Mirror Extenders

[Throttled]

(Adapted from an old post)

Bought June 2011, ebay just over £10 each. (watch Yamaha's which have a reverse thread) There are loads of sellers.

I have been riding since last November. During that time I have ridden a Lifan 125, Suzuki Van Van, Yamaha YRB125, Suzuki GS500, Yamaha XJ6n and Kawasaki KLE500.

One thing unites all of those bikes, the crap view from the mirrors. No matter what adjustment was made, I would see my arms and a view out to either side of the bike that was limited. I could have lorries behind me and not know. The blind spots to either side were huge.

It is no wonder during lessons and tests so much emphasis was on paying attention to what was behind you and life savers. Every 15 seconds on straights and all the time for any maneuver.

http://motorcycleworldl-spa.co.uk/images/uploads/mrumnt12.jpg

I would rate the improvement in rear view I now have as having gone from 1/5 to 5/5. I do not need to move my head as much as before to try and get a view. The mirrors now point straight behind me and I can see vehciles that are even tailgating. The view crosses over left and right, so my view is virtually panoramic and my blind spot is now tiny. I have experimented on the motorway and with cars as soon as they have disappeared into the blind spot they reappear again. Lorries and buses never disappear completely.

Those extenders will fit the vast majority of motorbikes. There are other versions that are more like stalk extenders for sporty bikes. I think that it is scandalous that bike manufacturers provide such crappy mirrors and having them longer should be standard. That applies to riders of all sizes and on all bikes. Here they are on my bike.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6203/6072847493_1c4822ece5.jpg

The extenders are the best by miles safety addition to my bike. If I had known how good they are I would have fitted them to my YBR and would have encouraged the bike schools I was at to do the same.

They do not replace the life saver, but they supplement it and make you more confident that you have not missed anything. I cannot recommend mirror extenders more highly.