The effort was well worth it. It offers excellent view and looks much more in tune with the bikes overall design
BHPian vinbex recently shared this with other enthusiasts:
Installation Process
After a long time. Was caught up in stuff, some related to the bike, some other. Anyway,
The original Fireblade SP
I had always wanted to get the Fireblade (2019 model SP, which has a similar front fascia) mirrors installed on my bike, because it gave a better view and was aesthetically better. Never did I imagine it would become such a tedious process. I initially had the ZX10-R mirrors installed which was simple, but the view was compromised . It just required the base holes to be widened and voila, it would slot right in. But, this one was a mess. I must admit, I did not do enough research on it before making the purchase.
ZX-10R mirrors on the CBR
Fireblade mirrors ( notice the base)
The Fireblade mirrors come with a built-in screw on one end, a locking mechanism on the base and another screw from the inside. It is tightened on the frame of the bike using bolts, all concealed. But on the 650R, we use two screws directly from top and it tightens on the frame by itself. Also, the spacing between them is different.
I checked with my local FNG and he said we could try. He is someone who loves inventing and making stuff hands on, but even he was exhausted by the end of the process. It was super time consuming and extremely tedious as he had to make an all new base to fit the mirror since the original base would not fit, no matter what.
Original base and the new one before finishing
Finished base
The base had to be made out of Aluminium, shaped using a lathe and then filed to match the contour of the cowl in all directions which was the most difficult part. The thing is these workshops work time based, they try to maximise the time to finish maximum number of vehicles, but this type of work does not qualify for that. It is time consuming but not rewarding financially (as in, they are losing out on finishing other work) I sincerely felt bad for making him take this up. Though I did not push him too much, I was at the end of my patience levels towards the end.
Trial and error
Finally, after almost three months, I got my bike back with the mirror fixed. The effort was well worth it. It offers excellent view and looks much more in tune with the bikes overall design.
Final fix
Final output
Independence Day Ride
Rains have been relentless this year in Kerala and I missed out on a lot of riding in these months. I was itching to go when the Honda Topline Kochi announced their ride plan on Independence day. The day came and it started to pour like crazy. I was joined by a CBR650F at the Kochi highway and we were off to the showroom. The rains were crazy, and at some points, we even thought of going back. But after almost 40kms, the rains finally ceased and finally, we made it. It was also my first ride to test the Alpinestars Ridge V2 boots I had recently purchased. The boots fared really well in these extreme conditions, but my bottom rain liner was not sufficient, hence water seeped into the boots.
The start
The roads are pathetic as underpass work is going on in four different locations of the highway, add rains to the mix, traffic jams, potholes and it was a true nightmare, My CBR with TVS Eurogrip Roadhound struggled for grip in these conditions – mix of loose gravel, water and sand. Otherwise, it was near perfect.
We were joined by another CBR 650F near Kalamassery and then we reached the showroom. There were around 8 bikes comprising CBR 650F, CBR 650R (2022), CBR 650R (2024-25), CB 650R (2024-25). We were accompanied by a Transalp and NX500 to Club House cafe in Fort Kochi, where breakfast was organised. Had a good time catching up with everyone, clicking some good pictures. We dispersed at around 11:45am from the Cafe and headed onto our respective ways.
The return was largely uneventful as the weather was good without rains and traffic was quite less until almost 15kms from home. And then it started to rain heavily again. Reached home safe, but completely drenched, boots soaked in water, bike in ultra dirty mode.
It was a memorable ride, except for some really heavy traffic and crazy rains we encountered. Some pics from the event to follow.
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