Why: Never liked the Mickey Mouse mirrors that legally have to slapped onto imported bikes. Mirrors are rarely integrated into conceptual designs and are typically a poorly thought out after-thought.
Pros:
- Improved styling, cleaner lines, eliminates big hurkin' chrome ends
Puts mirrors lower and away from shoulders and elbows
Greatly increased positioning options (up, down, out, etc.)
Solid mounting eliminates having to re-adjust mirrors constantly
Reduced mirror vibration
Cons:
- Smaller mirror surface
Need to fill left over mirror mounting holes
New bar ends are significantly lighter (time will tell if this is a problem or not)
Step 1: Out of the box, the Oberon mirrors come with one pair of aluminum bar ends, mirror stems, mirror heads, collets, and all hardware. A 3mm hex wrench is also included and is a good edition to your glovebox should you need to adjust your mirrors. The collets are intended for open-ended handlebars and can be removed and discarded.
For the sake of keeping your bike original and only making modifications to add-on products, the bar-end will need to be modified in order to fill the gap between handlebar and bar-end. Using a dremel cutting wheel or grinder, remove the protruding end and file flush with the next raised portion of the bar end.
Step2: Next you will mount the bar ends to the handlebars. The hex screws that come with the kit are too long and are not fully threaded. Your options here are to purchase shorter hex bolts or modify the bolts that came with your bike. Not wanting to run to the hardware store, I opted to modify the existing bolts knowing that they are of a common size and easily replaced. If you are going this route you will need to grind the outer edge of the bolt head until it is able to fit inside the bar end and seat properly. Once that is complete, insert both the bolt and bar end into the handlebars to determine how much of the bolt needs to be cut.
Step 3: You are ready to install your bar ends! First clean the handlebar of any grease that may be present. Then insert one 3/4" rubber grommet followed one bar end and your modified or new 4mm hex bolt. Tighten the hex bolt completely. If you do not get a tight fit, your hex bolt is too long and you will need to use a shorter one. Once you have your bar end secured properly, move on and do the other side. Please note that it is possible for the throttle side to be too tight and thus restrict throttle movement. You may need to play around with thinner rubber grommets.
I also added a red rubber o-ring for a nice touch
Step 4: Play around with the mirror stem and determine where might be the best placement for your mirrors. You will need to loosed and tighten the main hex bolt to change position of the stem mounting hole only if you are mounting using the top/bottom of the bar end. If you will be mounting your mirrors on the ends, tighten the internal 4mm hex bolt and move on to positioning your mirror.
Step 5: Once you have found where to mount your mirrors, begin the process of tightening, adjusting, loosening, adjusting, re-tightening, etc. until you have your mirrors perfect. Remember, once you have your mirrors tightened, you cannot adjust them while riding. Ride, make adjustments, tighten and repeat. A pain in the ass but once you have them set, you should not need to adjust them again, nor will they get knocked around in the parking lot or your garage.
Step 6: Enjoy!
UPDATE
I get a few emails from time to time regarding what diameter of mirror to purchase. I no am no longer a frequent visitor to this board, so I'll add this information here:
What diameter bar-end mirror should I buy?
It can be confusing, but luckily you can't go wrong with this one. The different diameters referred to are for the inside of the handlebar (the small nub protruding outward in the second picture above). Since your Vespa bars are solid on the ends (unlike a typical motorcycle), this piece will be removed (cut off). So diameter is irrelevant.
