It’s no secret that most stock motorcycle mirrors aren’t that great. They’re usually cheap parts bin items that tend to provide a poor view and vibrate excessively. It’s pretty crucial to be able to see traffic and hazards behind you, so lousy mirrors are unacceptable. Replacing the OEM mirrors with aftermarket bar end mirrors is a great way to remedy the situation. You’ll be able to actually see what’s behind you, and give you bike an upgrade in the looks department.
Your mirror options
There are dozens of options to choose from for bar end mirrors (available from Revzilla). Our 2019 Kawasaki Z400, was definitely struggling with a case of pathetic OEM mirrors. Upgrading the mirrors was an absolute necessity. I picked out some simple Bikemaster Folding Bar End Mirrors as the replacement.
They’re affordable, durable, good looking, easily adjustable, and provide a great field of view, especially compared to the OEM mirrors.
Installation is also incredibly easy. It shouldn’t take longer than 15 minutes, and there are no specialty tools required.
Remove the old mirrors
The first thing I had to do was relegate the old mirrors to the scrap pile. You could make this the last step, after your shiny new bar end mirrors are installed and you’re in love with them. I prefer to leave lame OEM mirrors in the past, though so I start here and get them out of the way first. The exact process of removing mirrors will vary by manufacturer and bike model, but tends to be easy.
For naked motorcycles like our Z400, with mirrors mounted to the handlebars, the general process is just two steps. First, loosen a locknut at the base of the mirror, then unscrew the mirror stem from the mount. For motorcycles with fairing-mounted mirrors it’s typical to remove nuts or a backing plate from the underside of the fairing to remove the mirrors.
If you’re bothered by the empty holes where the mirrors were mounted, they can either be filled with a plain bolt (in the case of handlebar-mounted mirrors) or you can purchase a block off plate/plug (for fairing-mounted mirrors).
Opening the bars
Next, you need to get to the ends of your handlebars. In most cases, this only requires removing the bar end weights or the end caps on the grips. If your grips are completely closed-ended, you need to install open-ended grips or modify your grips by cutting the ends off them to make an opening.
Installing the new mirrors
The next step is to install the bar end mirrors themselves. There’s a variety of mounts, clamps, and adapters depending on the type of bars you have. Figure out what type of handlebars you have and get any additional hardware or adapters needed before you begin.
In the case of our Z400, the bars are threaded so installation is a simple matter of bolting the mirrors to the end of the handlebar. It would work fine to reuse the bolts from the bar end weights, but I want a tighter fit and cleaner look. To achieve that, I added a spacer between the mirror and the end of the handlebar, and used a button head cap bolt. Both from my Bolt Sport Bike Pro Pack hardware kit.
Adjusting the mirrors
The final step is to hop on your bike and adjust your new mirrors to your desired field of view. Then give everything a final tightening to ensure the mirrors won’t move around when riding. The last thing you want is for the mirrors to shift while riding. Once everything is nice and tight, take a ride and enjoy the newfound clarity of vision provided by your new bar-end mirrors.
The rundown
- Remove your old mirrors (unless you actually want two pairs of mirrors).
- Remove any bar end weights or caps from your handlebars or grips.
- If you have closed-ended grips, you’ll need to install new open-ended grips, or modify your closed-ended grips by cutting the end to make an opening.
- Using the required adapters (for open-ended hollow handlebars) or bolts (for threaded bars), secure the new bar end mirrors in place.
- Adjust the mirrors to the desired field of view, then get out and ride!
Pingback: 2019 Kawasaki Z400 Review – Union Moto