[saberr9t]

A mechanical idiot installs Rizoma Class Retro Mirrors using Rizoma Bar Ends

I had a set of black Rizoma Class Retro Mirrors from a previous bike that I mounted on my R9t. These are great mirrors. Much better view beside and behind the bike and much less vibration than stock. This set came off a bike I drove into the side of an SUV that turned left in front of me. Bike was totaled, I was dazed and confused and the mirrors had barely a scratch.

I mounted them using Rizoma Bar Ends part number MA506X where X indicates the color. This is an easy process. Since I'm in the less mechanically inclined portion of our community, I'll explain the process in painful detail. You'll need the following:

Mirrors
Shims supplied with the mirrors
Bar ends MA506
Torx T55 bit
Medium strength loctite
Hand drill with 12 mm drill bit. Half inch bit would work as well but is larger than necessary. A drill press would be preferable but the results will look the same.
Metric hex key to attach the mirrors

The process is straightforward. Take the Rizoma bar ends, set aside everything but the actual aluminum bar end. Drill 12 mm holes in the bar ends. Remove the stock bar ends. Remove the loctite from the stock bar ends with denatured alcohol or goof off. Reapply medium strength loctite to the bolt. Attach the modified Rizoma bar ends with the stock R9t bolts. Attach the mirrors.

I've provided pictures below.

Here's the bar end with hardware.

You are only going to use the aluminum bar end piece. A black one is pictured here with the hole already drilled out to 12MM to be installed with the stock R9t bolt.

Once you've drilled out the hole, remove the stock bar end, clean the loctite off the bolt. Apply new medium strenth loctite and attach the Rizoma bar end with the stock R9t bolt. The outer end of the Rizoma bar end is recessed and the recessed area is deep enough to hold the head of the stock R9t bolt. The bar end will bind the end of the clutch side grip and that's fine because you probably don't twist that grip much. The throttle grip has a space to keep the bar end clear of the grip so a spacer isn't required. Lock washers might be a good idea but I didn't use them because the bolt is large and the bar end is aluminum so I figured it would bind them securely. After a 1,000 miles they haven't moved.

The mirrors definitely contact the tank if installed below the bar.

Here are a few (really bad) photos of the mirrors installed. Note that the previous picture showed a black bar end I had laying around and used to test fit the mirrors. I only had one black bar end though so once I worked it out, I ordered a full set which was on sale and happened to be gold. So the photos below show the bar end in gold. Love the gold or hate it but it makes it easy to see the parts in these photos.

The holes where the stock mirrors attached bothered me so I found a solution.

These are available in 16mm and 20mm lengths from Boltdepot.com The 20mm stand proud of the hole so I went with the 16mm. 18mm would be perfect but it's not available. The socket for the hex key is so deep that you are actually filling a hole with a smaller hole. My solution was to screw them in with my finger upside down. That way there's not a hole there. Removing them will require drilling a small hole in them so I can spin them out but that won't be a big deal. Here's how they look installed:

Hope that's helpful for anyone looking to install bar end mirrors using Rizoma hardware.

 

[saberr9t]

I must be going blind but where is the piece u drilled? I just see gold tips

In any case i like yours as you've managed to eliminate the end caps that go at the end of the mirror assembly


sent while chewing beef tapa

I started with a single black bar end and showed that drilled out. I them drilled an identical pair of gold bar ends and provided photos with the gold bar ends installed.

The Rizoma bar ends have plastic end caps that appear in the discard pile. I would have installed those but the stock bolt heads are so big the end caps won't fit.

 

[saberr9t]

They were mounted on Rizoma bar ends that I drilled out to accept the OEM BMW bolts. I recently learned there is a better solution.

Years ago I posted explaining how to drill Rizoma bar ends so I could mount them with stock R9t bolts. Others have drilled out their bars to remove the threading so they can use bar end accessories intended for standard handlebars that aren't threaded.

I know better now.

The problem with the R9t bars is that the bar ends are threaded and the stock bolt is huge. Because the bar ends are threaded most bar end accessories that use expanding nuts won't fit. Because the bolt is huge it won't fit through the mounting holes on most bar end accessories.

Rizoma has two solutions.

LP325B has a 6mm bolt that fits most bar ends and an expanding nut that is short enough to fit inside the R9t bar end without conflicting with the threads.

LP321 has a headless bolt the same size as the stock R9t bar end bolt. It is inserted in the bar end and tightened with an 8mm hex key. It drilled and tapped to take a six mm bolt that can be used to attach most bar end accessories.

Neither require drilling and both can be removed and returned to stock. Highly recommend getting a pair of one or the other even if you don't install them. Eventually you'll see something you want to mount on the bar end and this give you that flexibility. They are less than $20 a pair.

Use either of those to mount Rizoma bar ends MA533X. The X is an additional letter in the part number that designates the color. Once you have installed those bar ends you can mount mirrors to them.