mentioned this in another thread, but...


i just got some ebay clutch and brake levers in the mail today. i installed them, no problem. when i went to ride, my bike wouldn't start when it was in gear, kickstand up, with clutch pulled.

i adjusted the levers to the setting with maximum pull, and it will start in gear, but i get a slight pull when i do so, as if the clutch isn't 100% disengaged...

once i get going, the "grab-point" of the clutch seems like it did with my stock levers, the issue seems to be how the new clutch lever hits the clutch switch...

i'm not sure how the clutch switch works, but i know it's working... i'm assuming that even if i adjust my clutch at the barrel-adjuster, my lever will still not be triggering the clutch switch...

any ideas? (i'd like to adjust the lever with less pull if possible, but if it's all the switch, then messing with the barrel-adjuster won't change anything... ya?)

how does the clutch switch actually work? anyone with ebay levers have similar issue? anything else? thanks a lot guys.

 

ya, pulled the lever... it's definitely that the new lever isn't pushing the clutch switch early enough.

but i held the new lever and the stock lever right up to eachother, and the bump to hit the clutch lever looks about the same on both, so i don't know why the new lever isn't pushing the switch until it's practically against the grip...

anyone else ever have this problem? anyway to space the lever or the switch so that it triggers sooner? it is probably a matter of a milimeter or less, frustrating....

 

how much free play do you have in your lever? did you possibly unhook your clutch switch wires?

 

there's really not a lot of free play. probably less than there was with the stock levers...

the wires are fine, and the switch still works, i just have to pull it practically all the way to the grip to get it to trigger.

 

well you just stopped me from getting cheap levers, pazzo or agv here I come!

 

I guess thats the difference between name brand and hong kong ones.

 

i know someone who just bought the pazzo look-a-likes and they are garbage.. the roller adjuster gets stuck when adjusting, rendering the lever useless until u unstick it.. i bought pazzo shortys.. love the look and functionality of them.. worth it if u ask me

 

And there was someone on this very forum who was quite pleased with the Pazzo knockoffs, just as I'm very happy with the $20 set of levers I have on my Blackbird -- they were a nice improvement over the stock levers, especially the clutch engagement.

I work at a place that manufactures vast quantities of cnc machined aluminum, and you wouldn't believe how cheap it would be to produce levers in bulk, even in North America with the associated high overhead costs. And one chunk of billet aluminum is much like another, even allowing for the fact that quality control of the knockoffs will be spotty and the chance of getting a defective unit will be relatively high, though still not very common -- you do realized that almost every single damn thing you buy is made in China, right?

Anyone paying $150+ for a pair of levers, well, I hope they lubed you up first.

 

as far as i know, i'm the first person i've seen that hasn't been happy with the knock-offs... and i'm not even that unhappy.

they look great, operate smoothly, and were priced right. i really don't get how there is a delay in how the lever hits the clutch switch... to the naked eye, the new clutch lever matches the stock lever completely.

i'll either get used to it, or throw a dab of jb-weld on there to extend the trigger point, and sand it smooth. that portion of the lever is totally out of sight, so it won't be a big deal.

 

Had a buddy with the knock offs, had a problem with the brake side. It wasn't closing all the way, so the fluid could not return properly to the master cylinder. As it heated up, the brakes would slowly apply and then lock up. Be sure to test that problem out.