APT101 bolt on mirrors. We’ve sold the Napoleon Bar End Mirror for many years now and they continue to remain popular among riders of both classic and modern motorcycle. Also in our range now is the APT101 bolt on mirror. This provides a solution for those bikes with standard M10 threaded mounts in the clutch and brake reservoirs (sometimes in the lever body) The ever popular modern Triumph Bonneville uses such fixings and the APT101 bolt on rear view mirror will fit directly to this range of bikes. They are proving a big seller for those who wish to upgrade from the standard factory rear view mirrors. Note that is worth checking the mounting before ordering as some of the Triumphs do not have the threaded fixing. To re-iterate you are looking for an M10 threaded hole. For more details click here.

2015 Triumph Bonneville Newchurch

Triumph: The eternally popular marque Ask anyone, anywhere in the world to name a British motorcycle and I could almost guarantee they will say Triumph. For one reason or another it’s the brand that is probably closest to being what hoover is to the vacuum cleaner. At least as far as classic bikes go. I have even had people refer to my Square Four as “one of those Triumph Ariel’s”. As with all such transactions I nod and smile politely. Anyway I digress. Over the years I owners of the Modern Triumph range have formed good solid part of our customer base for the Napoleon Bar End Mirror I suspect that the original fitment mirrors don’t do it for most people aesthetically speaking. Our bar end mirrors are an attractive and cost effective alternative.

 

Two’s…… a pair! Not sure about the above title from a grammatical point of view, best ask Lynn Truss. Or not. Our bar end mirrors are sold singly and fit either side since the stem swivels through a full 360 degrees. This not only provides the ultimate in adjustability but also allows for the mirrors to be folded neatly out of the way for parking or negotiating narrow gaps.  To order online visit our online shop. We use paypal to process our payments which allows you to use your credit card even without a paypal account. Orders are dispatched 1st class in the UK and free of additional shipping charges. Join the many thousands of classic and modern classic riders experiencing the unbeatable Napoleon bar end mirror and a vibration free rear view.

Modern motorcycles feature a range of safety features that we often take for granted. The most essential of these, the rear view mirror, was an early development. Generally mirrors were adopted first for use by car drivers before motorcyclists. However today it is unusual to try and use even older classic and vintage bikes without some kind of mirror…… Dorothy Levitt, sporting motorist, journalist and activist noted in her 1909 book “The Woman and the Car: A chatty little handbook for all women who motor or who want to motor” that women should “carry a little hand-mirror in a convenient place when driving” so they may “hold the mirror aloft from time to time in order to see behind while driving in traffic”. While this may not have been practical manoeuvre in early vehicles, which usually required a surfeit of attention just to maintain forward motion, it was a good idea nonetheless.  As a pioneering feminist she also advised women travelling alone to carry a revolver!

Ray Harroun, an American racecar driver most famous for winning the inaugural Indianapolis 500 in 1911 used a rear-view mirror mounted on his car during a race in 1911. Perhaps foreseeing Colin Chapman’s philosophy of “Simplify, then add lightness” this created great controversy as the rules specified a riding mechanic be used as lookout. Ultimately the innovation was allowed and when asked about where he got the idea for using the mirror during the race, he recalled that he had seen a similar arrangement all the way back in 1904 on a horse drawn vehicle.

 

Elmer C.A. Berger, an inventor of the early 1900s is officially credited with the invention of the rear view mirror. Patenting the idea in 1921 he named his device the “COP-SPOTTER” and it was produced by Berger and Company. Now interned at the Hollywood Memorial Park, Elmer is buried alongside Mama Cass Elliot. Keep that one under your hat for the next pub quiz. With regard to motorcycles there is often some confusion over the fitting of mirrors. Referring to the Road Vehicles (construction and Use) Regulations 1986; it is stated that that a two wheeled motorcycle with or without a side car attached are exempt from being required to having mirrors fitted however if the vehicle was first used after 1st October 1978 any mirrors fitted must comply with certain standards. Rear view mirrors do not form part of the current UK motorcycle test so it possible to present a bike for test with no mirrors even if they were fitted as original equipment. However most riders will testify that having a good quality mirror makes riding in all traffic conditions safer and more pleasant.