Atlas mirrors

OneThinBloke

OneThinBloke

Hero member
Location
Oxfordshire, UK
Greeting all.

The (original?) mirrors that are fitted to my Atlas are frankly shit. Above about 5,000 rpm the engine vibrations mean that I can see almost nothing in the mirrors.

What vibration resistant mirrors can anyone suggest. Round and black preferred vs. chrome.

Thanks,
James
 
Try for something solidly mounted as close to a firm base as possible. Good luck - I think rubberised vibration damping can actually make matters worse. The mirrors on the SFQ are std Kwaka ZXR and offer only basic vision rearward - enough for safe passage but no way I can get any detail - luckily at 5000rpm (145kph) they miraculously enter the sweet spot in oscillation dynamics and are crystal clear!! So I get to see the fuzz coming up behind to hit me up for loss of licence and a hefty lightening of the wallet! o_O

I'm sure if I mounted the mirrors off the clipons (an area not as affected by vibration) they'd be more effective. Mine are mounted off the fairing bracket, at the furthest possible point from a solid base (such as the frame head tube). But it doesn't really bother me. I've lived with poor rear vision since early 1975 when I bought my SF1. Until I can fit counterbalancers to the motor I'm afraid it's a fact of life.
 
I lived with it as well till a Cop asked why I didn't notice him right behind
me. I then made it my business to get the mirrors working way better and I did. Back after lunch to say how. BTW lots mention Doulb take mirrors on adventure bikes but more for not getting damaged in a crash. No idea if vibs get handled better. MyAtlas mirrors are great but I have only hit 120ks on it.
 
Vince said:
I lived with it as well till a Cop asked why I didn't notice him right behind
me. I then made it my business to get the mirrors working way better and I did. Back after lunch to say how. BTW lots mention Doulb take mirrors on adventure bikes but more for not getting damaged in a crash. No idea if vibs get handled better. MyAtlas mirrors are great but I have only hit 120ks on it.
Click to expand...
Mine are useless above about 90ks
 
piranha-bro2 said:
Try for something solidly mounted as close to a firm base as possible. Good luck - I think rubberised vibration damping can actually make matters worse. The mirrors on the SFQ are std Kwaka ZXR and offer only basic vision rearward - enough for safe passage but no way I can get any detail - luckily at 5000rpm (145kph) they miraculously enter the sweet spot in oscillation dynamics and are crystal clear!! So I get to see the fuzz coming up behind to hit me up for loss of licence and a hefty lightening of the wallet! o_O

I'm sure if I mounted the mirrors off the clipons (an area not as affected by vibration) they'd be more effective. Mine are mounted off the fairing bracket, at the furthest possible point from a solid base (such as the frame head tube). But it doesn't really bother me. I've lived with poor rear vision since early 1975 when I bought my SF1. Until I can fit counterbalancers to the motor I'm afraid it's a fact of life.
Click to expand...
My American Eagle's vibrations are horrendous! Unrideable above 140ks due to my eyeballs jumping all over... Mirrors still clear as clear things :o Crash-bar mounted.
 
FUCK, just typed a long reply and promptly DELETED THE FUCKEN THING. Anyway, GROMENTED the hell out of the 3c mirrors and fairing mounts. So, back to Atlas. Just looked at mine, there is no room for any other types of mirror mounts on the bars. Maybe try temporarily ductaping some wheel lead weights to the back of your mirrors, they might damp out the movements? If it works, glue them on. Those double-take mirrors use Ram Mounts, no idea if their base has the same thread as Atlas mirrors, good luck. As I said, my Atlas mirrors are great up to 120, kind of odd yours are not. Just had a thought, I have 25mm rubber-mounted handlebar rises, so maybe they help.
 
Vince said:
FUCK, just typed a long reply and promptly DELETED THE FUCKEN THING. Anyway, GROMENTED the hell out of the 3c mirrors and fairing mounts. So, back to Atlas. Just looked at mine, there is no room for any other types of mirror mounts on the bars. Maybe try temporarily ductaping some wheel lead weights to the back of your mirrors, they might damp out the movements? If it works, glue them on. Those double-take mirrors use Ram Mounts, no idea if their base has the same thread as Atlas mirrors, good luck. As I said, my Atlas mirrors are great up to 120, kind of odd yours are not. Just had a thought, I have 25mm rubber-mounted handlebar rises, so maybe they help.
Click to expand...
Rubber mounted risers, um, er, NO!

Glueing some weights to the mirrors is something I have thought of, but... I am sure there are OEM/pattern mirrors from something (single/parallel twin?) that work.
 
That's a preety adament NO What's the issue with the rubber-mounted risers? They helped my standing position comfort a lot. The ones I use allow forward and back adjustment as well. I bought footpegs that allowed similar adjustability as well, plus rubber inserts for road work that come out for boot grip off-road. BTW, keep us in the loop with the mirrors, good to know what works.
 
Vince said:
That's a preety adament NO What's the issue with the rubber-mounted risers? They helped my standing position comfort a lot. The ones I use allow forward and back adjustment as well. I bought footpegs that allowed similar adjustability as well, plus rubber inserts for road work that come out for boot grip off-road. BTW, keep us in the loop with the mirrors, good to know what works.
Click to expand...
I had an XS250 for a v. short while. It had rubber mounted bars, zero feedback to know what's happening.

My competence in off-road riding is basic, at best. It did not go well when I gave it a go on my Atlas!
 
I will have a look to see what make of mirror is fitted to my Mk3, not that I’m going to commit to saying they are any better than the ones on my Mk2.
 
I had a little interaction with a Cop once who said why did you do that, I was right behind you. Why didnt you see me? No ticket, thankfully, but I did decide I needed functioning mirrors on my 3c. I have replica GSXR 1000 Suzuki mirrors mounted on the bevel fairing. I needed to take out all fairing wobbles and vibrations. The fairing has 2 mounts on each side and a central mount through the steering head, so really 3 in total. All are fixed through rubber grommets to the bike frame, plus the mirrors have grommets as well. Lately, I added a 25mm rubberish packer made for those mirrors to jack them out past my elbows. The latest issue is slop in that central mount; it also has a thin washer-like needle roller bearing to remove drag on the steering. I am aiming to take that sloppy play out with a heavy-duty Conti exhaust clamp around the base of the100mm alloy tube it uses. Its complcated but works really well, I can now tell if it's a Taxi or a Cop behind me. Very handy in the intensely trafficked area I live in.
 
At my montjuic 500 I have a bar-end mirror. For the first time on a bike.
Unbelievable how good it is. No vibration at all and a lot to see.
Don’t know it will fit on an Atlas.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_1556.jpeg
    IMG_1556.jpeg
    282.7 KB · Views: 25
No make on the mirrors that I can see James. Try asking ‘Growler’ if he recalls where they came from - assuming they weren’t the ones already fitted when he bought it from Trotter.
 
Otto said:
At my montjuic 500 I have a bar-end mirror. For the first time on a bike.
Unbelievable how good it is. No vibration at all and a lot to see.
Don’t know it will fit on an Atlas.
Click to expand...

Shouldn’t they be flipped upside down? Or do you keep them up for cornering?
 
Not a solution as such. I have a pre-AMF Harley Sportster so I know vibration. Whenever I want to look in the mirror I place my thumb on the mirror stalk and I can see clearly. Obviously won't work if you can't reach your mirror easily.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top