New Owner K1200LT Break away mirror question

[hifiman]

Well today its official. I now own a 2005 K1200LT "light yellow metallic" (gold if you ask me).
Of course it is raining all day today. It looks like Sat for the first drive on her.

Question- Beautiful bike but one cosmetic issue. The left break away rear view mirror doesnt sit as tight on the bike as the right. There is a gap between the fairing and the mirror that is larger on that side than the other.
They had 2 other LTs there and one had the same issue and on the other they both fit snug and tight. Does anyone have a fix or have fixed the same problem? Thanks in advance.

[dshealey]

Well today its official. I now own a 2005 K1200LT "light yellow metallic" (gold if you ask me).
Of course it is raining all day today. It looks like Sat for the first drive on her.

Question- Beautiful bike but one cosmetic issue. The left break away rear view mirror doesnt sit as tight on the bike as the right. There is a gap between the fairing and the mirror that is larger on that side than the other.
They had 2 other LTs there and one had the same issue and on the other they both fit snug and tight. Does anyone have a fix or have fixed the same problem? Thanks in advance.

They should have been adjusted when the dealer assembled them, but unfortunately few dealers do it. It takes washers placed under one or two of the ball studs to adjust them, and there are washers taped inside the mirrors when the bike is delivered to the dealer. There should be about a 1/16" gap all the way around, with no part of the mirror housing touching the fairing. If it does touch the fairing, the mirror will pop off too easy, as this does not let the spring catch snap fully into the neck of the ball stud.

[Mike_H]

HiFiMan,

Welcome aboard! If you haven't already done so, you should use zip ties to tether your mirrors to the bike. they have a habit of falling off, and the tethers will prevent having them fall onto the road.

[rcockrum]

No matter if you get them spaced evenly or not, make sure you buy a pair of the cables to keep them from falling to the ground when they get bumped off. Really long zip ties might also work. They don't bounce well.

[hifiman]

Thanks and tomorrow I will look in to using long zip ties. Do not want them falling off. I will look in to the washers.

[danbrown]

I went to wally-world bought a package of 30lb ss fishing leaders about 12'' long. 3 pack for 39 cents. put the looped end under a screw on the bike,run the other end through a hole on the mirror side and hook it back on itself. works great and cheep.

[Josmas]

I got flamed a while back when I suggested using shoe laces as tethers, but I haven't had a mirror hit the ground yet.

I guess shoe laces aren't BMWish enough for some people. :rolleyes:

[Silverhair]

Ummmnnn... "the mirrors have a habit of falling off?"

Yer kiddin (I hope)

[Zotter]

Thanks and tomorrow I will look in to using long zip ties. Do not want them falling off. I will look in to the washers.

Zip ties work - but are only temporarily. They get brittle amazingly fast. I put long zip ties on mine when I got it - next summer decided to up-grade to some 1/16" steel cable from the local hardware shop. Popped the mirrors off to put in the steel - both zip ties from the previous year broke!

Talk about timing.

[simoncharles]

Mirror ties

http://store.bobsbmw.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=141

[378]

All good suggestions above.

Had the same problem on my 02. It sounds like one of your points of attachment are not seating properly. Mine was the pin most forward towards the nose. But the problem was on the mirror itself. The u-clamp was moved slightly forward and the pin would not seat itself, it would only push it more forward. I noticed the mirror was bouncing a little while riding.

Easy solutiuon: simply readjust the u-clamp with some needle nose pliers and it should snap back into place. Then the mirror will pop back on and the problem should be solved. It worked for me. Good luck.

Remember to tie these puppies on as well because they can pop off quite easily. I used a rubber coated wire that stays hidden under the mirror and the coating prevents scratching. I hope they hold at high speeds just in case.

[CharlieVT]

I got flamed a while back when I suggested using shoe laces as tethers, but I haven't had a mirror hit the ground yet.

I guess shoe laces aren't BMWish enough for some people. :rolleyes:

I have had the same set of WallyMart fishing leaders on my 2000 LT since new. They hook and unhook easily and tuck away behind the mirrors neatly. I have worked with the zip tie approach too, works good, but just a little more inconvenient that the fishing leader.

Shoe laces are very BMW. You should be proud. Characteristic of an "Airhead" BMW rider where the highest aesthetic comes from form following function. What kind of knot do you use in your shoelace tethers? ;)

[hifiman]

Great help and great suggestions. That is why as a new owner this forum has been great. Tomorrow I will take delivery and my first ride!!!

[bblalock]

Don't forget to grease the ball ends and wire clips. The wire clip needs to slip over the ball to seat properly. So far 57,000 miles, many potholes and no mirrors have escaped. They are attached too.

[vernvernvern]

Ummmnnn... "the mirrors have a habit of falling off?"

Yer kiddin (I hope)

I had a turkey hit my windshield at 40 mph and both mirrors popped loose and just dangled on my zip ties.

I may switch to shoe laces. Maybe leather laces will be BMW enough. LOL The cable sounds a bit of an over kill to me.

Just my .02 :bmw:

[CharlieVT]

Mirror ties

http://store.bobsbmw.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=141

I've seen these before. Not only spensive, but seems like you have to undo a screw or sumptin to disconnect the mirrors when taking the plastic off for service.

I couldn't find my wallymart fish leaders on line but they look a lot like these:

http://www.boatersworld.com/product/477750772msk.htm

Less than 2 bucks comparo Bob's at $16+

Not fishy. :O

[simoncharles]

Agree, but after twice finding my plastic ties broken due to heat/age or whatever, I decided to do it properly.

$16 is a lot less than a new mirror and the hassle in getting one, and no doubt Bob´s would throw them in free of charge if you purchased something heavy from them.

[CharlieVT]

Agree, but after twice finding my plastic ties broken due to heat/age or whatever, I decided to do it properly.

$16 is a lot less than a new mirror and the hassle in getting one, and no doubt Bob´s would throw them in free of charge if you purchased something heavy from them.

Bob's is a good place. I've done mailorder business for airhead stuff with them, stainless steel spokes for my wheel rebuilding, etc.; and those tethers look like a quality product, no question.

I was just trying to give folks looking for tethers a good, cheap option, brought to you by the low cost leader, chilling out in the deep south of Vermont. :)