know what stock width is. Exactly how narrow are these lanes?
Last edited by Reason; Aug 7, 2009 at 06:42 PM. Reason: grammar
Thread Starter
Junior Member
Squid
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 5
Exactly how narrow are these lanes?
Member
Squid
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 63
From: Dromore, Northern Ireland
We have really narrow roads in England, so the splitting lane can be quite narrow, just wide enough for mirrors to get through, especially in London.
The worst bike I had for filtering was the 600 Bandit, as the high, wide mirrors were exactly the same height as a small van's. We have a lot of small vans on our roads
Cheers,
Paul.
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