Do you cut your levers?

MilkJuGGz · Jan 29, 2003

Hola amigos locos!

Does anyone else cut a few inches off their levers?

I started doing this after my first couple of rides. After dumping the bike, the levers would get bent up badly which changed their position and feel. It it didn't seem to practical to me even after tipping over in a slow turn that it would cause this much damage. Plus sometimes my nadguards would interfere with the bending.

After I broke my clutch lever in half one time I noticed that it felt great just like that, and best of all it didn't get bent up after another fall! So when I got home I took a hacksaw to my brake lever, and wrapped friction tape around the ends. Plenty of room for two fingered operation and it just feels roomier. I could pull in the clutch further and not bang my knuckles. And no more "dnf's" from levers breaking too low.

Anyways, I've never seen anyone else do this so I'm wondering if it's a big nono. I've been riding like this for about 5 months and I can clutch, panic brake, etc. (I think!) just as easily as before. The cloth tape at the ends make my fingers stick there too.

Opinions?

~JuGGz

evenslower · Jan 29, 2003

Those little ball ends are there for a reason and some tracks won't let you ride without them. They are there to keep the levers from puncturing your skin in the event of a crash but you may have already known that. That being said, its not as much of a concern if you run bark busters.

You could just buy shorty levers with the ball end intact for safety purposes.

limitless · Jan 29, 2003

evenslower - When I break a lever I just sand the end of it down so it's round and smooth, works good for me. I think that is just as safe? Either way I use shorty levers and bark busters now, so no worries!

If your gonna cut them off either buy shorty levers as suggested (This would be best) or at least sand them down with an electric sander

rickyd · Jan 29, 2003

I move my levers in toward the center of the handlebar.. The ends do not stick out beyond the bar end.. 2 things, if i do let the bike fall, the lever doesn't hit (in most cases) and i get more leverage..
RIck

High Lord Gomer · Jan 30, 2003

Some tracks won't let you race with levers that don't have the ball on the end. if you've got bark busters, I doubt they'd say anything, though.

I usually cut them after putting on bark busters, but I've never tried the friction tape...that sounds like a great idea!

eibellk · Jan 30, 2003

I cut them off, however, I have been to National MX's that require them. I have also been "punctured" by that little damn ball and know first hand that it is better to remove a cut lever than try and pull the ball out of your thigh!

Kurt.

AZMotoHound · Jan 30, 2003

AVS folding levers are what I have. They make both clutch and brake levers. Never have a DNF anymore. These things are bulletproof! 5 year warranty also. I sent one in that was all beat up and whammo....brand new one sent out, no questions.

They are $65.00 each about $150 after tax. So if you add up how much you spend on levers over 5-years, it's pretty close for me anyway.

Best thing they are interchangeable between bikes. So I take them off when I sell a bike and put them on my new one.

FOX426 · Jan 30, 2003

You gotta keep your nads away from the lever!!! I use a cup for nad protection. ...... Seriously though there some good suggestions in the above post if you do cut them,file the ends and don't tighten the perches to the point they won't rotate in a crash.

Snafu · Feb 1, 2003

I'm a redneck in Arkansas so my levers stay on untell there to short to reach and I saw a guy break both wrist running barkbuster at the track

beer_stud_76 · Feb 2, 2003

snafu -

i'm not sure what redneck or arkansas has to do with anything, but i've seen lots of sick injuries on trails and tracks, and its wonderful that you know the dangers of handguards, but how many broken hands and fingrers HAVEN'T happened on the track because of handguards? no one knows, but its plenty. one guy breaks both wrists, but dozens save broken fingers or hands, this seems a good trade to me.

my point is that all safety equipment has drawbacks. your one example proves nothing. anyone wrecking hard enuf to break both wrists on his bark busters would certainly have done great harm to himself, though of a different nature, had he had no bark busters.

lets hear it for hand guards at the track!

jeremiah

SpeedyManiac · Feb 2, 2003

I cut my levers and bend them to how I like them, but I also run bark busters. The proper shorty levers look like a good idea for people who want short levers but don't run barkbusters.

bud · Feb 2, 2003

I cut about 1/3 off my levers which is about the maximum if I want to use just one finger. Re barkbusters vs the flimsy roost protectors, the club I ride with is split about 50/50. All the fast woods guys (pro level) only use the flimsy type, and according to them they hardly ever have hand injuries. Never serious ones. I use barkbusters, but only because I have the outside of hands up against them a lot. Without barkbusters my hands slip off the ends of the bars all the time... I would like to get rid of them though as I have come within a hair's breadth of breaking an arm when it got caught in a barkbuster.

wayneg · Feb 4, 2003

You can get some really short levers for trials bikes that might fit. They have a hook instead of a ball at the end which is really good as your fingers don't slip off the end of the lever as much, and are really well suited for single finger operation. They would only fit onto KTMs or Gas Gas enduro bikes, unless you have an hydraulic clutch.

Since using these I've never broken a lever, which is really surprising as I do quite a lot of slow speed crashes, which has always seemed to be when I've broken them in the past.

TheGrinch · Feb 5, 2003

Originally posted by rickyd
I move my levers in toward the center of the handlebar.. The ends do not stick out beyond the bar end.. 2 things, if i do let the bike fall, the lever doesn't hit (in most cases) and i get more leverage..
RIck

Ditto. Why cut them if you can move them in away from the end of the bars. As rickyd said, you also get better leverage.

I too was stopped during scrutineering one time when the ball end of the clutch lever had snapped off. I had to run around the pits like a madman asking people if they had a spare lever I could use. Now I don't risk it, as I don't want to drive an hour or more to find out I can't race.

cr125boy · Feb 5, 2003

yeah i agree, i got the moose competition shorty levers. with the little rubber grips where ur fingers go. They are strong and are really cool. i like them. i think the are 28 bucks. well worth it for me.

Do you cut your levers?

MilkJuGGz

evenslower

limitless

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rickyd

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High Lord Gomer

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