Mirrors with more view, what did I do???

DNGrumpy

Sometimes Dopey fits too
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Yes it says ZX14...

I imagine you either love them or hate them, I liked them at Daytona and decide to get a set when I could and see if they'd fit the Busa.  I checked them over and noticed they have studs on them instead of putting a bolt through them.   I figured I'd just figure it out when the time came.  I started bugging the parts guy at the Kawi dealership and the parts just are not around yet.  So I started watching ebay and noticed that a ton of these bikes must have gone over onto the left side (They need a kickstand mod) 99% of the left mirrors are rashed up.  I didn't want to pay more than $25 for a ground up mirror so I waited and waited and waited.  A left mirror showed up for $1.99 and I bid $25 and I'll be damned but nobody else bid on it.  

I got the mirror yesterday and it was pretty chewed up underneath from the pavement.  The body is more like plasticy fiberglass than ABS and sprayed gloss black, white was showing where it was ground up.  The mirror surround is black plastic and the base is aluminum.  I sanded it down with 60 then 100 then 150 and that is as much love as I cared to give to this project.  I sprayed it with primer and touched it too early so it will have to be redone if I keep it.  I then tackled the studs, they appeared to be threaded in so I grabbed a large channel lock and figured If I broke it, OH WELL.  The studs broke free with some twisting, they have regular thread not backwards and had blue locktite on them.  The base has two raised areas about 5/16ths where the studs were, I ground those off on the bench grinder.

The gap between the studs was about 1/2" wider than the mount holes on the Busa.  I decided to drill through the base and then elongate the holes until I could get everything lined up.  If I do another one I decided that drilling a new hole where it needs to be will be much easier and leave the base much sturdier.  I got it "good enough" using a high speed cutter bit and a file.  It lined up enough to mount so I sprayed it black to cover all the new scratches and the crappy primer job.

It went on no problem.  The mirrors I have on the bike are EMIGO's and are pretty close to stock width(Igave my stockers to a downed member on here).  They actually measured 17.25" from the center of the screen to the outermost edge.  The ZX14 mirror measured 19.5" to the outermost edge.  The mirror sits lower and has a ton more adjustibility to it, I can see tons more on the left side of the bike.  The 2.25" makes a ton of difference.

I think I will buy a "new" set from the dealership or undamaged ones on ebay if I can ever find a right side one.  This will be a winter project.

Should it be done?  I don't know, but I did it and it worked.  And the bike didn't seem to mind too much after I threw the Kawi box out of the garage.

Forgive the 15 minutes worth of repair to make it look no so busted, the real deal would look much better.  This was just a test to see if it could be done easily.  The bolts are not cranked tight in the picture so the heads are showing way more than they have too and I left the SUZUKI rubber inbetween there which would be replaced with a fitting neoprene pad for the final install.

Whadaya' think???

mirror_001.jpg
 
If they work well, than go for it. I think it looks just fine. I refuse to remove my mirrors, but it would be nice to have a good looking alternative that gives more rear view.
 
looks good to me. I've been looking for new mirrors and this would work.
 
I see ONE PROBLEM  
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, now you have NO excuse to say, "But Officer I didn't see you in my mirrors"
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I'll find out what a new set cost from the dealer and post it up.

Modding a $100 mirror is gonna require my being much more careful...

Although if I resand this one with some finer paper and actually put some effort into the paintwork...
 
By the way, I paid $1.99 for it, shipping was $12 and the ####head would only accept money orders so that was another $4.

Still a good deal though.
 
I just bought a set of mirror spacers for 15.00 on ebay and my stockers work great with no elbow interference.

They do look o.k. though.
 
(steelhead @ Sep. 21 2006,11:05) At last the ZX-14 has found its ultimate purpose. It is good for mirrors.
... and brakes.

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I like the stock busa mirrors. I'm not a big guy and I can see just fine with them. Plus I like the way they look over any other mirrors I've seen.
 
What about flipping em' Putting the mirror on the right hand side? L to r, R to L? The only thing I notice is that the obviously the Busa's fairing is more angled where the mirrors mount creating an allmost flat or droopy appearance.

How would they look flipped? I love the mirrors though.
 
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