"Notching" levers to stop complete break.

[tim]

After seeing a notch on the pazzo levers:

viewtopic.php?f=17&t=24282&start=60

I remember Glen saying it's a dirt bike trick to stop the whole lever snapping off in a fall.

Of course I'm not planning on anyMORE low-speed "whoooopsie doooos" but I'll plan for it so I can get home, just like wearing gear.

Opinions on doing this?

If to notch, how to notch? With a file? Dremel?

Mine are both replacement levers, that bright silver material which in my experience seems reasonalbly brittle.

Thanks in advance.

[Glen]

Just file a thin line about 1/4 of the way through the lever on the back of the lever about an inch in from the end, or alternatively drill a hole through the lever in the same spot, or hacksaw a little way into it. Works well for dirt bikes. Shorty levers also tend to solve the problem because they don't come in contact with the ground as much. Not easy to come by for a GS 500 though mate.

The difference though is that on a dirt bike you bin it, pick it up and keep riding. On a road bike the chances of you being able to do that are minimal. One more precaution you can take though

[tim]

The difference though is that on a dirt bike you bin it, pick it up and keep riding. On a road bike the chances of you being able to do that are minimal. One more precaution you can take though

Thanks Glen.

Seeing as tho I'm such an expert of the "0km/hr tip" I'll do it asap.

[robracer]

Notch em if it rocks your boat & yes the cast alloy is brittle, but its quite funny seing some results from stacks where the lever bends back on itself & does not snap off, there are so many factors that come into play.

[Kwak addict]

As a general rule & from my experience OEM levers are made of a far superior grade of (presumably virgin) aluminium than the $10 - $20 aftermarket replacement jobs (which are no doubt made from 100% cheap & very nasty recycled material) you can bend an OEM lever to over 90 degrees before it will break but the aftermarket levers will snap before 10 degrees.
It's all in the materials, with levers you definately get what you pay for.
I cut a sacrificial notch in all my levers, not to save the lever in the event of an oopsie but to protect the expensive mastercylinder bodies.

[tim]

Thanks guys.

Yeah the OEM AIJ(?) brake lever took the whole weight of the bike, bent to a ridiculous curve and stayed in one piece, used it for a day, then replaced with a shiny one (but adjustable which is cool)!

In an earlier "oopsie" the shiny one the bike came with let go at the bracket, needed a rescue.

NOTCH AWAY!

[Stereo]

I got this thing called insurance.... that way when I had an oopsie they replaced the handle with standard OEM handles again...

[MadKaw]

Just get some of these..

Similar to what the super bike / moto gp guys use.. and cheaper than pazzos...

http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Folding-Lever-Ka ... 7C294%3A50

[HYPE]

with the stuntbikes we would cut the levers down to shorties, as you can appreciate they go to ground often
(not viable on track as the ball-end must be present.)

other than you can drill a 1'18 hole at the desired point which will have the same snapping effect without weakening the lever itself
(i've witnessed the snapping of a filed lever whilst the brakes were applied hard...)

another trick is to apply a few rounds of tape where the mount clamps to the bar, with applying less tension. This allows the mount/mc some slack if impacted/forced against.

[tim]

Hey Hype, forgive my imperial ignorance, but how big is 1'18?

I'll have a look at my drill bits

[jl4049]

1/8" is about 3mm