FZ1 Mod: New Mirrors

Last September, I Fuzzy-fied my mirrors.  Well, mostly did it anyway.  During my last ride (which I still haven't written about), I noticed my mirrors were getting loose and it was likely time to take them off, finish the Fuzzyone mirror mod by adding the notches, and put them back on.  I've also been looking at mirrors for years because I don't really like the look of the OEM mirrors.

Earlier this month, I decided to go ahead and get the mirrors I've had on my watchlist for most of the year rather than messing with mirrors I don't like any more.  I decided on KiWAV.com's Venom mirror and got a set for a sportbike off of eBay.  The difference between what's on the link and sport bike specific ones is the mount:  they already have the $50 adapters on them.

As usual with overseas shipping, it seemed to take forever for them to get here but it was only around two weeks.  They showed up early this afternoon and I couldn't wait to see if they'd look the way I imagined they would on the bike.

They looked even better.  I know, you can't tell it from the pic but trust me they do.  The only problem was with the mirror mount.  I expected it to be a problem based on the specs listed in the ad.  The width between the holes for the mounting screws is 1.2".  The width for the FZ1's fairing mounted mirrors is closer to 1".  I learned that when I bought mirror adapters a couple of years ago when I first came up with the idea to change the mirrors.

I didn't think those adapters would work with the mounts I had so I figured it'd be best to just get the mounts with the mirrors.  After spending $102 and waiting two weeks, I learned that a file and a little time would fix the problem with the KiWav mount.  I also had to use the longer screws because the shorter ones were just barely too short.  The mounting screws have allen heads and nuts with nylon.  So after filing some then filing some more, then filing a little more, I had the rough fit you see above.


The mirrors comes with a rubber piece that goes in between the mirror base and the fairing.  My guess is that'll help with the vibration.  I had to widen the holes for that too.  The rubber base between the mirror is more than the OEM which just has rubber around the edges where the boot attaches.

There are two adjustment points on the base--one for front to back and another for up and down--each one needing it's own size allen wrench.  I measured the OEM mirror before ordering, so I was fairly confident the stem would be long enough.

The stems are about the same length and the mirror clarity is spectacular.  It might even be better than OEM mirrors.  They are CNC aluminum with aluminum bearing for the mirror housing.  I don't know about vibration yet because all I got to do after I got them both installed was ride around the block.

The mirror housings are ABS, like the OEM ones but because they are thinner they don't look nearly as cheap.  In fact, they look like they were made for the bike.  The base is black, while the stem and the decoration on the back of the mirror is blue gray.  Perfect for the "Bruise" Gen1, if you ask me.

I may need to make some minor adjustments, but here's Baby with both new mirrors.

By the time I finished all that filing, it was after dark so no good pics yet.  It's likely I need to make some more minor adjustments as well.  The mirrors are now more even than in this pic but since the pics came out so bad, I didn't bother taking one of it better adjusted.  However, knowing me this might be as good as it gets!

I love the new look and the overall quality of the mirrors.  I may not have wanted to spend $102 on mirrors but I'm glad I did.  It might mean I don't get a ride in this month but when I finally do, Baby will be looking better.

I took a brief ride a day later and discovered the mirrors are better than my Fuzzy-fied ones at speed.  I got up to about 80 mph to stay in front of the traffic and noticed very little vibration.  A little more around 6k rpms but I could still see clearly behind me.  It could be a function of how I mounted the mirrors, but the fairing mount could stand to have the oval portion to the outside and the point part inside.  The size difference between the bigger OEM mirror and this sleek sexy one means I can't adjust to the point where I can see directly behind me without moving my arms.

Not a big deal, that's why my head is on a neck that gives me that ability naturally or the bonus of just lifting my arm so I can see everything back there.  Inconvenient yes, but for the sake of style I'll live with it.

Thanks for reading,
patrice, theWolfTamer