Muth Mirror Systems

Sometimes, an invention comes along that makes you smack your forehead and say, "Wow, that's so cool.  Why didn't somebody think of it before?" 

That is exactly what we did when we spotted the flashing, red LED arrow in the outside mirror on a Ford Expedition a couple of years ago.  Finally, here was something that filled the "blind spot" when the driver signaled a lane change. 

So, when we heard that they were now available for motorcycles, we were anxious to see how well they worked for this application and how difficult (read: expensive) it would be to install them.  We acquired a pair of mirrors and set out to install them on a 1999 Harley-Davidson Road King.  Muth (rhymes with "tooth") currently makes Signal® mirrors for 1982-present Harley-Davidson cruisers, as well as 1988-2000 Honda Gold Wings. The Harley mirrors retail for $399 a pair, while the Gold Wing mirrors are $299 (chrome) and $259 (unpainted). 

Upon opening the box, we were both impressed with the quality and appearance of the aluminum billet mirrors' chrome finish and the optical quality of the mirror glass itself.  There is hardly a trace of where the arrows (which the company more appropriately calls "chevrons") hide inside.  Optically, they were excellent, and manufacturing and machining were superb. 

On the downside, the installation kit included one crimp-on eyelet for the ground wires, and two Scotch-Loks for wiring the hot side circuits.  Of course, you could solder the "solderless" eyelet terminal to the ground wires.  But we have never been impressed with the integrity of Scotch- Loks, even under the dash of a car to connect a radio.  These devices are prone to losing connections, cutting wires and corrosion.  They are unsuitable for motorcycles. 

The second concern came in the form of a blue slip of paper telling us we would have to obtain a right side mirror adaptor from Custom Chrome (CCI 27-443 in chrome or CCI 27-444 in black) to compensate for the original mirror mounting hole being too close to the master cylinder. 

The slip also said we needed a "2 long 5/16-24 allen head screw." With such a quality accessory, we would think Muth would source these parts and include them in the installation kit.  (A spokesperson for the company said they are currently negotiating to do this.)  It took two days for our local Harley-Davidson dealer to get the kit, and that costs an extra $11.95. 

The step-by-step instructions, with sharp black-and-white photos of each step, were clear, concise and easy enough to follow that an advanced do-it-yourselfer should be able to do the job, although the company suggests professional installation.  An experienced professional tech could do it in less than an hour. 

After bolting the mirrors in place on the handlebars (don't forget the Loctite), we threaded their wires along the existing wiring harness and through the wire guides to the steering head area. 

At this point, the instructions call for removing the seat and the rear fuel tank bolts so the tank could be lifted away from the bike's frame.  The instructions said to "guide the Signal Mirror® wire harness down the backbone of the motorcycle frame, alongside the existing factory wire harness." 

Since we never take the highway when back roads are available, we disregarded the instructions for routing the wires.  Instead, we removed the headlight and located the bike's existing turn signal wires inside the nacelle.  Just to make sure, we probed the connector to verify that the brown wire powered the right turn signal and that the violet wire powered the left.  Since each side has its own ground wire (black) as well, we chose to make the two ground connections into them. 

We tossed the Scotch-Loks into the bottom drawer of our tool chest, reached for some heat-shrink butt connectors and wired up the circuits for the mirrors. 

amber LEDs that left us with lingering effect of a flashbulb.  That kind of brightness will show a long way down the road, easily seen by approaching traffic.  The Gold Wing mirrors don't have the forward-facing lights. 

The red chevron of LEDs were brilliant, too.  They appear to be oriented at an angle, because they are brighter when standing a few degrees to the side, rather than from directly behind the bike. 

Even better, the rider can see the LEDs faintly from the saddle.  Many Harley owners will tell you that the dashboard indicator arrows are nearly impossible to see in the daylight--especially on a sunny day.  And, it is not uncommon for the turn signals to cancel themselves too early in slow, urban traffic.  With the Signal® mirrors, at a glance the rider can assess the traffic behind and see if the signals are still blinking.  A big bonus, in our opinion. 

During a recent HOG chapter ride, we received numerous remarks on the mirrors--all of them positive.  The one comment, repeated over and over, was that the lights in the mirrors were noticeable much sooner and more easily than those straddling the taillight, because the mirrors are virtually at eye level.  We asked some friends to follow us in four-wheelers and they said the same thing.  We can only conclude that this is a significant safety plus. 

Both Harley and Honda dealers can get the mirrors through their distributors, but Muth also sells mirror kits via its Web site. 

-Bob Weber

Muth Mirror Systems
4221 High Tech Lane
Sheboygan, WI 53083