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how to safety wire your mirrors...
those dame mirrors.
200 bucks each.
the knuckle guards are also 200 bucks each.
if you crack the mirrors you don't have much choice but to replace. however, the knuckle guards are fixable.
the problem:
turns out that the 2 piece knuckle guards have a slight weak point where the 2 connect. the only thing holing them together is 2 hex screws and 2 thin plastic tabs. break the tabs and the knuckle guards will come apart and dangle. Ducati should really have used the same removable "pin" based design that the 1098 mirrors use. this way you can put them back together if you pop them. we are defiantly going to hear people complain about this one over time. they are just TOO expensive to rely on just these cheap plastic tabs.
here are some pictures of my safety wire job.
notes:
1) 18 inches of safety wire. i just bought some Guy Wire from radio shack and unraveled a single strand of it (20-Gauge Galvanized Guy Wire $6.99 at radio shack).
2) a small pair dikes (Kronus™ 5" Nippy Cutter $5.99 at radio shack).
3) a 1 inch washer (10 cents at home depot).
4) the safety wire must be very tightly wound to ensure no play between the two piece that make up knuckle guard assembly.
5) the safety wire forces the parts closer to each other and the mirror will touch slightly when you open and close it. this is ok.
6) if your bar end plastic is cracked as well you will need to use a big washer on the end to secure it. it will be a tight fit to get the bar end expansion slide into the bar with washer on the end of the bolt, but it does slip in. don't stack washers on the outside of the plastic, the bolt is too short for that. you can stack a couple of washers on the inner side of the plastic nearest the stock bar end washer to prevent over tightening and there by cracking the plastic, but i found it unnecessary.
7) don't be afraid to over tighten the bar end bolt with the new washer, it is all that is holding your assembly in place so it must be "tight enough". just be careful to not crack the knuckle guard plastic any more than it already is. the balance is enough torque to hold the assembly upright under speed and vibrations while not crushing the plastic too much. it is a feel thing.
that should do it. i did mine in the parking lot of some mini mall with a radio shack and a hardware store. took 30 mins. mine holds wonderfully at any speed and has not given me trouble since i did it over 2500 miles ago...
good luck,
__________________
1992 900ss ~ 2001 Monster S4
Last edited by rubyvrooom; Sep 11th, 2007 at 4:26 pm.
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