Suzuki SFV650 Gladius - new levers and grips.

Hi UK riders

Well here's what I thought was going to be an easy accessory upgrade. But turned out to be a bit of a hassle. So let me explain.

I decided to upgrade my very long stock Suzuki levers to shorty's and my uncomfortable grips. Why? Let me tell you.....

Firstly I found the standard grips were giving me hand cramp as you had to hold them too firmly in the crook between the thumb and forefinger, so I was constantly moving my hand back and forth and up and down. Certainly not great for a long ride.

Secondly, the stock levers were very long and too far away so my fingers were always stretching to grip them and I generally only use a couple of fingers when I use both levers. Lastly they look very uninspiring, no style.

My first small problem was the levers. Getting the correct one's for my bike was a no-no here in the Philippines, I searched every internet site I could. Eventually ordering on eBay from a company in Hong Kong. At the same time I ordered the grips.

I was pleasantly surprised when they turned up a couple of weeks later at the post office and not the usual months of waiting for Phil postal system to work correctly. They had put $10 on each package so no duty was paid. Actually the grips were $9 and the levers $31 including postage.

So I decided to take the levers off first so making it easier to work on the grips. This went without mishap.

Next was stripping the clutch side grip, a simple job with not too much glue to clean off. Then I started fitting the new grip. It was tight but moved down the handlebar eventually stopping 7mm from the end. It wouldn't go further without a little tap from a rubber hammer. Finally the grip end was screwed back in.

I then started the brake side. This was a little bit difficult as there was a hard plastic lip at the end and many raised ridges on the accelerator mechanism. It would not move! Hhhhmmmm I said to myself. Then I remembered a YouTube video I had seen where a guy used an old coat hanger. Well I didn't have one but I did have metal chopsticks! So I placed some KYGel (no comments please) on each and moved them down between the grip and mechanism rotating around the whole area. Lastly I left them in place on opposite sides and gently but firmly slid the grip off. Success!

My next step was just to place the new grip. NOT!

It would not go over the hard plastic lip I told you about earlier. So off this came with some pliers and I smoothed it off. On goes the grip. NOT!

The many ridges that the accelerator mechanism had would not allow it to slide on. These had to be filed down, with the large areas being removed by the teeth of a pair of molegrips, then a file, finally some some wet 'n dry to smooth it completely off. Whew! On goes the grip. NOT!

Aahhhhh!

To end this tale it took two of us with lots of smoothing, lubrication and lots of pushing to get it on.

Finally the levers were fitted without further mishap or problem.

I took the bike for a spin and found I needed a bit of rider adjustment to get used to the new brake position. In one case missing the lever completely. Something I'm sure I will get used to. I played with the adjustments and will do so until i find the best setting for me. The grips are great. No more fatigue in the crook of my thumb and forefinger.

So endeth the lesson Riders. Things are not as easy as we think they will be!

Tks....Ride safe!





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Where did you get the levers from? I've been searching for some as I low sided mine on the weekend and snapped one. Can you get 3 fingers on the shorty's or is it just 2?

[rowdy]

Ebay, those are the same make ones I bought for mine, from the2wheels.
They were incredibly cheap and appear to be fairly well made. However, the anodising on them is not great, the levers I chose were anodised black but the sun has bleached them and they are now gold!
This does not bother me, as my forks are gold so they don't look out of place, but in hindsight I would only buy them in silver if I were to need to replace them.

Edit: can't say how many fingers you can get on the shorty ones as I went for the longer lever option, but these are still shorter than the original Suzuki levers.

That's great thanks. I wanted shorter than stock ones but long ones as I do a lot of town riding.

How long had you had them on before they went gold?

[Jayneflakes]

I have levers from the2wheels and they are great. When my bike got hit a while back the clutch lever was replaced by my insurance company and this one very quickly lost its colour.

What is the riding like in the Philippines? Is it worth a trip out for a nice bike tour?

[rowdy]

Originally Posted by guernica

That's great thanks. I wanted shorter than stock ones but long ones as I do a lot of town riding.

How long had you had them on before they went gold?

Not long at all, couple of weeks but that was with the bike sitting in direct sunlight all day.

Hi all,
Yes I got the levers from eBay. I think they came from Hong Kong. If I had again I would buy plain silver colour. Not because of fading but because of the mismatch blue to my bike. Quality seems good. I bought short as I found my hand position worked better with them. I either have two or three fingers on the lever. I did add silicon lever sleeves to them which make grip better.
Hope this helps everyone. Glad someone has read my post ha ha.
Ride Safe....

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