Ok I get that short leavers both look good and are good for 2 finger braking etc but what do you buy and how much do you spend? They are priced from £20-£200 and probably more if I look further. Are they all basically the same but with different names stamped on them, or is there a big difference in quality and use? Any advise or experience apretiated guys, any good and bad stories about cheaper ones etc
There have been some negative stories on here in the past concerning cheaper, oriental levers wearing at the bush and making the lever sloppy at the fulcrum, but by the same token there have been responses by people who go down the same route and have nothing but praise. That'll be the gamble you take at the £20 end of the market. I've been thinking about a shorty brake lever only for a couple of reasons. Firstly, right technique or not, I have much finer control over low speed braking with a one or two finger pull and secondly, an encroachingly arthritic first knuckle on my middle finger makes it more comfortable. What I'm not certain of is will a short lever make it easier to satisfy these reason or will it be no different to standard.
I have pazzo's and cant fault them. Although most now have them you need to buy adjustable levers just so you can get them just right
I used to have shorties, went back to full length, and I prefer full length, even though I only ever use middle finger only (wet) or index and middle fingers (dry) on the brakes... It feels good to me that I can put my fingers anywhere on the lever and get a good pull. If you are going for adjustability then ASV wins hands down... over 100 adjustments versus pazzo's 6 clicks.
Love the ASVs I put on and can testify to their 'unbreakability' claim with a low-side the other year, where I'm 95% sure the standard lever would have bent, buckled or snapped. The black levers look fantastic with the black Blades too.
Regarding the cheaper end of the market, you are taking a little risk... I had never tried shorty levers and didnt want to stump up £140 for Pazzo shorties only to find I didnt like them. So I bought a set of Pazzo knock-offs on Ebay for £20. The ones I bought look fabulous, and have the same bushing inserts as the Pazzos, so I wouldnt have been too worried about premature wear. However, the clutch lever has a small arm to act as a stop, and on these levers it was about 2-4 mm too long, meaning the clutch was never quite fully released, resulting in clutch slip. Obviously I complained, and they offered a full refund if I shipped them back... which would cost nigh-on £40!!! In the end they refunded £12 which they said would pay for someone to grind/file the small arm down to its correct length. Caveat Emptor!!! Any-hoo, the result of this little experiment was that I love a short lever for braking, but need a long lever for the clutch... difficult b*stard that I am. I still have the levers, and would be happy to loan them to you if you want to try them out.
i have a brembo rcs so thought id match it with a black flip clutch lever so being tight ordered one from our friends over the pond fitted nice i thought ( was on 2006 blade) thought nothing of it took to track day few weeks later got on track clutch slipping like crazy though bollox day wasted . Got back in the lever wasn't machined properly and holding the hydraulic piston slightly in put Honda lever back on perfect that one got the Cadwell bin . So rant over id buy Pazzo Asv Brembo summat they have done some research on
That's the way I was thinking of going. There are a few on here who have already. http://1000rr.co.uk/mods-upgrades-accessories-products/3668.htm
might be worth putting a bid on these HONDA CBR1000RR FIREBLADE 2004-2005 PAZZO RACING SHORTY LEVERS | eBay
Yep, thats exactly why I bought them... no idea how much postage would be... they dont weigh much but... I will get them weighed and let you know how much it would cost to post. They cost me £22, and I got £12 refunded... so you can have them permanently for £10+postage if you like.
Thats exactly what my chinese cheapies look like. Martin: I should add that my levers are for an RR7... no idea if they also fit an RR4/5......
I too have been thinking of getting shorties however I would be circumspect about cheap Chinese copies, they only have to fail once when you really need them, I have no problem with Chinese products given the price, but not safety parts!
Agree with pretty much all of the above! I had short ASV's fitted to my RR7. Only get short levers if you're ok managing the snatchy effect they have. If you have a heavy clutch then they can work against you a bit. I love them that way as I like a quick change but my friends often stalled when pulling away due to it. Pazzo and ASV are the ones to have. ASV look more square and Pazzo smoother edges and both look the nuts! I know ASV's are around 80quid each. I will be fitting ASV long levers to my RR9 this time around as they just give you a little more control and less snatchy than shorter versions. I know my friend has a long clutch lever and a short brake lever combo so the options are endless
I saw them they did have a buy now of £50 but by the time I had convinced the boss to let me have some pocket money they had a bid so it disappeared!!!
Looking on the Speedycom website for ordering Pazzos, the selection is "Honda CBR1000RR 04-07"... so my levers will fit your bike. Will bring them to work with me on Monday so I can calculate postage...... would you like me to post some pics of them?
