Mirror Decides to go Bye-Bye on 1150RT

[tobyzusa]

So I'm 80 miles into a ride today, going about 75mph on a perfectly straight and smooth road, when my right mirror detaches and tumbles down the road. I always thought there was a tether on the mirrors in the event you hit a really big bump, but obviously I am mistaken. Is this detachment common? When I get a new mirror should I use a small drop of epoxy on each of the three retaining posts? Are tethers commercially available or is it time to fashion my own? The RT looks a bit asymmetrical tonight with only one mirror .

[g_nuse]

You can buy them from several sources, I simply made mine with nylon coated, stainless fishing leader.

 

I have no experience, thankfully, but I wonder if the tethered mirror would do more damage to itself and the fairing than the ejected mirror would do to the pocketbook. I will leave that to the more experienced.

[BUSTED]

Sorry for your misfortune. Many owners have purchased available mirror tethers or made their own. I used nylon fish line leaders for mine, available anywhere you can buy fishing supplies.

[Redbrick]

Bob's...........$16.95 for Rescue Wires.......

http://store.bobsbmw.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=6&Page=2

 

Phil.........Redbrick

[russell_bynum]

You can buy them from several sources, I simply made mine with nylon coated, stainless fishing leader.

 

I have no experience, thankfully, but I wonder if the tethered mirror would do more damage to itself and the fairing than the ejected mirror would do to the pocketbook. I will leave that to the more experienced.

 

Mine came off when I got squeezed while lane splitting once. I used tethers made from fishing leaders, and the mirror just dangled. I was able to reach down, grab the mirror, and snap it back on.

 

At speed...I dunno...it might flail aroudn enough to scratch the fairing. But at least you'd still have a mirror.

[tobyzusa]

Forgot to include one more question: the bile is still under warranty, so while I will lobby for this to be a warranty item, I couldn't even find the mirror - must have ended up in a fairly deep ditch. What are the chances the factory warranty will cover this? I can envision them saying that the bike was probably dropped and how can they know it detached as I say? Again, just trying to see if others have been down this road so I can benefit from your experience.

[bvaughan]

When I get a new mirror should I use a small drop of epoxy on each of the three retaining posts? Are tethers commercially available or is it time to fashion my own?

Almost every bmw shop carries the retainer straps. Easy to make with light gauge wire if you've got a swager. Don't use any epoxy on the fittings; it'll just be a hassle when you need to change the bulbs and it won't stick that well anyhow. Now you just need three bills and change for the replacement. shops carry lots of spares, usually white, for the LEOs. you may have to wait for your color.

[Tony_K]

Sorry but you will be paying for that mirror and it aint cheap! ugh sorry.

 

OH and by all means go back and try to find it if it didn't get crushed I bet it will be usable and need only paint around 100 bucks more or less.

[SWB]

I read about "rescue wires" from about the first week I was posting on this forum, and it was one of many things I added to my "to upgrade to some day" list. However, after I was bumped by a motorist at a traffic light, and my right mirror hit the ground and lodged just under the cager's front tire, and I almost dropped the bike trying to reach backwards to grap the mirror before he rolled over it (light turned green!), I went to the hardware store, picked up two foot of wire cable, U clamps, and so forth, to create my own rescue wires.

 

I guess we all have to learn the hard way; tether those $400 mirrors to the bike, or lose them.

[David Vale]

I lost one on the way back from the BMW dealer after a service, so they accepted that it was their fault and supplied a new part.

I have since secured mine using cable ties - and that effort has paid off. On one occasion, I think someone had knocked off the mirror while it was parked and tried to put it back on. It fell off in heavy traffic almost as soon as I started and would probably have got crushed.

 

David Vale

[Ken H.]

I wonder if the tethered mirror would do more damage to itself and the fairing than the ejected mirror would do to the pocketbook.

Not really. I had one (that was tethered) come off at speed (my fault, I had just serviced the bike and didn't get it back on right) and it just dangled there swaying a bit until I pulled over. The side fairings are pretty tough. Besides, even if plastic on plastic did make a mark that needed to be buffed out, it's still the lesser of the two evils.

[Couchrocket]

When I get a new mirror should I use a small drop of epoxy on each of the three retaining posts?

Uh, that would be "NO" . . . The mirrors need to come off in order to remove the tupperware, in order to service the bike!

[Yankee_Dog]

Sorry but you will be paying for that mirror and it aint cheap! ugh sorry.

......

 

Why would the warrenty not cover a component that falls off the bike through no fault of the owner. Either the tech at the dealer failed to install it correctly during set up or the fasteners are defective.

 

Yankee Dog

[g_nuse]

Thanks for the feedback. Nice to know those tethers are keeping my expen$ive mirrors safe.

[ESokoloff]

If for some reason the three mounting "pins" are not at equal distances from the bike, you can install washers as spacers (as/where needed) on the "pin" bolts.

[leikam]

Either the tech at the dealer failed to install it correctly during set up or the fasteners are defective.

 

Not necessarily. The mirrors are essentially held on with springs. They are designed to come off by giving the mirror a "sharp jab" which overcomes the spring force and releases the mirror. But the mirror itself doesn't care whether that force comes from a certified tech who's ready to catch the mirror or road forces intent on smashing it.

[Huzband]

I had a mirror pop off at about 60 per while test riding a Blue RT.

I wanted the Red one , anyway.

[4wheeldog]

I use nylon zip ties myself. One in the fairing hole, the other on the mirror, interlaced. Keep a few in the tool bag. Work great, cost next to nothing. YMMV. Good Luck!

[DavidEBSmith]

BTDT. My mirror ejected itself into a Jersey barrier in Brooklyn, no point in going back to look for it.

 

For tethers, I use a plastic-coated picture-hanging wire that I found at Home Despot. It's fairly substantial and stays where you bend it, so you can loop the ends without tools.

[tomk99r11]

An inexpensive and readily available tether is a fishing leader. They are tough and cheap too. Easy to remove too when you need to take off the plastic.

[outpost22]

Just curious...when my 1100RT mirrorr popped off, the wiring lead/socket held it on. Is the 1150 different?

[Stan Walker]

No, but sometimes on either the 1100 or 1150 the little white plastic socket tabs break.... It's not intended to do more that hold the bulb in place.

 

Stan

[nrp]

It is easy to install the mirror & think you are done with only two of the threee stud engaged & actually holding. It is best to actually try to flex the assembly after putting the mirrors on each of the three ways to verify that all three studs are holding.

[tobyzusa]

Just curious...when my 1100RT mirrorr popped off, the wiring lead/socket held it on. Is the 1150 different?

All that remained was the socket and non-functioning bulb, hanging down in a disturbingly limp and lifeless fashion . I dunno, do you think Viagra may be in order?

[Vrex]

Based on this thread, mirror tethers sound like a good idea. Having had my taillight assembly fall off awhile back, I wonder if we need to make tethers for those too? Or maybe just some kind of big stretchy hairnet to cover the whole bike?

[NoLongeraK1200RSRider]

Sounds like the "hairnet" or is that "bikenet"? may be the best way to go.

[g_nuse]

Lock nuts on the taillight fix that problem......it seems tethers work on the mirrors.....and the other thread indicates some relationship between meteorites and oil sight glass installations.

[Alan D]

3 times I have hit pot holes at speed hard enough to knock the mirror off. The last time my front wheel was damaged and I had to have the wheel repaired.

Tethering the mirrors is a "must do".

[Francis]

I use a plastic tie wrap. Drill two appropriately sized holes in the black mirror backing plate. Then thread a tie wrap through the fairing plastic near the mirror mounting point and through the holes in the mirror backing plate. Cinch up the the wrap enough to take up the major slack but not too tight you cannot move the mirrors around for normal sevicing.

 

Francis

[JGP]

Welcome to the world how in did that happend. Less than two weeks ago, my 04 RT decided to "puke" up the right hand mirror. Traveling nb on I75 south of Tampa and north Sarasota (flatter than pee on a plate) the mirror looks up at me and says "seeya".

 

I ordered and rec'd a new one for the small insignificant price of $250.00.................Asked the dealer about warranty, one service writer went out and looked and confirmed my bike has never been down, so the buck was passed until such time as the BMWNA representative arrives back into the states. I'm not holding my breath for support from BMWNA............

 

The rescue wires whether retail or home made is the right thing to do.

 

jgp

[tobyzusa]

3 times I have hit pot holes at speed hard enough to knock the mirror off. The last time my front wheel was damaged and I had to have the wheel repaired.

Tethering the mirrors is a "must do".

That's it. I'm tethering both wheels to the bike as well .

[Flying_Dutchmen]

Mine came off at low speed and luckely was held by the indicator wires. I'll be tethering next weekend. Anythings else to be secured on the 1150RT besides mirors?

[T__]

I use a plastic tie wrap. Drill two appropriately sized holes in the black mirror backing plate. Then thread a tie wrap through the fairing plastic near the mirror mounting point and through the holes in the mirror backing plate. Cinch up the the wrap enough to take up the major slack but not too tight you cannot move the mirrors around for normal sevicing.

 

Francis

 

Francis, I do basically the same thing only I use a short cable loop I made up to bolt to inside the fairing then use tie straps to hold the mirrors to the short cable loops.. The idea behind the above is it allowed me to find a place on the inside of the mirror plastic that I could drill a small hole for the tie strap but more importantly allowed me to find proper balance point on the mirrors to allow them to fall off & hang without contacting the fairing.. I didn’t want a mirror to fall off at speed & beat the paint off the fairing & mirror & that seems to be what would happen if using aftermarket commercially available retention cables..

 

To remove the mirrors it is just a quick tie strap clip with side cutters then a new tie strap on re-assembly.. (actually quicker than removing the screw on type)..

 

Twisty

[Bruce Barrow]

Plastic tie wraps for me for the last 7 years. Haven't even gotten to test them; probably driving way tooo slow.

 

Bruce

[g_nuse]

I use a plastic tie wrap. Drill two appropriately sized holes in the black mirror backing plate. Then thread a tie wrap through the fairing plastic near the mirror mounting point and through the holes in the mirror backing plate. Cinch up the the wrap enough to take up the major slack but not too tight you cannot move the mirrors around for normal sevicing.

 

Francis

 

Francis, I do basically the same thing only I use a short cable loop I made up to bolt to inside the fairing then use tie straps to hold the mirrors to the short cable loops.. The idea behind the above is it allowed me to find a place on the inside of the mirror plastic that I could drill a small hole for the tie strap but more importantly allowed me to find proper balance point on the mirrors to allow them to fall off & hang without contacting the fairing.. I didn’t want a mirror to fall off at speed & beat the paint off the fairing & mirror & that seems to be what would happen if using aftermarket commercially available retention cables..

 

To remove the mirrors it is just a quick tie strap clip with side cutters then a new tie strap on re-assembly.. (actually quicker than removing the screw on type)..

 

Twisty

 

Photos would help us novices so we don't have to reinvent the wheel. Thanks for the help and advice.

[tobyzusa]

Old and new mirror are both securely tethered with fishing leader! They ain't going anywhere, anytime soon. Thanks for all the suggestions.

[Flying_Dutchmen]

I noticed that the front circlip wrapped around the multi tabbed retainer on the mirror base plate is gone. Perhaps a good idea to check if it is still on. Any suggestions for replacement without going to the BMW dealer?