Flip up levers

[Aiki]

Bugger:smt076, just dropped my bike whilst stationary at a sharp off camber right hand turn. overbalanced and down it went snapping off the brake lever which made the ride home interesting.

Does anyone know where I can get some flip up levers for the SV? I've had a look at various accessory sites and can't see any.


Thanks,
Rob

[Ceri JC]

I'm sure some people will be along with more specific advice re: particular makes etc. but have you considered fitting a new master cylinder that takes (or comes with) flip up levers, if none are available for the SV?

[Sideshow#36]

To be honest they arent worth it. They range from £60 ish right up to over £200. There is no guarantee that if they impact the ground they will fold and they could still break. Replacement levers are as little as a tenner. Thats potentialy about 20 sets!!!!! Save your money.

[Ceri JC]

To be honest they arent worth it. They range from £60 ish right up to over £200. There is no guarantee that if they impact the ground they will fold and they could still break. Replacement levers are as little as a tenner. Thats potentialy about 20 sets!!!!! Save your money.

I thought the main purpose was to enable you to ride immediately after a crash (without having to carry spare levers), rather than to save cash? That said, I certainly see your point re. the cost.

[Sideshow#36]

Fair one. I'm just coming from a racing/track point of view. But still how F****D off would you be if your new bling £200 bendy levers snapped. You have to draw the line somewhere with carrying spares with you but levers hardly take up much room. You can tape em to the inside of the inner fairing. Never did it personaly but I know couriers etc who do.

[Ceri JC]

Definately. Personally I just keep spares in a box at home. Most front levers I've seen have had a notch by the ball so that the ball shears off in a crash, but the brake is still useable for a "get home" ride.

[yorkie_chris]

Whats the point of the ball on the end anyway, on my clutch lever its quite annoying

[Sideshow#36]

Its to do with safety. Just like car bumpers have to have a certain radius. I think its so it can penetrate you... ooh er missus!

[Lissa]

We carry spare levers under our seat. When our mate Tilt had an off on his Tuono while we were down in Devon, we managed to cobble him together a replacement clutch lever using our spare and some cable ties. It not only enabled him to continue with the weekend, it also meant his wife never found out he'd had another off!:D

[Blue_SV650S]

How often are you thinking of crashing?!!? ;)

Unless you intend to go down as often as a $10 hooker, I think flip up leaver/s might be a little OTT … :mrgreen:

As someone else said if you are really that concerned, have a spare set in/on the bike somewhere!! :smt023

On my old racebike I cut (using a grinder – so a fat cut) a ‘fail point’ on the inside edge of the front brake leaver, at a point past where my fingers operate the leaver (just over 1/2 way down). The idea being that the leaver will then most likely snap at this self made weak-point in an off (or in a 'biff and barge'*), as I put the weak-point at a place where the lever is still operational its … er still gonna be operational :D

Make sense?

*I fitted a weak-point to all subsequent leavers; after having my leaver snap off in a ‘biff and barge’ situation – sure enough it ended messy when at race pace I had no front brake and couldn’t make the turn - that was costly and painful!! #-o :cry:

[petevtwin650]

On my old racebike I cut (using a grinder – so a fat cut) a ‘fail point’ on the inside edge of the front brake leaver, at a point past where my fingers operate the leaver (just over 1/2 way down). The idea being that the leaver will then most likely snap at this self made weak-point in an off (or in a 'biff and barge'*), as I put the weak-point at a place where the lever is still operational its … er still gonna be operational :D

Make sense?

*I fitted a weak-point to all subsequent leavers; after having my leaver snap off in a ‘biff and barge’ situation – sure enough it ended messy when at race pace I had no front brake and couldn’t make the turn - that was costly and painful!! #-o :cry:

Yeah the Suziki levers have the weak point so as to leave you a "get you home" lever, but the cheap aftermarket ones seem to have only a token point and break wherever, potentially leaving you motionless. So well worth doing on some levers for sure.:thumbsup:

[rigor]

Another option is to get some "shorty" levers, that shouldn't touch down in an off. Only useful if you only use 2-3 fingers on them though, or have small hands.

[northwind]

The cheap aftermarket ones are very fragile, so the "suicide" cut doesn't do much- they're so weak at the adjusters that they'll still snap there.

You could consider something like Pazzo shorties- they'll often not touch down at all, and they're strong. But expensive. I've got some of those now, because I'm a tart, but they're completely impossible to justify on cost terms...

Remember with flip-ups they'll still take road rash, all of a sudden your expensive levers look like rubbish. If I'm going a long way from home I always have a spare set of levers gaffer taped to the inside of my front fairings, you'll never know they're there and they give you that extra protection.

[Lissa]

Tilt's Tuono with our pattern brake lever.................mechanism removed and turned upside down and held in place with a couple of cable ties. I think our pattern levers cost £15 for the pair from our local independant bike shop. For that price and for the 'getting yourself or your mates out of the sh*t factor', how can you really not bother to carry some.
http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j5/Lissasv650/TiltTuonowithSVlever.jpg