I hate these mirrors

I can't see behind me

Not being able to see behind you is a common complaint, especially from those new to the Ninjette. Some long-time riders will say that the stock mirrors are better than on other bikes. Unfortunately, due to the fact that many people don't hang onto this bike for long, there isn't a great deal of aftermarket availability. There really isn't a decent-fitting mirror that has more visibility than the stock ones.

In reality, the simplest fix is to tuck in your elbows and turn your head. This is not a car; you'll never see as well behind you on your Kawasaki as you can in your Toyota. That's why you have a neck. Motorcycle mirrors should never be completely trusted.

You can improve rearward visibility with the standard Ninja mirrors with some tweaking. Options are listed below.

Extensions

Mirror extensions/brackets can be made, but if you are good at fabricating you've probably already thought of this. There is no standard mod yet in this direction. One problem is that it is conceivable that the extra torque (from the extra length and extra wind) could tweak your upper fairing stay, so go carefully.

You can definitely widen the mirror positioning with extensions and get a better view behind you, without wasting huge amounts of mirror 'real estate' on your elbows. If you do any lane splitting though, widened positioning may be noticeable. Also, the unique nature of the body-mounted mirrors makes widening hardware less simple than tweaking standard mirrors or exploring alternatives.

Droopies

If you want to stay simple, something easy to try is 'droopy' mirrors. Tilted down about 20 to 25 degrees from horizontal, the arc of travel and semi-diagonal layout make the mirror field of view a little wider, allowing you to adjust it to better see back behind you without using up all of your view to the sides.

You can also easily add convex stick-ons (about $4 each at WallyWorld). The stick-on mirror's placement is somewhat limited by the raised lip around the edge of the Ninja mirror. You can grind things down (the Ninja mirror lip or the edge of the stick-on) or use additional layers of the 2-sided foam tape used to hold the stick-on mirror in place. By modifying to clear the lip, and placing the stick-on further towards the center of the bike, you effectively make the mirror even wider, giving you more field of view to work with.

The shape and placement of these stick-ons can somewhat follow the contour of your elbow, effectively salvaging otherwise wasted mirror view. Looking in a convex mirror may feel a little odd at first, and can take a little time to get used to, but once you are comfortable with it you should find that it widens your field of view substantially.

Adding a blind spot mirror to your stock mirrors

Here's a mod that will make your bike safer. For $2.58 at Autozone you can get two convex mirrors that are angled toward the outside. These mirrors will help you see your blind spots and cars behind you. They're also good for seeing more of the lanes next to you.

Stick them on the inner lower corner of the mirrors (where all you can usually see is your shoulders) or outer lower corners. Which mirrors you buy, and where you put them, will be largely a matter of personal preference. You can get 1" or 2" round or rectangular mirrors. Here is a combination of BikeMaster 1" convex mirrors & a CRG blind sight mirror. This member says: "I can see everything behind me."

Bar-end mirrors

Some of our members recommend bar-end mirrors as a way to get more visibility to the rear. Emgo mirrors (available at nearly any bike shop) are ridiculously cheap and are very reliable. If you prefer the curved glass type, go with the Ken Sean or the even pricier Napoleon mirrors. (Search online or see a dealer.) Halcyon also makes a pricey bar-end mirror for the cafe racer crowd. All of these mirrors fold up for easy maneuvering in tight spaces.

There is a bit more vibration in these mirrors than with the stock rubber-mounted ones, but nothing most people can't live with. The main advantage is that you do not need to move your body or your head to glance at them, and even with flat glass they give an unobstructed view of what is behind and to the side of you. Another advantage is that you can turn your bars while you're stopped and get a better view of what's coming up from behind.

Installation: The Ken Sean brand bar end mirror, part number 920030, is $17.95 each. It looks a lot like the Napoleon and mounts the same way. Cut off the piece that is intended to go inside the bar and grind smooth. Use the Kawasaki supplied bar end minus the stupid soft phillips screw. The bolt that comes with the mirrors is a perfect fit. It goes through the mirror and the bar weight into the stock threaded boss inside the bars, so it's a simple bolt-on.

Other mirrors fit differently. Some replace the stock bar ends, some are designed to fit around bar ends, and some use the bolt used to hold bar ends onto non-hollow bars (meaning, they don't work for aftermarket bars). Try to get a mirror that will preserve your bar-ends, as they are there to reduce handlebar vibration.

• CRG makes very nice billet mirrors that are priced beyond the scope of many EX250 owners.

• Napoleon also makes some nice mirrors. You do get what you pay for.

• Cipa makes a teardrop-shaped mirror that's a little out of the ordinary.

• Ken Sean mirrors are affordable and widely available.

• webBikeWorld has links to dozens of mirror manufacturers.

• eBay often has many dealers selling bar end mirrors. These may come without a brand name (many of them are distributed by Emgo) but the price is right.

Standard handlebar-mounted mirror option

The 'body' mounted mirrors of the Ninja are a bit forward of mirrors that would be mounted in the more traditional handlebar mount method.

Traditional bar mounted (not bar end) mirrors are further back and make it easier to get a little more of a view behind you without necessarily going wider. They are also easier to make wider without having to resort to fabricating or other more drastic methods. They might not look as good as body mounted mirrors, but if you are more interested in function than appearance they may be worth considering.

If you want to put your mirrors on the bars there are plenty of options. Later 250's have mounts on the brake and clutch perches for mirrors. Most have at least the one on the clutch side. You can get an adapter that allows you to put a screw-in mirror on your bars if one isn't there already. Handlebar-mount mirrors are available from EMGO (see a local shop) and nearly every parts house on the web, including Cycle Pages.

R1/R6 Mirrors

This should be a mod that you do because you don't like the looks of the stock mirrors. The visibility with R1/R6 mirrors is about the same as with stock ones. You still can't see directly behind you, but they will give your Ninja a better cool rating.

Go to Dennis Kirk and order part# 391940 and 391939. Then go to the hardware store and buy four 10mm nuts. Take the mirrors with you, because one member found his mirrors took 6mm nuts.

Remove your stock mirrors and the rubber gasket that sits between the stock mirrors and the fairing. Also remove the windshield, and don't lose the little plastic nuts on the back. Next pull back the rubber cover on the R1 mirrors so you have the metal from the R1 mirror directly against the plastic. Carefully screw the 10mm nuts onto the mirror behind the fairing (a gear wrench really helps here). This may seem simple but it is very tight behind the plastic, so it will take a while and you will drop the nuts many times.

No modifications are needed to get the mirrors to fit, but it's not easy to do. One person said that he could only get one mounting nut on the left one. The nuts are difficult to start and take a lot of turns. They have to be removed and put back on again when you go to adjust the valves, etc...