Budget Shorty Brake/Clutch Levers

[SANGER_A2]

This write-up is quite anticipated! I wanted some new, shorter levers for my bike, so that I can brake etc using just 2 fingers and keep two fingers on the lever still. I also wanted some that were blacked out to match the rest of the bike, and being able to adjust the clutch without needing to shove an o-ring into the works will be great.

I found some on ebay here that were a third of the price of some ASVs or Pazzos etc. Even other levers of unknown brand tend to cost twice as much as these. Although you don't get the lifetime guarantee, or the same level of build quality, they are brilliant value for money if you consider the amount of work that goes into producing them compared to some of the machined rubbish that is flogged to use! I once paid £40 for some 25mm handlebar risers that a 12 year old could make up using the right machinery.

Anyway, I spoke to the seller directly as the auction description wasn't too great. They're from china, available in a number of colours and also they have long and short versions of the levers that fit the FZ6. The short version are more 3 fingers than two though. They said that if they didn't have an auction for the ones I wanted to just buy another set and ask for the style I wanted. Unfortunately, the adjusters on the black levers are only available in red. I'd love to swap them with anyone who buys coloured levers and would prefer red adjusters. :hint: :hint:

Here (Cheap Brake/clutch levers) is a thread I made up just after finding them with some comments and info as well as alternative options. There are also some pics of the longer ones that another member bought.

They took about just over 2 weeks to arrive and this is what you get:-


There is a nice little keyring of an R6 included, I'm not sure if this was a mistake or just a nice surprise touch!

Here you can see the levers in all their glory. Pretty damn sexy:-


And the other side:-


Here is a comparison between the old, ugly lever and the new, shorter lever:-


The fitting should have been a 5 minute job, unfortunately it wasn't and the levers needed some work that increased the time up from 5 minutes to about an hour (or two beers)! Once the clutch lever was installed, I found that once I had tightened the pinch bolt holding it in place, the lever wouldn't move. The problem is that the bushing that goes through the lever (pictured below), needs to be about 0.5mm longer than the lever, but isn't with these. That way the pinch bolt clamps down on the bushing and holds it tightly in place and the lever can move freely around the bushing.

I'm not sure why this is, someone else ordered the long version of these levers, installed them and didn't report any issues. I had to file down the part of the lever that was too thick to get it to spin freely. It took a couple of goes to get it right as I didn't want to take off too much. The good thing is that the clutch lever was on a part that was easy to file without damaging the rest and also, that it's on the underside of the lever and will be covered anyway.

Here you can see the lever after my first go (this wasn't enough taken off):-


After each time I filed, I made sure that I blew the filings off, then sprayed WD-40 on it and cleaned with a rag. I didn't want them to wear anything away. Any bits of metal that rubbed against others, I lubricated with lovely goopy 90w gear oil. Here it is with the perfect amount taken off:-


And here is the clutch lever installed. I was a bit annoyed that it needed work, but it was very cheap compared to the other options. I assumed this was just a one-off it not fitting:-

[SANGER_A2]

And here you can see the clutch lever from the front of the bike. My black pro-bolt alloy adjuster fits in really well with the lever:-


And here you can see the difference between old and new again:-


I was pretty annoyed to find that the brake lever suffered from the same problem. Once it was installed, it didn't spring back at all easily. This was harder to file than the clutch lever as there were bits nearby the part I needed to file that would be damaged. I just took the lever to bits (only needed a hex bit and an 8mm socket). Here you can see it after I filed. I also smoothed them off with a sanding block after using the harsher file:-


Here it is installed on the brake side:-


And from the front:-


And from above the rider's head:-


And from the front of the bike:-


I've ridden to work and back with these and like them a lot. As well as looking amazing, they make using 2 fingers to brake with much much easier. I tried using 2 fingers on the clutch and it's okay when riding along, but holding it down while waiting in traffic etc is too much for my weak fingers! I think I'll be playing around for a while with angles and distances and adjusting the spacing of them to get the perfect position.

[krid80]

THANKS FOR THE WRITE UP!

[mookieaz]

Originally Posted by SANGER_A2

And here you can see the clutch lever from the front of the bike. My black pro-bolt alloy adjuster fits in really well with the lever:-


And here you can see the difference between old and new again:-


I was pretty annoyed to find that the brake lever suffered from the same problem. Once it was installed, it didn't spring back at all easily. This was harder to file than the clutch lever as there were bits nearby the part I needed to file that would be damaged. I just took the lever to bits (only needed a hex bit and an 8mm socket). Here you can see it after I filed. I also smoothed them off with a sanding block after using the harsher file:-


Here it is installed on the brake side:-


And from the front:-


And from above the rider's head:-


And from the front of the bike:-


I've ridden to work and back with these and like them a lot. As well as looking amazing, they make using 2 fingers to brake with much much easier. I tried using 2 fingers on the clutch and it's okay when riding along, but holding it down while waiting in traffic etc is too much for my weak fingers! I think I'll be playing around for a while with angles and distances and adjusting the spacing of them to get the perfect position.

Sorry to hear about your install issues. I can honestly say that my standard size levers took all of ten minutes to install and fit like they were made for the bike. Must just be an issue with the shorties. It's all good though. For what you paid for them, a couple of hours of free labor is easily worth how good the look.
Bye the way, that keychain must be a gift they send out with all purchases cause I got one also. Enjoy the upgraded ride.

Mike

[dean owens]

how much trouble would it be to take the red bits off, paint them and put them back on? is that even possible?

[SANGER_A2]

Originally Posted by dean owens

how much trouble would it be to take the red bits off, paint them and put them back on? is that even possible?

They would be easy to take off and paint, but they wouldn't look great and the paint would eventually wear away. Powder-coating would be the way to go! Or spend £15 on a set of black adjusters from Helmet-HK. Or maybe find someone who wants red ones and swap (what I'm hoping for).

[grommit]

They look good.

Did you inform the supplier of the problems?

[reiobard]

look great!!!

[Boneman]

Originally Posted by dean owens

how much trouble would it be to take the red bits off, paint them and put them back on? is that even possible?

I wouldn't even bother trying for the same reasons Sanger mentioned.

Also, the levers and adjusters apear to be Anodized, not powder coated. Powder coating would add too much material thickness and end up binding the lever and adjuster.

[SANGER_A2]

Originally Posted by grommit

They look good.

Did you inform the supplier of the problems?

Yup. I'm waiting to see what I get back from them.