shaky bar end mirror help

[glaz]

Howdy gang. I need me some tips on getting my bar end mirror from vibrating like, well, a vibrator.

The damn thing looks mighty sharp dangling off the end of my clubman bars, but entirely useless coz it's so shaky...all I see is a blur in the mirror when the throttle is twisted anything over idle. Anybody got a way to solve this dilemma?

 

[TJEvans]

switch it to the left side...if your twin is anything like my CB500t, then the right hand mirror is completely useless. I never look at it, because it confuses me more than helping.

so, yeah, put it on the left bar

 

[glaz]

Switching it on the left side will stop it from vibrating?

 

[TJEvans]

Put 2 mirrors on your bike, and notice the diffference in vibration from left to right.

on my CB500T, the left mirror is crystal clear...the right one, can see a damned thing, it shakes so much...tried adjusting, tightening, loosening, nothing will stop the shaking. I've researched other sites and most people with CB500Ts report the same problem. When I rebuild my bike, I don't plan on using a mirror on the right, at all. PA law says I need "at least one rearview mirror" So, it will be on the left. I've heard that it's a general problem with twins in general...not sure the significence, but it is.

 

[Swagger]

Ok, there's a few tricks that may well help both of you.

First off, remember that vibrations are a fact of life with parallel twins, learn to love it...hhehe

Ok, there used to be a product called 'Bar Snake' that could be run thru your handlebars that was as far as I know just some heavy material suspended in a rubberized plastic. Worked OK.

If you aren't running your wires thru the bars then you're in luck. Seal up one end with a plug, pound in a hunk of cork...whatever, just be sure it's secure. Fill your bars with regular old sand. You'll want to pour it in til it's more or less full, then tap the bars for 10-15 minutes to allow the sand to settle. Do this a few times, topping off your sand fill then plug the open end you were just filling.
This adds not only weight, but will drastically lower the bars resonant frequency and should take care of the vast majority of your vibe problems. If you're still dealing with buzzy mirrors, then a pair of stainless bar end weights can be hung off the ends that'll kill a bit more.

If you're running wires thru the bars, you'll have to be satisfied with bar end weights.

I've used this method for quite a long time and it generally takes most of the problem away.

Also, if your bars are rubber mounted, make sure the bushings are in good shape, try more or less tightness on the mounts.

I'm running clip-ons on all my bikes and the sand/bar end weight method even helps with them.

If you need help with the weights, I run a fabrication shop and can probably help you out. You might also try one of our many parts suppliers for options.

 

[glaz]

Ok, cool, thanks...good ideas, Swagger. I dunno how much sand will get thru at the bends where the welds are on the bars, but it's definitely worth a go. Yup, the bars are rubber mounted. I also tried mounting the mirror with a rubber gasket between the bar end and the base which screws into the expanding nut in the handle, as well as another rubber gasket where the mirror swivels out (I took out the spring and attached it solidly to the base as I figured a less than secure point adds to the shaking).

Yup, do realize that the twins rock'n roll a bit, as opposed to inline 4's or whatnot. I actually dig that about the twins (plus that sound of a twin, love it!), except for the mirror thing. I'm baffled why I didn't have that issue with the stock mirrors mounted on the levers. I guess the terminal ends of the bars is where the most vibration migrates.

TJ, I'll give your idea a try first as it's less labor intensive. I dunno why it would shake any less on the left though, but what the hell. Thanks, dude.