Unboxing & First Impressions
After the maths that compared the cost of these Moto-Teks to the 5 times more expensive Rottweiler Arrow kit, I came across a video by Nomad Sweden. He had purchased a kit from the Netherlands costing 170 Euros ($185 USD or £150 GBP). With shipping and import tax to the UK, you’d once again be around £220-250 GBP. Now take a look at the video from the 3 minute mark:
It appears to be the exact same box and contents as the Moto-Tek mirrors with the unbranded bracket swapped out for the Rottweiler branded one. Here’s the box I received:
And here’s the open box showing the contents.. Does it look familiar?
OK, let’s unpack the Moto-Teks.
Firstly, the brackets. They appear to be virtually the same as the Rottweilers. Quality is fine except although the anodising scratches easily. That said, they’re aluminium so if the paint is removed they’re not going to rust.
They are, however, precisely made and well finished with two 5mm threaded holes in each.
The holding brackets are also well made and will likely do the job and last.
On to the mirror itself and the stem. Again, this seems identical to the one in the video above and in fairness, it’s well made, nicely put together and appears good quality. Everything looks like it will do the job. Not over-engineered but certainly adequately so.
The reflective mirror is crystal clear with no discernible scratches, marks or optical imperfections. Can’t ask for more than that. Obviously, it’s not yet been swiped with a tree branch or polished with a gritty cloth but so far, so good.
Finally, 4 5mm hex bolts finish off the package. The bolts look decent but I decided to replace them with some stainless steel countersunk bolts, both for quality and aesthetic purposes. Here you can see them installed:
Notice the two countersunk bolts are identical to the bar end bolt. My anally pedantic nature approved greatly of this accidental match! With the Double Take Mirrors now removed, I was, of course, left with two gaping holes. Fortunately, in my workshop I found two perfectly sized blanking caps that finished things off nicely.
Installation & Practical Use
This is where publishing a pre-review to social media is very helpful as I can now address some of the many questions and points made in the various threads. I’m going to try to do that, this time in video format, as I think, in this case, a video will be far more helpful than still images and paragraphs of text:
Conclusion
I paid £50 shipped for these mirrors. The UK based seller was extremely responsive to any questions I had and shipped within minutes of me placing my order. They were posted via Royal Mail First Class Signed For and duly arrived the next morning, less than 24 hours after I’d ordered them. After installing and riding with them, I’m going to give these a thumbs up. They’re good quality, all the components fit precisely together and they sit firmly and well on the BarkBuster aluminium frames. Be careful to position them correctly and they’ll be of zero danger to your hands and will fold in nicely to protect them whilst off-road in the gnarly stuff. On road they give adequate rear view with no discernible vibration or any other problems. Time will tell if they loosen eventually, or degrade in any way, but at this point I don’t anticipate such problems. I will, however, update this review from time to time to let you know how they’re getting on.
Update 1 – 18/02/23
In the above video you’ll notice when I gave the mirror a slap to simulate it hitting the ground in the event of a fall, the stem loosened and without an allen key it would have been difficult to secure it again. I’ve eliminated that problem by introducing a small locking nut to each of the appropriate bolts on the locking bracket. This really should have been part of the original kit but it’s not an expensive or time consuming fix, so no big deal. I would suggest anyone buying this kit add the same nut before riding.
Update 2 – 19/02/23
I managed about a 70 mile blast around the island this morning with 40 other bikers. This was an ideal opportunity to test out these mirrors in slightly more challenging conditions, as riding in a staggered formation for a decent length trip requires every rider to have a good idea what’s happening behind him/her as well as in front. The ride-out took us down several farm lanes with plenty of potholes and mud caked across the surface. Neither of the mirrors vibrated whatsoever and my vision of the riders behind was quite sufficient. You’re not getting a panoramic view but certainly one which is adequate and doesn’t require too much movement of the head. So far, so good!
Update 3 – 22/02/23
Over the last couple of days I’ve received the following notes from Moto-Tek:
“I’m glad you liked the product. The idea came about through our TRF group. A member wanted this type of product so I sourced a good quality/value mirror kit and produced the mount boss myself. I added the nylon washers to make the joint easier to move repeatedly. If you find the screw works loose, a little loctite works a treat. I’ve never bought or seen a Rottweiler product, so I can’t compare the quality. I would assume for that price, all the parts in their kit are machined (very expensive to do!). In my kit, some of the parts are machined and some cast. This is more appropriate manufacturing approach for this type of product and keep the price manageable.”
“If you find any quality issues with the product (and this applies to all customers), I’ll give a replacement for free. Just drop me a line.”
“The bolts that come standard with my kit are M6 x 16mm stainless steel buttonheads. They work well for hand guards upto 10 mm thick. I can supply different size bolts, for no extra charge at the customers request. They just need to drop me a note when ordering. Thanks again for the great quality article!”
Where To Buy
Moto-Tek Product Page
Moto-Tek eBay Store
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