Quick tip #7: Beginner tip: How to correctly adjust mirrors.

This may seem simple to most but you'd be amazed how many trainees don't know this one...How to adjust motorcycle mirrors.
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Roadcraft Nottingham is a UK motorcycle school which was established in March 1989.
I am a fully qualified professional motorcycle instructor of 39 years and offer motorcycle riding tips and tips on riding a motorcycle for the first time all the way up to advanced riding.
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#howtoadjustmirrors
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[@jztgatjdtkgt]

While some scoff at the simplicity of this topic, we should be reminded that PT Barnum was clearly correct about the many fools out there. I, for one, liked the video.

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

Thank you. When I was 16 I was laughed out of the bike shop for asking a simple question which helped me understand newbies more.

[@colinbirney7588]

When I started riding I couldn't believe the size of the blind spot between what you can see in the mirror and what's beside you. I remember well one time I looked in the mirror and saw nothing then did shoulder check to my right and there was a 7 seater people carrier beside me. Literally 3 feet from me passing me out.... And I was doing 70 plus. And we were meeting other cars. Tough me a lesson to anticipate crazy driving like that.

[@jourdan2047]

Bruh I just got a bike and when I was backing up I couldn’t tell how close I was to my ladder without completely turning my head, but I just think the mirrors or set up for a taller rider since I just bought it from someone and he was taller than me

[@adolfemmanuelesparas3922]

A very simple but very important tip.. 90 degrees.. got it mate cheers!

[@jonchilds1637]

It’s so often the ‘simple stuff’ that’s overlooked yet makes a world of difference with minimal effort!

[@johnbellamy6449]

some of the largest mirrors were on early 1990s suzuki dl trail type bikes. i bought some aftermarket ones for a honda silverwing maxi scooter,nice and large,left them on when i sold it. before retiring i was hgv artic driver so had extra mirrors for turning and to see down by the front bumper when in tight situations. good mirrors are a godsend.had a pan.st1100 like yours once great mirrors.good article as always,have just bought an air rider seat pad after watching your video. best wishes to you all.

[@chrisblenkinsopp8588]

I saw somewhere that you should push the arm more away from you, than 90 degrees. The reason they gave was that with the mirror pushed slightly further away it gave you a slightly bigger field of view and less elbow in the mirror. Seems to make sense. Thanks for your video, anyway...I will try both.

[@the_mad_ratter]

0:36 - perfect view for me, accounting for the camera - ie if I was to set the mirrors by sight, what the camera saw then is what I'd be trying to achieve. Life saver to see right next to you, mirror to check next lane and behind you.

[@Ptrkkzx2]

Yea, that view of the next lane is very good and safer than seeing your shoulders in the view. When switching lanes it helps if you set it as far as you can.

[@petecurran3995]

90° to road as benchmark, I'll take that, Russ! 👍🏻

[@rosswootton8825]

Always adjust your mirrors before a ride and not while you’re on the move. We’ll set up mirrors are vital for safety while riding.

[@Scrufflebag]

Thanks buddy! Very helpful for a returning rider such as myself.

[@RTD553]

I was just thinking about this. As a smart-arse physicist, I judge that perpendicular to direction of travel seems reasonable. So I'm off to adjust my mirrors. Cheers MATE!

[@Ypufgb]

Awesome.simple but effective and informative. Thanks for sharing mate.

[@techtinkerin]

Just went for an MOT and the perfect time was on the way for the mirror to come loose. I just pushed it tight as possible and they didn't say anything about it. When I got home I tried adjusting it and had a few issues with the reverse thread bolt baffling me. Prob is if I have it at 90 degrees I can't get the bike in my gate easily. A bit of a conflict of interests really. I guess I'll have to cut a hole in my gate. 🤭👍😎

[@Theskullcollector1]

Can’t adjust mine like that, oh the beauty of the pan euro 1100 the mirrors are sooooooo great.

[@funkycowie]

I have always done that with mine where possible, my previous ride had a fixed stem but luckily Mr Yamaha allowed a lot of position flexibility to the mirror. My Honda NC750 is just like your mirrors so they get treated as described 😁

[@heyspookyboogie644]

I’ve been trying to experiment and figure out how best to adjust them so you have good visibility in lane changes, but don’t just see sky in an emergency braking situation when the forks dive.

[@sebastianandjennifer1810]

Thank you so much for this great information. It is not intuitive but makes perfect sense.

[@Francois_Dupont]

i personally think motorcycle mirrors are pathetic. i want to see behind me, the danger is imminent! most bike provide so small mirrors you have trouble seeing in them because if you wear anything big your arm and shoulders are blocking the view because the mirror arm are always too short. even worst in north america where i live some people remove them entirely and put little 3cm round bar end mirror to be legal. what are those people thinking!? almost each day riding around i get agressive tailgater that literally drive 1meter behind me while i am going 90km/h (speed limit). i want to see what is happening!

[@moonshinepz]

I agree. Anyone with a BMW 800 ST will tell you the first thing they bought were mirror extenders. On a bmw? come on....

[@judgedredd49]

The riders that replace the ordinary mirror with those little end of bar ones are usually the riders you don't want to know. The ones that have been told that to streamline your bike for greater performance get rid of big mirrors as they resist against the wind and get the smaller ones. So they are the pocket rocket or weekend warrior or bright sunny days only riders that go out for a blast or may enjoy track days and that's where they have heard about wind resistance and replacing mirrors.

[@Francois_Dupont]

@@judgedredd49 its funny because i ride on a 125cc 14hp bike and the difference between riding in t-shirt or a big winter jacket with winter pants is minimal. tucking behind the windscreen or riding upright is making a difference of maybe 10km of top speed (110km/h instead of 95km/h). on a 30hp++ bike wind resistance isnt something to worry about. on the street driving around 50-100km/h it is stupid to think about wind resistance. i think those people think more about the "looks" like harley rider that have little unprotective helmet on their head and have black leather jacket without gloves.

[@DivergentDroid]

@@Francois_Dupont I just bought a 150 that does 10.58hp. How do you get 14hp in a 125cc?

[@Francois_Dupont]

@@DivergentDroid what model is your bike? mine is a Honda CBR 125. those are the most important point manufacturers have found to make more power: -water cooling (almost 50% more power) -overhead valve with a timing chain (15%) -a single exhaust (for example 2cylinders with only one exhaust pipe) (30%) -CDI electronic spark (10%) for example a Harley Davidson with the old style tappet valves, magneto, air cooling and two exhaust pipe make only around 50hp for a engine of 1200cc. a japanese bike with all the modern tech make about 200HP on a 1000cc engine.

[@PaukSK]

Needed this tip a week ago! 🤣

[@NooBiker]

Good tips as always.

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

Thanks. A very basic one people have to start somewhere. ☺

[@richardshilling2958]

I've just bought a BMW 650. First thing I noticed was how good the mirrors are. Some bike mirrors are just pants.

[@GDLOTKIDOG]

F650gs my first REAL motorcycle. It was great in every way. I ride everyday for 3 years. Everything about was perfect. Now I do like having some more cc’s but 650 was plenty. I bought a brand new Corbin seat for that bike and it was a cherry on top. Also I had these awesome Wunderliche (may have spelled that wrong) tank bag that had paniers that zipped onto both sides of the tank bag in front on my knees. One of the best tank bag configuration I have ever seen. I have never seen that bag on another bike.

[@richardshilling2958]

@@GDLOTKIDOG I bought it for a winter bike. I really like it. Plus looks cool dirty

[@Dat_Guy__Jay]

Thank you, that was simple and to the point!!

[@mrbonkers2613]

A tip I was given when beset with a mirror that forever vibrated loose and flapped back towards me. Threadlock on the thread. Obvious, but I had to be told.

[@jeffmcdonnell1179]

I've fitted mirror extenders. Much better now.

[@callumnivaasa]

Game changer , Thanks mate now I can see

[@mikeroberts]

Some spacers off ebay can make a huge differences to some of the diabolical mirrors out there.

[@judgedredd49]

Was looking at a new scoot the other day but the mirrors could not be adjusted enough for me to see enough of the road behind for me to feel safe. To my mind that scoot was dangerous. The mirrors were fixed onto the bodywork and only the actual glass could be moved and not by enough for me to satisfy my need to see well behind. I didn't buy that new one but the older model suites me fine as its had extensions put on it and the view is good on both sides now.

[@mikeroberts]

@@judgedredd49 I had fixed under the bars mirrors on my 2 Pans and on the GTR1400. They took a bit of getting used to but I loved them. With them being fixed if you can't see you are a bit stuck other than maybe fitting convex replacement glass.

[@InspectorGadget2014]

I often go for aftermarket-mirrors with a longer stock. Or use mirror-extenders that put a mirror a few inches higher on its mounting point. On some motorcycles, to name one, BMW's that I own, the mirrors are part of the fairing and below(!) on the sides, which I personally found highly ineffective & undesirable. (and even dangerous but that is my opinion of course, as I would need to look down and in-between my elbows!) So I mounted mirrors on the handlebars giving me similar view as depicted in this video. I guess it does "break" the looks of what BMW intended for my model BMW & I do get sometimes some negative comments from my fellow-BMW fan-boys but I do not care, my safety and thus unobstructed & correct views in my mirrors is for me paramount. Indeed, adjusting the mirrors is a very good & sound tip. I would add that sometimes, depending on the motorcycle, the width of the rider, replacement or possible extra mirrors could help improve your views in the mirror. I myself have thus 4x mirrors plus some stick-on blind-spot mirrors. Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe you should check & look into your mirrors about every 10 to 20 seconds? Anyways, I do believe mirrors, front- and rear-lights (do not forget your brake-light either!), good visibile turn-signals (those tiny led "sporty" bike ones are often a no-no) good brakes and top-condition tires are very, very important. And sometimes overlooked... Have a good & honest look at your motorcycle, will it tick all the boxes when it concerns your safety? If not, it is a call to action, especially this time of year.

[@michaeljohnson-li5nn]

Best mirrors on a bike, for me it the ones on my GL1800. They offer a great view of the road behind. Not tried these myself but the bar end mounted mirrors seem to offer the best solution, have to admit though I am not a huge fan of these style of mirrors.

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

My Pan mirrors are also amazing. ☺

[@jwaddin]

Wow this is great. Do you have a video how to angle a windscreen on a 50cc too?

[@stevey1394]

I went from owning a sportster, to now owning the ninja1000sx and my god the mirrors on the ninja are 1000% better

[@Gndlf_TheOrange]

I've got a sportster and yeah... they're not the best 😂

[@micealocadain]

I like to have a good rear view. Do remember the Reevu helmet? It never really caught on. I find the Rider-Scan handy in traffic; Cyclists and electric scooters seem to come out of nowhere.

[@yusufnabiil]

Really helpful mate, cheers!

[@user-tj3cf7se6h]

Apart from My broad shoulders and owning a B king ( still after all these's Years ....🙃 .) Not much use the mirrors on Them ... Never found any others to fit ... I've never cracked Them after Looking 'vogue'... 😃 . Ta 4 the Vid's Russ .

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

Love the B king. Enjoy. ☺

[@user-tj3cf7se6h]

@@RoadcraftNottingham When it was unveiled in Japan My Jaw dropped ( even if it's 'Marmite' ) Eventually I treated My self - When They were discontinued . After 10 Years of ownership it now lives in Tenerife . Just got to sort all the Winter tear & wear from Uk winter riding . 😗

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

@@user-tj3cf7se6h and they're increasing in value

[@cheiftain56]

brilliant mate thank you! just got my first bike and been struggling 😫

[@lynngertrudeclark6531]

Thanking you ill be in touch as soon as possible

[@kickinkanga7026]

I will have look at this cheers mate👍

[@g.uu.]

Simple but effective, thumbs-up from me.

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

Thanks. Not all my uploads are advanced. I try to cater for everyone.

[@martinwilkinson2344]

One of those obvious, simple geometrical things that you just don't think about (well I don't). Best mirrors I ever had were on my CBF250. They were big, oblong and on long stalks. Boy did they look stupid, but boy, could you see what was behind you.

[@Bavenbushcraft]

Good tips, thanks!

[@fatinhalim1996]

Thank you very much for the tips

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

You're welcome

[@dry509]

Still haven’t bought a bike..what would you get new or used if you did not have a bike?

[@Aditya_Sahu17]

Thanks

[@Dr.BenjiBuddy]

That exact movement at 1:00 is where my mirror is too loose and the force of the wind moves it.... There's got to be a way to tighten it, but I cant find it 😢

[@amrak-8401]

Thank you!🙏

[@A.nasierkhan]

What can I do with shaky mirrors? It's really annoying when looking into a shaky mirror while riding.

[@lynngertrudeclark6531]

I'm hooked

[@pjohnson6999]

Thanks for this very useful info. I collected my first 125cc today and the arms were to far turned in and couldn't see anything.

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

Have fun and be safe. ☺

[@AdmissionGaming]

Are you still alive?

[@xt225]

I'll be ensuring they're at 90 mate, thanks.

[@vivekzion]

Thanks Russ

[@fatles2008]

Russ, your MT07 mirrors were perfect for me. Didn't need much adjustment. My tiger mirrors vibrate manically over 80, did you find that also?

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

Yes, Leanna's did too.

[@thatpark7886]

@@RoadcraftNottingham Over 80 :-) That'll be on a track.:-)

[@orphanoforbit7588]

I have four mirrors that constantly vibrate out of view no matter what I do. Some days i see nothing.

[@kleef465]

Hi Russ. Do you position both mirrors to see what is directly behind you? I prefer, and have learned, to adjust one mirror (inside mirror) a little bit off the 90degree angle to check if someone is overtaking you. It can't replace a shoulder check though.

[@judgedredd49]

Surely you mean to adjust the offside one, the right hand one in the UK or the left hand one elsewhere in general.,. In the UK my inside mirror is used a lot for looking at the scene behind me and the traffic and the offside one is as Kleef has it offset ab it so it does the same thing but closer to me and over the mid white lines so its useful to see anything close an do proceeding to overtake me. Notwithstanding that I still do a shoulder check also just to make sure there is nothing in my blind spot, a spot which is somewhat reduced by god mirror positioning..

[@oldfartuk]

i normally just fit bar end mirrors , if it really bad ....

[@sail4life]

I just tried twisting the mirror forward on my Pan European and the mirror let go. Help, what should I do now?

[@ca2269]

Tighten it

[@sail4life]

Just pulling his leg.

[@ca2269]

@@sail4life oh lol this has really happened to me

[@HepcatHarley]

and don't forget to take your 14mm spanner :)

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

😂 😂 😂

[@richardshilling2958]

There's always one ride out a year where my old classic mirror ends up spinning in the wind like a sail. No matter how tight I do it up.

[@ca2269]

@@richardshilling2958 locktite

[@richardshilling2958]

@@ca2269 I did think that but that would spoil my mates laughing at my spinning mirror all the way home 😁

[@roadwarrior8560]

Nice one Russ, now you need to do one to show people how to tie their shoe laces!! what is the world coming to.

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

One man's poop is another man's fertiliser. ☺

[@dry509]

What are you riding here?

[@malikqados5712]

I always struggle while setting mirrors😂

[@Kurtacuss]

Ok yes you are very helpful in your video brother thank you really very much, but I noticed maybe somthing no one esle has . Ok I'm a newwbie true!! buUUUt well what about the mirrors being vertical view point instead of horizontal view point if you conceive what I'm saying. After all your view point is with the peripheral view points along with your mirror views on a bike right.

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

Depending on the shape of the mirror it's certainly worth trying

[@alexhogan1]

How do you feel about bar end mirrors?

[@elwalker9034]

I have to play around with this. All I've been seeing is my arms.

[@46rrodriguez]

These minor adjustments aren't good enough. Only good solution is the modifying the OEM ones or aftermarket ones with longer stem

[@elwalker9034]

Thank you. Ended up adding extenders, mounting new mirrors entirely. Lite mods req.Mind blown how manufacturers produce bikes with useless mirrors...and even more-so how so many riders just live w/ not having viable mirrors when riding.

[@46rrodriguez]

@@elwalker9034 glad you sorted it out the right way and you happy with it. The manufacturers want to attract the buyers by the design mostly and the ergonomics are secondary. Yes lots of bikers don't care about ergonomics of their motorbikes and compromise their safety. Ride safe

[@johnny2024]

I still can't see shit on my ninja

[@greatestnitemare6626]

You can't even do this on a GSXR. The mirrors are trash

[@shugg4524]

I think if you don’t know how to adjust your mirrors you should not be on the road with any motor vehicle!

[@RoadcraftNottingham]

Everyone has to start somewhere and this is a common Newby mistake. We're not all born knowing everything.