Royal Enfield Meteor 350 Bar End Mirror Misery Finally Sorted - Buddy's New Ears Finally In Situ
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- Опубліковано 15 жов 2024
- Royal Enfield Meteor 350 - Buddy's Bar End Mirror Odyssey Continues
As planned, last week I managed to make it over to the dealership to get the bar end mirrors fitted properly, now that they had the required fitting kit. Of course that didn't go to plan and the mirrors were still not fitted as per the official instructions.
Join me as I point out the dealer's mistake and go about correcting it myself ( because that's what we have dealers for, to end up doing the job ourselves, right ? ).
Anyway, at least this is a video with a happy end ( stop it @quinnpeaksbiker , stop it now ! ).
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ER.
#economicalrides #royalenfield #royalenfieldmeteor350 #meteor350review #meteor #meteor350
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Gary, Just a suggestion next time you do any work near the handle bars or instrumentation with various tools, especially Allen key wrenches: Before you start, please place a double or triple layer of bath towel over the gas tank area to protect the paint from accidental chipping in case a tool slips out or you hand, etc........ An unnecessary chip will be enuf to make you cry. Don's ask me how I know....... It can happen all too easily and quickly......
Hi Dave,
thanks for that, it’s not something I‘ve ever thought about because I am always very careful but I suppose these things can still happen from time to time ! I imagine it’s one of those things you only start doing, once it’s too late. Like fitting crash bars after you’ve just dropped the bike 😂 So thanks for that, I will try to remember next time, sounds like a great tip and the sign of a truly meticulous mechanic like what I want to be 😛😇
I somehow managed to fit the mirrors without touching the glass with my mucky hands, something which was clearly impossible for the dealer mechanics ! So I was quite proud of myself for proving that it can be done. You can mount the mirrors without touching the glass, if you are inclined to do so !
Thanks for the sage advice Dave, I‘ll bear it in mind !
Cheers 🥃🥃
Garry & Ruby
Installation instructions reviewed by project manager Ruby, who seems to be as confused as we all are as to how the shop looked at the final assembly and thought “that looks right”…. Good for you for taking matters into your own hands and finally getting the job done properly…. Treats for all! Best Buddy has looked yet…
Thanks Stephen !
Yes, I notice that Ruby only went over to look at the instructions after I had finished the job. Clearly she sees herself as a supervisor dog and only wanted to make sure that I had done the job right when I was finished 😂 Fortunately I did it right and she didn't have to tell me off 😱 She definitely deserved that sausage for being an excellent QA inspector on this job !
I know what you mean. The workshop only added one part compared to last time, the fitting adapter. That has two possible orientations. So surely, if you chose not to read the instructions I sent, you would look at it, look at the gap and then think "Hmmm....well, the gap would be smaller if we fitted the adapter in the other way around. Where are those instructions he sent, maybe we got it wrong ?" 🤔
I'm really happy with Buddy's "final look", I won't be changing anything else. Maybe some better shocks at some point but aesthetically I think he's spot on now 🥰
Take care buddy and good luck with your further consultations and the healing process 👍🏻
Garry & Ruby
WHAT A SURPRISE Garry! Gismo and I were sitting on the couch watching your video and then we were totally surprised about the sausages sceneries. The sticker really shows Gismo and Oliver. We fell honored and flattered. Gismo is now your biggest fan. Cheers and kisses to Ruby 🤩. Oliver & Gismo
Hi Oliver,
well, since I started getting so many sossidge fund donations, I decided that I needed advanced sossidge logistics to keep on top of whose sossidges Ruby was currently eating. So for every donation I now Dymo a label onto a packet of sossidges to keep track of things. After your packet we have Simon & Zen's packet and then some more sossidges from Scott & Wolfie. As you can see, I'm really on top of my sossidge logistics, now that I have a system 😂
You are both more than welcome and tell Gismo that he will be on the show someday, he's firmly on the list for OB'sDs 🐕
Take care Oliver and Gismo, we're glad that you enjoyed the video and the mention 👍🏻😊
Cheers,
Garry & Ruby ❤🐕
I hear your frustration in your voice. Looks great. I have bar ends on my bonney, still not sold on them though they do look cool.😎
Hi 🙂
Well on the Meteor ( not on the Classic ) the factory mirrors vibrate like crazy from 45 mph.
So much so that my first pair shook themselves to bits.
So for the Meteor, the bar end mirrors are actually a massive functionality upgrade and not just an aesthetic one. I can now clearly see what’s behind me on both sides, especially at night where car headlights were previously distracting rings of light in the mirrors !
I now have a bigger view than before and also one with barely any vibes.
Oh, and of course they look so much cooler too 🤗
I had bar ends on my old Bullet and didn’t get on with them either. But these RE ones are sweet !
Cheers buddy, take care !
ER & Ruby
Regarding dealers and instructions - I don't know what experience you've had over there but here in the UK it's very clear that many dealers don't bother to read the requirements for the first 300 mile service - or, if they do, they just ignore them. Specifically, they do not do the mandatory (and very necessary!) tappet adjustment on the 350 Classic. I'm hoping that with RE themselves taking over the import business they might get a grip on the dealer network, but I'm not holding my breath...
Hi Alan,
you are quite right. My dealer also initially changed the oil at 6 months, which isn't in the schedule. I didn't mind really, can't do any harm, but since I pointed it out to them, they no longer do it 😀 So it's pretty clear that they only checked the official service schedule after I mentioned it to them. Up until then they were just doing what they have always done, i.e. had clearly never read the official service schedule for the new 350s.
The valve adjustment is always check and adjust if necessary. In my case, after 300 miles or 500 km both bikes still sounded sweet and for this reason they didn't adjust my valves either. I think if the valve gear is not noisy, that's considered a check and they leave everything as it is. On the 12 month services I insist that they do the valves ( you can usually hear a bit of noise after 12 months ) and bring the bike in the day before, so they can start work in the morning with a cold engine. That worked well with the Meteor, it was sounding very sweet after the service. Next week the Classic goes in for the 12 month service and again I have told them to adjust the valves and that I will be bringing the bike in a day early. If that service goes well, then I'm happy enough. I think it's only silly things like fitting accessories that they rush and subsequently make a hash of ! Mind you, reading the instructions before starting the job would definitely help !
With regard to the change of concessionaire for the UK, I wouldn't hold my breath either.
I think the issue is that once they took off in a big way globally ( probably from the launch of the Himalayan onwards ) RE have been rushing to attract as many dealers as possible in all territories. They just needed dealers to get their product to the customers. Normally a dealer would need to do a fair few courses before getting a dealer contract, so they would at least know all of the models well and the mechanics would receive the necessary tuition. I don't think this ever happened with the rapidly expanded RE dealer network, or if it did, not to the level required. The lack of knowledge dealers have for the models they sell is shocking. Numerous times I've told the dealer something they never knew of, not just the unnecessary oil change but plenty of other things too. Here for instance, they didn't realise that for the Meteor they needed a fitting kit to fit these mirrors. I knew that. You can't buy these mirrors on eBay WITHOUT the fitting kit 🤨
RE probably never had the time to educate all of these new dealers they needed adequately and unfortunately I don't see them ever catching up now. They will be far too busy selling bikes 😂
I now see it as MY responsibility to make sure that everything is done as per the schedule. Fortunately the RE User Manual contains all of the relevant information. I always go through the list after the bike has been serviced, just checking for myself if the dealer has done everything he should have done. So far they have, so fair enough !
After 12 months and 2500 miles my Classic's valves definitely need adjustment, so I am looking forward to the return of some sewing machine sweet running after the service next week !
Cheers Alan and good luck keeping on top of your dealer 👍🏻
ER
@@economicalrides a comprehensive reply! As for noise from the tappets - all I can say is that when I checked mine after the "service" (which they said they would do while I waited (warm engine!) and which I had partly watched and hence knew that they didn't do them) the inlet valve had ZERO clearance and the exhaust was about half what it should have been (this is maybe why they are quiet!). Warro found the same with his, as have others on an RE forum I frequent. Unfortunately my dealer is a multi-make franchise and I don't really trust them to have expertise in any of them.
@@horspiste Yep Alan, I think that's true. I am pretty sure that the valves are set very tight from the factory ( as tight as they can get away with without affecting cold running ) in the hope that at 300 miles they won't be clanging about and the dealers might be able to get away with not closing them up. Over time they will loosen up naturally, so I could imagine that it's all part of the masterplan. Set them nice and tight, sneak through the first little service without them being noisy and needing adjustment ( to keep the costs for the customer down ) but then definitely do them at 12 months, by which time they will have bedded in and loosened up a fair bit. I honestly think it's intentional that the valves are set tight from the factory, wouldn't surprise me at all.
My dealer also has other brands, mainly Chinese but as I said, they do seem to do the servicing to a pretty decent standard, no real complaints so far !
But unfortunately we do need to keep on top of our dealers and make sure everything gets done properly.
Once the warranty has expired I will get the necessary tools and learn how to set the valves myself, of course ! That way I will know that they are right....well, right(ish) 😂
Good luck with your Classic. I will let everyone know how I felt about the 12 month service once it's done !
Cheers Alan,
ER.
Wonderful job, finally the mirrors are done, although it looked like someone added sausages to the list of tools needed :)
Hi Shardlake, nice to hear from you again !
Yes, in editing I did notice that Ruby was perusing the instructions after I'd finished the job. She was probably thinking 'it must say "Step 5 - eat a sossidge" somewhere on there !' 😂
Actually, she was just double-checking to make sure that I'd done everything correctly. She sees herself as a bit of a supervisor/overseer, she's not really very "paws on" when it comes to actually doing the job !
Cheers Shardlake. Ruby says "well spotted 😇" ❤🐕
Garry & Ruby
Even Ruby knew enough to look at the instructions. 😆 I do all my own tuning and mods as you likely know. My first mod was bar end mirrors. Cheers , Lance & Leo 😎
A good spot Lance !
Yes, once the job was finished, Ruby as supervisor went and checked the instructions to see if I had fitted them correctly 😂
I would have been happy to fit them myself and would have saved myself a lot of trouble if I had but as the bike was going in for a service anyway, it seemed a no-brainer to let them fit them there. They also didn’t have a box for them so I might have struggled to carry them home without damaging them.
Still, we got there in the end !
Take care Lance and love to Leo ❤️🐕
Garry & Ruby
Thanks for the video, really. When I saw this I realized that just because I ordered an original RE part, i.e. bar end mirrors, it would be stupid to think that I could just install them. Ok….frustrated. Went to eBay, ordered the mounting brackets. I still cannot believe that that RE sells the mirrors separately from the mounting. What do they think we want to do with them? Display them in a cabinet? Anyway, now, based on your video I know how to install them. Mount side in. Good. Have a great day.
Hi Mariana,
the reason the mirrors come like that is because they were actually designed for the Interceptor and Continental, where they can be fitted directly, no need for mounting hardware on those bikes. Then some bright spark at RE must have realised that they could be made to fit a Meteor with an adapter. So to fit those mirrors to a Meteor you do indeed need to order the mirrors for an Interceptor/Continental, that’s one part number and then the fitting kit to get them to fit on a Meteor.
I did wonder why all ebay listings for Meteor bar end mirrors always had the adapters with them and now we know.
Don’t worry though, even my RE dealer didn’t know that you need the adapters to fit them to a Meteor and initially fitted them without, which looked terrible 😱
I‘m glad that you found this video useful Mariana and thanks for letting me know 🤗
Cheers 👍
ER
good job done Gary . Buddy looks in lovely condition still . the mirrors are spot on ,and lovely Ruby helped daddy too. best wishes and Linda sends love to you both .
Thanks John,
yes, I have to admit that after 18 months of ownership Buddy is still looking practically brand new. Very happy indeed with how he is holding up although admittedly he has only been out in mildly damp conditions once, other than that he has had a pretty sheltered life - well apart from riding down some dusty trails.
The mirrors look very good and most importantly give me a perfect rear view on both sides without me having to move my head about, so absolutely perfect !
Take care you two and love back at you from the pair of us !
Garry & Ruby ❤
@@economicalrides thanks for that Garry.
Nice video ER! Shows that we need to check the work being done by the dealers, even if they are certified. Hope they will do a good job with the vales at least. Cheers NWR
Hi NorWay Rider,
well actually I think their workshop is pretty good overall. When they do a service, it always looks as though they have done everything on the list and when they did the valves on Buddy last summer, they did a great job, no issues.
Next week the Classic is 12 months old, so will be going in for its first valve check and adjust.
I really have no issue with the dealer's workshop in general, I just think that maybe for these "too easy" jobs, like fitting the mirrors, a bit more care could be taken. I think they rush these "easy jobs". But I think they do the more complicated stuff pretty conscientiously, well at least so far 🤞
Thanks for dropping by ! Keep up the good work and ride safely !
ER 👍🏻
Good job ER. Bar end mirrors look much better. Cheers.
Thanks Ian.
With these mirrors, the screen removed and the panniers down nice and low, I think Buddy now has a lovely long low profile look. For me he is now aesthetically perfect, I won’t be changing anything else except perhaps eventually the rear shocks, just for improved comfort.
It was a lot more arduous than it needed to be, getting these mirrors correctly fitted, but we got there in the end and I did actually quite enjoy getting the spanners out again ( just don’t tell my dealer ! ) 😛
Stay safe, stay warm Ian 👍
Cheers,
Garry and Ruby ❤️🐕
@@economicalrides I agree. the low sleek aspect looks very attractive. I just love all the blacked out parts. Keep us up to date on how you make out with the rear shocks. I have seen on other videos that the ride could be better which is understandable for an economy style bike. I would be interested in seeing what you choose as there looks to be quite a few choices depending on how much money you want to invest. Of course does the extra money invested give you the added amount of comfort expected. No sense laying out a bunch of cash for a minimal ride comfort increase. Cheers Gary.
@@IDRNKWTR Hi Ian,
yes, I'm holding off with the shocks, simply because I don't really see anything out there which looks like THE solution.
Apparently the Hagons are still pretty stiff, the Indian Endurance shocks from the previous generation Classic are fairly cheap and do bring some improvement but nothing is really crying out "buy me !" at the moment. I'd love to go out and try five different pairs of shocks and try to find the best pair to recommend to all Meteor owners but obviously I can't afford to do that. All I can do is eventually buy something for myself which I "hope" will bring an improvement and then honestly report back with whether or not they actually ARE an improvement.
So far I haven't seen or heard of anything which compels me to want to go out and buy them, that's the problem.
Currently the Indian Endurance shocks are looking like the best option but I do worry about their quality/longevity.
Cheers Ian. Rest assured, when the shock upgrade happens, it will be featured on the channel and I will give my honest opinion on whether or not I deem it to have been worthwhile.
Stay safe and warm, very cold and wet here at the moment !
Garry & Ruby.
They fitted them mirrors in the same way I can sing... all the right notes, just in the wrong order! 😀
Shame the fitting was a bit out of spec... I'd def get a grinder to them and close the gap, but def an improvement over how the shop had done it.
😂
Yes ! I noticed their mistake as soon as they said the bike was ready but chose to say nothing. I figured "well, at least all of the bits I need to do the job right are now attached somewhere to the bike !", that was good enough for me. They then tried to charge me for the fitting kit and the fitting, despite me having left the original mirrors with them as a gift AND them originally saying that it was their mistake that they didn't realise that they needed a fitting kit ( on the Interceptor, for which the mirrors were designed, no adapter is needed ).
They got the calculator out and pretended to knock €10 off the price, so €20 instead of €30. I then mentioned the five hours of my life I'd never get back, the nearly €20 of fuel it was going to cost me to ride there and back the second time and they soon realised that it wasn't going to fly 😇 So at least I got the fitting kit for free, although overall it doesn't really cover the costs plus inconvenience of having to go there twice and finally end up doing it myself anyway ! Oh well, we got there in the end !
I'm surprised that the adapter is a good 1mm too deep. I'm racking my brains to try to figure out if it's intentional or not. It seems odd that they haven't made it exactly the same depth as the mirror stem it slides into 🤔
Thanks H-D, will reply to your reply to the comments on your video ( confusing much ? ) when I'm done here !
Garry & Ruby
@@economicalrides Cheeky scamps! Maybe it is a universal fitting kit for different types of bar end mirror, and some of them are thicker? Am glad you stood your ground with them, would have been easier had they just posted them to you!
Hi Pete,
just thought I'd share this with you.
The talented Mr Dave Ricketts has pointed out in the comments that this adapter is over-length for a reason. Apparently it's quite a common engineering solution. The reason is that if it was flush to or slightly less deep than the mirror stem, the bar end weight would then be pinching up against the mirror stem rather than the adapter.
In that scenario you could undo to top bolt of the mirror clamp to adjust the mirror position and the mirror stem would not budge, because it has the end weight clamped up against it. So you would have to loosen the end weight AND the top bolt in order to adjust the mirrors. As it is now, because the end weight is not pressing directly against the mirror stem, just against the adapter protrusion, you can move the mirror position simply by loosening the top bolt on the mirror clamp !
Clever stuff eh ? I thought that it must be intentional because these days stuff can be made to incredible tolerances consistently. And apparently it IS like that for a reason.
Just thought you'd like to know why it's like that and why grinding it down flush would have a downside 😀
Clever those engineers be !
Cheers Pete, have a great day !
Garry
Wow, what a project for some simple mirrors! I can't even believe how inept these guys were.
They do look nice now - the gap isn't a bad look at all...they match the bike perfectly.
I have to wonder how a dealer can be so bad at a simple mirror swap?
Been really busy this week - I owe you some replies. Nice to see the "Sosssidge Cam™" up and running again!
Have a great week!
With love, Scott & Wolfie 🐾🐾♥
Ride Safe 🙏🏼
Thanks Scott.
Yes it was a bit of a saga but finally I have a result that I‘m happy with and Buddy is „finished“.
I love how he looks now and visually for me he is now perfect, no further mods required.
Welcome to the busy club, same here, going mental trying to get multiple things done at once. I‘ve set myself a lot of targets for this first quarter so I have to keep on it !
Take care all of you and much love from Spain ❤️
Have a great week !
Garry and Ruby (💋💋💋 for Wolfie ! )
@@economicalrides glad I’m not alone! I feel so far behind on everything. Or, it’s just harder as the years pass?
Tell Ruby that Wolfie says hi! 🐾🐾♥️
With love,
Ride Safe 🙏🏼
@@scottboettcher I think you might be onto something with the "getting older" theory Scott 🤔 I'm sure I used to get a lot more done in the same amount of time !
Oh well, we'll just have to soldier on, not much else we can do !
Have a great day !
Garry & Ruby - love to Wolfie 💋
Hi Garry and Ruby ( assistant mechani-dog)
Unbelievable that the dealers could get that wrong again!
However, with regard to the spacer being `too long` and protruding through the mirror, that is deliberate and common practice, with good reason. It enables the bar ends to be fully tightened and when you need to adjust the mirror angle, you just loosen the pinch bolt, move the mirror and re-tighten the pinch bolt. If the spacer didn`t protrude through the mirror stem, you would have to loosen the pinch bolt AND the bar ends, to adjust the mirror. I wouldn`t change it, if I was you. Buddy looks great now.
Do you know if they do those same mirrors for the Classic?
Willow sends love to Ruby
Dave and Willow 🐶
Hi Dave,
genius ! That makes perfect sense. Otherwise the end weight would be clamped up against the mirror stem and you couldn’t move the mirror stem without loosening the end weight too. Since the weekend I’ve been trying to figure out if it was intentional or not and if it was, why on earth would they choose to do it 😛 ? Thanks !!!
That information is almost worth a video in itself. Of course that’s the reason !
Yes, I believe that you can get these mirrors for the Classic too, with the same fitting kit required, I believe. They do them in matt black or chrome as required 🙂 Check the accessories page on the UK RE website to see if the fitting kit is required. These are actually Interceptor mirrors but fit the Meteor with the appropriate fitting kit. Since the Classic has narrower bars, you may be able to fit them just by using the clamp without the adapter/spacer, as is the case on the Interceptor, which has a plastic spacer exactly the same width as the mirror stem, which you just remove and is then perfectly taken up by the width of the mirror stem. The adapter spacer is only required because if you just clamp them to the wider Meteor bars, you’d get a big ugly gap because the mirror stem is not broad enough to cover it. Just see my dealer’s first attempt at fitting the mirrors this way to my bike to see what that looks like ! If the Classic has no plastic spacer between the end weight and the grip, or if the spacer has a different width to the bar end mirror stem, I think it is inevitable that the same mounting kit and different mounting method as on the Meteor will be required on the Classic.
I will mention your explanation in a future video Dave. That is definitely the reason for the protrusion. You know your onions, thanks for solving that mystery !
Much love from Ruby and me, big hugs for your fluffy mechanic please !
Garry and Ruby ❤️🐕
@@economicalrides Hi Garry.
I`m sorry that I didn`t see the video last night, or I would have commented sooner. As soon as I saw it tonight and you said about it being too long, I realised that you obviously hadn`t spotted the reason. I have come across this type of fitting many times in engineering, not only on motorcycles but in general engineering. My background was in a variety of engineering firms and the military and this sort of spacer is common. Anyway, I`m glad you didn`t pop it in a lathe or resort to cannibalising it in some other way, or you would have ended up buying new a new fitting kit, or putting up with loosening the bar ends.
I will look into getting them for the Classic, as I do think they look great and I will bear in mind your comments on the spacer etc.
Loved the video and `sossidge` destruction at the end by Ruby mechanic.
I`m just going to wake Willow up to go out before bedtime.
All the best
Dave and Willow 🤗🐶
@@davericketts9101 Thanks again Dave, interesting to hear about your background and the fact that these fittings are quite common. That will definitely be the reason for the oversize here then. I will definitely mention it next time I am out filming with the Meteor 👍
I think I would still prefer to have no gap than easy adjustment but since I don’t have access to a lathe I will put up with it.
At least now I know that the gap isn’t unnecessary, like I thought it was 🤗
Cheers you two, hugs to Willow ❤️
Garry and Ruby
@@economicalrides You`re welcome Garry. We used to refer to these types of spacers as `top hat bushes` because or their shape. You find them on many motorcycles, where the plastic fairing parts are screwed to the frame, to prevent the plastic being crushed. Anyway, glad it`s sorted now.
I know what you mean about preferring no gap but I think you`ll find that you will soon ignore it.
Love to Ruby from us both
Dave and Willow
Nice that you are able to do the job.
Sad for the people that can not do it 😞
Cheers any way Mucker 😀
Hi William,
I know. It's not like I don't have staff for this kind of manual labour but I ended up doing it myself anyway 🤷♂
Oh well, we got there in the end and the mirrors work really well and look great too. A happy end to the saga !
Cold (2C) and raining here today 🥶
Stay safe and warm William !
Garry & Ruby
@@economicalrides Thank you very much and the same to you 2 down there. 0C dry. Cheers 😀
@@WilliamAndrewPhilipBodie Oooh, lovely riding weather ! 👍🙂
It might be dry again here by the weekend 🤞
Cheers William,
Garry & Ruby 👍🐕
@@economicalrides Yes riding to work & back. nothing els
Evening ER what nutters that can’t fix a pair of mirrors still you have done a good job and a good video that I missed 😳😃👍
Yes, particularly after I went to the trouble of emailing them the instructions ahead of the appointment 🤨
Thanks AR, glad you enjoyed it.
This is about as mechanicy as I am willing to get with my bikes. As a challenge, since when I picked the bike up the mirrors were covered in oil and grease, I wanted to see if I could refit the mirrors without touching the glass at all. And guess what ? You can ! Yes you can indeed fit mirrors without smearing your greasy hands all over the glass. You just have to TRY to do so 😂
After fitting the mirrors, there was no need to wipe them down, so I was happy with my work 😇
Still, Buddy is perfect now, so hopefully no more mods required and I can focus on riding as soon as the weather improves 👍🏻
Cheers James,
Garry & Ruby 🐕
I have not bought a Classic 350 because my nearest dealers are either 160 or 260 miles away; a bit too far when the bike has a problem. Given the mess your dealer has made of a simple job, maybe the lack of RE service is not such a bad thing...
Hi CC,
it’s a real shame that your nearest dealer is so far away. I thought mine was far away at 70+ miles !
If you are confident enough to do your own servicing, you could get away with never having to revisit the dealer after collection.
These bikes seem to be reliable from new, I think you would be unlucky to have a significant problem during the warranty period, the only time you would need your dealer to help you out. In reality, with both 350s, I‘ve only gone back to the dealer for servicing. That’s in 18 months with the Meteor and 12 with the Classic.
So if you can do your own servicing you probably won’t need the dealer much after picking up the bike. Just a thought 🤔
Take care, hope you get your Classic soon 🤞
ER
Very nice.. Recently added same mirrors to my fireball yellow.. Where did you get those yellow things where the old mirrors were.. Ive got ugly holes, its driving me mad 😂
*Crap Game* 🎉
Hi Crap Game,
I 3D printed mine at home, there is a video about it here :
ua-cam.com/video/ehKcAEmqFFs/v-deo.html
I did look at buying some black ones but the Meteor is a bit exotic in so much as you need one right hand threaded blanking plug and one left handed one. I couldn't find a pair with the right thread size and thread combination anywhere, apart from from Hitchcocks in the UK.
I don't buy stuff from outside of the European Union any more because Spanish customs hold everything up and charge a fortune on top for finally releasing the goods. So that more or less forced me to try to make some on my own. Fortunately there was a design on Thingiverse which I only had to download and put into the 3D printer.
There is a link to the 3D models in that video, in the video description, just in case you have, or have access to a 3D printer. Make sure you use something like PETG or ABS for printing though because normal PLA degrades pretty quickly in direct sunlight.
Failing that, Hitchcocks in the UK do sell black metal ones, if you're ok with ordering in the UK ( not sure where you are ! ).
You can also improvise something. Quite often flat pack cabinets have plastic bungs and screw head covers. If you have some black ones left over somewhere ( or any colour which you can spray black ), you can try to bung them into the threaded holes and then glue them in there with some black silicone at the top, under the head, on top of the threaded boss.
The mirrors are fantastic though, aren't they ?
I don't think I've ever had such a great rear view on both sides on any motorcycle !
If you need any further help, just holler, it's what we're here for !
Cheers Crap Game 👍🏻
ER
I bought a Set on eBay for 15 bucks
If you want a job done properly, do it yourself 😂😂 What I really like about this video is how Ruby at 06:18 goes to check the instructions to make sure you’ve done it right 😂😂😂 Brilliant
Hi TAYM,
yep, Ruby is definitely the supervisor here, she’s never really “paws on” when it comes to helping her Dad out with the bikes 😂
She is such a little madam ❤️🐕 Still, even supervisors get paid, so she deserved her sossidge at the end 🙂
Cheers 👍
ER
@@economicalrides 😂😂 a truly marvellous dog 😊
All is now chi in the Eco garage 🙌🏻🙂
😛👍
Well, apart from the GSX-R with the knackered fuel pump, yes 😂
Never mind. One step at a time. Buddy is healthy and gorgeous for now at least.
Next week I will assess my trail bike options again and for the rest of the month I’ll be getting the Mercedes ready for selling.
February is already looking pretty darn full but March should hopefully be easier 🤞
Cheers Jeff 🥃🥃
Garry & Rubita bonita 💋🐕
A Gixer??? You're a dark horse!!!
@@Saddlebags73 Just my old track bike, stood gathering dust for the past six years. If I can get it running again it will be sold to free up space 👍🤞 I’ve decided that my fast days are well and truly behind me. 55 mph is fast enough these days, much more relaxing too !
Cheers Jeff 🥃🥃
Garry
Old! 🙃
Good to see you've sorted those pesky mirrors at last. Yes if you want a job done properly... 😂
Gave Ainsworth Rider that BIG hug from you, last night. Did that feel good?? 🤗🤗
Haha, thanks Peter. Glad you had a good time. James told me that his wife was driving, so he could have a few drinks on Tuesday. I hope you had a nice night, chatting about bikes and being famous UA-camrs. I told him to give you a hug too by the way and to keep an eye on his wife because you clearly have an eye for the ladies !!! 😛
With the pretty mirrors properly fitted, Buddy now looks perfect to me. I won't be adding anything else, well maybe just some yellow on the panniers if I get around to it. Now he is looking like the bike for life that he was always intended to be. I look at him and just think, "yes, that's my motorcycle !". I'm pretty sure that I will still feel the same in 10 years time !
Cheers Peter, glad you met and hugged James. I did feel a disturbance in the Force of the UA-cam content creators on Tuesday night, so that was probably the exact moment. It was as if the meeting of two UA-cam giants was on the verge of creating a black hole of motorcycle related content somewhere near Manchester. It was an unnerving sensation if I'm being honest 😱
Take care, speak soon !
Garry & Ruby ❤️🐕
@@economicalrides ha yes he did give me a hug from you, Garry which I accepted with pleasure 😂.
I did think he was being somewhat overprotective of Mrs Ainsworth Rider... 🕺💃.
Great to meet up with him though, plus the other Enfield folk - pretty large turnout too.
Just about to take some preliminary photos of the panniers mounted on the Red Hunter so I'll pop them 'in the post ' to you soon.
Returned home in a first class carriage by mistake! Wow. That's the way to travel... 😊
@@Lanes-Explorer5733 On trains I generally go ( legally ! ) first class, much nicer. On planes, only on very long flights and only if I am financially flush at the time 😍
Glad you didn't get nicked for being in the wrong class carriage though 😱
I will be waiting expectantly by my non-existent garden gate for the postman to arrive with the above mentioned pictures Peter !
Love from Spain,
Garry and Ruby
Maybe you should give sausages to the dealer… 😇😂
Hi Sexy 😉
Did you notice at the end there that even Ruby took a look at the instructions to make sure I‘d fitted the mirrors correctly ? 😂
Ruby deserved her sossidge but the dealer less so ! At least Ruby reads the instructions 😂
Still, we got there in the end and I think Buddy looks absolutely perfect now. I even prefer him with the screen removed.
I actually like the dealer‘s workshop in general but obviously for these „easy jobs“ they don’t take enough care. It’s just a bit of complacency creeping in.
Next week the Classic goes in for the 12 month service and they will be adjusting the valves ! 🤞🤞🤞
Cheers SSDS 🥃🥃
Everything still good with your bikes ?
ER & Ruby
Hi Garry, das ist natürlich ärgerlich aber kommt leider immer wieder vor. Das ist in Deutschland nicht anders.
Jetzt sieht Buddy mit seinen neuen Spiegeln doch viel besser aus, die passen gut zur Maschine.
Cheers 🥃
Stephan
Hallo Stephan,
danke !
Ja, eigentlich bin ich mit der Werkstatt des Händlers noch recht zufrieden. Bei den Inspektionen scheinen sie alles nach Vorschrift ordentlich zu machen. Das Einstellen der Ventile bei Buddy haben sie auch direkt sauber hinbekommen. Ich denke dass die einfachen Sachen ihnen zu langweilig sind, da geben sie sich keine Mühe, wie hier mit den Spiegeln.
Aber am Ende konnte ich ja alles passend machen und aufgrund von ihren Fehlern habe ich den Montagesatz und die „Montage 😂“ nicht bezahlen müssen. Ein kleiner Trost. Aber generell ist die Werkstatt wirklich nicht schlecht, vielleicht lassen sie die Azubis solche Arbeiten verrichten, wer weiß ?
Bleib warm, bleib sicher 👍
LG und Cheers 🥃🥃
Garry & Ruby
They might have have had the apprentice fit them Garry, Even I read instructions Sometimes 😂
G’day Ruby 😁
Cheers mate,
Hi Aussie,
oh yes, it was definitely a junior “mechanic” who did the job, I’m pretty sure of that because so far the work they do servicing the bike has been spot on. Well apart from them seemingly having to touch EVERY part of the bike with oily hands in the process 😂
I no longer clean the bike before servicing, I wait until afterwards 👍
Still, Buddy is perfect for now and the next service will not be until June 🥳
Cheers mate, hugs to Buddy !
ER
I’m glad you like your motorcycle as much as I do 👍 unlike solo moto uk who has had so much trouble
@@aussiebikerdude6563 I know ! He has had terrible luck with his REs hasn’t he ? Not normal at all, really struggling to understand why it is happening to him 😢 Generally all of the more recent bikes have been extremely reliable, just with the odd minor niggle here and there, most unfortunate !
Sounds nearly as bad as my experience with a 2004 Bullet 500 I had but in recent times these things really don’t seem to happen with REs. Very happy with my two and considering getting a third 🤔
Cheers mate 👍
ER
Just goes to show, you cannot trust so called professionals to do simple job. Makes you think how good are they at doing more complexed jobs. You know what I say, if you do it yourself there only one person to blame 👍👍👍
Thanks Nigel,
actually, the proper jobs, like servicing, they seem to do really well. Probably one of the best dealer workshops I have ever had dealings with. I just think that either a) for simple jobs they let a junior mechanic loose on your bike or b) they view simple jobs like fitting mirrors as a bit tedious and work with less care just because "it's an easy job !".
I've had enough services done on both bikes now to see the quality of their work and so far I haven't seen or experienced anything negative, which is unusual these days ! OK, the bikes always come back covered in oil and grease prints but I think that's probably normal, over here at least, in the UK maybe less so ?
I think that overall they are pretty conscientious but these "silly little jobs" are probably just viewed as a bit of an inconvenience and they probably just rush to get them out of the door. Well, that's my impression so far. The Classic is due in next week for the 12 month service with valve adjustment, so speak to me after that 😉
Cheers Nigel 👍🏻
Garry & Ruby.
Where do you bought the sides protector of the tank fuel?
Hi Jose,
they were given to me by a viewer because they didn't work well with the Supernova paint and badges on his bike. He bought them from eBay, India I believe.
The original video is here :
ua-cam.com/video/jb8flai9IoI/v-deo.html
There is a link to them in the video description but it no longer works because it was a long time ago.
I'm sure you can find some similar ones on eBay though, just check out my original video and you will get a close up view of them and I'm sure you'll be able to find them still for sale on eBay.
Good luck,
ER.
@@economicalrides Thank's a lot my friend for your fast answer !!! Regards!!!
Man, if you had written to me I could have produced something quickly and mailed it to you in Spain.
Thanks mate, that's really kind !
Well it all kind of happened in a blur really. The bike was going in for a service and I decided that I could afford the bar end mirrors.
I asked if they had some in stock and they said yes. I said "ok, I'll buy a pair", they said "we'll fit them during the service if you like !". I was happy to take them home and fit them myself but they had no box for them (?) so I was worried about them getting damaged if they were rattling about in the panniers on the way home. So they "fitted" them and then realised that on the Meteor the fitting kit is needed. So I had to go back a second time ( five hours there and back ) to get them fitted with the fitting kit, after they had received it.
When they were finished, I knew it didn't look right but also knew that now I had all of the parts on the bike to fit them properly at home.
So it all took on a life of its own. I'm sure you could have turned up the adapter quite easily, if you had the specs. It's nothing complicated and as we can see here, the OEM one is not even very accurately made.
Thanks for the offer, that's really great of you but unfortunately once the dealer got involved, it all took on a life of its own !
Cheers Creø ( ø is as near as I can get it 😉) 👍🏻
ER.
@@economicalrides Well.. There is a few things that you can do to write my name on Cyrillic without having one.. Google translate or character map in win accessors .
@@Stefan_trekkie I'm not on Windows but if I reply to your comment it appears that I can copy and paste it "Стеф" 👍🏻🥳
Or alternatively, I could just call you Steve or something 😉
Thanks for the explanation Стеф 👍🏻
ER
@@economicalrides or you can use the original Greek... Στέφανος 😆 .. Don't mind me, the cold is making me crazy
@@Stefan_trekkie Nah, I think I‘d prefer to keep calling you Steve to be honest 😂😉👍
Can’t copy and paste your symbol here on mobile either, only on desktop, so I apologise for getting your name wrong again 🙂
Cheers Steve 😉
ER
And they are much easier to break when your motorcycle is down... I'll skip this item. Eventually I'll get mirror extenders for standard mirrors.
Hi Wojciech,
the problem with the original mirrors is not the length, it is the fact that they vibrate terribly. Mirror extensions are likely to make that vibration even worse.
The bar end mirrors do not vibrate, so you always have a clear ( and better ) view.
Of course they will probably break if you drop the bike, but the idea is not to drop the bike 😛
Besides, if you drop the bike and break them, a new pair is not THAT expensive, so I don't worry about it. The main thing is that the bar end mirrors give a really big, vibration free view behind, so they are a safety benefit.
Cheers Wojciech,
ER.
@@economicalrides I'll verify that when I'll get my Meteor 350 next year. :)
Are they making your moto wider and harder to filter through traffic ?
@@Wojtekpl2 Hi Wojciech,
we don't really need to filter here but I would suspect that the difference in width is minimal. I think the mirror head ends up more or less in the same place as the standard ones and that is the widest part.
I strongly recommend the RE bar end mirrors, they give a really stable and large rear view on both sides !
When you ride with the OEM mirrors during the daytime, the vibration is pretty bad at higher engine speeds. When you ride at night, cars' headlights actually appear as rings of light ! I've never had mirrors vibrate like that before. Even the mirrors on my vibey old Bullet 500 vibrated less ! It's not the engine's fault, it's something in the construction of the OEM mirrors. They just vibrate a lot, so much so that my first pair shook themselves apart and the mirror head fell off !
For me, these are an essential accessory for the Meteor but of course you can stick with the originals to begin with 🙂
Cheers Wojciech and good luck with your own Meteor. They are such happy little bikes 🥰
ER.
I dislike mirrors Like these. I prefere original mirrors
No problem, you like what you like.
I prefer the look of these mirrors and they vibrate A LOT less than the original ones. They also give me a larger and clearer view behind, which is a significant safety upgrade.
Thanks for watching and commenting gbsirio benni👍
ER
@@economicalrides My original mirrors do not vibrate... And they are behind the horizont line of guide and the eyes have a minimal movement. The endbar mirrors requires a greater of eyes movement
@@gbsirio Enjoy your mirrors 👍