Have any of you made modifications or replaced the mirrors on your FJ? I cannot see behind me to check for cops when I'm sitting at a stoplight and there is a long empty street in front of me...
The answer is yes, but different year FJ's used different mirrors.
Go to your Profile (button at top of page) modify your signature line and put in the year FJ you have.
That will help us help you.
Quote from: Loukiii on April 25, 2021, 07:36:22 AMHave any of you made modifications or replaced the mirrors on your FJ? I cannot see behind me to check for cops when I'm sitting at a stoplight and there is a long empty street in front of me...
Loukiii,
I'm sure you can find aftermarket mirrors of many shapes and sizes, but I am partial to the curvy mirror surface of the OEM mirrors. They have just the right "wide-angle" view, for me. Flat mirrors don't cut it , on a bike, and I do not want to look at a ball bearing to figure out what is back there. I have a 1985 FJ1100.
So, I used inch+ long Metric "joiner nuts" on the threaded shafts for the mirrors, then added a short piece of Metric "All-Thread" into the joiner nut, and re-installed my OEM mirrors. The trick to cutting All-Thread is to file down the saw-cut ends cleanly, before trying to install the nuts. I made the mod self-locking by using some silicon RTV sealant on the threads, but unlike Loctite, RTV never hardens, withstands vibration well, always comes apart nicely, and always grips solidly. This trick mounted the mirrors a little farther out, which got me a good view of the road behind. This mod is fairly inconspicuous, and cheap.
Metric joiner nuts and Metric All-Thread may be somewhat scarce items there, but I used
WWW.ANYWHO.COM (http://www.anywho.com)
. . . which is the
fer-real Internet Yellow Pages (all the other YPs are wannabees). "Nuts and Bolts" is a separate heading in the Yellow Pages. Click on the "Yellow Pages" tab, put in Nuts and Bolts, and if you give a local ZIP code, Anywho will SORT the results by distance from you. Anywho will even print out maps for you. Call ahead to verify stock, of course.
For the FJ1100,
I know that Pat Conlon uses Rizoma mirrors. I don't know which model.
They are a bit on the Pricey side.... But, for bar mounted mirrors, they do look good.
Here is an example.
https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/rizoma-radial-rs-mirror?gclid=Cj0KCQjwyZmEBhCpARIsALIzmnJV4MgwvtqFhDZbgUyq1xrPa13y9KMXFyPiD0p53Ab9g-SbJLLTdcgaAqFsEALw_wcB (https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/rizoma-radial-rs-mirror?gclid=Cj0KCQjwyZmEBhCpARIsALIzmnJV4MgwvtqFhDZbgUyq1xrPa13y9KMXFyPiD0p53Ab9g-SbJLLTdcgaAqFsEALw_wcB)
For the 1986/1987 1200
Many have used the Mid 2000's CBR600/1000 mirrors. You have to elongated the mounting holes.
For the 1988-1990 1200
IMO, the 2012 CBR250R mirrors work the best. The mounting holes need elongated
For the 1991 and later 1200
The 2007 Bandit S mirrors work well. The mounting holes need to be elongated.
Fred
Quote from: aviationfred on April 26, 2021, 02:50:42 AM
For the FJ1100,
I know that Pat Conlon uses Rizoma mirrors. I don't know which model.
They are a bit on the Pricey side.... But, for bar mounted mirrors, they do look good.
Here is an example.
https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/rizoma-radial-rs-mirror?gclid=Cj0KCQjwyZmEBhCpARIsALIzmnJV4MgwvtqFhDZbgUyq1xrPa13y9KMXFyPiD0p53Ab9g-SbJLLTdcgaAqFsEALw_wcB (https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/rizoma-radial-rs-mirror?gclid=Cj0KCQjwyZmEBhCpARIsALIzmnJV4MgwvtqFhDZbgUyq1xrPa13y9KMXFyPiD0p53Ab9g-SbJLLTdcgaAqFsEALw_wcB)
For the 1986/1987 1200
Many have used the Mid 2000's CBR600/1000 mirrors. You have to elongated the mounting holes.
For the 1988-1990 1200
IMO, the 2012 CBR250R mirrors work the best. The mounting holes need elongated
For the 1991 and later 1200
The 2007 Bandit S mirrors work well.
Fred
Yep, keep it simple. I have the Honda mirrors and they work fine. They are convex to just the right degree and are big enough. As Fred said, elongate the mounting holes (just one) a whisker and that's it. I have found the optical quality in most cheap mirrors (not all though) to be more than adequate, and I'm fussy. Folks seem to forget your focal range is on the image, not the glass surface. Standing in you garage staring into both as you might a shaving mirror, the expensive mirror's superior quality will be obvious but I would defy anyone to pick the difference out on the road.
Years ago I bought a cheap set of Honda mirrors for less than $30 to see if they'd do the job, it was my intention that if they worked to my satisfaction, I would then invest in some quality mirrors and throw them in the bin. They were so good I never changed them and they are on the bike to this day.
Fred's on top of these things way more than me, but I'm fairly sure the mirrors that are suitable extends well beyond just the year and model he mentioned, for example, I have (I think) CBR 1000 mirrors and I recall many other models being used. More likely though, Honda used the same mirror over many models.
I found riding without a good view behind me really uncomfortable, to me, 360 deg awareness when riding is essential for safety, I don't want anything coming up on me unexpectedly, nor to I need to be pushing my upper body to one side every time I want a glimpse of what's behind.
Good mirrors make for a more relaxed ride and greatly enhance safety. I do not understand people who knowingly sacrifice rear vision and safety for the sake of originality, anyway, these are my Honda mirrors....
(https://live.staticflickr.com/4316/36071150712_f4612714cd_b.jpg)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/3937/15503923082_0a66939e56_b.jpg)
...this is the view in my less than $30 mirror!
(https://live.staticflickr.com/5451/31001845190_525faa0970_b.jpg)
Noel
I've ordered a set of 2012 CBR250 mirrors from ebay. I'm tired of not being able to see my kid riding behind me. I wonder if I was narrower in my youth - I don't remember it hard to see behind myself before.
Quote from: Waiex191 on April 26, 2021, 08:28:09 AM
.....I'm tired of not being able to see my kid riding behind me. I wonder if I was narrower in my youth - I don't remember it hard to see behind myself before.
Anyone small enough not to obstruct the mirrors would not be able to reach the handle bars on an FJ. Maybe a 5 yo, but that would be it.
Noel
Ha Ha....... at under 5'8" and under 160 lbs (with short arms), I must be a big 5 year old :sarcastic:
Quote from: Millietant on April 26, 2021, 01:43:19 PM
Ha Ha....... at under 5'8" and under 160 lbs (with short arms), I must be a big 5 year old :sarcastic:
That is me too. But I think I can't count my arms and legs if I want to be under 160.
I still say 86 mirrors are the best for 89-90
I don't "need" new mirrors for visibility, but might get a set of these to replace mine, as the right side one has a low rpm resonant "buzz". :good2: ......and I prefer to keep my parts all "Yamaha - mainly to show myself how Yamaha could have made the FJ better without having to design new parts or do any extensive development work.
Quote from: Millietant on April 27, 2021, 04:27:54 AM
I don't "need" new mirrors for visibility, but might get a set of these to replace mine, as the right side one has a low rpm resonant "buzz". :good2: ......and I prefer to keep my parts all "Yamaha - mainly to show myself how Yamaha could have made the FJ better without having to design new parts or do any extensive development work.
A good alternative is to pick up a vintage Suzuki GN400 single. Once you are acclimated to that bike, all the vibration on the FJ will be gone. The mirror resonance won't be an issue assuming it is not flinging around enough to beat up your helmet.
Ha Ha - it's just something behind the lens, it doesn't bother me really as I generally can't hear it above the sweet sound from my Remus and through my earplugs. :sarcastic: :sarcastic:
The OEM mirrors have a steel weight bonded inside. Likely to reduce vibration by changing the natural frequency. But after the years go by that bond fails and it ends up loose at the bottom. After a little more time the weight will start removing the silver from the inside.
I've had luck. Drilling a hole in the bottom and filling it with silicone.
If I ever get back to my fun projects. I'm going to make a rear view camera system with. 2 small monitors. One on each side. Just have to find the cameras and monitors in all the stuff that got packed up when I started building the house
Quote from: giantkiller on April 27, 2021, 06:25:14 PM
I've had luck. Drilling a hole in the bottom and filling it with silicone.
Yep, the hole in the bottom does the trick (I actually cut a rectangle out of the bottom). You can afford to make it big enough to re attach the weight and then cover the hole with black duct tape. With the hole being on the underside of the mirror, no one will ever see it. But you're really flogging a dead horse, get rid of them in favour of something with better rear vision, it costs less than a tank of fuel and might just save your life one day.
Noel
Quote from: aviationfred on April 26, 2021, 02:50:42 AM
For the 1988-1990 1200
IMO, the 2012 CBR250R mirrors work the best. The mounting holes need elongated
Fred
My ebay mirrors came today. So just to make sure I understand correctly, these are the mounting holes that bolt the bracket to the fairing? And you use the honda brackets, not the Yamaha ones? I almost got some cheaper ones but they didn't have that bottom bracket.
I modified the OEM bracket to my aftermarket mirror stalks. Needed a little grinding to properly fit the stalk the the base. After that, the 86' rubber boot still fit.
Quote from: aviationfred on April 26, 2021, 02:50:42 AM
For the 1988-1990 1200
IMO, the 2012 CBR250R mirrors work the best. The mounting holes need elongated
Fred
Elongated! I'll say! Beyond elongated we had to grind down the perimeter to make room for a bolt head. I figured I'd use allens to minimize the space requirements but the slots went right to the edge of the recess before I could get the bolts in.
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/12/6694_01_05_21_6_18_24_1.jpeg)
This job turned into sort of a disaster. I only got out 1 big phillips mounting screw out of 4. Had to drill out the other 3. I was trying to figure out if I could get to the back side. I took out the left side inner panel and found lots of broken plastic. I did finally get them drilled out, slotted them with a dremel, and they came out easily. Not sure why the impact driver couldn't touch them.
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/12/6694_01_05_21_6_18_24_0.jpeg)
I think I'll make some custom mounts.
Quote from: FJmonkey on April 30, 2021, 11:28:12 PM
I modified the OEM bracket to my aftermarket mirror stalks. Needed a little grinding to properly fit the stalk the the base. After that, the 86' rubber boot still fit.
For the life of me I could not see how this would work. Maybe the '86 is a lot different.
They are on! We went for a short ride and I like them.
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/12/6694_01_05_21_7_46_36_0.jpeg)
Here is the stock mirror in comparison.
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/12/6694_01_05_21_7_46_36_1.jpeg)
Yep, had the same exciting time when I put mine on. Used a Dremel and spent ages chewing metal. A bolt on job that took best part of a day. But like you say, once they are on, sit back and enjoy the view.
Blue Locktite is your friend.
For alternative replacement sources, my go-to online store in Canada carries them from Bike Master brand. Results from the EMGO brand were incomplete.
Possibly the base design is different but I couldn't confirm that from the product images (not that I trust store product images to be that exact SKU anyway).
BikeMaster OEM Replacement Mirror Right - Black - 600478 | Honda CBR250R 2011-2013 (Fortnine SKU: XA5058045)
BikeMaster OEM Replacement Mirror Left - Black - 600479 | Honda CBR250R 2011-2013 (Fortnine SKU: XA5058044)
These have a vertical pivot bolt. It ain't pretty by my standards and I don't have rubber boots to hide them but it works. They are very clear, rock steady after 5 hours including rutted pavement and give a wide angle view.
My fabrication notes are in the gallery image description but I think the thread covers enough about that already.
The pic shows the difference in extension from the base point.
(http://fjowners.com/gallery/12/581_25_06_21_8_11_19.jpeg)
It looks like the previous owner had already replaced the stock mirrors as the ones on the bike are definitely not Yamaha. They look like Kawasaki Ninja mirrors and they suck. Im going to try some CBR mirrors as recommended I just hope the guy didnt screw anything up so I will be able to do something without having to screw anything else up. lol
I was going to go with the CBR mirrors for my 89, as Fred recommended, but after seeing them "in real life", I thought the arms were just too "spindly".
So, I plumped for the 2001-2005 FZ1 (Fazer 1000 here) mirrors and am really pleased with them - great visibility, they look great and they've smoothed the airflow around my helmet at speed :good2:
The great thing about the stock mirrors was they were socked down tight. I could hang my helmet on them and the mirrors would not move. With the CBR mirrors, I find they are always getting tweaked and I have to readjust them. Are the FZ1/Fazer mirrors any better?