• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

Blind spot mirrors

Thanks for that posting. I have been using a variety of similar blind spot mirrors, but none have the degree of adjustabilty I desire.

I have already contacted the company to see if they have vendors here in central Ohio...and asked about direct orders if there are no vendors. :clap
 
This topic received considerable discussion some time ago. Some experienced riders feel even the best blind spot mirrors (and I think Maxieview probably is the best) are not an acceptable alternative to a "shoulder check."

Frankly, I REALLY like them on the bike. Be sure to 1. first adjust your main mirrors for the best view to the rear, 2. install the blind spot mirrors on the part of the main mirrors which gives you the most useless information - like body parts, 3. adjust the blind spot mirrors so that the front of a vehicle in the lane on either side is visible in your peripheral vision before it leaves the blind spot mirror. Using and trusting them DOES take practice, but I believe they can give you that 360 degree awareness of what is happening in your blind spots faster than shoulder checks, hence less time not looking ahead where most of the action is.

One caveat: If there are TWO lanes, either to your left or right, you MUST shoulder check before changing lanes. Blind spot mirrors will not reveal the vehicle two lanes over moving into the space you covet. Something to remember if you ever ride freeways.

Second caveat for cars: they are great on some, not needed on some (my Subaru Legacy wagon has a great enough field of view from the inside mirror that I can use the outside mirrors to cover the blind spots,) and just plain don't work on some (the surrounds on our Mazda Miata mirrors bumped the blind spot mirrors when my much shorter wife adjusted the mirrors for her seated position.)

Finally, most of us (and me for sure) should resolve to have a quick glance in our mirrors much more often. How embarassing to have someone pass you that you didn't even know was behind you!
 
This topic received considerable discussion some time ago. Some experienced riders feel even the best blind spot mirrors (and I think Maxieview probably is the best) are not an acceptable alternative to a "shoulder check."

Frankly, I REALLY like them on the bike. Be sure to 1. first adjust your main mirrors for the best view to the rear, 2. install the blind spot mirrors on the part of the main mirrors which gives you the most useless information - like body parts, 3. adjust the blind spot mirrors so that the front of a vehicle in the lane on either side is visible in your peripheral vision before it leaves the blind spot mirror. Using and trusting them DOES take practice, but I believe they can give you that 360 degree awareness of what is happening in your blind spots faster than shoulder checks, hence less time not looking ahead where most of the action is.

One caveat: If there are TWO lanes, either to your left or right, you MUST shoulder check before changing lanes. Blind spot mirrors will not reveal the vehicle two lanes over moving into the space you covet. Something to remember if you ever ride freeways.


Second caveat for cars: they are great on some, not needed on some (my Subaru Legacy wagon has a great enough field of view from the inside mirror that I can use the outside mirrors to cover the blind spots,) and just plain don't work on some (the surrounds on our Mazda Miata mirrors bumped the blind spot mirrors when my much shorter wife adjusted the mirrors for her seated position.)

Finally, most of us (and me for sure) should resolve to have a quick glance in our mirrors much more often. How embarassing to have someone pass you that you didn't even know was behind you!
 
I use a shoulder check. I also find if I lean forward a bit the view in the rear mirror shifts so I can see into the blind spot. I have a wide angle mirror mounted on left side mirror, but never seem to use it. Shoulder check is better.
 
Installing blind spot mirrors, does not mean one stops shoulder checking. imho you can never shoulder check too much.
I have some home made blind spot mirrors on my bike, you can see them in the Feb. issue of BMWON, page 12. They work well. Adjust very well, just bend them.
 
First, my apolgies for somehow posting the same thing twice. (Posts 4 and 5.)

My question for all of you who DO have "blind spot" mirrors but STILL shoulder check is WHY? (Two lanes on either side the noted exception.) Seems to me, if you don't trust the blind spot mirrors, why have them?

Do any of you regular "shoulder checkers" disagree with my premise that a shoulder check takes at least a half second longer than a glance in the mirror with a good blind spot mirror? That's 44 feet of travel at 60 mph - which can be important in heavy traffic.

So, you shoulder checkers - state your case, and please, not "it is what we teach (or were taught) at the MSF class. I and others are very open to well-reasoned argument. After all, what is at stake is our personal safety and we all need to make "best practices" automatic.
 
My question for all of you who DO have "blind spot" mirrors but STILL shoulder check is WHY? (Two lanes on either side the noted exception.) Seems to me, if you don't trust the blind spot mirrors, why have them?

I don't have them now, but I have had them in the past. The answer to your question is that if I see something in the blind spot mirrors I don't need the head check because I know something is there and I'm not going to change lanes into it.

On the other hand if I don't see anything and I want to change lanes I still need the head check. Why? Because the blind spot mirrors don't tell me what may be in that blind spot a second from now. Turning my head gives me a better view what's coming. You've got to worry about more than the cars going your speed. The ones going faster are the ones that can surprise you.
 
My question for all of you who DO have "blind spot" mirrors but STILL shoulder check is WHY?

I would suggest that a shoulder check gives a better idea of exactly where the vehicle is, it's velocity and whether it is changing lanes than just using a mirror, especially a mirror that distorts distance, which these wide view mirrors do.
 
Mirrors work

Perhaps it is all the time I have spent towing, but I trust my mirrors. For me, shoulder checking is unnecessary; slower riders might not feel the same.
 
Why have both

Quote: My question for all of you who DO have "blind spot" mirrors but STILL shoulder check is WHY?

I am completely blind in my right eye...have been since I was a boy. Doing a shoulder check on the right means turning my head so I have virtually no view of the road ahead. A blind spot mirror helps me know if ANYTHING is on my right. I don't care what it is. I don't fully rely on the mirror if I am actually seeking to change my lane. The mirror helps eliminate surprises and gives me an additional margin of safety. :hide
 
First, my apolgies for somehow posting the same thing twice. (Posts 4 and 5.)
I just thought you were stuttering.
My question for all of you who DO have "blind spot" mirrors but STILL shoulder check is WHY? (Two lanes on either side the noted exception.) Seems to me, if you don't trust the blind spot mirrors, why have them?
I don't have them. I have both the fairing mounted mirrors and a set of GS mirrors on my bars of my RT. The fairing mirrors are set as wide as they go to keep an eye on what's out there wider/closer [aka, blind spots] than the handlebar mirrors can cover. I may buy a set of these to put on the fairing mounted mirrors.

I always head check and that won't ever change. However, I ride about 40 percent of my ride in the mirrors, quick glancing all the time. I think anything you can do to increase information about what's in your safety envelope on the road is a good thing.

Again though, there is no equal to head checking to change lanes and make turns on a bike and I'm well trained to do so in my car as well. Mirrors are great to see what's out there - direct line of sight has no equal.
 
I have something like this on my bikes:

http://www.amazon.com/CIPA-49104-Co..._3?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1331998051&sr=1-3

Picked a pair of them up at Walgreens for less than 10 bucks.

The mirror is convex and twists so you can adjust to whatever angle suits you best. They work great, but habits are habits, and I still twist my head around and get a quick glance.

The link that the OP posted? They want 30$ a piece for theirs. These look like the same thing, only not so expensive.

http://www.amazon.com/Total-2-Set-A...0?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1331998295&sr=1-70
 
Originally Posted by BCKRIDER View Post
My question for all of you who DO have "blind spot" mirrors but STILL shoulder check is WHY? ... Seems to me, if you don't trust the blind spot mirrors, why have them?

I installed 1-1/2" diameter convex mirrors on my bar ends thinking they would help out. But at the "resolution" provided they don't give a defined image of too much, so a shoulder check is still the safest.

What they are good for is, telling me if my Krausers are still onboard.
09.gif
 
I use'em:)

I've had spot mirrors on all my bikes/cars/trucks for years and years, with nothing but praise for'em:). I'm almost at my 1 million miles on my bikes alone now, no accidents in any of the above. Knock on wood! The spot mirrors serve a purpose anybody should consider a "good one", never neglecting the old school, look over the shoulder idea too. They work together:). I consider any of my vehicles/bikes handicapped, without the convex mirrors in place and really feel somethings missing when I drive/ride without them. Definately a valued item to have in place,imo. Randy:thumb
 
Back
Top