Needs to be a sticky.

 

My thread is # 13 on that list.One of the biggest mistakes I have made since I started riding was buying knock off levers.It could have ended tragically for me,I was lucky that it didn't and I think only because my lock up was gradual.All that for some bullshit savings on a pair of levers.Never again.

 

One time I was contemplating what levers to put on my race bike and John Ulrich just looked at me and quickly said, "Why?" Of course I thought they looked cool and adjust easily but it's really not necessary. Unless you need to be able to adjust your brake lever on the fly like in a race then just use the stock levers. If you look at an M4 bike you'll notice a stock clutch lever and an Accosato brake lever because they actually require the adjustable brake lever.

Now I know that won't stop street riders from having the coolest race gear on their bike but you should know it's really not that cool. Just keep the stockers.

 

I do like that the after markets are more adjustable (mostly brake side), but mostly I have them because the shorties crash better. Less apt to break, so more apt to be able to continue your race

But I ran stock levers for a LONG time, probably up until late 2010:scratch

 

The crashing part is true for continuing a race but you could replace a lot of stock levers for the cost of aftermarket especially with everyone ditching their stock levers for aftermarket. You should have seen the stock brake lever we rode with in the endurance race at Miller last year after the SV tipped over in the pits.

My main point is for the street riders who are the ones buying these shit levers. You don't need adjustable and it's not going to make me think you know how to ride.

 

I didnt pay for mine , that is pretty much the only reason I have them :lol. I was a test pilot

But yeah, I had several sets of stock levers just given to me as spares I used for a long time before I got the shorties.

 

I had the problem with ASVs. The barrel wasn't deep enough to allow the piston to fully return. I had to drill mine about another 1/16" deep to allow for full return of the piston.

Cheap levers it's more common, but it can happen anytime. Just know what the fuck you're doing. Even bolt-on parts don't always just bolt-on.

 

For sure it gets very old with the same old posts about this subject. People buy knock off chinese junk and then wonder why shit don't work right. DUH :dunno

 

I would rather buy the levers new. I know I have seen Chinese knock-off Brembo, even with Brembo logos on the parts.

 

My whole point was you don't have to go buy aftermarket levers. Your stock levers are fine. Unless the stock levers are damaged just leave them on. There's obviously enough of a demand for China to start pumping out these shitty levers and everyone thinks they need to get some colored adjustable levers because they're cool.

So instead of buying something of quality they buy Chinese because they feel they need aftermarket and don't want to spend the money. Stock levers work perfectly fine. Especially for the street.

 

Good warning ...Ive been eyeing some on ebay and never considered this. Is it the same situation with rearsets?

 

Re: Re: Brakes locking up when riding? New LEVERS? Read here PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEM



A lot less likely to have a failure like locking up but they could break due to shit metal I would guess

 

very true.

 

...which will eventually cause a lot of missed shifts - I have ridden a few bikes with El Cheapo rearsets and it's not recommendable. Also, the anodizing (or paint in some cases) will wear faster than with quality parts.

 

Great post MJ.

I saw James Toseland's SBK Honda at Phillip Island with a standard clutch lever and then revised my thoughts on aftermarket levers.....although my CRG clutch is a very nice one.

 

Re: Re: Brakes locking up when riding? New LEVERS? Read here PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEM



I used to prefer OEM levers as well. I have since changed my braking technique and prefer a short.lever. I also run them pretty close. It is a bit odd but it is an easy second per lap for me... the difference in where I have found I prefer the lever and normal people's preference lol.

So much so we added a remote adjuster to the endurance bike

 

I wish I saw this thread before ordering some shortys from the slow boat from China! I thank God that I didnt get hurt!

I installed my levers Friday evening, and went for a ride Saturday afternoon. Mind you I also replaced my radiator. I hit the road and got up to 85 when all of sudden the front end dropped. It felt like I was about to go over the handlebars. I thought the engine seized. Fortunately there was no won behind me and I was able to lift the rear and front to get it on the shoulder. Once I realized the brakes locked up... I was able to disable the calibers and ride home only using the back breaks.

 

won, breaks.

 

HAHAHAHAaaaaahaha . . I didn't want to be the guy to do that !

 

I just got some levers off ebay. the same thing happen to me. I was riding and I felt my front break lock. Thank god I read this post. Im changing them as soon as possible.

 

Is it hard to change the levers on a 2012 GSXR 750?

 

Nope super easy . Just make sure you have white lithium grease.


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These almost killed me.

 

Seriously, you all think it's the lever not the installation?

I am not saying it couldn't be the lever, but of all the posts that I have read so far regarding these levers, no one ever posted and confirmed that after switch back or losing the aftermarket levers everything was fine again.

Every time someone with the front brake locking up, we got guys jumping out suggesting and claiming it's the lever, then all the sudden the original poster started agreeing to it...

Don't get me wrong though, I do agree that a lot of the Chinese (mainland China) made stuff are indeed very bad quality, so why don't you people with the Chinese levers and had the front end locked up start making a list of the eBay seller's name so that people don't buy from them anymore???

When you do that, you should also check Yanashiki as they do carry these so called Chinese levers and branded under Yanashiki. Then you look at other online companies, I bet 1/2 a dozen of these companies also carry and sell stuff from China and perhaps levers as well.... What do you do then??

So at the end, who do you really think it's supporting these Chinese manufacturers to make these cheap products? the individual eBay buyers? I think not, they do not have enough volume for these manufacturers to make these stuff and survive...

 

I've been around here for some time, and there are many on here who will vouch for my technical and mechanical abilities. I had the same problem with the top of the line ASV levers.

The problem really does lie with the manufacturers, but you can't blame them. Anything aftermarket is going to have slight variations. My situation, the barrel wasn't deep enough to allow the piston to fully retract. The tolerances at the factory were probably combined. At one end, you are perfect. At the other, sloppy. Everything in between is acceptable. What if the prototype lever was made off the low end of the tolerance to be a perfect fit? Maybe my piston was at the high end.

You can blame the installer. When installing anything that moves, you MUST check for complete and unencumbered movement. I don't care what it is. The issue is that people bolt on parts without making sure they work properly. End of story.

 

Well, I guess I can't agree with you more on this. Stack tolerances do combine for a greater tolerance range and you are right, it's not only the parts that could have caused the problems, always need to make sure that if you are putting on anything that moves mechanically, you gotta make sure it functions the way it is supposed to as well.

Sure everyone knows how to take stuff off and screw stuff back on, I guess the real issue is to let the pros or people that really know what they are doing to do the fine tuning and making sure things work the way they are supposed to.

 

Buddy of mine bought the cheapin de china the chinese levers. He showed them to me the day he put em on. I showed him this thread, and told him to get some name brand (From MotoMummy IIRC) and the day before he got the new levers, he had an incident that nearly caused him to crash. So....ya, China made cheap levers = shit.

 

You should have seen the stock brake lever we rode with in the endurance race at Miller last year after the SV tipped over in the pits.

 

Hmmm....
Being a machinist by trade, I must be anal about parts by nature.
$40 Chinese knockoffs (Chazzos) properly installed(all critical areas checked against oem levers), properly set and properly maintained.....3 years and not 1 single issue. The anodizing still looks as good as day 1 after 30k+ miles of use.

Installation and maintenance does play a part. Levers are not bilt on and forget parts.


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All i have to say is that you are one of the lucky ones. These chinese knock-offs are bad news. I dont care how many miles you put on them to be honest. Just because you are one of the few lucky ones does not mean it is OK to promote these on the forums. You may just be the reason someone else goes down due to these levers.

And just another story to add to it, when i bought my FP racing levers for my k6 my good friend whom i ride with really liked them. However, he did not want to spend almost 200 dollars on "just some levers." About a week later he bought a pair of these junk chinese ones off ebay for like 30 bucks. He was showing them off to me, saying i paid way to much for my levers, blah blah blah. I too showed him this thread, he chose to ignore and be happy about his purchase. Then guess what happened? you guess it. Front brakes locked up on him going 80+ mph. He walked away with some major road rash and fortunately that was it.

He just recently bought another bike, guess what he put on it? FP racing levers this time. Been on for months without a single issue. Dont put cheap china made aftermarket parts that are important on your bike. Eventually, it will come back and bite you.

 

I think most of the problems are caused by people not lining up the master cylinder pin with the lever when installing.


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I think you're wrong

 

I had I hayabusa in the past with OEM levers and the front wheel started locking up. It turned out to be that the wheel bearings where so loose they were starting t fall out, causing the wheel to wobble and getting stuck in the brakes. When it comes to maintenance you get what you pay for. With my body and life depending on it I never take shortcuts.