[Anubis]

Got my Livewire last week. Bike is great so far (~300 miles on the clock), but I have a bit of an issue that I'm hoping one of you has already solved: the mirrors are utterly useless.

My mirrors give me a great view of my forearms. After 36 years of living I know what my forearms look like, so I'd like to get mirrors that allow me to see cars behind and to the sides of me. I can see the lanes to the left and right if I move my arms inward, but I'd like to be able to see the left and right lanes, as well as traffic behind me, without craning my head or adjusting my riding position.


Anyone have any recommendations for aftermarket mirrors, or some add-on that might help me see better?

 

[cybrdyke]

Hahaha....
Welcome to Harley-world!!
And welcome to the Forum! Congrats on the new rig!!


Almost all HD mirror stalks are too short. I bought an XR1200 in 2009 and it has the same exact mirrors as the Livewire. A whole bunch of XR riders simply flipped them upside down, very much like the cafe racers used to do. Harley has even taken to doing this themselves now on some of the new "48's". I think they look great upside down and they definitely work much better.
If you dont want to do that, Harley sells extended mirror stalks (at least they used to).
Check in to the VIN thread. There's beer in the fridge....help yourself.
CD

 

[dcom]

Got my Livewire last week. Bike is great so far (~300 miles on the clock), but I have a bit of an issue that I'm hoping one of you has already solved: the mirrors are utterly useless.

My mirrors give me a great view of my forearms. After 36 years of living I know what my forearms look like, so I'd like to get mirrors that allow me to see cars behind and to the sides of me. I can see the lanes to the left and right if I move my arms inward, but I'd like to be able to see the left and right lanes, as well as traffic behind me, without craning my head or adjusting my riding position.


Anyone have any recommendations for aftermarket mirrors, or some add-on that might help me see better?

Hey, I think we met over at Frazier's on Christmas Eve while I was trying to charge my LW. If you're on FB, there's a Group of us over there that is getting more active as more bikes are being sold.

Until you can install new mirrors with longer stems, try flipping them upside down (swap left and right). It works for me, although looking down to see what's behind you takes getting used to. I can see things behind me much more clearly.

 

[Crilly]

I but Harley mirror extenders with tapered mirrors on mine. Better but not perfect.

 

[Anubis]

dcom-

Yep that was me at Frazier's on Christmas Eve. I ended up picking up the bike on the 31st.

Thanks for the tip about the mirrors. Do you have a picture of the mirrors as you have them set up? I'll give that a try.

Crilly-

Where did you get the mirror extenders? Do you have a link to a specific product?

 

[dcom]

dcom-

yep that was me at frazier's on christmas eve. I ended up picking up the bike on the 31st.

Thanks for the tip about the mirrors. Do you have a picture of the mirrors as you have them set up? I'll give that a try.

 

[dcom]

The talk about mirror extensions got me searching and I found these on eBay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Mirr...For-Harley-Davidson-Motorcycles-/332594498711

I had some eBay Bucks so I ordered them and will report back on how well they work. I saw a video where a guy used them but still mounted the mirrors on the bottom. It brought them closer to the handgrips so you don't have to look down so far.

 

[Anubis]

Thanks for the picture. I think I'll give that a try. Any problems with the mirrors contacting any part of the bike during low-speed turns?

 

[dcom]

No, they clear a good 1.5" on either side with the bars turned to the stops.

 

[Mac Mike]

Same issue I have with my mirrors. My #1 complaint issued to my white glove rep at Harley. I also issued a complaint to the NHTSA about the mirrors. In the meantime I went to the auto part store and bought spot mirrors for 4 bucks.

 

[Michelle Young]

Being 5’2” I didn’t even know this was a problem. They seem the same and in the right place like FLS.

 

[Anubis]

Being 5’2” I didn’t even know this was a problem. They seem the same and in the right place like FLS.

It seems like this a problem for larger riders. I'm 6'1" with broad shoulders and an abnormally long torso so a lot of vehicles don't fit me properly. I'm not surprised that I have issues with the mirrors, but it sounds like this is a common issue for a lot of riders. I guess that's good - presumably they will come up with a better designed mirror to fix this.

In the meantime, I think I'll try the blind spot mirrors to start (the lateral 1-2 inches of the mirrors are generally not blocked in my normal riding position), and if that doesn't work I'll try flipping them upside down. If none of that works I'll do a bit of modifying to add another few inches to the stem of the mirror.

Thanks everyone for all the input. Hoping one of these solutions works - I spend a lot of my time riding on 8 lane highways in Atlanta traffic, so visibility is a huge issue.

 

[dcom]

Being 5’2” I didn’t even know this was a problem. They seem the same and in the right place like FLS.

I think they were tested with people your size or smaller. Hence, no changes were needed. I'm only 5'7" and not that big around. If they're a problem for me, they'll be a problem for the majority of typical riders.

 

[Crilly]

I am 5’3” with broad shoulders. So height has nothing to do with it. I well bet Michelle is skinny.

 

[Anubis]

I am 5’3” with broad shoulders. So height has nothing to do with it. I well bet Michelle is skinny.

Interesting. Sounds like the mirror thing is an issue for smaller riders too. I figured it had something to do with my proportions (I'm only 6'1" but when seated I'm similar to a dude who is closer to 6'6") and my "sturdy" build (~320 lb, although I swear I'm on a diet...).

Figure this will be something I discuss with the H-D representative who will call me in the coming weeks. Hard to complain, though. I love the bike aside from the mirrors.

 

[Mac Mike]

I have the chrome version of these on my Sporty and thinking of getting these black ones for the LW.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q832SLN/ref=pe_27553150_462525940_em_1p_2_lm

 

[dcom]

I got some of these and installed them today. They work great and I no longer see just my arms in the mirrors. They're basically the same $60 extenders in the HD catalog but less than $12.

https://www.amazon.com/Motorcycle-Mirrors.../dp/B00RNIVMYK

 

[Anubis]

Dcom- Thanks. I'm going to order those right now.

Over the weekend I swapped the mirrors for those on my Road King. The Road King mirrors looked a little weird (rusty chrome mirrors clash a bit with the 'Wire's style), but visibility was improved by quite a lot. The mirrors are about 1 inch taller and 2 inches wider than those on the Livewire. I think those extenders should work very well based on my experiment with the Road King mirrors.

 

[Anubis]

I got some of these and installed them today. They work great and I no longer see just my arms in the mirrors. They're basically the same $60 extenders in the HD catalog but less than $12.

https://www.amazon.com/Motorcycle-Mirrors.../dp/B00RNIVMYK

Got my mirror extensions and installed them today. These are a definitive fix to the problem- visibility is greatly improved and I recommend this product.

Only problem is that I bought the cover that is fitted for this bike. The cover fits tight so I have to fold the mirrors to get the cover on the bike. I imagine most owners have a garage to keep their Livewire, but for those of use who are garage-less this may be a bit of an issue.