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Sunday, July 27, 2025

Trying to learn how to set motorcycle mirrors? We show you how for better safety on the road.

Alright, so today I wanna chew the fat about somethin’ that sounds easy peasy, but man, if you don’t nail it, it’s a real pain in the backside – gettin’ your motorcycle mirrors set up just right.

Trying to learn how to set motorcycle mirrors? We show you how for better safety on the road.

For the longest time, I’ll admit, I just sort of cranked ’em around ’til I could see something back there. Thought, “Yeah, that’ll do.” Turns out, “doin’” wasn’t nearly good enough. Had a few of those heart-in-your-throat moments with cars magically appearin’ where I swore I’d just looked. That’s when I figured, okay, gotta be a better way to do this, and started really paying attention to how I set mine up.

My Sit-Down Approach to Mirror Sanity

First things first, and this is a biggie: I actually get on the bike. No leaning it on the sidestand and fiddlin’. Nah, you gotta be in your normal riding position. You know, butt in the seat, hands on the grips, feet where they usually are. Your whole view changes otherwise, so do it like you’re about to ride off.

I usually tackle the left mirror first. What I’m lookin’ for is to see mostly the lane next to me and a good chunk of what’s comin’ up from behind in that lane. The trick is, I also want to see just the teeniest, tiniest sliver of my own elbow or shoulder. Just a little bit, right on the inside edge of the mirror. That way, I know where the mirror is in relation to me and the bike. It’s like a little anchor point, tells me the mirror isn’t just pointing off into space.

So, I’ll often loosen the main nut that holds the mirror stalk, if it’s that type. Get that stalk angled so it’s pointin’ generally in the right direction. Then I use the mirror head itself, the part that swivels, for the fine-tuning. It’s a bit of push here, a nudge there. Sometimes you gotta play with both the stalk and the mirror head. Patience, my friend, patience is key here.

Once the left side feels about right, I do the exact same dance with the right mirror. Same goal: mostly lane, tiny bit of me. The idea is to make those blind spots as small as humanly possible. They’ll never totally go away – that’s why you still gotta do your lifesaver head checks, always – but good mirrors make a huge difference in what you pick up with a quick glance.

Trying to learn how to set motorcycle mirrors? We show you how for better safety on the road.

The Road Test – Don’t You Dare Skip This!

Now, here’s a step a lot of folks probably skip, but I reckon it’s crucial. I take the bike for a short spin. Nothin’ crazy, just around the neighborhood, maybe a road with a bit of traffic. Why? ‘Cause what looks perfect when you’re parked can feel totally off once you’re actually moving, and the bike’s vibrating, and you’re lookin’ around naturally.

I’m not shy about pullin’ over after a minute or two and makin’ small adjustments. A tiny twist here, a little angle change there. You want ’em dialed in for real-world conditions, not just your driveway. Sometimes it takes a couple of these little test rides to get them spot on.

Things I’ve Picked Up Along The Way

Here’s a bit more of what I’ve learned messin’ with these things over the years:

  • Don’t be scared to fiddle. Seriously. It might take a few tries, a few rides, to get them perfect. It’s not set-it-and-forget-it the very first time for most of us.
  • Every bike is different. What worked on my old thumper needed tweaking on my current tourer. Different handlebars, mirror shapes, riding posture – it all changes the game. So, you gotta adapt your technique to the bike.
  • Keep ’em clean! This sounds like a no-brainer, but a grubby, bug-splattered mirror is almost as useless as no mirror at all. Give ’em a wipe often.
  • Convex or flat? Some mirrors are flat, some are a bit curved (convex). The convex ones give you a wider view, which is nice, but things can look further away than they actually are. Just be aware of what type you’ve got and get used to it.

So, that’s pretty much my routine for getting the mirrors sorted. It ain’t rocket science, but taking a few minutes to do it properly has saved my bacon more than once, I reckon. Makes for a much more chill and aware ride when you’ve got a good idea of what’s happening behind and beside you. Ride safe, folks!

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