Any Way of Adjusting Clutch & Brake Lever Travel?

[Altritter]

I've been following the EZ Clutch thread. My own problem is not so much arthritis (yet) as my relatively small hands. I believe strongly in the wisdom of the "two fingers always resting lightly on the front brake lever" approach to riding in traffic. But when I do that for an extended period, the constant stretching induces right hand fatigue. Similarly, sitting at long traffic lights with the bike in first gear gives my left hand a workout.

I've seen nothing in the manuals about adjusting the travel of the levers. Are there any "informal" techniques for doing so? (It used to be possible to shorten bicycle brake-lever travel by putting shims (usually small washers) in the lever mechanism, thus pinching the levers closer together.)

Thanks for any insights.

John

[nhmaf]

One can adjust the clutch engagement point to some extent, but it is a bit involved.   In highly simplified form, the "coarse" adjustment is taken up at the end of the cable down near the transmission, and the "fine" adjustment is handled by the adjusting screw collar up at the lever.   However, it is important to not adjust it so that the clutch doesn't fully engage (wears out fast) or never fully disengages (hard to shift and hard on the transmission).   The spring strength is going to be the same, so all one can do is affect to some extent where in the lever travel does the clutch engagement point occur - unless one adapts an EZ clutch mechanism that was an aftermarket add-on in the earlier airheads with an even stiffer clutch than the post 81 models.

The front brake is not very adjustable, though some may have come up with a plan of attack on that.

I have never tried to adjust these things on the R65 as my fingers/hands are long enough, so I am sorry that I am not much help.

[Jon_P]

i took the brake lever off and drilled a small hole where it pushs on the master cylinder, then i threaded the hole and installed a small bolt to make small adjustments to the lever it did not bring the lever closer though, you could remove some of the alum on the lever to bring it in closer to the bars.

[Altritter]

Thanks. That is a big help, if only to confirm the reality of the situation.

Fortunately, the problem is not so much tension as position. I can deal with it.

[steve hawkins]

I was looking into this with my front brake.

I was told that Magura did not do a span adjustable lever to fit the BMW set-up.

If you remove any aluminim from the lever - the lever will just rattle.  Its a bit more complicated than that.  You have to be able to add a bit to another part of the lever.  

I was told that you could "carefully" bend the lever - with a bit of heat.  If it was a proper Magura lever.  If it was an after market one you would probably snap it.

Perhaps not the answer you were looking for.

You could try searching for an aftermaket adjustable lever to fit an R65.

Cheers

Steve H

[drewboid]

Not much help here. I have tried the aftermarket "sport" levers but although shorter the feel was not very different. I have gently bent the stock levers so they make even contact with the grips but still not much help. You do have some adjustment of the ammount of slack in the clutch lever before it actually starts disengaging but be sure you do get full disengagement. Be aware that the engagement point WILL change as the engine, transmission and clutch warm up.

As to sitting at a light with the bike in gear - I know this is recommended by the MSF but I have heard that it is not recommended for the dry clutches such as on BMWs, Motoguzzis, or some Ducatis. Once you have a car stopped behind you I think you have a buffer and can relax by shifting to neutral. (this is guaranteed to start a flame war!!!)  YMMV

You might try adjusting the levers up or down to more naturally fit your hand position - it does make a difference.

[Altritter]

Thanks once again. I had not heard about the possible disconnect between MSF's doctrine and dry-clutch designs. Makes sense.

[nhmaf]

Drew has a point about lever position/angle - you might find that it is a little less stressful by angling the lever/switch assembly on the clutch side a little bit forward/downward..  Depending on how your arm/wrist/hand are positioned when gripping the handlebars, it might be less wrist/hand stress by rotating things so the clutch lever pulls up&in a bit from the front, keeping the wrist and back of the hand more in-line..   helps relieve carpal tunnel stresses, too.