Hello everyone.
I've just been on my first day ride since fitting Napoleon Ridge mirrors to my BMW G650GS, so here is my impression of them.
For how I fitted them, see my earlier post (in Japanese).
What is the Napoleon Ridge mirror?
About the Napoleon brand
Napoleon is the motorcycle mirror brand of TANAX, a Japanese company.
It offers a range of aftermarket mirrors to replace stock ones.
Features of the Ridge mirror
I think the Ridge is a model in the Napoleon range that combines style with function.
It has a sharp design and is sold as separate right (NA-001R) and left (NA-001L) mirrors with a 10 mm thread.
The packaging.
The back of the packaging.
Out of the packaging.
The mirror sits on a ball joint, and you can adjust how firmly it is held with the bolts.
There is a drain hole in what I think is the bottom of the mirror housing.
Each mirror weighs about 266 g.
The stock mirror weighed 394 g, so that is more than 30% lighter.
Design and finish
A stylish shape
The Ridge mirror's appeal is its straight, sharp-edged design.
Being black, it is easy to match with any bike colour.
Compared with the stock mirror
Side by side with the stock mirror, I found the Ridge mirror gave a better view behind.
The angle of the arm and the shape of the mirror are different too, which changes the look of the bike.
Pros and cons from actual use
Visibility and blind spots
The mirror face is wide, and the rear view is good.
There are fewer blind spots, and I feel more confident changing lanes.
Vibration and eye movement
With the G650GS's stock mirrors, the image shook badly while riding, and with my build (I'm 169 cm tall) I couldn't check behind just by moving my eyes. This made riding stressful.
Vibration while riding is much reduced.
It's hard to put into words how much, but with the stock mirrors a car behind was just "something roughly the size of a car". With the Ridge mirrors, I can tell whether it is a kei car (a small Japanese car) or a normal-sized car.
And when changing lanes, I can now check behind just by moving my eyes, without turning my head.
Of course, blind spots don't disappear, so I still need to turn my head to check them.
For me, after struggling with mirrors until now,
the Ridge mirrors are brilliant!!
That's my verdict.
Above all, I'm very happy to have got this much improvement for less than 10,000 yen.
Mirrors are partly about looks, but they are also important for safety.
If, like me, you're not happy with your stock mirrors, it may be worth looking at aftermarket ones.
Aftermarket mirrors come in different thread sizes, with standard or reverse threads, so I recommend checking carefully that they will fit your bike before buying.
Fitting
Tools needed
To fit them you need a 17 mm spanner and an 8 mm Allen key (and a 3 mm Allen key to adjust how stiffly the mirror moves).
For details of the fitting, see the post linked at the start.
Tips
Don't overtighten the threads.
I recommend fine-tuning the mirror angle while sitting on the bike.
Summary: who the Ridge mirror is for
- Riders unhappy with the look or performance of their stock mirrors
- Riders who want less mirror shake at motorway speeds
- Riders who want a stylish custom look
If you'd like to see how I fitted these mirrors, with a side-by-side comparison against the stock ones, it's here: