Modern Buddy

I needed to do something about my worthless mirror situation on my 07 bud. I didn't really want to pay $50 for the 08 longer mirrors only to end up with what my scoot should have come with. Instead, I decided to pick up some bar-end mirrors (CRG clones) on ebay for about $35 bucks and at least have something a little different. I took the $15 I "saved" and popped for some grips as well. I had to cut down the grips on the inside end to 4 1/2 inches to match the factory grip length. Notice the cap on the end - that hole is just what I needed for the mirror hardware.

Installing the grip on the left side was straightforward. For the right-hand side I had to enlarge the hole on the throttle sleeve with my dremel from about 1/2 inch to just slightly larger than the diameter of the handlebar (about 1 in.). For some reason, the handlebar end "stops" about 1/4 in. short from where I expected. I actually had to scoot the control cluster about 1/8 in. inward to gain enough space for the bar-end mount to grab ahold of the inside of the handlebar.

Here's the bar end hardware that comes with the mirrors. Brass construction with aluminum compression fittings. The quality of the chrome varies from "adequate" to "pretty good". The part that is exposed seems to be better quality finish. Notice the raised part of the bar end at the casting seam. I had to do a little filing to smooth out those parts so that the attaching hardware wouldn't bind. No biggie, since it wouldn't be exposed in the finished install.

The main issue with the factory 2007 mirror is that I have a great view of the Corazzo patch on my 5.0 jacket, and that's about it. Here's a shot with the bar-end mirror installed along with the factory mirror. The bud is exactly 7 feet ahead of the red boxster and centered on that car's centerline. The honda pilot is about 4 feet back from the boxster about a city lane over. I tried my best to assume a typical riding position in this shot. In the factory 3-3/4 inch mirror, I can *barely* see the boxster due to my arm in the way, and I can see nearly half of the honda. In the 3 inch bar-end mirror, I can easily see half of the boxster directly behind me, and about half of the honda as well. The slightly convex bar-end mirror is the key. I've tested for a week of commuting. Its great to have full visibility behind you. I'm sold.

Today, it was much nicer out than it was over the weekend. Here's some final install shots. I really like the ergonomic shape of the grips - much more substantial than the factory grips. Notice the plug for the factory mirror bolt hole. It fits perfectly and looks factory: Body-tite! GM, Ford, Chrysler #45491 at the local Kragen Auto.

I actually wasn't sure if I'd like the bar-end mirror setup, but its growing on me. It does look cleaner, maybe more sporty, too. The mirrors are easily adjustable and hold their position well. I haven't noticed any excessive shakiness either. Optical quality is at least as good as the factory mirrors.

I left a little space on the inboard side between the grip and the control pod to avoid binding. On the outboard side, the grip end is just inside of the lip on the end of the plastic throttle sleeve (see earlier pic). This way the grip doesn't come in contact with the mirror hardware and rotates freely. BTW, the grip was a bit of a tight fit on the throttle side. Apparently, unlike motorcycle grips, bicycle grips have the same inside diameter for both the left and right grips

Front view. I seriously need to look into getting the levers in chrome.

While I was at it, I replaced the ugly flange nut on the rear rack crossbar with a nice "acorn" nut. The two other black-colored rack bolts were replaced with stainless socket (allen) bolts and washers. No seat rubbing. Ace Hardware about 5 bucks total. The bolts are M8 - 1.25 x 40mm. I have those two bolts in the silver flange bolt style as well if anyone wants them. Lemme know. Ah, I almost forgot about the chrome license plate frame with the button head socket bolts. I love shiny hardware and am considering ordering up a bunch of chrome bolts. Anyone interested?

Nice work, they turmned out very complimenting indeed.

My fav shot.

great mod, looks very slick... and y eah you gotta get a brown seat now.

as for the chrome bold, i'd like to have three that would hold down my chrome rack. the rest of my girl is fine.

Maybe you addressed this and I missed it/didn't understand it.

Does the right mirror rotate when you throttle?

Awesome post. I think the grips look great.

My fear about bar-end mirrors is that I don't want to increase the width of the scoot. Lane splitting is legal in CA... kind of... Did you have to adjust to that at all?

ericalm wrote:Awesome post. I think the grips look great.

My fear about bar-end mirrors is that I don't want to increase the width of the scoot. Lane splitting is legal in CA... kind of... Did you have to adjust to that at all?

Thanks, Eric. I don't lane split at all, so the extra width isn't really an issue for me. Even if I did occasionally lane split, I still might consider the mod for the added safety the rearward visibility brings. They don't stick out that far, IMHO. YMMV.

Orange Guy wrote:Maybe you addressed this and I missed it/didn't understand it.

Does the right mirror rotate when you throttle?

Hi, Orange. Bar-end mirrors attach to the handlebar, not the grips, so no, the mirror doesn't rotate with the throttle. The cylindrical mounting hardware pictured above slides into the end of the bar and clamps to the handlebar from the inside. It doesn't actually touch the grip.

Dalvarado, I have a huge favor to ask of you. Can you take a photo with you on the Buddy looking forward? I am curious to see what it will look like from riding eye level to see if they are functional to use by glancing down. I love the way it looks, but not sure if I want to add a second pair or move to what you did.

The only draw back with the stock mirrors are that I stare at my shoulders, instead of the lanes behind me.

THOSE... LOOK... SO... GOOD!!!

Idea: stolen.

KRUSTYburger wrote:THOSE... LOOK... SO... GOOD!!!

Idea: stolen.

thx krusty! Don't think I haven't already planned on gripping some of your ideas as well.

ericalm wrote:Awesome post. I think the grips look great.

My fear about bar-end mirrors is that I don't want to increase the width of the scoot. Lane splitting is legal in CA... kind of... Did you have to adjust to that at all?

Don't a lot of bar end mirrors fold in? Do these?

I thought that was one of the advantages- the stock mirrors stick out a bit farther than the bars (at least the new ones do) but I thought with bar ends you could just fold them up.

jmazza wrote: Don't a lot of bar end mirrors fold in? Do these?

I thought that was one of the advantages- the stock mirrors stick out a bit farther than the bars (at least the new ones do) but I thought with bar ends you could just fold them up.

This one does: http://www.constructorsrg.com/mirrors/hindsight_ls.html . Mine don't, which is fine for me.

Nice mod. I like.
I would really like to see a picture of your scooter in its entirety (from a moderately short distance) to see the "whole package". If you ever get the chance.......(it would be greatly appreciated!)

Again, nice work!

Well done. Very well done.

ay pablo wrote:Nice mod. I like.
I would really like to see a picture of your scooter in its entirety (from a moderately short distance) to see the "whole package". If you ever get the chance.......(it would be greatly appreciated!)

Again, nice work!

Here you go...

Thanks! It really does look great! I really like those mirrors......
great customizing!

kilted texan wrote:Dalvarado, I have a huge favor to ask of you. Can you take a photo with you on the Buddy looking forward? I am curious to see what it will look like from riding eye level to see if they are functional to use by glancing down. I love the way it looks, but not sure if I want to add a second pair or move to what you did.

The only draw back with the stock mirrors are that I stare at my shoulders, instead of the lanes behind me.

Hello Again, Kilted. I went out today to take that pic and found that I couldn't get a wide enough shot from the rider's perspective that included both grips, let alone the mirrors. I tried two cameras with no dice. I considered taking a shot from behind the scoot, but it would be very similar to the shot in the 6th post in this thread. I was concerned mostly with addressing the safety issue of poor rearward visibility with the stock mirrors and my largish 220 lb frame. I can say that for me personally, there is no significant functionality issue associated with glancing down a little more than I normally would with the stock setup. I kind of liken it to checking the rear-view center or side mirrors in my car. The confidence of knowing what is behind and beside you so far outweighs any tiny incremental increase of time needed for your eyes to locate the mirror. Other reviews online seem to suggest the same. After a week or so, its automatic for me and having the stock mirrors would kinda be a distraction in my field of view of the road ahead. I encourage you to give it a shot. The mod is 100% reversible, and if you don't dig it, you could always pop for the longer 08 mirrors from Scooterworks.

Awesome!!!

Nice... I do like Electra's stuff too. Heck I ride a Ghostrider 3 when I feel like pedaling. Nice clean look to your bike, BRAVO

I know you said the mirrors are CRG clones, but do you know the actual make/ebay description? I'm looking into doing something similar. Also, are the buddy grips 7/8" diameter or 1"?

aerogirl7 wrote:I know you said the mirrors are CRG clones, but do you know the actual make/ebay description? I'm looking into doing something similar. Also, are the budddy grips 7/8" diameter or 1"?

Hi, Aerogirl7. The description of the ebay listing was "Motorcyle Bar End Mirrors Ducati Triumph BMW CHROME". The seller is "moto-deluxe". BTW, there is nothing really Ducati, Triumph, or BMW -specific about the mirrors at all. They'll fit just about anything with 7/8" bars like the Buddy. The grips are 7/8" bicycle grips as well.

very nice!

Thanks dalvarado!

Sorry to zombie an ancient thread, but ... Wow. Gorgeous look.

I started to consider bar-ends to cut down on the mirror vibration. So I ordered these very grips and similar mirrors, and can't wait for them to arrive. I may top it all off with a brown-ish Cheeky Seats cover as well.

Corsair wrote:very nice!

I bought these bar end mirrors and for the life of me I cant make them fit. I tightened the allen screw and it was suppose to expand inside to grip the inner part of the handle but it does not reach the point and make contact and i am at end of the bolt.

How did u make it work? I tried all kinds of trick and i cant seem to figure it out.

Thanks

Buddymon, did you change the grips? The Electra grips that Dalvarado (and I) installed are longer than the stock Buddy grips (see photo #1), and they needed to be cut down to match the Buddy length. If you do that, the metal handlebar should be pretty close to the end of the grip, and the expanders should be able to grab on. I did the Dremel thing, too, on the right side throttle piece to open up the hole big enough for the mirror to get through and grab the inner bar.

If, however, you've got longer grips, the expander might not be reaching far enough into the handlebar.

Without mounting the mirror on the bike, try working the allen bolt all the way up and down, just to verify that the expander is really... expanding.

I got the inexpensive ($20 or so) non-folding bar-ends on eBay, from a US shipper rather than China (just for quicker turnaround). These are the mirrors that the sellers list with the bike brands in the subject line, but it's all same mirrors/different bikes. Those ads show pictures of the units - make sure yours match the picture and have that outer sleeve that expands - if you're missing that, they'll never grab.

Sorry for the ramble, but I can't really picture why yours aren't working.

One more thing - go take a look at one of the eBay models (like this one) - you'll see in these photos that the 'nut' on the end isn't even engaged into the expander in this position. This nut has over an inch of available travel inside as you tighten it up, and those 'blades' on the expander sleeve will expand out and grip. That's as much as maybe 20 turns of the Allen bolt - did you go that far? Again, best to do it first off-the-bike to see how the spreader really works.

Another hint - spray the threads and nut with some oil or WD-40 before cranking them tight - the less-expensive mirrors aren't made from the world's finest materials, and some lubrication during install might keep them from binding/warping/breaking/stripping.

I bought grips and yes the right side needs some adjustment to make it fit. I dont have a dremel tool so I decided to keep original for now.

As far as the mirrors. They dont expand enough to grab from the inside and stick. It feels like the nut doesnt really expand the two pieces together even if i screw it all the way down. Ill try to grease them up to see what happens.

Thanks for the tip. Ill let you know if they work.

Yeah, I was just trying to figure out what you mean when you say "screwed all the way down". If it's just until you're meeting resistance, or truly retracting the thing all the way (many many turns of the bolt). I didn't know if the spreader nut was actually moving back down the threads and spreading the leaves on the expansion thingy.

PeteH wrote:Yeah, I was just trying to figure out what you mean when you say "screwed all the way down". If it's just until you're meeting resistance, or truly retracting the thing all the way (many many turns of the bolt). I didn't know if the spreader nut was actually moving back down the threads and spreading the leaves on the expansion thingy.

the spreaders do not expand enough to grip the inside of the handle bar.

buddymon wrote:

PeteH wrote:Yeah, I was just trying to figure out what you mean when you say "screwed all the way down". If it's just until you're meeting resistance, or truly retracting the thing all the way (many many turns of the bolt). I didn't know if the spreader nut was actually moving back down the threads and spreading the leaves on the expansion thingy.

the spreaders do not expand enough to grip the inside of the handle bar.

Wow, somebody zombied this post for sure. So, three years plus, no issues

Regarding the expansion flange not flaring enough to grip the bar. I'd try decreasing the inner diameter of the bar. Grab some aluminum roof flashing or other suitable sheet metal and roll it up and shove it in there. A 1" x 4" strip should do it. You can use as much as needed to decrease the diameter to taste. I've used Coke cans (excellent quality and cheap) to snug up seat post bars on old bikes. Works great! Oh, and I got a matching seat now.

OMG duh! why didnt i think of that.. Empty coke can next to me is looking real nice for an evening of fun =)

Thanks guys.

Saw this scooter and its custom grips just a short while ago. Looks even better in person IMO.

installed my bar end mirror last night. Looks really sharp.

I have a question for those ho have installed the bar end mirrors. You said you had to dremel the end to get the mirrors in. Would something like this: http://www.ebay.com/itm/gsx1300r-gsxr-6 ... 048wt_1396 eliminate the need to dremel or make a hole?

Here's the thing - it's not the grips themselves that need Dremeling, but the plastic throttle sleeve (between the grip and the metal bar) that the grip surrounds. There's a hole in the end of the throttle sleeve, but it's too small to take the 7/8" bar-end fitting. Opening it up with a Dremel tool allows you to then mount the grip (with a 7/8" hole in the end) and then put the mirror's fitting through and have it friction-grip on to the inside of the metal handlebar.

As soon as you get your old rubber grip off, you'll see immediately what I mean. I think Dalvarado had at least one picture of the throttle sleeve upwards in this thread. [edit: ah, yes. Post #2, post-Dremel]

Hope this helps.

Got it! Thank you.

I have not quite 50 miles on the new scoot, and the biggest criticism I have right now is that the stock mirrors suuuuuuuuck.

I'm figuring I'll drop the extra coin and get the CRG Lanesplitters (same ones I have on the Triumph). They're spendy, but compared to the knock-offs I've tried in the past, the CRGs are much better build quality.

I'm shopping around online right now for grips. That's the "difficult" part.

I'll be checking back here for advice, but thanks for the write-up! Glad to hear it's not that difficult an install.

--Jaeger

i may have to do bar end mirrors when i get a buddy cause i don't think there is a way to do underbar mirrors as there isn't enough room on the bars to slide out the controls to make space to hang them...unless someone knows of bar extenders or bar ends that won't interfere with the throttle tube...also not sure if i'd be smacking my knees on them or if they would be too close together to see around my body

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got my bar end mirrors installed using the oem grips...was going to put a set of pro grips on but decided not to...

http://www.modernbuddy.com/forum/viewto ... 100#369568