Touratech folding mirrors

[greenmanalishi]

Has any used folding mirrors at all? If so are they any good? I was looking at the Touratech ones but cant find any reviews about them. I have found reviews for others and the advice was stay clear. Why do I want them? Well my transalp is a tall bike and no matter what size bike cover I get they wont fit to the ground, but they would if I could fold the mirrors down and the cover sat at the top of the screen instead.

Being a cheap skate I dont want to shell out and find you can only see your arms in them or that they vibrate so much you can only see a blur.

Thanks in advance

GM

[dash]

I've just splashed out on a Doubletake setup for my Tenere (mainly because I changed the brake master cylinder and thus didn't have anywhere to fit the OE RH mirror any more.

They only turned up last night, so I've done all of 15 miles with them fitted, but they seem pretty well made, solid enough not to be blurry, and a pretty decent size.

Would take about 2 seconds to fold them down flat or even take them off. A bit longer to put them back I guess because you have no reference for the right position.

Not cheap though (largely because they use RAM components). I think my setup was about £65.

[spooky]

I'm personally wonder that there are still folks around who are using "stiff-smash-me-easy-replace-me-expensive" mirrors, not only braking the glass or snap the arm, but eventually even crack the clamp which holding the clutch or brake master in place !!

One of my first modification on my LC4 was to trash the original stiff mirrors and replace them with the KTM LC4 625 SXC folding ones made by SW-motech.
Using this mirrors since 2005 for 40.000km by now, only smashed the glass on one side during a crash on tarmac a few years back. I would never ever go without a set of folding mirrors any more, they are perfect for Enduro and travelling bikes !
Perfect for having a quick run in to the bushes or small narrow tracks, without even the need to stop the bike, just flip them inwards and wack the branches in the woods... yeah even in dens traffic filtering up to the front to the traffic lights between the cars no problems... even doing so standing up on the pegs offroad, just one handed move and they are out of the way.

the good thing is, they are round, not to big, do not vibrate and don't stick out to far regarding there short arm. I actually have to swing them down every time I want to get my bike in and out the door, which is tight but no problems for the handlebar. I had to transport the bike in a van for a few times along the past years, so there was no need to unbolt the mirrors either.

there are several companies who selling this fold down mirrors, so you don't need to buy the TT-porn ones, which I think must be overrated anyway...
so here we go, where you can get good fold down mirrors for about 16,-Euros each.

1) ACERBIS sales some MX-offroad mirrors for about 16,-Euros hinched on a bar-clamp and ball mount. they are handed LH and RH so you need to buy a set. (personally I think they are a bit wimpy, but would do on small bikes, are wildly around on MX-bikes if needing a road legal setup)

2) KTM LC4 625 SXC folding mirrors (the best) the ones I'm using for about 25,-Euros each as far I remember, can be used LH or RH just turn them, just get two, thread right in to the Magura clutch and brake clamp on the handlebar. (made by SW-motech) can be ordered with any KTM dealer.
This short ones are are the one you want to look out for... http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=357336

3) POLO Universal mirror, adjustable part.no: 50190002300 mailorder, can be used LH and RH just turn them, available with M8 and M10 this cost around 17,-Euros

Well I can only warmly recommend everyone to swoop there mirrors over, makes live so much easier. This fold down mirrors survived several crashes on-and-off the road, they are easy to move out of the way.

[greenmanalishi]

3 weeks later and a Touratech mirror arrived when they said it would and on time. Now fitted and the verdict? Dont bother. They do not have much adjustment as the mirror is not on a ball joint so positioning is not universal. You can adjust it lenghtwise as in the distance from your handlebars or up and down as in pointing at the sky or the tarmac.

The mirror itself is long and thin not round and I could not see much traffic behind me although I saw lots of fields and sky. Quite simply the mirror in this case is the wrong shape.

It would be so much better if the mirror that came with the folding joint was on a universal ball joint. In fact if you could buy the folding joint on its own then you could fit your own mirrors fit to the folding joint with a hacksaw.

The folding joint in this case has to be altered with an allen key to release the friction. If is too tight then the mirror will not fold and too loose and it will not stay in one position at all. With vibration it does come loose unless it is set very tight which defeats the folding idea.

To summarise the only good thing I can say about this mirror is that it arrived on time and when Touratech said it would. It is expensive and is not fit for the purpose I had intended it for which was to fold away easily and to be able to see things that were "Relevant" behind me.

Other people may find this mirror suits their purpose, it did not suit mine.

[Tony P]

My concern with mirrors is needlessly breaking glass, shaft or mounting in an otherwise soft fall.

To allow them some 'give' and movement on joints and mountings, thereby decreasing a breaking point by reducing the early forces, I loosen the shaft and other fixings to the minimum pressure that holds just firm enough not to turn with vibration and wind.

It generally works, but I have lost some. One in a fall on huge uneven rocks. Another just suddenly fell off, broken at a point in a mounting thread. Possibly metal fatigue during hours of relentless off-road washboard gravel (too loose?).

[Toyark]

TonyP you might want to consider thees folding mirrors I have fitted to my 650.
The bm-wobble-U ones are designed to ...snap off in their mountings. (grrrrr)- after 3 snap-offs, I got the message.

Where the concertina rubber is , the mirror can be adjusted and further down is the Allen key lock- release and fold mirrors over towards each other. If you keep the Allen key not too tight you can push them over when going on trails where the likelyhood of a dive (for me!) is just a matter of when not if!
and that leaves the threaded part of the old mirror mount on your handlebar free for a RAM ball mount on either side if needed.
Excellent kit and no problem at MOT time.

[oothef]

Where did you get them from Bertrand?

[*Touring Ted*]

Originally Posted by greenmanalishi

3 weeks later and a Touratech mirror arrived when they said it would and on time. Now fitted and the verdict? Dont bother. They do not have much adjustment as the mirror is not on a ball joint so positioning is not universal. You can adjust it lenghtwise as in the distance from your handlebars or up and down as in pointing at the sky or the tarmac.

The mirror itself is long and thin not round and I could not see much traffic behind me although I saw lots of fields and sky. Quite simply the mirror in this case is the wrong shape.

It would be so much better if the mirror that came with the folding joint was on a universal ball joint. In fact if you could buy the folding joint on its own then you could fit your own mirrors fit to the folding joint with a hacksaw.

The folding joint in this case has to be altered with an allen key to release the friction. If is too tight then the mirror will not fold and too loose and it will not stay in one position at all. With vibration it does come loose unless it is set very tight which defeats the folding idea.

To summarise the only good thing I can say about this mirror is that it arrived on time and when Touratech said it would. It is expensive and is not fit for the purpose I had intended it for which was to fold away easily and to be able to see things that were "Relevant" behind me.

Other people may find this mirror suits their purpose, it did not suit mine.

Touratech selling overpriced and useless products for adventure bikes ??? Are you sure ?? It's unheard of.....

[Toyark]

Originally Posted by oothef

Where did you get them from Bertrand?

I think ( if memory still works) that they are known as KTM Military bar mount.
I bought mine off fleabay (budget needs!).
Suggest you check fleabay and/or KTM outlets/trail bike shops.