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[Lawrence]

Among the bad bits and bobs I replaced on my recently acquired K100RS was a right side mirror.  When I picked the new one up at the local shop, I asked how I should fit it to the bike.  Line it up and push it straight into the frame was the response.  I did that, but it always seemed less secure than the mirror on the left.  As I was tooling along on urban streets this afternoon I did a quick check of traffic on my right and found that was impossible.  No mirror. 
I'll fork over another $40+ of my hard earned cash I suppose.  The bike is too nice to turn into a rat bike. But I need some better directions on how that sob is supposed to be secured in the frame.  There are two fork-like things cast in the plastic mirror backing that snap on some bars in the frame.  There is also a center post sorta thing that goes into a hole in the mirror frame. Shouldn't there be some kind of clamp to hold the little ball on the end of that post? I pulled the turn indicator lens off to see it that gave access to the back of the mirror, but noooo.  This design seems sorely lacking to me.  :-\ When I bought the bike the right side mirror was broken, which suggests that some piece may be missing there.
 Any pearls of wisdom to offer?

[Rick G]

My K100 has a similar problem even with a new mirror. I ended up putting a small piece of a plastic bag over the ball then pressed the mirror on an all was fine. It lasted about 4 years. The bag I cut the piece from was a very heavy duty type not the pissy thin things that supermarket give you.

[Lawrence]

That sounds like a possible work-around, Rick.  Thanks for the tip.
I just now checked the fiche on the A&S website.  In the exploded view of the mirror there is #3 - clamp.  Anyone know what that's all about?  I can't understand how you can fit a clamp on the mirror pedestal/pole and then put the mirror in the frame.  There is simply no space and the turn indicator reflector doesn't appear to be designed to be removed to gain access to the mirror.

[BrickFlyer]

I just replaced the RHS mirror on my 85 K100RS a few weeks ago. The mirror came with a unique spring clamp in the box.  It's actually a fairly clever design. You put the mirror in the socket, then install the clamp from the back side.

The mirror has a ball end with a groove machined into it. The c-clamp is about 3.5" long, and is made of spring wire about the thickness of a paper clip. One end of the clamp has a c-shaped bend that fits around the machined groove on the mirror ball and the other end is formed into a handle, sorta like a tongue depressor or popsicle stick shape (but of wire of course).

If you remove the turn signal assembly from the bike, remove the turn signal lens from the mirror and then as you insert the new mirror glass  you can actually see the ball inside the housing as you look thru the back side. I may have had to remove the bulb -I'm not sure. I think I was able to get the housing to separate once I had the bulb out.  I had to fiddle with it a bit but once I could see the ball I figured it out. 

  Anyway, you just grip the handle end of the clamp, press it into the opening in the back side of the housing where you can see the ball inside and it locks the mirror in place. The clamp and handle are all one unit so that if you ever have to remove it again you can just tug on the handle and it comes loose.

I'm assuming you ordered a new mirror glass directly from the BMW dealer. It should have been in the box with the mirror and may have been loose in the bottom.  Hopefully this helps.

[Lawrence]

I'll have another look at the indicator light assembly tonight.  I checked it once and couldn't see any way to access the mirror side. I removed the bulb, but didn't see any obvious way to remove the reflector.   I wonder if BMW modified the mirror/indicator pods and your 1985 bike is different than mine.  Gotta resolve this, as $40 mirrors make a terrible sound when they hit the pavement  :'(

[BrickFlyer]

I went out and pulled the mirror off my bike to snap a few pictures for you:

Here's what my assembly looks like. The housing has a parting line all around the edge



Remove the screw from the turn signal lens, reach in with your fingers and wiggle the two halves and it should part along the parting line.

Then this picture shows how the clip attaches to the mirror ball.  I added an arrow to make it clear.



Then I just pressed the two halves of the housing assembly together, put the lens on the turn signal with the one screw and snapped the housing assembly on top the three posts that mount it on the fairing.


Hope this helps.

[Lawrence]

BrickFlyer, you're a prince!  Thanks for going to the trouble to lead me out of the wilderness.  I can understand what I'm dealing with now, the pix make it all clear.  I'm doin' a slow burn though, remembering the "advice" I got at the dealer that sold me the mirror.  I guess the mirror was $40+ and the advice on the installation was free, exactly what it was worth. As an aside, I'd like to alert others that the tech articles on other sites for flying bricks may give erroneous info as well.  Following those things is risking making some mistakes.  Mine was relatively cheap, but... be forewarned.

[BrickFlyer]

Glad to help. I think the previous owner of my bike must have read some of those suggestions on the web as well. Looks like he put a raised bead of JB Weld around the ball, let it cure and then jammed it back in the socket. Eventually the JB Weld came loose. The mirror wouldn't hold a fixed position which is what led me to explore how it was mounted and the whole glass just popped out.

I've seen some creative suggestions for repairs on some sites.  As you point out, "free" advice is usually somewhat above its true market value   ;D

[Lawrence]

I ordered a new mirror from the local dealer.  It should arrive early next week.  In the meantime, I'd like to be sure I don't make any other stupid mistakes. The Haynes manual says,
"... the mirrors are attached to the fairing by mountings which are designed to break off on impact to minimize damage [damage to what?]. To remove the mirrors, hold each one firmly next to the fairing and strike sharply upwards with the palm of the other hand on the outside end of the fairing [outside end of the mirror?]. This requires a considerable amount of force, so great care must be taken to ensure that no damage is done.[!?]  Once one mounting has released the mirror can be manoeuvred off the remaining two."

One can only speculate what this service manual would have been like if the publisher had the forethought to hire an editor.

This is the procedure I imagine I should follow to release the mirror pods without damage to them. Step 1: I place something big and soft on the floor below the bike to cushion the fall of the pod when I bumble the job. 2: I grasp the pod near the attachment point on the fairing. 3: With my palm, I strike the bottom of the pod in a manner to knock it vertically from the fairing. 

Is this correct?

I'm trying to avoid trolling on Fleabay for used $160 mirrors painted the wrong color.

[frankenduck]

They're designed (I think) to break back and off.  In my experience the best way to remove them is to hold the body of it with your rear hand and smack the outside corner on the front with your other hand.

[BrickFlyer]

Yes, they're designed to breakaway towards the back.  It's unnerving the first time that you go about trying to remove one. I'd suggest you just grasp the whole unit with both hands at first and try to roll it upwards or backwards. This may not pop it off but it will give you an idea of how solidly the mirror is on the fairing. 

 Realistically, you just need to get one corner to pop off the post. It will likely stay attached to the other two posts. I just grip the pod with my left hand and swat upwards with the fleshy part of my right palm somewhere near the lower left part of the pod. If it doesnt pop off I up the pressure a bit.  The move is somewhat like a volleyball bump, not a Joe Louis uppercut.  Once you have a corner off you can see the other posts and sorta roll the pod off the fairing. Even if you pop it off entirely it will likely still be attached to the wires and wont hit the ground. (But no guarantees..this is free advice)

Another key tip is that once you get the pod off the fairing you'll want to put some kind of tether line on it before you put it back on the fairing. Attach something like a fishing line steel leader or a bungee to the pod and to the fairing.  RS Pods have a tendency to just fly off at speed if the clips are a little loose and by tethering the pod  it will at least allow you to save it and pop it back on after you pull over.

[Phil Marvin]

Hi, Lawrence,
    MotoBins (UK) has some left side only RT/LT mirror pods with mirrors, painted (probably colors you don't want), for between GBP40 and 50.  I bought one for my K75RTP (correct color), but was too late for the one they had for the other side.

[Lawrence]

With any luck Phil, I'll not be needing the entire pod.  I'm hoping I can successfully replace the glass... replace it and have it stay where it's supposed to stay for a good many years.
MotoBins regularly comes up as a reasonable source for BMW spares, but I've never purchased anything from them yet.  It's a surprise that they can find customers over in the U.S. with the price of postage heading for the stratosphere.

[Phil Marvin]

Hi, Lawrence,
    I've ordered 2 or 3 times from MotoBins.  I'm happy with them.  I ordered a K75RT complete crash bar kit when none was available in the USA.  In less than a week it was in my hand.  A year or so ago I ordered a complete new instrument cluster and a new, painted to match mirror pod with mirror for my K75RTP.  In 10 days I had them in my hand for a total price, including shipping, of $301 and change.  List on the instrument cluster was around $800 (now NLA according to Max's ETK) and the painted mirror pod is NLA.  A pod (only) in primer is around $200; painting is $$$, and the mirror is a bit over $40.

[Lawrence]

I think I've now sorted the mirror issue on my K100RS.  This bike was resprayed.  The result was the mirror pods cannot (by me) be parted.  I banged and pried on them as much as I dared.  No movement.  I was able to fit the clip on the pedestal by using some forecepts and a dental mirror. I removed the left pod and discovered the clip was not on the pedestal on that side, but still present in the pod. The clips could be seated more securely but I did the best I could and a subsequent test ride showed the mirror glasses on both sides to be pretty much vibration-free and more secure than I had ever seen them.  While futzing around in there I added some elastic cord tethers to the pods as well.
An aside: I don't understand why some riders criticize the functionality of the RS mirrors.  They give me a decent view of what's behind me.  I'm happy with 'em!

[Scott_]

I've not had issues with loosing the mirror out of the pod, but I have had the mirrors not staying where I set them.

What I ended up doing was popping the mirror off the ball, then place 1 layer of black electrical tape on the ball then pop the mirror back on the ball. Set the mirrors and all has been well since.

[Lawrence]

Did you check to see if the mirrors have the spring clip that secures the pedestal in the frame?