Triumph 675 Forums banner

Pleased with my much cheaper than OE bar end mirrors

1K views 4 replies 3 participants last post by  The_Rx_is_Triple 
#1 · (Edited)
I never liked the OE mirrors on my ST3RX. I always had to contort myself or lean out of the way just to be able to use my mirrors to see behind me. So many times over using a full head turn when all I should have needed was to glance at mirrors.

Went to the local Triumph dealership where I bought the bike and they had some in stock. They were a quality unit, but at well over $100, and around $150 after taxes, I couldn't justify it when it seems "universal" ones were around $20-50. I figured at that price difference they would be of questionable quality. Then I saw some after market mirrors at another local motorcycle apparel and accessories shop, and they were surprisingly just as good quality as the Triumph ones and were significantly cheaper.

Well that gave me the confidence to end up ordering these:
http://tinyurl.com/owqh8gu

$30, took about 2-3 weeks to be delivered. Very nice quality, and took a few minutes to install. I can actually use them without having to do anything but glance at them . . . no weird body/neck contortions needed any more just to see if anyone is behind me. No vibration/shaky view. High quality, thick paint/(powdercoating?).

I removed the OE bar end caps, reused the OE bolt, removed the cylindrical portion that would normally slot into the handle bar as it was not needed for the ST3 at least. The bolt supplied in this kit has a rather deep head for accepting an allen key. As a result, the OE bolt inserts quite deeply into the end cap. I kinda like this for a few reasons. If the bike ever goes down the OE bolt is protected, and because it inserts so deeply, there is plenty of thread to engage into for a secure and tight purchase on the mirror mount.

If you guys want any pictures in particular just let me know and I'll take some and upload.

Oh and forgot to add, I "plugged" the OE mirror threaded holes with bolts specifically made to "plug" brake bosses for V-brakes on bicycles when people upgrade to disk brakes. It was the cheapest I could find a bolt of the correct diameter, pitch, short enough and with a finish so they won't corrode. These were also significantly cheaper than most motorcycle marketed plugs, i.e. those outrageously priced bolts with the union jack on the face of the bolt head. Bought them here:
http://tinyurl.com/qa6ubmg
 
See less See more
#5 ·
Thanks. I pretty much used some google-fu to get the appropriate thread information then went google-fu-ing towards sourcing them. That ended up being the cheapest option for my requirements listed above. Admittedly I find his shipping pricing to be a bit of a scam (charged me $5 US, to put it in an envelope, and mail it to me for about $1.50 CAD postage). But even with the high shipping charges, it was still by far the cheapest option I could find. Everyone else wanted $20 or more for 2 bolts, or from the UK where shipping made it similarly expensive . . . I believe I got mine for $3.50 from the site I posted, so still the cheapest I could find in the end.

Oh and just because I'm slightly paranoid about corrosion, and saw a little corrosion pulling the OE bolts out, I put a quick spritz of corrosion inhibitor into the holes and on the threads of the bolts before threading the bolts in.

BTW, anyone have any tips on where to mount an air horn? I have a Wolo Big Bad Max (single low tone horn) I used to run on a car I have since sold. Works great in conjunction with a single higher tone diaphragm horn like on a bike. The mix of the two dissonant tones makes them seem even louder together.

Anyways, looks exactly like this, and is a similar size to other similar mini compressor air horn setups.
http://tinyurl.com/pje8zjz

Any tips on where to mount it more discretely on a naked like the St3? The only place I can think of so far is off the OE horn tab mount. And that's not particularly discrete.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top