Thread: Mirror shafts
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#1 Mirror shafts02-06-2011, 12:36 AM
I nearly died the other day and not for the first time when a car I hadn't seen came alongside of me just before I was going to turn right. It seemed miles away in the bar mirror when I last glanced down before indicating, but that was an illusion, and I couldn't see it at all in the full-sized mirror. This blind-spot is there on any machine (or car) and thus fortunately, despite the difficulty in a full-faced helmet, I retain the habit of an over-the-shoulder glance. NOTHING in the mirrors and just a 'flash' of colour in the corner of my eye so I stayed straight or would have died. Simple as that. No time to think or work things out, I just stayed straight and went past my turn, a good survival reaction as I was literally just about to lean in.
They hadn't seen or had ignored my indicators, something else I shall think of, indicating a lot sooner and getting extra indicators. When I learne ddecades ago we were instructed NEVER rely on indicators always use a hand signal. Trouble with that is the throttle drops off of course and you then wobble into the turn instead of countersteering and leaning as you should, both hands on bars.
The bar mirrors give a good all around view but make things seem a long way back when they are NOT. Handlebar mounted full-size mirrors often show just your shoulder especially if you are more than 5'6" but if you adjust them to see further back you you have to move your head more and they still do NOT cover the blind spot.
I reckon someone would have designed a longer, hopefully flexible shaft for full-sized mirrors but haven't found one yet. Any ideas? I am serious, if no one knows of one I shall try and mount a truck mirror, it is a bad problem too few do anything about despite we know of it over a lifetime!Kinlon R/T KBR JL200GY-2
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#2 Re: Mirror shafts
- Join Date
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- mostly Shanghai, sometimes northern California
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02-06-2011, 03:42 AMDear Jape,
Was puzzling over this whole scenario in my mind and then if finally dawned on me: your "right turn" is the equivalent of our "left turn" here in China and in America, i.e., countries where we drive on the right-hand (aka "correct") side of the road. Then it all made sense. Some fuckwit was overtaking you from behind just as you were preparing to turn right across the oncoming lane of traffic. Was this a two-lane road or multilane? What the fuck was the guy doing overtaking you in what sounds to have been an intersection?
Anyway, glad you made it home safely and relearned the old rules about never trusting other motorists, ever, and never trusting mirrors, ever.
As for some mirror shaft extenders, I've never seen anything like this but I have seen mirrors with extra long shafts. These aren't pretty, but here's something along those lines in Amazon.
sounds like a cigar and scotch evening for you tonight...
cheersjkp
Shanghai
2010 JH600 "Merkin Muffley" (in Shanghai)
2000 KLR650 "Feezer Ablanalp" (in California)
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#3 Re: Mirror shafts
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#4 Re: Mirror shafts02-06-2011, 06:05 AM
I will try one. I have seen mirrors that you stick on your helmet as well! I was sure someone would have invented a flexible shaft. Will have a play in the shed.
Kinlon R/T KBR JL200GY-2
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#5 Re: Mirror shafts
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#6 Re: Mirror shafts02-06-2011, 09:36 AM
Attachment 3072WHAT? Bloody deluded ex-colonials. EVERYONE knows the correct side of the road is English and of course continued by Australians. You ride to the left, sword arm free on the right to club down, slice and pierce your oncoming foes. The last thing they will ever see ....
Last edited by jape; 02-06-2011 at 10:06 AM.
Kinlon R/T KBR JL200GY-2
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#7 Re: Mirror shafts02-06-2011, 10:01 AM
Some Chinese in Guandong WON'T forget it , RHD dump truck & ~ 00:16 http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/3RXlQrwssr0/
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#8 Re: Mirror shafts02-06-2011, 10:13 AM
That must have been insane, with some areas driving on left and some on the right! Amazing anyone survived!
Is HK still on the left Humanbeing?Kinlon R/T KBR JL200GY-2
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#9 Re: Mirror shafts
- Join Date
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- mostly Shanghai, sometimes northern California
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- 3,222
02-06-2011, 10:29 AMWith the vast exception of India and parts of the Middle East, it seems that most places that retain your quaint tradition of left-side driving are islands -- albeit some very very big ones (yes, Australia and Japan come to mind). What's more, I can't think of many places where the two systems come face to face. Hong Kong obviously is one, and why they've retained left-hand drive there I'll never understand. I think Macau is left-side too.
OK, here's Wikipedia to the rescue, and we can see that the biggest likely problem areas will be those long frontiers in southern Africa, all around Thailand and along Pakistan's western border. Maybe that's why we can't catch Bin Laden.
As for your samurai sword, Jape, wouldn't you rather have that in your clutch hand rather than your throttle hand?
cheersjkp
Shanghai
2010 JH600 "Merkin Muffley" (in Shanghai)
2000 KLR650 "Feezer Ablanalp" (in California)
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#10 Re: Mirror shafts02-06-2011, 10:33 AM
HK is still left, and you see a lot of cross border cars here in Guangdong with the steering wheel on the right hand side. Cross border registration is big $$$$ and your car needs two sets of plates. HK cars with reg. can go to China, but China cars can not go to Hong Kong.
Cheers!
ChinaV
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