Anyone ride without mirrors?

[Stig / Major Tom]

Read a post by a young Vespa owner in the UK. He removes his mirrors because he likes the sleek look better, and so he can filter traffic easier.
He says that shoulder checking is the same as mirror glancing.

Personally, I think that 180° shoulder checking, or even constant 90° shouldering would be really risky in city traffic. I check my mirrors at least once a minute. I've installed long stem mirrors on my LIKE200i which are so close to my forward vision that I can actually spot cars in my peripheral vision.

Your thoughts on mirrors? Do you remove them?

Stig

[eamartin]

Mirrors are a safety essential.  As I get older and cannot spin my head like I used to, they have become even more important.  And the smaller and slower the scooter, the more important they are, as the larger faster machines overtake me from the rear.  Yes, removing mirrors cleans up the appearance of a machine, but at what cost?   Keep your mirrors (two of them) and use them often!

[de dee]

    I still remember when I could look over my shoulder,,  twice a broken neck bone

[ophelia]

I'm not an owl. Mirrors. Big ones, properly adjusted and placed. Just the prospect of being rear ended by a vehicle that's not going to stop in time is enough incentive to have one.

I even run a mirror on my bicycle.

[hypophthalmus]

If you can't look over your shoulder, how do you check your blind spots?

I've always wondered about checking your mirrors for someone about to rear end you. Personally, I don't think it would help me. By the time I figured out they weren't going to stop, I think it'd be too late. And I'm not about to err on the side of caution and be constantly taking evasive action from people stopping.

Mirrors on a bicycle is a really good idea.

[ophelia]

It was a habit they reminded us of in motorcycle school. I still keep my bike in gear while glancing at the mirror. I've had to dart out into the crosswalk once on a bike. I saw a lady look up from her phone and slam on the brakes. I'm sure she appreciated the extra space.

One time I was driving my father in his SUV. We were coming to a stop at the red, but I saw the eighteen wheeler behind me was hell bent on punching his way through. I pressed that gas pedal to the floor and blasted through the red. Surely enough, that truck didn't slow a bit and charged through right behind us. I have no idea what was going through that truck driver's mind or why he was driving like that. I just made the first turn to the right and steered clear in case he was on a rampage.

Those car and bike crash compilations on YouTube are pretty sobering. Entertaining too.

[Viper254]

Mirrors all the way - I'm a bit creaky and can't get my head around enough to do that sort of stuff.

I agree it looks nice without them, but meh. You lose maybe a second looking around, too, in which time everything ahead of you could easily change!

[PaulF]

Mirrors for me and as it was stated above I also had one on my bicycle for safety.   It is illegal in Australia to not have them.

http://mylicence.sa.gov.au/my-motorcycle-licence/the-riders-handbook/roadworthiness

Apparently it is not compulsory to have them in the UK according to this but read it and see what one policeman did.

http://www.bikelawyer.co.uk/site/mcn-law-columns/will-i-be-nicked-if-i-take-the-mirrors-off

[Viper254]

The story quoted is as old as the hills!  It's really rare to see bikes without mirrors in the UK. We have a lot more congestion and probably need them more!

[Stig / Major Tom]

The story quoted is as old as the hills!  It's really rare to see bikes without mirrors in the UK. We have a lot more congestion and probably need them more!

yeah, well that young UK owner of the new Vespa yanked his off straightaway. Waste of oxygen to attempt to reason with someone dead set on taking that step.
A co worker told me one day (when he saw me putting on my helmet for my ride home).."cop at the scene of my step-brother's fatal Harley accident said, 'it was the helmet edge that broke his neck' "
I used to refer to this miserable fellow as "Eeyore".
Stig

[stuo]

He needs a GrandVista 250, or a Burgman: both have electric retractable mirrors for tight lane splitting. I pull them in often in traffic, then immediately out.

[CROSSBOLT]

Mirrors since 1960.....