Short levers - a worthwhile upgrade??

[Shooey]

Hi all.

I’m fairly new to all this and would like your advice!

I keep wanting to tinker with my bike, not spending stupid money but doing the ‘cheaper’ upgrades! Can’t leave the thing alone!!!

I’ve got a CBR600RR 08 and so far have upgraded the brake lines, put on some decent tyres, a full service, a bit of carbon fibre here and there and am now considering changing the levers to a short set as the originals look a bit clunky and dangley!

Is it worth changing the levers, apart from looks, are there any other advantages? What levers would you recommend?

What other upgrades are worth considering??

Thanks
Shooey

[Ducaki]

Rear shock service for less than the price of a tire is worth every penny followed by a fork service. Give billinom8s a shout.
Pair valve removal is cheap and worth doing.
Caliper serviced is another one as a fluid change won't get all the old fluid and smeg out of the calipers as there lower than the bleed nipples.
Valve clearances.
I'd personally prefer to make sure what I already have is right.

[Jug]

I found the shorty levers that came on my bike to be uncomfortable so I bought the long lever version of them as they looked nice.
This (I think) is because I alternate between 2 and 3 finger clutch use, especially when in traffic.
The end of the shorty clutch lever started to dig into one of my fingers and got quite painful.

[Shooey]

Rear shock service for less than the price of a tire is worth every penny followed by a fork service. Give billinom8s a shout.
Pair valve removal is cheap and worth doing.
Caliper serviced is another one as a fluid change won't get all the old fluid and smeg out of the calipers as there lower than the bleed nipples.
Valve clearances.
I'd personally prefer to make sure what I already have is right.

Thanks Ducaki! Points taking on board. Valve clearances scheduled. Will deffo tap billinom8s up for more info!

[billinom8s]

i find shorty levers more comfy than the long ones on the road, but then i've got gimpy hands.

i've always noticed the difference after i've done a full caliper strip and service.

suspension service - money well worth spending.

bike setup - will change the bike completely and is well worth it.

[Shooey]

I found the shorty levers that came on my bike to be uncomfortable so I bought the long lever version of them as they looked nice.
This (I think) is because I alternate between 2 and 3 finger clutch use, especially when in traffic.
The end of the shorty clutch lever started to dig into one of my fingers and got quite painful.

Thanks Jug_Inspector! May get a cheap second hand set to try first!

[Jimbo04zx10r]

Depending if you only plan on riding on the road, shorty levers may suit you if you have little hands. I have found when i used shot levers my finger always rest on the little ball at the end and was uncomfortable. when riding on the track i found i was unable to get the same braking pressure with a short lever than a long lever (basic mechanics longer lever more leverage more braking pressure). If i was you i would buy longer levers in a fancy make as they are the same price, look better and gives you better brake pressure compared to a short lever.

Above is my opinion only and over the last year i have invested and learnt a lot about braking systems

cheers Jimbo

[billinom8s]

I got mine from lextek a couple of years ago. £30 the pair - spot on kit.

[Jimbo04zx10r]

Rear shock service for less than the price of a tire is worth every penny followed by a fork service. Give billinom8s a shout.
Pair valve removal is cheap and worth doing.
Caliper serviced is another one as a fluid change won't get all the old fluid and smeg out of the calipers as there lower than the bleed nipples.
Valve clearances.
I'd personally prefer to make sure what I already have is right.

Totally agree with above, would do suspension as your new levers will look good but wont keep you on the road. SI has just 're sprung my front forks and two days on track they are sweet

[pieeater]

I think Shorties are only suitable for folks that only use a couple of fingers for braking / clutch work but I have my doubts as to their safety in an emergency when all 5 fingers could be required.

In the past I got some cheapo Chinese levers from eBay (long ones) which are more than adequate quality wise, the only drawback is they take weeks to get to you.

I would certainly echo the comments about sorting your suspension out if you haven't already. I never used to look at suspension other than rear preload if I had a passenger but I've spent a bit of time and money upgrading my suspension and getting it set up right which has completely changed the bikes handling from a bit of a barge to something that I really enjoy riding and that carries a decent amount of corner speed through the twisties for an old girl.

What really helped me understand how damping affects suspension was when I went out with an ex-racer after fitting a Nitron rear shock, we went for a short blast then with my back turned he made an adjustment (sometimes one sometimes two clicks) to either the front or back damping, then we went for another short blast and he asked me to tell him whether the bike felt better and to describe how, he'd then tell me what he'd changed. After a couple of hours of rinse and repeat the bike was set up spot on for my riding style and I had a much better understanding of how things worked.

[Devon jeff]

be carefull with the chinese levers... i had some on my race R6 which came with the bike, they looked nice but got slack in the pivots and the srews threads were weak, i removed after 2 meetings. if you want to improve your braking, start with your brake pads, if you want to improve further , you can slide your front brake master cylinder along the clip on towards the yoke, so you are putting the braking effort at the end of your lever, also less likely to brake in the event of dropping your bike.

there are some quality levers out there on the market if you feel the need for this upgrade, i would recommend ASV / light tech

[Ducaki]

if you want to improve further , you can slide your front brake master cylinder along the clip on towards the yoke, so you are putting the braking effort at the end of your lever, also less likely to brake in the event of dropping your bike.

Top tip there.

[Shooey]

be carefull with the chinese levers... i had some on my race R6 which came with the bike, they looked nice but got slack in the pivots and the srews threads were weak, i removed after 2 meetings. if you want to improve your braking, start with your brake pads, if you want to improve further , you can slide your front brake master cylinder along the clip on towards the yoke, so you are putting the braking effort at the end of your lever, also less likely to brake in the event of dropping your bike.

there are some quality levers out there on the market if you feel the need for this upgrade, i would recommend ASV / light tech

Thanks for the advice. Good tip! Any specific pads? (See attachment). I’m getting faster and starting to add the the odd the odd track day! What about a pair of Strada Levers?
Thanks

[Ducaki]

Have a look at SBS pads

[Scotty]

SBS pads are ace (discuss with the supplier what use you want them for so you get the appropriate grade). From the original post I got the impression that shorty levers are a cosmetic consideration... sure, they can look nice but they don’t always give a performance or ergonomic improvement. Good (and more expensive) brands like ASV for instance will hit both marks, but somewhere like eBay can be a minefield, full of Chinese parts from unverified suppliers with little or no comeback, not accurately made and of any old materials. You could get lucky (as someone posting above did) and find cheap ones that are ok, but front braking is pretty important on a bike and it isn’t something to play the equivalent of Russian Roulette with by doing a lucky dip to select a pair of levers. The best ones I had were from Harris and I chose them because they do a folding lever option, useful if you do trackdays and they can save your day if you have a low side that would otherwise snap a lever (unless you carry a box of spare ones of course)

Ultimately of course the choice is yours, but I’d certainly not be comfortable choosing something that important based purely on price, I’d go for something with a worthwhile name.