Cheap "v" Expensive Adjustable levers

[midlife]

Hi there

Want to change the levers on my Super Tenere. Looking at what is available has left me a little perturbed!

Are european levers at £80 - £150 that much better than a set from China off ebay for £20 - £40. (interesting to know where the "european levers are actually made)

In the event of having to grab a full handful of brake in an emergency I would like to know that the lever would not simply bend or snap. Are the Chinese levers realy made of Monkey metal or are they OK?

Am happy to pay £100 for European if that is appropriate but do not want to simply throw money away uneccesary.
Cheers
Rob

 

[frez]

I bought these, excellent value and construction, arrived pretty quick through the post too. I have a long one clutch side and a short one brake side. Around 18,000 miles with no issues.

http://shop.the2wheels.com/CNC-Adjustable-Clutch-Brake-Levers-Set-for-Yamaha-LE6-YA.htm

 

[Dogdaze]

I looked at the "Euro" options too, but in the end opted for el cheapo from China (I would suspect most are made there anyway) for my V-Strom, works perfectly well. I will go with the same for the S10. I have not heard any negatives so far.

 

[2112]

I hit on lucky and got the last set from a Guzzi dealer that fit the S10, made in Italy for £45 ! The company was testing out demand for other makes and as it was a Guzzi site surprisingly no takers... Blingy gold adjuster too - what a tart ::013::

 

[RIVA]

I bought these, excellent value and construction, arrived pretty quick through the post too. I have a long one clutch side and a short one brake side. Around 18,000 miles with no issues.

http://shop.the2wheels.com/CNC-Adjustable-Clutch-Brake-Levers-Set-for-Yamaha-LE6-YA.htm

::026:: Got the Cheese Levers on with over 55k klms with no problems.

 

[JRE]

Be careful with cheap knockoff levers for hydraulic brakes. There have been many instances where they aren't machined to the right tolerance and they slightly push on the pin. This causes the brake to be partially activated but not enough for the rider to notice. Soon, the brakes heat up with heats up the fluid which then expands and POW the front wheel locks and you get a close view of the pavement. Being that the front lever actuates both brakes with ABS, it may not be quite as catastrophic on the Tenere but I'll spend the extra $ for the peace of mind.

 

[escapefjrtist]

I bought these, excellent value and construction, arrived pretty quick through the post too. I have a long one clutch side and a short one brake side. Around 18,000 miles with no issues.

http://shop.the2wheels.com/CNC-Adjustable-Clutch-Brake-Levers-Set-for-Yamaha-LE6-YA.htm

Between the Tenere and FJR, I've got four sets of these ^^^^ knock-offs rattling around the garage. Short / long, different colors...change them depending on mood. Function is fine, work just as well at the more expensive $$$ Pazzo's at a fraction of the price. Anodizing did fade on one set...you do after all, get what you pay for!
::021::

--G

 

[Andylaser]

I have used "the2wheels" levers on my previous bike as well as the S10. Cant fault them.

 

[Ron15S10]

Had the 2 wheels on my '13 FJR. Took those off before selling the Feejer and now have 'em on the S10. I've had the2wheel levers on other models and find them to be decent. I've also had the ASV's on my CBR and they are in a whole different league.

 

[Ironhand]

I have a set of the 2 Wheels levers on my Tenere and a set of Pazzos (new, scored on ebay for $25.00) on the FZ. You would have a difficult time telling them apart.

 

[frez]

Be careful with cheap knockoff levers for hydraulic brakes. There have been many instances where they aren't machined to the right tolerance and they slightly push on the pin. This causes the brake to be partially activated but not enough for the rider to notice. Soon, the brakes heat up with heats up the fluid which then expands and POW the front wheel locks and you get a close view of the pavement. Being that the front lever actuates both brakes with ABS, it may not be quite as catastrophic on the Tenere but I'll spend the extra $ for the peace of mind.

Nice bit of FUD there.

When I put my chinese levers on I didn't fit the clutch correctly and the pin was catching on the outside of the little brass barrel rather than inside it. Even so, they still worked fine they just had to be adjusted to the widest settings. Now its fitted correctly they are just fine.

Clearly, if you are not mechanically minded enough to detect brakes binding you shouldn't be fitting any of your own accessories and should get professionals to fit them all and take the worry out of the experience.

 

[JRE]

Clearly, if you are not mechanically minded enough to detect brakes binding you shouldn't be fitting any of your own accessories and should get professionals to fit them all and take the worry out of the experience.

It's just something to be aware of. I've never seen it myself but I've seen multiple posts on different sites about it.
Besides, what makes you think that those not willing to spend the extra $ on quality levers want to waste their savings paying someone to install them?

 

[frez]

Good point.

Probably best to point those guys at the BMW dealership for a fully loaded GS and a long warranty agreement.

 

[greg the pole]

chinese cheepies, fully adjustable, and 45km of abuse, zero problems.
They're levers...nothing else

 

[Mikeybikey57]

Had a pair of hideously expensive Pazzo levers on my old Tiger 955i , which were great looking and did the job. I now have a pair of span/length adjustable Pazzo copies on my S10, that I bought from flea-bay for around one fifth of the cost. They also look great and do the job too. Have done 8,000 miles with them fitted, the quality is excellent and the only obvious difference between the two sets was that the genuine Pazzo's felt slightly heavier. ::008::

 

[markjenn]

The knock-offs are fine for both fit and function on my S10. But they started off black and are now a gold color - they still look fine, but the anodizing is definitely not up to par with respect to color rentention. Genuine black Pazzos on both my FJR and S1000RR stayed black.

- Mark

 

[fredz43]

The 2wheels.com knock offs were on my 2012 S10 for about 30,000 miles and now are on my 14 with another 8,000 miles on them. Still look good and work fine. I splurged ;D and paid an extra $5 to get my name embossed on them and that has held up well also.

 

[JRE]

Well, I ordered the Pazzo's so expect to see me with my pinky in the air when I ride by

 

[scott123007]

Well, I ordered the Pazzo's so expect to see me with my pinky in the air when I ride by

I hear ya on the pinky in the air. LOL Pazzo's are quality lever's no doubt, and when they were the only game in town, their price was justified, or at least, tolerated. But with the quality and price of some of their competition now, the Pazzo lever purchase has become the equivalent of a BMW purchase over a Tenere. Bragging rights, but no gain, per se.

 

[snakebitten]

They can match paint color, be adjusted for any length (or number of fingers covered), and have a couple of more clicks of adjustment than the OEMs.

And, they're fun. They differentiate. Besides, Why have a puppy if your never gonna pet it? Farkling is petting.