Chinese Levers, a lesson

[raesewell]

I put cheap Chinese levers on my last bike and they worked just fine. So I thought I would go down the same route with this bike.
I put the levers on and all seemed fine. Until I set out today to meet up with Twisty and Jim at Woodcocks Pub near Lincoln.
Once I got on the motorway I could feel the clutch slipping. I could get up to speed but it took ages and I had to be very careful with the throttle.
It dawned on me that the clutch lever could be the culprit. So I turned around and headed for home. Once home I put the original clutch lever back on took her for a spin and all was fine. When I had a closer inspection of the Chinese lever against the original there was a marked difference as shown in the photos.
It was just holding the clutch off by a teensy weensy amount, enough to make it slip in 4th and 5th.

The red line shows the original shape of the Chinese lever.


This one shows the material removed



This is where the Dremel comes into its own. I shaped it to match the original. Gave it a test run and bingo, now it works as intended.
A quick coat of black aerosol even though the exposed bits wont show when installed.
The moral of the story, don't give up at the first hurdle.

The Chinese have a lot to learn about quality control but all's well that ends well.

[Phmode]

I doubt I will ever fit after-market levers but it is yet more justification for carrying spare levers at all times, supplied courtesy of a guy I boug some bits off when I bought the 12.

[raesewell]

I was aware that you carry spare levers Brian and I must say the thought had crossed my mind.

[markw996]

Thanks for this, I've recently bought some REALLY cheap Chinese levers to carry as spares.

When they arrive I'll be checking the dimensions very carefully!

[raesewell]

Best thing to do is fit them and see if they work.

[markw996]

Best thing to do is fit them and see if they work.

The shape looks similar to yours, so I certainly will test fit them before I need to rely on them!

[raesewell]

I didn't worry about testing mine as the last set I had work great so didn't think I needed to check. So as I said a lesson learnt.

[richtea]

I thought you chaps were into expensive add-ons, not cheap chinese stuff.
Strikes me as spoiling the ship for a ha'pworth of tar...

http://www.performanceparts-ltd.com/road/bmw/81_k-1300-s/2011/categories/brake-and-clutch-levers/gilles-adjustable-levers/FXCL-17-B

[raesewell]

I like cheap if it works and after a bit of fettling it does. 

[kennyc]

I had the same problem years ago with the front brake lever on a 400/4, it was never the fastest bike in the area, but it certainly didn't help having the brake dragging  no dremels in those days, but a file sorted out the problem, strange how  30 odd years later they are still making them the same 

[Twisty]

Have you got back to them and told them they don't fit Rae?
 

[Dusty]

In Rae's defence, I bought Wunderlich Vario levers for my K at around £90 each and, although I like them and can't fault the quality, I also bought Chinese levers for my XT660R at around £30 for the pair. The Chinese levers were surprisingly well made and offered sufficient reach adjustability. They needed no fettling to fit but, admittdly, did not feature any length adjustment. Did I spoil "the ship"? I really don't think so and would certainly consider them for the K if I was looking at levers now. Perhaps I was lucky because there is no doubt that the quality of these generic Chinese products can vary enormously.

[raesewell]

Have you got back to them and told them they don't fit Rae?
 

No point really Dave, whilst I do speak gibberish and rubbish my Cantonese is sadly lacking. Trying to get the point accross in Chinese might be a tad troublesome. Having now got them to work as intended I don't want to put myself through the ordeal of trying to explain it.

[Perbunan]

I put similar looking Chinese levers on my Z1000 and had the same problem, but cured it by adjusting the clutch cable without the need to file. I've got levers on my K from the same supplier and they worked fine out of the box.

[Hedgehog]

I had exactly this problem with my K1200GT. When I got back from a ride I could distinctly smell clutch.

I felt the clutch housing and it was HOT. Clearly it had been slipping . Didn't take me long to realise what was the culprit, so I whipped off the offending lever. Problem disappeared on next ride.

The risks of cheap parts are clear....on the other hand with such a big price difference, the temptation is all too obvious.