Tweety

As usual, the best way to make me do something is to tell me it's impossible... When people tell me that stuff doesn't fit, my standard reply is "It's just a matter of tolerances"...

I have wanted mirrors with signal for a long time now, and I have seen several projects, none that really appealed to me (as in me doing it, not the results, they where in all cases stellar)... I don't like playing with the pot metal to lengthen the stock stem I don't like opening up the mirrors to add a bulb...

So I kept coming back to the GSXR mirrors... Yeah, the angle is wrong and the bolt pattern is of by a mile... So what, the SP2 swing-arm is narrower and has a wider bearings than the stock swing-arm, and it fits fine...

Then I found a new donor bike... I had a little test ride on the new VFR1200... And the mirror/signal combo on that (and the new CBR) looks snazzy...

So I looked at the cost of that... $680 for the pair?! You have got to be kidding me! No actually says the parts guy, it's $683, cuz you need that bolt and washer as well... After looking around a bit I find I can buy them assembled for $350 instead of buying them in parts... But to be able to do that you need to know the secret parts number that isn't in any list or computer for the whole mirror&signal assembly... Oh joy!

$350?! I can buy a new set of tires for that... And it's actually roughly the money I spent on the swing-arm mod... No way in h-e-double hockeysticks I'm paying $350 for a pair of mirrors... OCMD or not...

So that got me pissed of enough that I decided to buy a pair of GSXR mirrors and fiddle around... $53 with shipping seems darned cheap compared to the VFR/CBR option... And if they don't fit... Oh well...

So I get them (took 2 days from the US somewhere for $10 shipping? How did do that?! Nevermind... Don't tell me, just keep doing it...)

So I start fiddling about, now I didn't spring for OEM ones, it was just gonna be fiddling, not expecting them to fit... But the glass is real glass, the stems are metal and the fit and finish is really nice... Apart from the flimsy plastic tab over the bolt holding the mount on... Fiddle, fiddle, crack... Oopsie... So now I have one mirror with no plastic tab...

Originally I was planning to make an aluminum block to bolt in between to correct the angle and be done with it... But at this point I figure I might go all the way... It's already broken (Like my gf said... "That took you a whole 3 minutes, so that's $17 a minute!")

Ok, stick it in the drill press and drill out the rivet holding the arm to the mount, make a new mount using left over pieces of scrap metal and slide the stock rubber boot on it... Drill a little hole in the fairing to get teh wires through... All in 1 hour... And it looks like it was made that way from the factory... The mirrors sit roughly where my mirrors was with the "mirror extender" blocks on them... A bit lower and possibly a bit wider... Compared to stock they are considerably wider and a bit higher up...

Now I haven't ridden with them yet, but I think they are in the right place... And the mount is even more solid than stock, so I'm fairly sure they will be buzz free...

Unfortunately I left my camera in the shop, and I'm to darned lazy to go get it (it's warm and cozy in side, it's cold and raining outside ) So you won't see any pics until tomorrow... (Yeah, I know I'm mean...)

andy9743