Another "Mirror Popped Off" Thread

[TMH]

O.K., I'm a newbie to the K-LT. I have read the FAQs on the bike, and became aware that the rearview mirrors can easily pop off due to minimal contact with something, or even when you hit certain bumps in the road. I also learned that replacing the broken mirror is something like a $200 adventure.

But maybe I am just slow to learn.

I also have an RT which has mirrors which pop off (but apparently not as easy as the ones on the LT do). And I installed the wire mirror leashes on my RT. And I was going to do the same on the LT, but I just hadn't gotten around to it yet...

So I ended up a beautiful ride on Sunday. Perfect weather, and very little traffic due to the Superbowl. Hey, did I already ride 160 miles? I can't believe it! Maybe I should go out and ride it again. But no, time to get some things done around the house, so I am slowly peddling the LT back into its assigned parking slot on the driveway. There is one tight spot along my driveway between the corner of the house and one parked car. Everything is going fine, but I am looking backwards more than any other direction. That is when I hear the "pop" as I make mirror-to-mirror contact between the LT and the car. Oh no...

So I look down to see my now-dismounted LT mirror... hanging from a leash :yeah: :yeah: :yeah: That PO was so thoughtful about everything else, I should have known he had already put mirror leashes on! I don't know whether they were purchased or "custom": They were thick cables, maybe made of a nylon material. I silently thanked the PO for saving me from my "I'll get to it eventually" mentality, and due to his foresight I was able to end my ride with as big a smile on my face as the LT had given me during the ride.

I am writing this as I have seen several other newbies join the ranks of LT owners since I have joined this site. Maybe my near-misfortune can help someone else save some of their hard-earned cash. Take the mirror FAQ seriously. I was quite surprised at the small amount of force needed to dislodge an LT mirror from its appointed mount. Much easier to do than, say, the similar mirror on an RT (maybe because the LT mirror is so much larger).

Get or make and install your mirror leashes NOW!

Tom

[RT_COOP]

I had been hearing about popped off mirrors, so I went out to the garage and popped off one of the mirrors on my 2 week old 2006 LT. Surprize, there were tethers there already. Stock. Is this another case of BMW actually listening to rider feedback?

Anyway, the lanyard is kinda thin and I might investigate beefing it up with a wire. This one looks like it might not survive getting popped off on the freeway when I'm splitting lanes someday.:rolleyes:

[messenger13]

I hafta wonder if the dealer didn't install the lanyards as they prep'ed that bike. Hhmmn... I used some nice nylon-coated steel-braided lanyards that I got for less than $10 online. Can't remember where...just a hardware site. I believe many people make the mistake of only using general purpose zip-ties. Some of the smaller ones will not support the jolt of a falling mirror...I'd bet on it. And as zip-ties age, they get weaker and weaker.

[Chick]

Steel fishing leaders work great, too.


God bless:

[SilverBuffalo]

I second the steel fishing leaders, I think I have all of $1.49 invested in mine.

[messenger13]

Will they scratch the LT's paint should the mirrors fall off and dangle (and swing) at highway speeds? That's why I used the nylon-coated cables.

[CriticalMass]

I hafta wonder if the dealer didn't install the lanyards as they prep'ed that bike.That's how I'd call it, absent more info. My '06 didn't have any "tethers" on the mirrors.

[TMH]

In thinking more about what I saw when my mirror popped off, I now believe that my tethers may be... shoelaces?

I haven't verified yet, but why not? They are strong enough, flexible enough, easy to come by and won't scratch fairing paint if the mirror detaches (and swings) at velocity. I guess that the only thing I would worry about would be loss of tensile strength due to weathering over time. But no big deal. Replace them every 2-3 years for pennies and you are good to go.

Should I therefore post this under "penny-tech mods"?

Tom

[Zotter]

Wonder how well 550 cord would do...

maybe crimp on some 'eyelette' terminals for the ends - bit o bic lighter action to melt a 'knot' in the end (can't pull past the crimp). Mmmm..... Got some in the garage and Joe's comments on the zip-ties (what came on my '02) has me wondering....

[avonfloater]

My 02 had mirror leashes when I got it new - may have been put on by the dealer, but I thought they were standard. They were a wire cable and it was hard to snake them back into some recess in order to put the mirror back on. Someone on a previous post said his dealer showed him the "right technique" to reinstall a mirror, but I've never seen it posted.

[gnoble]

I also procrastinated and almost had to pay the price. Some how I got lucky though when my mirror popped off after hitting a big bump in a construction zone. I must have been going 40 mph at the time. I saw it fall off and quickly looked in my remaining mirror to see the other sliding off the road behind me into the ditch. I pulled off the side of the road and cursed myself for not putting on the tethers. Amazingly I found the mirror with only minor scratches on the surface of the outside rim. No damage to the mirror or the painted surface. Needless to say I made some tethers as soon as I got home.

[mwnahas]

Yep, my steel fishing leaders saved my mirrors three times (so far).

[bikerkash]

I have an 05 and have lost the mirrors 3 time in a month while they were attached with 60# test tethers that snapped. When I tried to use heavier steel line I had problems getting the mirrors on the bike. Since then I have drilled a hole in the body and used a small shoulder bolt. The hole in the mirror needs to larger than the shoulder bolt. This idea and the details to do this was posted sometime back and may be in the hall of wisdom. The issue that I had with a tether that is too strong is that if you ever hooked the mirror on some thing you would want the mirror to let go before if took you down. In this case I believe the shoulder bolt with a nylon washer would give way before it took me down. RIDE SAFE