Better method of mounting mirrors needed! copy of email sent to BRP below

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

THIS MAY HELP IN THE FUTURE

I just got the new mirrors today after waiting a month due to back order. Went out for a short ride to get the cobwebs off the bike. Will be going out tomorrow all day need to catch up on some ride time. :yes::yes:

...After you posted this issue, I gave it some thought and I think I can make a small sturdy bracket that would attach to the panel behind the Mirror out-of-sight....the lower tab would protrude into the bottom of the mirror housing inside ( so you can't see it there either ).....this tab would have one of the BRP threaded clips ( like what the hold the panels to the frame etc.) then one hole drilled from under the mirror into the tab and one BRP metric bolt into the tab...and that mirror isn't coming off unless you take that bolt out ........This is something that will have to wait till winter for me to do ...It's not an emergency....Mikeguyver

 

[taxmyzer]

...After you posted this issue, I gave it some thought and I think I can make a small sturdy bracket that would attach to the panel behind the Mirror out-of-sight....the lower tab would protrude into the bottom of the mirror housing inside ( so you can't see it there either ).....this tab would have one of the BRP threaded clips ( like what the hold the panels to the frame etc.) then one hole drilled from under the mirror into the tab and one BRP metric bolt into the tab...and that mirro isn't coming off unless you take that bolt out ........This is something that will have to wait till winter for me to do ...It's not an emergency....Mikeguyver

Keep me posted if you come up with something.

 

[SpyderBandit]

I know my 09 phantom has different mirror design but I live on 5 miles of gravel road to get to pavement. Potholes are an everyday occurrence for me, so if my mirrors "popped off" everytime I hit a pothole,I'd be looking at a different ride for sure.
Something must be amiss here.

 

[coastrider]

I'm not sure why so many of you felt the need to give Taxmyzer a difficult time. I had a mirror fall off my RT while crossing rail road tracks at maybe 30 mph. The electrical connector separated as well. The bike had just been serviced. No doubt the mirror was improperly installed. It miraculously survived almost unscathed, although some reassembly was required. The design, while similar to many other bike configurations, is too easy to install incorrectly, and the metal spring clips are too easily deformed. My own experience and my 40 years of riding and working on bikes make Taxmyzer's report reasonable, and his comments on the retention system valid. Wouldn't you complain if $500 worth of YOUR mirrors went bouncing down the road after falling off a 30K bike? Would you accept that vulnerability on your 30K automobile?

 

[StanProff]

As the poster said, it is a freak situation. What, one in a million? so your the one. Buy two more mirrors, insure thay are installed correctly and your done.
I have popped mine off many times and never were they Easy to get off. You must have hit a heck of a pot (two) hole. I would say an alignment is in order as well as a good rim inspection for damage. Not saying it didn't happen, just sayin I'd look for more damage for sure. With the thousands of spyders on the road I have never heard of this happening. As other folks have said, if the wire connectors are snapped correctly it takes a lot of force for them to break away. So really, what are the odds of "both" mirrors jumping off the what are the odds of "both" wiring connectors failing at the same time? I'd say this is one in a million of something like this happening. You should go buy a lottery ticket. Hope your spyder does not have any more damage that's hidden.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

NO ...AT LEAST TWO

As the poster said, it is a freak situation. What, one in a million? so your the one. Buy two more mirrors, insure thay are installed correctly and your done.
I have popped mine off many times and never were they Easy to get off. You must have hit a heck of a pot (two) hole. I would say an alignment is in order as well as a good rim inspection for damage. Not saying it didn't happen, just sayin I'd look for more damage for sure. With the thousands of spyders on the road I have never heard of this happening. As other folks have said, if the wire connectors are snapped correctly it takes a lot of force for them to break away. So really, what are the odds of "both" mirrors jumping off the what are the odds of "both" wiring connectors failing at the same time? I'd say this is one in a million of something like this happening. You should go buy a lottery ticket. Hope your spyder does not have any more damage that's hidden.

:dontknow:....Well Stan , Because of His post I checked my GF's brand new 2014 RT-S ( 10 days old ) guess what ??????...the front lower clip on both mirrors were not on securely....But they are now because I am familiar with them and know how to get them fully secured. So now it's at least two......I will be putting my " fix-it forever clips " on Hers this winter also.....................Mikeguyver :thumbup:

 

[bluestratos]

I have had a mirror pop loose going over railroad tracks, the bottom clips popped loose but the mirror hung on to the top one. On another I had my mirror come off after hitting road patch that had settled a good 1 1/2" and hang by the power connector which was pure luck since the connector will come apart with little effort. I doubt the mirrors were tampered with, the right jolt and they can come off.

 

[dndfindley]

While out on a trip today I encountered some typical traffic and New York roads. I was traveling at normal highway speed when both front wheels came upon rough road at the same time causing the front of the roadster to shake enough that both left & right mirrors popped off falling into the road. Since I was on the highway there was nothing I could do but continue on my way. I never thought these mirrors could fall off so easily:yikes:. I was forced to ride my roadster without mirrors for the rest of my trip home. I am hoping that BRP will step up to the plate in helping me replace both mirrors. I would recommend the current mounting system be changed to a more secure system perhaps something with screws rather than clips. I cannot ride the roadster in the current condition as its not safe. Help Please! :bowdown: Will be posting my experience on Spyderlovers.com

A couple of after market mirrors from Walmart and some duct tape and you're good to go In all seriousness if it were me and I didn't want to wait for the mirrors to be replaced and wanted to ride now then I would ride. Granted it is safer with the mirrors but I am able to turn my head and check my six at will. Even with mirrors I still do a head turn before lane changes.

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

READ POST # 43 ABOVE

I have had a mirror pop loose going over railroad tracks, the bottom clips popped loose but the mirror hung on to the top one. On another I had my mirror come off after hitting road patch that had settled a good 1 1/2" and hang by the power connector which was pure luck since the connector will come apart with little effort. I doubt the mirrors were tampered with, the right jolt and they can come off.

:agree:.....pOST #43 ABOVE WILL SOLVE THIS ISSUE ........MIKEGUYVER :thumbup:

 

[taxmyzer]

I would've taken it out but didn't want to risk getting a ticket from New York police. The state is broke so they need every penny no matter how they get it. I'm glad to see there have been others that have had the mirrors come loose fortunately for them they didn't fall off.

 

[TexasSpyder]

...After you posted this issue, I gave it some thought and I think I can make a small sturdy bracket that would attach to the panel behind the Mirror out-of-sight....the lower tab would protrude into the bottom of the mirror housing inside ( so you can't see it there either ).....this tab would have one of the BRP threaded clips ( like what the hold the panels to the frame etc.) then one hole drilled from under the mirror into the tab and one BRP metric bolt into the tab...and that mirror isn't coming off unless you take that bolt out ........This is something that will have to wait till winter for me to do ...It's not an emergency....Mikeguyver

I am interested also in this "fix".

J. D.

 

[PMK]

While screwing around with the mirrors on our 14 RTs yesterday, this topic and these posts were coming to mind.

FWIW, I do believe it is very possible for the electrical connector to separate easier than we have considered. Here's why.

Let's assume an oem mirror is installed onto the oem 3 posts. In order to get the mirror installed, the wire harness is tucked inside the approximately 5/8" diameter hole. The connector is also tucked inside this hole. By design from BRP, the connector safety clip is oriented so that the lift to release tab is facing outboard as the wire harness is withdrawn from the 5/8" hole that the wires feed through. So it is possible, almost quite possible, that the mirror could unsnap from the two spring clip retention posts, and release from the commonly broken slotted post. As the mirror falls away from the body work, the wires are withdrawn from the hole. As the wire harness reaches the connector, the edge of the hole will snag the clips safety latch and with little or no damage release the connector. All this happens in a seconds time. In my opinion, it is possible that the OP did hit something and had the mirrors fall off without a perfect storm, more like bad luck.

FWIW, I was working on our mirrors to tighten the clips. I noticed going over some RR tracks that the mirrors were pretty loose.

The design in my opinion is bad, but whats even worse is the way the entire mirror assembly snaps together. After reading several posts and researching photos, the selection of a more brittle plastic, the price of the parts, and overall poor design as a package is not good. Seeing the mirrors move about, even with tight clips is not good.

All the best with it OP. Those that blew it off as improper install or other concerns might want to revisit the situation if you ride much more than smooth roads.

I have ideas to improve the setup as I am tired of watching the mirrors dance about. Just not sure what I want for a finished product yet.

PK

 

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS

While screwing around with the mirrors on our 14 RTs yesterday, this topic and these posts were coming to mind.

FWIW, I do believe it is very possible for the electrical connector to separate easier than we have considered. Here's why.

Let's assume an oem mirror is installed onto the oem 3 posts. In order to get the mirror installed, the wire harness is tucked inside the approximately 5/8" diameter hole. The connector is also tucked inside this hole. By design from BRP, the connector safety clip is oriented so that the lift to release tab is facing outboard as the wire harness is withdrawn from the 5/8" hole that the wires feed through. So it is possible, almost quite possible, that the mirror could unsnap from the two spring clip retention posts, and release from the commonly broken slotted post. As the mirror falls away from the body work, the wires are withdrawn from the hole. As the wire harness reaches the connector, the edge of the hole will snag the clips safety latch and with little or no damage release the connector. All this happens in a seconds time. In my opinion, it is possible that the OP did hit something and had the mirrors fall off without a perfect storm, more like bad luck.

FWIW, I was working on our mirrors to tighten the clips. I noticed going over some RR tracks that the mirrors were pretty loose.

The design in my opinion is bad, but whats even worse is the way the entire mirror assembly snaps together. After reading several posts and researching photos, the selection of a more brittle plastic, the price of the parts, and overall poor design as a package is not good. Seeing the mirrors move about, even with tight clips is not good.

All the best with it OP. Those that blew it off as improper install or other concerns might want to revisit the situation if you ride much more than smooth roads.

I have ideas to improve the setup as I am tired of watching the mirrors dance about. Just not sure what I want for a finished product yet.

PK

:agree:.....Paul, there have been some Threads with PICS of various solutions .....your choice.......sorry I don't do LINKS....YET :roflblack:.............Mike :thumbup:

 

[taxmyzer]

Thanks for confirming what I already knew to be true.

While screwing around with the mirrors on our 14 RTs yesterday, this topic and these posts were coming to mind.

FWIW, I do believe it is very possible for the electrical connector to separate easier than we have considered. Here's why.

Let's assume an oem mirror is installed onto the oem 3 posts. In order to get the mirror installed, the wire harness is tucked inside the approximately 5/8" diameter hole. The connector is also tucked inside this hole. By design from BRP, the connector safety clip is oriented so that the lift to release tab is facing outboard as the wire harness is withdrawn from the 5/8" hole that the wires feed through. So it is possible, almost quite possible, that the mirror could unsnap from the two spring clip retention posts, and release from the commonly broken slotted post. As the mirror falls away from the body work, the wires are withdrawn from the hole. As the wire harness reaches the connector, the edge of the hole will snag the clips safety latch and with little or no damage release the connector. All this happens in a seconds time. In my opinion, it is possible that the OP did hit something and had the mirrors fall off without a perfect storm, more like bad luck.

FWIW, I was working on our mirrors to tighten the clips. I noticed going over some RR tracks that the mirrors were pretty loose.

The design in my opinion is bad, but whats even worse is the way the entire mirror assembly snaps together. After reading several posts and researching photos, the selection of a more brittle plastic, the price of the parts, and overall poor design as a package is not good. Seeing the mirrors move about, even with tight clips is not good.

All the best with it OP. Those that blew it off as improper install or other concerns might want to revisit the situation if you ride much more than smooth roads.

I have ideas to improve the setup as I am tired of watching the mirrors dance about. Just not sure what I want for a finished product yet.

PK

Thanks! All to often folks on here seem eager to criticize others when they see a post such as mine. We all need to remember the forum should be used to help one another & to learn from each others experiences. I absolutely agree the mirror mounting design sucks and & BRP knows it. What we need now is an aftermarket fix from some of the more mechanically inclined members. I for one would welcome an improvement.

 

[PMK]

:agree:.....Paul, there have been some Threads with PICS of various solutions .....your choice.......sorry I don't do LINKS....YET :roflblack:.............Mike :thumbup:

Rest assured Mike, while I had it apart I was scoping out your method, the other guys method and seeing what I liked.

I posted this reply to the Tax man or whatever he calls himself, saying that I do beleive it is very possible for the mirror to "jettison" with no wire damage.

My personal fix may be different than others, just need some time to decide how to proceed.

PK

 

[taxmyzer]

It's Taxmyzer!

Rest assured Mike, while I had it apart I was scoping out your method, the other guys method and seeing what I liked.

I posted this reply to the Tax man or whatever he calls himself, saying that I do beleive it is very possible for the mirror to "jettison" with no wire damage.

My personal fix may be different than others, just need some time to decide how to proceed.

PK

Keep me posted on your fix. I've seen the others on here but I still think other options will be forth coming.