Problem with Ebay Clutch/Brake Levers

[OCK913]

OK, I know .....you get what you pay for! But that aside, my thought was that a lever is a lever, they are not a high performance part, they simply pull in to engage the clutch/brake. I bought these http://www.ebay.com/itm/280525178067?item=280525178067&viewitem=&sspagename=ADME:X:AAQ:MOTORS:1123&vxp=mtr thinking, they are lighter, better looking, how can I go wrong?
They arrived the other day, i installed them this morning and went for a ride. Yeah, thats when I realized the issue. The clutch is not being fully disengaged when you release the levers. It appears to me that the recessed hole in the lever where the engagement pin seats is not deep enough and therefore not allowing the clutch to fully release. Anyone else ever bought these levers? Just wondering if it is a poor design or maybe I got the wrong ones. They offer a 60 day return policy......but I have to send them back to China.

[So Cal Joe]

Most, not all but most after market levers are not the exact same as the stock. I know on the Gold Wing most after market levers won't let the cruise engage because they do not let the little switch behind the lever release all the way.

[Big Iron]

I bought the same exact levers from the same company. No problem with the brake lever but I had the exact issue you are having with the clutch lever. I sent them an email explaining the problem. They replied and asked me to take some close-up pictures of the inside of my original clutch lever (where the round brass insert is) and email them. I did, and then they mailed me a new brass insert with a deeper hole. I removed the old one, replaced it with the new one, and now I have perfectly working levers.
Yes, a pain in the a$$, but I think it was better than having to hassle with international shipping and wondering if you'll ever receive a refund. And also the post took a long time to get here.
Personally, I think the quality of the lever is great for the price, and I have buddies that bought them for their Ninjas, GSXRs, etc and they have not had any problems...but the company definitely has not fixed the issue for the C-14s.
Good Luck.

[gPink]

I recall a member had the same problem and drilled the hole deeper in the barrel to solve the problem.

[COGnosticat0r]

I recall a member had the same problem and drilled the hole deeper in the barrel to solve the problem.

I did that to some knock offs I got off ebay, that turned out not to be the problem, so the levers are in a box, somewhere in my garage.  I gave up trying to make them work and for $50 wrote it off as me being a cheap a$$ 

[tyler1015]

Same problem here was a very easy fix. I just took a drill bit measured the depth of the stock hole and then drilled out the ebay one to the same depth. Took 5-10 mins. Never had a problem since.

[marku8a]

Maybe off topic but why the lever swap in the first place?

Mark

[stevewfl]

Other huge shortcomings with the fake levers are the real ones (such as Pazzo and CRG) have roller-bearings, extremely tight perfect tolerances, and feel as smooth as...

[Jeremy Mitchell]

My CNR levers (supposedly exactly the same as CNG) are awesome.  Smooth, precise, and I saved $40 compared to a set of Pazzo levers.

[alexx45]

I bought these same levers. As stated before the brake lever worked perfectly. However I did have to redrill the brass insert on the Clutch lever. The hole was just a hair too shallow. I also had to sand down & polish the outside of the insert in order to get it to rotate freely inside the hole in the lever. It took about 15 mins to complete. Both levers have worked flawlessly since this modification.

Maybe off topic but why the lever swap in the first place?

Mark

Personally I prefer the way these look & operate over the stock levers. These levers just seem to fit my hands better.

[Big Iron]

Maybe off topic but why the lever swap in the first place?

I have always liked 2-finger levers. I use 2 fingers to brake and clutch, and the OEM clutch lever was always smashing the last 2 fingers of my left hand. The cheap Ebay levers I bought have been working great since they sent me the new insert.

[big al]

i bought the same ones had the same problem, just chalked it up to you get what you pay for and threw them away total junk

[OCK913]

I tried dealing with the seller on ebay and that didnt turn out to well. I ended up filing a buyer complaint with Paypal and accepted a $15 refund and kept the levers. I did what others here have done, measured the depth and drilled them myself and "tada" .... they work perfectly now.

[MidlifeCrisis]

Just ordered these levers:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kawasaki-GTR-1400-CONCOURS-14-07-10-Brake-Clutch-Levers-/290615013324?_trksid=p5197.m7&_trkparms=algo%3DLVI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D5%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D63%26clkid%3D6070384593702809268

I have their levers on my '09 Triumph Sprint ST and loved them.  BTW, these do have the ball bearings (see pic).

I've bought CNC levers from various offshore ebay sellers for my last 6 bikes.  Quality vary and is typically proportional to price paid.  I've been happy with all of them.  Only fitment problem was the brake lever on my Gixxer 600 fitting too tight (not surprising since it was the cheapest at $35/set).  I sanded the mating surface down to fit perfectly, and it ended up being the smoothest action of all the CNC levers I'd bought.

[MAN OF BLUES]

Maybe my brain ain't comprehending, but allof these aftermarket billet grips are noting "stainless steel ball bearings" being installed in the "pivot" for the adjuster, like you need ball bearings there?
WTF?
and I notice ALL of these aftermarket parts have nothing other than a HOLE in the aluminum, where the actual LEVER pivot bolt resides....you know, the one that excercises the bore on the lever everytime it is squeezed.....
My mind tells me they should have a bronze "oilight" bushing in that spot, to provide longer service life.....like what was on the Original C10 levers...

[MidlifeCrisis]

I would think bronze bushing would be a good idea, but the factory doesn't seem to agree.  The OEM levers also has a plain aluminum hole, riding on hard-chromed bolt.  The lever's upper/lower mating surfaces aren't even machined.  At least the aftermarket ones are.

Realistically, the factory setup is probably more than adequate, as long as the bearing surfaces and moving parts are periodically cleaned and lubricated, which is far more important than the type of bearing/bushing used.  I just did that the evening and it took maybe 15mins farting around and taking pics while I was at it.  Apparently the previous owner never bothered to do that, as it was bone dry.