New levers

[MikeN02]

So don't leave us all hanging....what color did you order?

I decided to go with the blue ones with TYB color. I looked at my bike and noticed there is a lot more silver/black on the top half and a little blue wouldn't hurt.

Not to mention if they fade out to baby blue then it'll stand out more.

 

[MikeN02]

One word of caution on the brake lever......

The recess is shallower than the stock lever so the lever will be putting a small amount of pressure on the master cylinder the whole time.....

I did not notice this but the brake had no relief and the moment you touch it, the brake is hard on. I was driving down the freeway and the brakes got warm enough to almost completely lock up on me at 80 mph. I got the bike over to the side of the freeway real quick and did a rear tire wheelie before the bike stopped.
The front brake was locked up solid from the heated fluid.

You will need to pull out the link between the master cylinder and the lever and shorten it a tad. I used the concrete along the freeway as a file and it worked fine.
The front brake works fine now but my rotors have a purple color to them now

Any pictures of this install? Can't you just adjust the nob on the brake lever so that it isn't as responsive?

 

[Spunky99]

Any pictures of this install? Can't you just adjust the nob on the brake lever so that it isn't as responsive?

Dude...there isn't any adjustment knob....

 

[dart1963]

I think he's talking about the lever adjuster.... which, if I understand correctly, won't fix your problem, that just sets where the lever is in relation to the bar and has nothing to do with the "length", unlike the clutch side where you have a cable adjuster, the brake is right on the piston.

 

[Spunky99]

Well the end of the link was a little on the rough side from the scraping on the rough cement driveway although it got me home OK so I decided to make things right. I used a small mill bastard file to do the initial shape and then used some 2000 and the 6000 grit pads to polish them up. It took less than 5 minutes total to finish them up. I used some needle nose pliars to carefuly pull the rubber over the center to seat the seal.

I pulled off the lever and link and reshaped it an polished it, put on some lithium grease and reinstalled and it's good to go.
I have no idea what the length was when I started but here is a photo of the finished length.

As a side note, I took a really good look at my rotors and the paint on the outside edge got so hot it bubbled up. If it had been at night, the rotors would have been glowing red hot.....

 

[dart1963]

now, got a picture of that piece installed so we know which/where it is? Just so when we all come back in later we know for sure what to look at...
Also, it looks like you did one side, so orientation might be critical?

Great find on the levers and thanks for pointing out the overheating issue. Def sounds like a short trip to make sure these mods are fit and form working is in order.

 

[Spunky99]

now, got a picture of that piece installed so we know which/where it is? Just so when we all come back in later we know for sure what to look at...
Also, it looks like you did one side, so orientation might be critical?

Great find on the levers and thanks for pointing out the overheating issue. Def sounds like a short trip to make sure these mods are fit and form working is in order.

The link is bi-directional with the boot groove in the center but I'd mount it with the shaved part towards the lever so as to keep the rubber boot length stock instead of shorter.
Polish up the ends with 6000 grit. I even polished the end that goes into the master...

 

[JonKerr]

Just got mine in and installed them. Very simple. I'm not noticing any drag in the brakes at all without grinding that at all. Could you fee anything before you had the issue?

 

[dart1963]

just ordered mine! Black /w red adjusters... shorty style... will see how it turns out....
I must say, for anyone who has dropped their bike, this is as close to stock price as it comes.

 

[Spunky99]

Just got mine in and installed them. Very simple. I'm not noticing any drag in the brakes at all without grinding that at all. Could you fee anything before you had the issue?

Nope.....

You need the lever to move at the ball end at least 1/2" before the brake is felt.
Otherwise the brakes are dragging slightly. My bike moved fine but the dragging will get worse as the brake system heats up and the fluid puts more pressure on the brakes.

BE CAREFUL......

 

[owldaddy]

Lucky you didn't warp the disc getting them that hot. I'd at least change the fluid. You probably boiled it. It doesn't take long to flush, and will give you some peace of mind. I'm leaning into this mod, I like the look of these levers. they appear to be well made and being adjustable for reach makes them very attractive.

 

[Spunky99]

Lucky you didn't warp the disc getting them that hot. I'd at least change the fluid. You probably boiled it. It doesn't take long to flush, and will give you some peace of mind. I'm leaning into this mod, I like the look of these levers. they appear to be well made and being adjustable for reach makes them very attractive.

Hadn't thought about the fluid being boiled....

The brakes are working like new so didn't think about any changes...
I have fluid and will do it tomorrow. Maybe I'll think about new rotors too...

 

[JonKerr]

Nope.....

You need the lever to move at the ball end at least 1/2" before the brake is felt.
Otherwise the brakes are dragging slightly. My bike moved fine but the dragging will get worse as the brake system heats up and the fluid puts more pressure on the brakes.

BE CAREFUL......

All done. A bench grinder, a little sand paper, and some grease took care of it. Tomorrow I'm going to get some new grips and some black paint for the handle bars. I'll post up pics when it's all done.

 

[MikeN02]

All done. A bench grinder, a little sand paper, and some grease took care of it. Tomorrow I'm going to get some new grips and some black paint for the handle bars. I'll post up pics when it's all done.

Pictures of the levers?

 

[dart1963]

Pictures of the levers?

I get the feeling you're a visual sort of person

Have you got confirmation of your order? This is all I got for now...

Service(s): Registered Mail™
Status: Foreign Acceptance

Your item was accepted in HONG KONG on July 13, 2010 at 5:43 PM. Information, if available, is updated periodically throughout the day. Please check again later.

Not sure I'll do this before my Ohio trip (if the parts even make it in before then)... also, may just do the SS brake lines and new pads when I get back, they'll be ready by then I do believe.

I also wonder if the levers themselves can be milled out, instead of shortening the OEM bar... I just checked bike bandit, you can't just get that bar, you have to basically order a rebuild kit @ $42... so would suck to go and get new levers down the road and find it was shortened too much.

 

[Spunky99]

I also wonder if the levers themselves can be milled out, instead of shortening the OEM bar... I just checked bike bandit, you can't just get that bar, you have to basically order a rebuild kit @ $42... so would suck to go and get new levers down the road and find it was shortened too much.

Good point.

A new link bar can be made from a piece of aluminum round bar stock in a few minutes including the boot cut with a file. This is about as simple as can be to make. You can also drill out the handle recess but finishing a hole to a nice smooth surface may be harder than the link bar ends.
Perhaps some new links can be machined by a profit minded person with access to a lathe? Sounds like something that can be made cheap to go with the levers (shorter) or to replace the modified link (stock).

 

[MikeN02]

I get the feeling you're a visual sort of person

Have you got confirmation of your order? This is all I got for now...

I'm not that mechanically inclined so I have no idea what stuff goes wrong if I installed it.

Dear Mike

The deliver company picked up YOUR item(s) from our warehouse in Hong Kong.


This is the Estimated time of arrival:

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It takes 2-6 Weeks to delivery.

Shipping information as follows :

Tracking number: Please read at the "Won" section.

***The order less than GBP 12.00 (including S/H ) will delivered by Regular
Airmail only, NO tracking number provided.***

Deliver Company: Hong Kong Post Service's Airmail.
Shipping date: Sun, Jul 11, 2010 Hong Kong Time
Item Number: 270598065988
Seller ID: the2wheels
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[Spunky99]

Mike....

What day/date and what time did you order the levers?

If it took 9 days and 12 hours order to receipt for me.
John Kerr?? about the same I'm guessing....

 

[JonKerr]

Yeah about 9 or 10 days. Here's some pictures. I got the bars painted black to go along with the new black levers. I ended up using VHT Rollbar paint. I'll tell you now, if you plan on doing this in one or two days, don't use this paint. It takes for freaking ever to dry. The can says 30 minutes to be dry to the touch, 3 hours before you should handle, and 7 days for full cure. I painted yesterday and installed today (24 full hours to cure hanging in my garage that was over 100ºF inside today) and the paint was still soft enough to be scratched when sliding the clutch lever on and the throttle tube on. I ended up having to do some touch ups to clean it up, but overall I'm happy with the look.

 

[Spunky99]

John....

You need black fork tubes and it looks like you are running a stock rear shock spring...

Jus sayin' is all.....

The rest looks GREAT!