SIGN IN YOUR ACCOUNT TO HAVE ACCESS TO DIFFERENT FEATURES

FORGOT YOUR PASSWORD?

FORGOT YOUR DETAILS?

AAH, WAIT, I REMEMBER NOW!
  • Shop Headlights
  • Shop Indicators
  • Shop Fabrication
  • Shop Moto Kits
  • Shop Air Filters

Purpose Built Moto

• Community Garage
• Custom Moto
• Custom Parts

Call: 0467 417 828
Email: tom@purposebuiltmoto.com

Purpose Built Moto
Gold Coast, Australia

Open in Google Maps
  • STORE

      Featured categories

      See all categories

      Headlights

      Indicators

      Tail lights

      Handlebar switches

      Fabrication

      Control relay

      Mufflers

      Moto Kits

      Mirrors

      Gauges

      Levers/Throttles

      Air filters

      Wholesale Parts

      Apparel

                                     

      Wholesale

      My account Request pricing
  • BLOG

      Blog sections

      See all blogposts

      Electrics

      Parts Installation

      Fabrication

      Seats

      Our Bike Builds

      Lifestyle

      Adventure Rides

  • SERVICES
    • Motorcycle Customisation
    • Exhaust Builds
    • Motorcycle Wiring
    • Custom Fabrication
    • Motorcycle Mechanic
  • GALLERY

      Gallery categories

      Cafe Racers

      Brat Style

      Scrambler / Tracker

      Bobber / Chopper

      Videos

      See all videos

      Bike Builds

      Parts Guides

      Events

      Other

  • CONTACT
    • Contact
    • FAQ
    • About
    • Testimonials
    • Media
    • Returns
  • MY CART
    No products in cart.

Home » Bike customization » How to fit bar end mirrors to a cafe racer….Properly!

Home » Bike customization » How to fit bar end mirrors to a cafe racer….Properly!

How to fit bar end mirrors to a cafe racer….Properly!

by Tom / Sunday, 17 June 2018 / Published in Bike customization, Fabrication, Tech articles
Bar end mirrors how to cafe racer gold coast

How to fit café racer bar end mirrors.

This one will be close to many peoples heart. Ever bought some bar end mirrors and had them either come loose or completely fall off during a ride? Me too, a lot. So I decided to re-think how their fitted in an attempt to better secure these things.
For me I want every rider that has a bike built in my garage to ride away feeling like they’ve gotten the best damn bike their ever going to own. But if something as simple as a bloody bar end mirror rattles loose, that magic can be short lived.
So from a quality stand point, I’ve written this short how-to article to show what I’ve figured to be the best way to fix your bar end mirrors and make sure they stay fixed

cafe racer parts bar end mirrors

What you’ll need:

  • Bar end mirrors
  • 2 x M4 or M5 x 4mm grub screws
  • M4 or M5 Tap
  • M8 or M6 tap
  • Allen keys
  • Drill bit set
  • Thread locker
  • aluminium round bar stock around 20mm dia. (If you or your mates have a lathe)
  • Lathe

OR

  • Steel tube, that matches the internal Dia. Of your handlebars
  • 2 x M8 or M6 nuts
  • MIG or TIG Welder

Now I’ve used both techniques here and they work equally as well. The difference is the equipment that you have at your disposal.
Shown here are some aluminium slugs I turned down and threaded, but I’ll include details on the steel tube method too.

cafe racer parts australia

1. Measure your bars and bar end mirror mounts.

What you need to check here is:

  • Handle bar internal Diameter.
  • Main mirror bolt thread size + length

Once you’ve got that do up a sketch of what your slugs will need to look like. Length, dia, thread size. Do away with the rubber grommets or aluminium expansion  parts from your bar end mirrors and keep the main fixing bolt.

cafe racer parts mirrors australia

2. Make your slugs

The aluminium bars + mirrors I was using required a 13.6mm dia slug, 30mm long with an M8 thread through the center. Drill and tap the center thread, turn down the stock to size, cut off the piece and repeat for the other side.

The length isn’t critical, I just want to make sure I have enough thread to tighten the mirrors down and not strip the thread out.

If you don’t have a lathe- once you have your measurements, go to a steel supplier  and find a steel tube sized to fit inside your handle bar, get 50-80mm of it and 2 x M6 or M8 nuts depending on your mirror bolt thread.
Cut your tube in half and weld the nut in the end of the tube, finish it back nice and neat and you’re ready to fit the new mirror mounts to your bars.

cafe racer mirrors how to fit parts

3.Test fit the slugs for your bar end mirrors

Fit the slugs inside the handlebars, they should be an easy press in fit. I will usually have them 1-2mm further inside than the end of the bars, this allows the mirrors to bind on the bar end which is a larger surface area than your slug. It just makes it a little more secure.fixing bar end mirrors cafe racer autralia

Once in there, make a mark 2/3 – ¾ of the length of the slug and drill the handlebar to be threaded for your grub screw. You want to drill through the wall of the handlebar and mark the slug slightly. Remove the slug and make sure the handlebar hole is cleared to tap the grub screw thread.how to tutorial bar end mirror cafe racer

With the slug out of the handlebar, put it in a vice and drill the grub screw hole slightly into the surface, this will help the grub screw locate and hold the slug in place. M4 grub screw 4mm hole , M5 grub screw 5mm hole. Take care not to pierce right through into the internal thread.

how to fit bar end mirrors australia cafe racer

4. Fit the slugs and grub screw.

Last step before fitting your now, forever secure bar end mirrors is to fit your slugs, slide em in, put a dab of thread lock (low strength) onto the grub screw and tighten it down. The grub screw should finish flush with your handlebar surface to not impede on the grips or throttle tube.

5. Fasten down your bar end mirrors

Fit your bar end mirrors in the required position, and use a little thread locker (low strength) on the main fixing bolt. The thread locker will help against the bolt loosening under vibration.

motorcycle parts blog australia

There you have it, a bullet proof way to mount your bar end mirrors. A little work for a lot of piece of mind. Special mention for this article goes out to my mate Jeff Lamb, whos always losing his fucking mirrors! No excuses now Lamby!
If you found this article helpful, share it around to your mates that ride or leave me a comment below, Thanks!
Check out my You Tube for tutorial + bike build videos
Purpose Built Moto YouTube

Tom

About Tom

My purpose throughout this endeavor has been delivering the build experience to those who otherwise may not have ever had the chance. Taking an inclusive approach with your custom motorcycle project and focusing on making you a part of the experience. In parallel to this I also pour my energy into the manufacture of high quality, detail oriented and above all easy to install components for your motorcycle project.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Our Parts Store

Shop Headlights

Our own builds use these cafe racer & scrambler headlights.


Shop Indicators & Turn Signals

Custom turn signals designed for a minimal style.


Shop Mufflers

Smooth note and a cafe racer style from our muffler collection.


Shop Tail Lights

Minimal and night piercing tail lights. From our shop to yours.


Shop Handlebar Switches

Custom handlebar controls for your cafe racer's wiring.


Fabrication Parts

Custom parts for fabrication.


Shop Lighting Modules

Control Relay Modules to simplify the electrics of your motorcycle


Air Filters

DNA Performance Filters

  • Shop Headlights
  • Shop Indicators
  • Shop Fabrication
  • Shop Moto Kits
  • Shop Air Filters
  • Shop Mufflers
  • Shop Tail Lights
  • Shop Buttons
  • Builders Blog
  • Installation Guides
  • Contact
  • Film
  • Request a quote
  • Shipping and Returns
  • Request Wholesaler Account
  • Wholesaler Login
  • Sitemap

Payment Options

  • STORE
    • Headlights
    • Indicators
    • Tail Lights
    • Handlebar Switches
    • DNA Air Filters
    • Mufflers
    • Custom Seats
    • Control Relay
    • Wheels
    • Fenders & Fabrication Parts
    • Wholesale Parts
    • Apparel
  • BLOG
    • Bike Customization
    • Parts Installation PDFs
    • Our Bike Builds
    • Lifestyle
    • Adventure Rides
  • SERVICES
    • Motorcycle Customisation
    • Custom Motorcycle Exhausts
    • Motorcycle Mechanic
    • Motorcycle Rewiring
  • ABOUT
    • Contact
    • Media
  • GALLERY
    • Videos
    • Cafe Racer
    • Brat Style
    • Scrambler / Tracker
  • WIN
  • GET SOCIAL

© Purpose Built Moto. All rights reserved.

TOP
[]