Aftermarket mirror blur....any ideas for a fix?

2784 Views 28 Replies 14 Participants Last post by dazco, Jan 3, 2006

dazco

Discussion Starter · Dec 31, 2005 (Edited by Moderator)

2

Hi all. Not a HD owner, but i know you guys probably install more aftermarket mirrors than owners of anything else. So i registered to see if anyone could help me with this. I just bought the mirrors in the pic below and i'm having a problem with blurriness due to vibration. The bike's stock mirrors weren't blurry at all and the bike is very smooth as vibes go. I have tried rubber mounting them in numerous ways and mounting them as rigid as possible making sure everything including the mounts and the mirror/stalk connection was tight as possible. Contray to what i figured, the more rigid the better, and all forms of rubber mounting just made it worse.

So i figured there might be a lot of people here with aftermarket mirrors and many must have had the same problem, so i'd appriciate any insight on ways to eliviate this problem to some degree at least. Not expecting a perfect cure, but the less vibes the better. Thanks....

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1 - 20 of 29 Posts

hdmarsh77

· #2 · Dec 31, 2005

A lot of mirrors have some bolts on the back side to tighten the actual mirror to the pivot point on the stem but it doesn't look like you have those bolts. They are probably on the inside behind the mirrior. If you can get the mirror off the housing you would have access to them and you could tighten them because I think it's the pivot point that's giving you trouble. I'm not sure how to get the mirror off though so maybe someone else can help you with that.
That's a beautiful color by the way. How do you like your Triumph?

dazco

Discussion Starter · #3 · Dec 31, 2005

.

I've already tightened that as much as possible. It's a ball and cup sort of affair and there is a hollow round sleeve that goes over some threads that screws it on. That and the base mount are as tight as can be. The pivot point is so tight it takes strength just to adjust the mirrors !

the triumph.....love it.

hdmarsh77

· #4 · Dec 31, 2005

How are the mirrors themselves? Is there any movement of them in the housing?

Thorns

· #5 · Dec 31, 2005

I know you said there was no vibration, but if you can pull back on the handlebars while riding, and the blur goes away, then I would look at the riser isolators, or you might have to go with a handlebar snake to deaden the blur.
Btw, a lot of us rode Triumphs or BSA's before we got into H-D's. I never owned a Triumph, but rode the hell out of a friend's 650 Bonneville during the 70's. Was a good bike. Welcome to the best tech website on the web. Become a premium member so you can take full advantage of the info available.

Thorns

dazco

Discussion Starter · #6 · Dec 31, 2005

How are the mirrors themselves? Is there any movement of them in the housing?

Yes, to a small extent. Not that they're loose or anything like that. But if you push down on the edge of the glass it'll move down slightly. But there is no way to remove the glass. No access from the back at all, and from the front you'd have to break them to get the glass out. And i'm sure it wouldn't be easy or inexpensive to find someone who could cut that shape. Wouldn't be worth it unless i knew that would fix the problem.

I know you said there was no vibration, but if you can pull back on the handlebars while riding, and the blur goes away, then I would look at the riser isolators, or you might have to go with a handlebar snake to deaden the blur

i don't believe they're isolated. But still why would the stock mirrors be blur free if there was a problem there? It's one of the smoothest bikes i've owned, so i think it's a matter of finding a trick with the mirrors themselves which appear to be where the problem lies for any one of 3 or 4 reasons i've though of.

dazco

Discussion Starter · #7 · Dec 31, 2005

Oh, and since you guys seem to be interested in Triumphs here mine, tho before i got the mirrors and Deuce turn signals. (those stock pumpkins were ugly weren't they !)

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mpemulis

· #8 · Dec 31, 2005

Nothing to contribute about your mirrors (sorry). Just wanted to say that's a beautiful bike.

ccrane2299

· #9 · Dec 31, 2005

If the mirrors have flat glass they will appear to have more vibration than the stockers. The factory mirrors are convex which reduces the effects of the vibration. your stock mirrors no doubt said "Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear" If your new ones do not, they are flat glass. Flat glass also significantly reduces your field of view. I know this doesn't help your current mirrors, but maybe someone else can use it. Chris

zartoff

· #10 · Dec 31, 2005

More on Triumphs

dazco said:
Oh, and since you guys seem to be interested in Triumphs here mine,

Nothing to say on mirrors. My ride in the '70s was a 750 Bonneville. Wish I still had it along with my new ride, '06 Street Bob.

Oh, wait. Found a pic. This is me in 197? in the Ouachita Mountains.

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Ironrdr

· #11 · Dec 31, 2005

I am by no means an expert on harmonics, but my guess would be that the stems of your mirrors are the problem, not your mounts. Having a fork in the mirror stem is probably your main culprit, although it is connected further down the stem. My bet is if you can find a solid stem for the mirrors, your problem would disappear.

Just my -2$en#e-

good luck, and nice bike
darrell

petelogan

· #12 · Dec 31, 2005

dazco - I just shuffled your pictures to make them easier for folks to see.

Hope you don't mind.

dazco

Discussion Starter · #13 · Dec 31, 2005

Nothing to contribute about your mirrors (sorry). Just wanted to say that's a beautiful bike.
Reply With Quote

Thanks..

If the mirrors have flat glass they will appear to have more vibration than the stockers. The factory mirrors are convex which reduces the effects of the vibration. your stock mirrors no doubt said "Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear" If your new ones do not, they are flat glass. Flat glass also significantly reduces your field of view. I know this doesn't help your current mirrors, but maybe someone else can use it.

Actually the stock ones were flat too.

Nothing to say on mirrors. My ride in the '70s was a 750 Bonneville. Wish I still had it along with my new ride, '06 Street Bob.

Oh, wait. Found a pic. This is me in 197? in the Ouachita Mountains.

Looks like my old 78' Tiger ! (same as bonnie but single carb) Same color too......red and white.

I am by no means an expert on harmonics, but my guess would be that the stems of your mirrors are the problem, not your mounts. Having a fork in the mirror stem is probably your main culprit, although it is connected further down the stem. My bet is if you can find a solid stem for the mirrors, your problem would disappear.

Thats been one of my thoughts too. I've thought about filling that void up somehow and then painting the insert black. Lead would be good because i bel;ieve weight is a big factor along with the way a split stem may cause vibes by acting as an amplifier if certain frequencies. Finding new stems that would fit however wouldn't be easy, plus the cost would be steep if they didn't work. But i would consider that anyway if i could find them if for no other reason that i wish they were longer to rid them of the "elbow view" syndrome.

dazco - I just shuffled your pictures to make them easier for folks to see.

Hope you don't mind.

Not at all, thanks.

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Paniolo

· #14 · Dec 31, 2005

Please don't take this the wrong way,

But try forgetting about using the mirrors, and turning your head over your shoulders to look. When I ride, I use the mirrors only to help keep me aware of vehicle presence on both sides. I don't need a clear image to do that, just an object in the mirror. Once I pick up a blur in the mirror, I turn my head and give a quick confirmation look. I NEVER change lanes without turning my head and looking over my shoulder.

Hope this helps.

Mark

Fourcats

· #15 · Dec 31, 2005

I would swap them R & L and put them below the bars...get rid of the "antenna" look.

Its not so much what you can see, as it is "knowing what to look for"....:chopper:

dazco

Discussion Starter · #16 · Dec 31, 2005

Paniolo said:
Please don't take this the wrong way,

But try forgetting about using the mirrors, and turning your head over your shoulders to look. When I ride, I use the mirrors only to help keep me aware of vehicle presence on both sides. I don't need a clear image to do that, just an object in the mirror. Once I pick up a blur in the mirror, I turn my head and give a quick confirmation look. I NEVER change lanes without turning my head and looking over my shoulder.

Hope this helps.

Mark

I do ! But i use the mirrors for many reasons aside from changing lanes. Whenever i change lanes i always look over my shoulder and never trust the mirrors to tell me whats aside or in back of me when it comes to making a move. But there are scenarios where i'm not making a move and just want to know whos in back of me or how heavy traffic is in back of me or any number of reason. So i do want and need blur free mirrors. On that note i just fixed one of the problems which was that they were too low. Added a chrome spacer with longer screws to the base. Much better looking that way to my eye at least, and better view. Whether or not it may have changed the harmonic for better or worse remains to be seen since it's pouring rain right now. But at idle it seemed a bit better.

I would swap them R & L and put them below the bars...get rid of the "antenna" look.

:nope:

Thorns

· #17 · Jan 1, 2006

It could be a reaction the Triumph is having because of the flames. Try them on a friend's H-D, and see if they still blur.

Thorns

dazco

Discussion Starter · #18 · Jan 1, 2006

Thorns said:
It could be a reaction the Triumph is having because of the flames. Try them on a friend's H-D, and see if they still blur.

Thorns

Actually on a serious note, i didn't like the flames and wanted a set that was just smooth chrome, but they didn't make them like that. Once i got them tho i didn't mind the flames. Kinda like em now, tho still if i had my choice i'd still go smooth.

Tommy Meisel

· #19 · Jan 2, 2006 (Edited)

Your mirrors are either vibrating between the glass and the base or the base and stem are vibrating like a tuning fork. (Or maybe both!) Does the shake stop if you lightly touch the glass or wedge something between the glass and the base? Then the glass is probably vibrating in the base and you will have to put something in there to stop it. Maybe you could push some RTV or ShoeGoo behind the glass. If this does not stop the fuzziness, then the base and stem are vibrating like a tuning fork. In this case there are several ways to attack the problem. You can change the resonant frequency of the mirrors...add weight, make the stem stiffer, longer, shorter, etc. This may solve the problem.

Something else to think about..these mirrors hang out into the wind and are supported all the way at the inside edge. They could be fluttering, an aerodynamic problem. If this is the case, then they are twisting on the stem instead of shaking it back and forth. The pattern on the back of the base doesn't help matters any, it just makes more turbulence.

If it were me, I would just put the stock mirrors back on, they look good, nice traditional round ones, and sell the fancy ones on eBay.

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dazco

Discussion Starter · #20 · Jan 2, 2006

Tommy Meisel said:
Your mirrors are either vibrating between the glass and the base or the base and stem are vibrating like a tuning fork. (Or maybe both!) Does the shake stop if you lightly touch the glass or wedge something between the glass and the base? Then the glass is probably vibrating in the base and you will have to put something in there to stop it. Maybe you could push some RTV or ShoeGoo behind the glass. If this does not stop the fuzziness, then the base and stem are vibrating like a tuning fork. In this case there are several ways to attack the problem. You can change the resonant frequency of the mirrors...add weight, make the stem stiffer, longer, shorter, etc. This may solve the problem.

Something else to think about..these mirrors hang out into the wind and are supported all the way at the inside edge. They could be fluttering, an aerodynamic problem. If this is the case, then they are twisting on the stem instead of shaking it back and forth. The pattern on the back of the base doesn't help matters any, it just makes more turbulence.

If it were me, I would just put the stock mirrors back on, they look good, nice traditional round ones, and sell the fancy ones on eBay.

Thanks for that. It's not wind because if i pull the clutch and coast they clear up. As for putting something behind the glass, one of the first things i did was fill the gap with silicone. But the gap is very slight so very little gets in. I forced it in as much as i could with a finger than cleaned up the glass and tried it the naxt day after it cured. No difference. And the glass isn't removable. No access from the back or anything like that.

Weight....i have thought about filling that void in the stem with lead and painting it. Suppose it could help but a lot of work for nothing if it doesn't so i probably won't. I also clamped weight on them to see what happened and wasn't perticularly hopefull at the result.

Holding the strem or mirrors doesn't fix the problem but helps some. i just installed some spacers to get them up higher for a better view with less arm in the picture. That helped with that and hopefully will also change the frequency in a good way but i wonb't know till it stops raining. In fact i stored the3 bike away for the week and the first chance i'll have to try it is next weekend.

I may well go back to stock, but not till i've exausted every possibility with no luck.

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