2009 1200RT: right mirror won't stay fully seated

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Subject line says it. The mirror has three rubber grips that are supposed to hang onto three tiny steel knobs on the turn signal assembly. I can seat all three of these grips, but after thirty miles or so, the top grip has released the top knob, and the top of the mirror has moved toward the rear of the bike by maybe 3/8". With only two points of attachment instead of three, the mirror is that much more vulnerable to being lost completely. This also changes the viewing angle, which is kind of annoying.

 

I can't see what the heck might be causing interference that would push the mirror back out over time, especially since it's possible to fully seat it on all three knobs.

 

It's only on the right mirror; left mirror always stays fully seated.

 

Anyone else dealing with this? Suggestions?

[tallman]

Stop draggin' it in R handers.

 

Seriously though, new problem?

Mirror off and on a lot recently?

Any wear on the upper knob?

 

Warranty replace the offender?

I've not seen that on the 1200's like on the 1100/50 series so maybe you have a bad fit.

Are the gaps the same r/l side along the fairing?

This could be annoying and expensive if it fails.

Good luck.

[99Roadster]

This is the first time I've read of this issue.

 

Make sure it's fully seated, should line up with the trim. Anything less will cause it to works its way out of the grommet. If there are any tethers check to make sure they are not in the way.

 

Also, be sure it's clean and dry of any lubricant.

[EddyQ]

+1.

 

Try wetting the rubber grommets with water or spit. Yuk! That doen't mean licking them! Water will temporarily lubricate them so they seat in nicely.

[rolling18]

i have a similar problem with the left mirror only i cant pinpoint the exact mount point, in general its not as tight as the right side...

 

I can hardly see anything it vibrates so much...

 

i have tried making the mounting "balls" thicker by applying electrical tape arround the mount but did little, maybe it would work for you to at least hold it on??

 

 

[racer7]

If you're sing the retainer cables they can interfere. Be sure they're tucked into the hole in the middle when you pop the mirror back on.

[SWB]

When I first pulled my mirrors and saw those grommets, I said to myself "eeEECHHH, this sucker is gonna be a problem at some point". At least with the R11xxRT model, the retainers were a mechanical spring which can be tightened somewhat or replaced. I guess the grommet can be replaced too, but I hate suspending a $500 mirror on three "slip-on" rubber grommets, what with the tendency of rubber to wear and expand faster than a metal spring.

 

Oh yeah.. make yourself those cable tethers right away. It's already saved one of my mirrors twice, once when the mirror was bumped in traffic, and the other when my son swore he wasn't traveling a single MPH over 120MPH - i.e. the natural vibration of a rough road and speed probably caused the separation.

 

Your bike is under warranty - I'd just ask BMW to replace the grommet and guarantee tight mating of the mirror to the bike. It'll only get worse over time, and it's really hard to see anything out of those mirrors when they're dangling from a cable tether.

 

- Scott

[aggieengineer]

I had the same problem with my '06 model. As a temporary fix, I used a piece of heat-shrink tubing over the metal stud to slightly increase its size. I never had the assembly fall off of the bike, but I did have the mirror glass fall out of its inner frame on one occasion. They're expensive (like I needed to tell you that), so the cable attachment is a great idea.

[Tetz]

Have/had the same exact problem on the same year/model bike.

 

The mirror would easily get knocked off with the slightest bump from the front side. It appeared the mirror would not seat all of the way into the metal stud.

 

What I ended up doing was to take out the metal stud and put a small washer underneath it and put it back on. This caused the ball of the stud to extend the width of the washer (or two, can't remember). The mirror now stays on fine as this resolved the problem. I continue to see a fit difference between the left and right mirrors, but not a big deal unless you are looking for it.

 

Hope this helps!

[Lone_RT_rider]

So did you get the mirror to stay on?