Brackets for aux lights

[madmike2]

I was afraid of that as well, my skyway mount pushes the light forward enough.Not to worry, still a worthy farkle to get the full mirror view. Stay with the RAM mount for video or smaller lights.

Yep! Like I said before, let others solve their aux. light mounting issues with brackets that are available. You are turning out a great design that CAN double as a base plate for something lighter in weight (Remote camera, hand wings, etc.). You are accomplishing your original mission to "space" the mirrors for a better view, don't get carried away with more than that purpose.

That could be for the 2nd generation or wait until the testing is done.

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

Version 2 brackets are machined and ready to go in the mail to jet mechanic. But, I could not resist the temptation to have them black anodized. I took this photo prior to dropping the brackets off at the platers:

 

[madmike2]

That's some mighty fine work, sir. :yahoo:

 

[Fred W]

Version 2 brackets are machined and ready to go in the mail to jet mechanic. But, I could not resist the temptation to have them black anodized. I took this photo prior to dropping the brackets off at the platers:

Wowsers. You do nice work.

I hope I did not throw a wrench in the prototyping by commenting that one could hand lights from these brackets.

I would agree with MM2. Just let the future bracket owners deal with customizing the brackets for their own light apps.

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

mm2 and Fred,

I keep trying to figure out how to mount lights on mirror spacers because of this:

...are there any bracket kits out there for auxiliary lights that are set up to mount under the mirrors AND space the mirrors up by .5" or more? I've seen a set of brackets like this for the K1200GT that move the mirrors up just enough to give you a view of what's behind you on the road, instead of just your elbows.

This second attempt at solving the original, "simple" problem is a little over the top. A simple problem should have a simple solution right?

Oh well, I'm anxious to see how these look on jet mechanic's bike and get his feedback.

 

[pickax]

That's some mighty fine work, sir. :yahoo:

They are certainly all that! Can't wait to hear the test ride report.

Jet mechanic, if you want to speed up the test riding, send me your shipping address I will lend you my stock seat while you're getting the Russel made.

 

[madmike2]

mm2 and Fred,I keep trying to figure out how to mount lights on mirror spacers because of this:

...are there any bracket kits out there for auxiliary lights that are set up to mount under the mirrors AND space the mirrors up by .5" or more? I've seen a set of brackets like this for the K1200GT that move the mirrors up just enough to give you a view of what's behind you on the road, instead of just your elbows.

This second attempt at solving the original, "simple" problem is a little over the top. A simple problem should have a simple solution right?

Oh well, I'm anxious to see how these look on jet mechanic's bike and get his feedback.

I understood the original question as a starting point for the discussion that followed. At first you wanted to "space" the mirrors above any existing aux. light brackets and the first spacer, but testing showed the fault in that theory, i.e., the mirrors were spaced in the wrong plane/dimension. That being said, you may have arrived at the best solution for widening the view on the Gen II bikes.

If, after testing, the current extensions work, then any aux. light brackets can still be used and or any owner who already has light brackets can use these extenders.

Sounds like a win-win to me.

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

... That being said, you may have arrived at the best solution for widening the view on the Gen II bikes.

I'm proud of these, but I'm not convinced they are the best solution. The cost to produce them would be too high. Unless there is a market for FRJ GenII mirror brackets in Dubai,...

I have one other set of this version started, and I'm pretty sure if those get finished, there never be more than two sets of these things in existence. Hardly enough to set up a vendor booth at NAFO.

If, after testing, the current extensions work, ...

It is important that these get tested. I have a lot of questions.

I also have another idea. Is anybody interested in a Version3 or should I just let it go?

 

[madmike2]

If you have the time and the investment isn't "killing you", then why not explore further? You might stumble onto the "best" solution. Until then, these are looking pretty good....

They could always buy FZ-1 mirrors! :lol:

 

[jet mechanic]

Received version 2 of the mirror mount brackets from Joe2Lmaker today. Will have them mounted, provide pictures and a test ride report by the end of the weekend.

You should see the quality of these brackets!!!! They look better than a lot of vendor supplied aircraft parts that I have to work with nowadays.

And a "thanks" goes out to Pickax for letting me borrow his stock seat while mine is at Russell. :clapping:

Will report back.....

 

[jet mechanic]

For all those still following this thread (sorry it took so long), finally the test ride results for the version 2 brackets.

Joe2Lmaker did a fantastic job of manufacturing. All the pieces lined up perfectly and looked great.

So, here are the pieces;

Here is a close up of the brackets;

You hard mount the mirror to the bracket using a lockwasher and nut. Joe provided the same fold back feature for the mirror with the new brackets as was stock on the bike. To mount the bracket to the lower mirror mount requires a 8MM x !.25 x 35MM bolt, plus the spring washers and acorn nut removed during disassembly.

I installed the left side mirror bracket only for the initial test ride, in order to compare vibrations with the stock mirror on the right. Here are a few good pictures showing the differences in width of the stock vs modified.

Left to right;

You can see just how much more the modified mirror sticks out than the stock. Almost the full width of a mirror wider.

Here is a close up of the bracket mounted. Damn, Joe made them look good;

Finally, both brackets installed;

A couple of things to note.

The brackets added a 1/2 lb of wt to the mirror assy. All that weight sits to the outside of the assy, making for a heck of a long arm of weight away from the fairing.

But, during the first test ride, with just the left bracket installed, going down the highway around 80 - 85 mph's, the modified mirror was still clearer than the right side mirror. I know there are other threads discussing this, well, its still the same even with the brackets installed. If someone were to try to mount 2 to 3 lbs of lights on the brackets, they will probably need another support bracket of some type to keep everything from bouncing.

So I installed the left bracket at work today. On the way home the view to the rear was absolutely great!!!!

I could see stuff in the left mirror that was in the right mirror!!! For those of you who can't see past your elbows, I hope you understand what I'm saying. I could see the opposing side headlights of cars following me at normal spacing of interstate driving in the opposing mirror. At stops, on secondary roads, I could see right seat passengers with the left mirror and the driver with the right.

Mirror vibrations were the same as the stock mirrors even with the longer arm of weight. I just hope that all that wt to the outside won't cause any fatigue wear down the road.

I think the brackets could be shortened an inch or so and still provide a great view. They do poke out there quite a bit more than the stock ones.

Well if anybody has any questions or comments for Joe or myself, fire away.

And yes, paragraphs were my Friend during the making of this post.

 

[madmike2]

Dang, those brackets are wide! And you guys were complaining about the looks of the FZ-1 mirrors??? Just Kidding....well, mostly...

I know...there's no way to move the mirrors without somewhat destroying the integrated OEM look. That is the problem that probably can't be overcome. At least you keep the surface area of the mirrors and FINALLY, those with...ahem...wide bodies, can actually see behind them.

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

To mount the bracket to the lower mirror mount requires a 8MM x !.25 x 35MM bolt, plus the spring washers and acorn nut removed during disassembly.

In the rush to get them shipped to you I didn't include a couple of shoulder bolts. The washers I included were made so that standard shoulder bolts would work.

Here's the McMaster-Carr part number and description:

91319A219 Shoulder Screw 10mm Shoulder Dia, 25mm Long Shoulder, M8 Thread, Nylon Patch (optional)

As you already found out, the shoulder bolts aren't absolutely necessary, but I wouldn't try pivoting the mirror on the lower mirror bracket without them.

Thanks for all the time you put into that write-up! Nice job and I like all the photos.

Dang, those brackets are wide! And you guys were complaining about the looks of the FZ-1 mirrors??? Just Kidding....well, mostly...

The idea was to have a mounting surface for a light bracket. That's why they are so long.

If they were only mirror spacers they could probably be half the length.

 

[Fred W]

Dang, those brackets are wide! And you guys were complaining about the looks of the FZ-1 mirrors??? Just Kidding....well, mostly...

The idea was to have a mounting surface for a light bracket. That's why they are so long.

If they were only mirror spacers they could probably be half the length.

That was exactly my thought. Especially since through the course of this thread it had been discussed that hanging heavy lights from these extension brackets was probably a bad idea anyway. If these were half as long as these prototypes they would still have good rearward vision, not look quite as gangly and you could still mount some aux light brackets between the mirror mount and faring as normal.

 

[Checkswrecks]

The idea is good and machine-work is beautiful.

Suggestion for installation:

Route the light wires outboard underneath (where best-hidden) to be able to put a tie-wrap near the base of the mirror itself.

There's so much mass hanging on the one inboard bolt that metal fatigue is not going to be your friend. If the inboard bolt breaks, you can have the light wires keep the light and mirror from becoming expensive road debris.

Bob

 

[pickax]

Good pictures and writeup. Glad the vibration wasnt an issue, which was my main worry.

I'm sure joe could shorten them up for a mirror widening only version, and use these for mounting lights.

I will hang my solteks from these temporarily to give 'em the acid test.

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

I will hang my solteks from these temporarily to give 'em the acid test.

Take lotsa pictures. I'm very curious if there is enough room for those Soltek monsters.

On another note here is a question I sent to one of the forum's lighting experts:

I have an idea I'd like your opinion on.What if we got away from the integrated ballast? There is precious little room in the fairing of a GenII for the ballasts, and for that reason the integrated ballasts are appealing. But, what if we killed three birds with one stone?

What if the GenII lower mirror bracket was replaced? What I have in mind is mounting the ballast to the fairing and mounting the upper mirror assembly to the ballast. The reflector and igniter could go on a skyway, garauld, or Top Gun bracket.

•The bracket would have less weight to support.

•The ballast wouldn't be taking up space in the fairing.

•The mirrors would be spaced outward for improved rear visibility.

I have the difficult work done; reverse engineering the existing mirror mounts. I think this Revision3 idea could work. Let me know what you think.

While I'm waiting for his reply, I'm curious what everyone else thinks.

Also, this is all on the back burner until I have my auxiliary tank finished.

 

[scmagna]

I am very impressed by your design/machining abilities. I am still cogitating on a spacer that fits against the fairing. Can you tell me what the fairing mirror mounting dimensions are? Thanks.

Kurt

 

[Joe2Lmaker]

I am very impressed by your design/machining abilities. I am still cogitating on a spacer that fits against the fairing. Can you tell me what the fairing mirror mounting dimensions are? Thanks.
Kurt

Which dimensions are you looking for?

Are you looking for the distance to centerlines of the studs?

 

[madmike2]

Dang, those brackets are wide! And you guys were complaining about the looks of the FZ-1 mirrors??? Just Kidding....well, mostly...

The idea was to have a mounting surface for a light bracket. That's why they are so long.

If they were only mirror spacers they could probably be half the length.

I know that the design parameters were modified for the purpose of mounting driving lights.

I was "poking fun" at you for the snide remarks about the FZ-1 mirrors. It WAS all in fun, though the "tongue-in-cheek" mode doesn't type as well as speaking in person.

I am very impressed by your design/machining abilities. I am still cogitating on a spacer that fits against the fairing. Can you tell me what the fairing mirror mounting dimensions are? Thanks.

scmagna, have you read this entire thread? The experiment started by designing a spacer that proved to have "less that successful" results. I assume you've read and comprehend that testing experience that concluded a "pure" spacer doesn't move the mirror assembly in a direct ratio with the thickness of the spacer. Instead, the actual side-distance spacing is corrupted because the attachment point on the fairing moves the mirror forward at approximately the same dimension as the outward travel (spacing). In other words, a 1" spacer does not move the mirror out 1", but out and forward 1", netting approximately 1/2" outward perpendicular to the centerline of the motorcycle.
There has been much discussion on this forum during this process and Joe2Lmaker and Jet Mechanic have invested some time and effort into the designing and testing of what now is presented as a workable design.

I can't wait to see the lights attached to these brackets (though I believe it is asking a LOT from them) and to see the next iteration about 1/2 as long.

(I still like my FZ-1 mirrors.) :lol: