Buyer's Guide: Doubletake Mirrors

An eighth of an inch doesn’t seem like a whole lot, but in the case of Doubletake’s modular mirror system, the increase in the diameter of the mirror mount ball perch going from from 1-inch to 1.125 makes for a very effective upgrade. Add to the mix a newly designed cast aluminum connecting arm, and a full universal hardware assortment included with every kit, and the best modular mirror system on the market just got a good bit better.

*If you’re not familiar with Doubletake, it's a small Colorado based company that's been making mirrors built around the 1-inch ball-end standard (AKA: Ram Mount balls) for more than a decade. The beauty of this product concept is that the twin ball-joint connecting method yields near infinite adjustability, letting the user dial in the perfect viewing angle on the fly.

The design also allows the mirrors to be stowed inward, out of harms way, when going off road, or simply transporting or storing your bike.

These mirrors have become a ubiquitous choice for round-the-world travelers, enduro and long-haul adventure riders. Until this season, Doubletake has relied on a supply line from RAM Mounts, makers of a tried-and-true 1-inch ball product ecosystem that serves as a sort of open-source catalog for mounting powersports accessories.

RAM Mount makes a great product, and we’re generally all for “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” but the cost of the RAM components has crept steadily upwards over the years (their 5-inch extension arm, alone, is now $32.95 as of the summer of 2024) without any tangible improvement in functionality in the decade-plus since it's been out.

And while RAM balls and extension arms did the job, they weren't perfect.

Enter: Opportunity

The folks at Doubletake saw a chance to improve upon the somewhat aged RAM-based system to better suit its specific mirror-mounting needs. And also to take ownership of their whole supply chain at the same time.

Step 1: Bigger balls.
Not only did Doubletake produce a slightly bigger ball, at 1-1/8-inch, over the older 1-inch diameter RAM Ball standard, but it also gave it a solid aluminum core that resists the significant clamp forces imparted on it by the cast aluminum extension arm.

Fastenign an older Ram extension onto a Ram ball worked fine to hold on a mirror; the new Doubletake system works perceptibly better.

Less force is needed at the thumbscrew, making microadjustments on the fly quick and easy. And while we’ve seen loads of dented and badly deformed Ram balls, the new Doubletake ball promises much greater longevity.

Step 2. Make it universal.
Previous iterations of the Doubletake mirror kit included a range of confusing adapters needed to make the Ram Ball adapt to a wide variety of bikes—with extensions, reverse thread connectors, and TPI conversion bits. With the new version, Doubletake cuts through the noise and simply includes four different M10 bolt options that cover all the different thread pitches and reverse thread usual suspects needed to fit most bikes, right out of the box.

*The only exception here is for some older bikes, for which Doubletake offers a Universal M8 Kit with a range of spacers and 4 different length M8 bolts with a Nylock nut. And there's special widget for the Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE/XC, or which requires a model-specific adapter.

There’s still a complicated looking fitment chart explaining what to expect from a given set of common bike brands; but it’s safe to just buy the new Ball Kit and rightly expect that one of the four included fasteners will work for your bike.

Step 3: Stronger Armss
The new Doubletake extension arms are cast aluminum with an organic shape with a longitudinal rib running down both sides to help direct clamping forces. The exertions also get an offset pivot and a just-longer-enough clamp screw to get all the leverage you need without denting your fingertips doing so.

While RAM offers its extension arm in 2-, 3-, and 5-inch options, Doubletake decided split the difference and settled on 3.5- and 6-inch options.

The base end is built to accomodate the larger Doubletake Base Ball, while the accessory end sticks to the 1-inch ram standard, so they didn’t have to change their mirrors; and the system will still work with 3rd party accessories, like the RAM Mount Go Pro adapter, or the Peak Design vibration-dampened phone mount.

Step 4: Enjoy an eay easy upgrade. If you’re already a Doubletake mirror user, chances are the base RAM ball bolted into your mirror perch is dented and notchy. We offer Doubletake components a la carte, including an easy upgrade kit for those who already own the mirror elements, or as complete packages for new installations.

Whether you purchase piecemeal or as a complete package, the cost remains the same: a quite reasonable $127-145 for a complete system, now easily adaptable to just about any motorcycle with the included Base Ball kit hardware.

Last Word: The Union Review:

We wouldn’t be supporting (and crowing about) the Doubletake product if we didn’t fully endorse and support it. While we generally stick to “human accessories” like helmets, jackets, boots, gloves, and riding pants,  these mirrors are just the sort of bike accessory that we love to geek out on. This 2.0 version is a marked improvement over the original, and now it’s more universal and easier to install than ever.

As a small niche enthusiast-owned company, Doubletake doesn’t have the marketing budget of a multinational brand like Ram Mounts. And as such, their product isn’t as widely known.

But it’s always a mark of a good product when you see it show up time and again on the bikes of riders with tens of thousands of miles on their bikes. Find any rider on an around-the-world adventure, and chances are it’s going to be a Doubletake mirror perched on their bars..

In fact we first learned about the Doubletake brand when the well-traveled Lyndon Poskitt, who was giving a presentation at the old shop in Brooklyn, saw in our display case of RAM Mount accessories a knockoff 1-inch ball style mirror. The mirror was made by PSR, and we now know it to be a direct ripoff for the Doubletake Adventure Mirror. It seemed like a direct clone, so how big could the difference be?

The devil is in the details; and Doubletake must have made a deal at the crossroads, because this new mirror system offers a market improvement over the original.

 

Having ridden with both the PSR-brand “Enduro” mirror and the OG Doubletake kit, we can report the difference real. The PSR Mirror was made of such a hard durometer plastic that the RAM extension clamp failed to grip it unless the ball was sanded down to give it some grip, and then you'd need to tighten the everliving snot out of the Ram extension wing nut to get it to grip.

And even when secure, the mirror vibrated more than the Doubletake option, and the relatively flat mirror lens lacked the nicely balanced convex angle of the Doubletake mirror. (which BTW is easily self-replaceable)

Also note: RAM Mount has come out with its own house-brand mirror solution. While they say imitation is the best form of flattery, we got a set of the Ram mirrors in, and promptly sent them back. They come with no adapaters, and big and bulky, and seem like they were taken off of a Revel scooter, or maybe even a Honda Civic. AND they're more expensive than Doubletake—overpriced, and underwhelming.

Between these Doubletake modular any-bike mirrors, and the US made CRG Hindsight (Lane Splitter) and Arrow mirrors, which we've stocked for years, we feel like we’ve got an option for any style bike.

Any questions of fitment or application, shoot us an email at support@uniongaragenyc.com. Or give us a ring at (718) 594-7093.