Just a small word of warning… we’re seeing this problem more and more. People are buying short, adjustable levers for their bike – for the right reasons (so they can be more comfortable reaching the lever). But what they don’t realise, if you were to measure the actual cable-pull of the original lever, compared to the adjustable replacement you’d find a small difference. The stock lever pulls more, so what this means is that the clutch is not being pulled far enough to separate the plates.
There are two distinct issues here; first, the actual leverage in the first place, secondly, the span adjustment. As this is generally why these things have been bought in the first place, fair enough. But the reality is nowhere near enough cable is being pulled out – the result is a supposedly ‘sticky’ gearbox, as you end up forcing it in and out of gear.
We’ve had a rake of customers this year complaining about grabby gearboxes – and it turns out the shorty levers are to blame. This R1, which was in for some setup time on the Dyno, is a case in point. So for the front brake, that’s your choice; just don’t change the clutch lever.
Shorty clutch lever fitted? Take it off - sticky gearbox syndrome may well follow...
