How To: Bar End Mirrors on a VF750F

Hi All, I haven't posted in a while - hadn't done anything interesting on my Interceptor for quite some time (except ride it ). I finally got around to doing something about the mirror situation - the bike had really crappy aftermarket mirrors installed when I got it, and I had trouble seeing around myself. I considered a number of different types, and finally decided on bar end mirrors. I had reservations about whether or not they would look like they 'belong', but I think they look pretty good - they add a bit of an old school racer feel. Anyway, I thought I'd share the project...


Ken Sean AP bar end mirror kit. Inexpensive and pretty well built. (Except for cheapo bolt intended to hold mirror to handlebar.) I tossed bolt, nut, and rubber bushings intended for use with hollow bar ends.


Pro-Grip model 698 soft open end grips, 135mm long. A lot of grips are not long enough for the VF750F. They are soft with good grip and vibration damping, but not too squishy. I ended up removing the material beyond the recess in the end of the throttle side grip to clear the mirror mounting bracket (not pictured).


The bar ends were drilled and tapped for M8-1.25 bolts. A machine shop friend did it to make sure it was straight. Cheapo bolts shipped with mirrors were a bit loose when threaded in, but good bolts with higher quality threads fit perfectly. I didn’t know the VF750F had built in bar end weights before this project.


I used this project as an opportunity to clean up the tired looking handlebars. The handlebar on right is smoothed and finished with baked on semi-gloss black paint. The handlebars seem a bit crude as shipped from the factory when you look at them closely.


The mirror mounting bracket on the left has been modified to work on bar with a solid end. Go easy with grinding, this material cuts fast.


Throttle side grip, throttle tube, and homemade washers. The thin, hard plastic washers are used to reduce friction between soft grip and handlebar control housing and mirror bracket. (Photo distorts washers quite a bit.)


The throttle tube was modified to be about 0.050” shorter than bar end. Normally you want it a bit longer than bar end, but in this case you need clearance for the mirror bracket at end of bar. Make throttle tube too short and grip can start to drag on bar end.


Here are all of the parts involved (except throttle tube and mirror mounting hole plugs). Crude hex head bolts at top were replaced before final installation.


I ran into a problem with clutch lever to mirror bracket clearance. It turns out that the lever mounting position is a bit different on each side. (Stand over your VF750F and look at master cylinder castings.) Here I’ve ground off the end of the clutch lever, but have not yet smoothed and refinished it.


Plastic panel fasteners that I had lying around the shop. I used them to cover the original mirror mounting holes. The shank is a perfect fit, but the head diameter is a bit large. I later sanded them with some #600 paper to reduce the shine and remove the mold flash.


Finished product showing installed mirror mounting hole cover, and button head hex drive mirror mounting bolt. The bolt heads were scuffed with #320 paper and finished with baked on semi-gloss black paint. Bolts are secured with medium strength Locktite. The left side grip does not need the plastic washers used on the throttle tube side.


View from front of bike showing finished clutch lever end. I’m considering grinding and finishing the end of the brake lever to match the shape.


View from the saddle. The visibility is awesome – I can finally see around myself. There’s a teensy bit of vibration induced blur, but the mirrors still have very good visual performance. The mounting method seems to be very solid. The bike had some really crappy aftermarket mirrors installed when I got it - this is a major upgrade. (Yes you do need to be a bit more careful when wheeling it around the shop.)

I think the color of the mechanicals and the shape of the lenses help make the mirrors look like they “belong” on the bike. Much more so than some of the new tricked out carbon fiber looking stuff – but to each his own. I was also looking at some “nap-bone” or Napolean” mirrors for this application. Their mounting brackets may even be a bit slicker, but I’ve only seen them in pictures and don’t know how well they would work on this bike.

This project involved a LOT of futzing around to get everything so that it looked and worked right, but I think it turned out pretty well. It ended up taking much more time than money.

 

Very clean, they match the bike.

I installed a cheap set of weighted bar end mirrors on my 85 Interceptor. I used some aftermarket (modified to fit) clip on handle bars. I thought they looked good and liked the more open view up front. But the damn things buzzed so much I could not see behind me!