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How To Stop Breaking Dirt Bike Mirrors (A Simple Guide)

Riding a dirt bike with mirrors still attached typically don’t end well. Naturally, you’re bound to break one eventually!

It’s frustrating when it happens. If you’re like us, you don’t want to leave shards of glass on the trails for someone to accidentally cut their foot on, or even get a puncture. This leaves you in an awkward situation.

Then you’re stuck with what to do with one functional mirror which looks really weird. Do you risk the fine or do you abandon the bike on the side of the track or road?

Let’s look at some options.

How to Stop Breaking Dirt Bike Mirrors

It’s frustrating when you’re riding to a favorite dirt bike riding spot. You don’t want to cart your dirt bike there so you decide to simply ride to the tracks, but to do so, you legally need mirrors.

Quite simply, there are 3 ways in which you can stop breaking your dirt bike mirrors when crashing:

  1. Take your mirrors off and put them in your backpack. When you’re offroad, it’s rare to encounter dirt bike police. Plus in many areas, you can ride a dirt bike legally without mirrors as long as you aren’t going on to formed roads with other motorcycles.
  2. Purchase fold-down mirrors. These are becoming popular with adventure bike riders who want a mirror that can fold in behind their handle guards. These simple pop up mirrors do the job well and are very hard to break.
  3. Use a flexible-arm mirror. You can get motorcycle mirrors with flexible arms so when you do crash, it isn’t so much blunt force against the mirror. On the downside, these tend to ‘bounce’ a lot when riding so it’s hard to see the traffic clearly from the rear, even on bitumen roads.
  4. Stow the mirrors at the trailhead. This is a nifty trick that the Frontaer crew have used for years. Look for a notable tree at the trailhead and store the mirrors there under a pile of leaves and away from prying eyes. Your dirt bike mirrors can easily unscrew and you can lay them in the dirt, but do try to keep the threads dry to prevent rust.
  5. Use a fender bag and stow your mirrors there. When storing mirrors in a backpack, there’s a feeling in the back of your mind that the mirrors might break or the arms themselves might hurt your back if you crash. There are some manufacturers that make both front and rear fender bags that you can use to stow mirrors which are small to medium size. Do keep in mind that the constant bouncing means that the straps will need to be on real tight.

Alternative options for dirt bike mirrors

There are some options on the market that we’ve come across in recent times that we previously mentioned. Here they are.

Emgo Easy Clamp-On Enduro Mirror Set

This is a great option and it’s very affordable compared to brand names in the market. These simply swivel in and out behind the hand guards and are compatible with Bark Busters.

PowerMadd 34289 Star Series / Trail Star Handguard Mirror Kit

This is another folding mirror for dirt bikes which works very well. You’ll find some quad bike and ATV riders using these, as do dual sport riders too. May not be legal in some states and territories because they are quite small.

Mzcurse Arm Wear Back Mirror Bicycle Rear View Cycing Backeye with Waist Band

Not for the faith-hearted! You’re bound to get some laughs from the other riders if you sport wearing these, but they certainly can work on group motorcycle riders to see who’s behind you on the trail.

Final thoughts

If you can, always take your mirrors off before taking your dirt bike on the tracks. When you’re having so much fun, you’re probably going to crash and even the smallest crash will damage or break your mirrors. This means time and expense to get a replacement.

Simply hiding them at the trailheads has worked well for us. Likewise, store them in your backpack and use some padding such as a jumper to stop them from hurting your back when you come off your dirt bike.

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