Getting some leverage on the Yamaha.

While I was online re-ordering clip-ons for the Ninja, I stumbled across other CNC milled, anodized aluminum do-dads that that particular eBay store had to offer. Feeling a bit grumpy from having had to destroy the parts to remove one stupid bolt, I tried to medicate myself with some extra online shopping. Originally I wanted to get some levers for the Ninja, but when I saw that they had some for the Yamaha I jumped. Last Friday before kiddy bath and bedtime routine time I put them on. Follow along to see how it went.

Straight from the China Post Santa Clause are these shorty, adjustable levers. At first glance they are very nice looking. Anodized black with red adjusters. They are simple and just what I need to add some style to the controls of the FZ1. I got shorty levers as I only use two fingers for clutching and braking. These levers only cost $15 and are of the same initial quality as ones I've seen at Cycle Gear for $100 each. Again for that kind of price I'll give them a try. If they are trash I won't be out much.

Above and below are just shots of the stock FZ1 levers. Standard Japanese OEM style. Long for good leverage. Strong enough to take a tip over or two and boring yet functional. While I was doing this project, I noticed that my grips were covered in smudges from my work gloves. These grips came with the bike when I bought it. They are decent, but when it comes time to replace them, I won't be going with light grey. I'm not much for fashion when it comes to Motorbikes, but oily smudges aren't the best look.

Taking off the old levers and putting on the new ones is as simple as removing one 10mm nut on each side. While I had the assemblies apart I cleaned and re-greased the pivots to make sure there wasn't going to be any binding of the new controls. Above you can see a bushing that I had to swap from the OEM lever to the new lever on the clutch side. The brake side didn't have a similar bushing. Both levers fit just like the OEM ones with no extra slop or play in the pivot area.

And here are the finished products. I think the black looks decent. Again I'm not much into fashion. The standard aluminum finished ones from eBay looked too "chrome-y" in the pics online so I went with basic black. I did a quick test fit with my gloves one to see how the levers feel. I will have to play with the reach adjustment on each lever after a few miles of stop and go riding to get the perfect fit. The OEM brake lever had reach adjustment, but the clutch lever was fixed. Having an adjustable clutch lever is a bit of an upgrade. I like the short levers and the angle of the lever end. Doing two finger control of the brake and clutch gives me more feel than just mashing the levers with a full four fingered grip. I would end up crushing my other two fingers with the long OEM lever on the clutch side. Having the shorty lever should lessen this.

So 15 minutes and $15 dollars and there you have it. I will look for some similar levers for the Ninja. I will wait until after I get the clip-ons sorted before I buy any though. The Ninja's OEM master cylinder is a big, honking thing that is only so-so as far as performance. I want to get something smaller and better performing. These new levers need a good long ride and hopefully this weekend I'll be able to get out on the FZ for a quick test.

I have some more projects for the Ninja planned for this week including breaking out that wheel balancing stand from a few posts back. Stayed tuned for more cheap ass racing team action to come!

Blue