HB: Handlebars Handlebar Levers

[Simon Dinsdale]

I heard a quote a few years ago. " Most Burman gearbox problems are in the (Burman) clutch."

 

[greg brillus]

On the new A that i assembled from scratch, I assembled the box as well. It had only had a mod done to the input shaft to fit a seal to stop oil leaks from that spot, but apart from that, it was in top condition with new bearings and bushes. I have never ridden any British bike with that or similar gearbox that at some stage does "Not" crunch or suffer from some kind of shift problem. The boxes on these bikes behaves like no other.........Mind you, on the twin racer I had/built with 5 speed cluster and Bob Newby belt/clutch kit .......That shifted just like a Jap bike as fast as you like.........fabulous.

 

[Len Matthews]

Nit picking you may say but these are not truly universal.The slot near the nipple hole should always point downward so using these levers one side will be incorrect. On some pattern levers the handlebar clamp screws are metric -5mm. Not really strong enough and need tapping out to 1BA.

These plain end levers are available at a very good price. They tell me that they measure 1-1/8" between centers of the pivot and the cable end, which I think is the needed length.

http://www.bmikarts.com/Universal-Lever-Brake-Clutch_p_5149.html

 

[bmetcalf]

They offer rights and lefts, so they agree with you!

 

[vibrac]

Just as a point of interest, talking about bad clutches and trying to gain more lift to help the problem. On the batch of new series"A" twins we have here, and the three I have ridden..........This is with completely refurbished prewar Burman gearbox's, but using a belt drive primary and some kind of new Norton style diaphragm clutch running basically dry. The nicest looking compact clutch you could imagine.............These bikes select first gear with absolutely no crunching into first, shift perfectly through all the gears and select neutral everytime even when hot ..........Not too different to a modern. This is quite a contrast to the usual post war Comets crunching into first and not much better thereafter. This proves to me that the clutch and/or issues relating to it are the major fault in the equation. This was a big surprise to me when I had ridden these bikes, by comparison to the norm ................Something to ponder...................Cheers................Greg.

I think you are right Greg certainly the comet gearbox is excellent with the Honda Clutch(still chain) in spite of the hard pull, but the real revelation is the Flash with an Albion Box(always a swine of a box in my experience) its transformed with a Newby clutch and belt drive with smooth changes all around the track. Mind you I still cant get neutral without a slight forward movement -no wonder they fitted a neutral selector on the road boxes

 

[davidd]

So is it best to have 7/8 pivot distance for the brake lever for max braking force and 1-1/8" pivot distance for the clutch lever for max clutch lift?

Simon,

I don't have a good answer. I know on some Triumphs the factory delivered them with different perches for clutch and brake as you suggest. I don't know Triumphs that well.

You also have to take the mechanism into consideration. No sense adding more distance travel if the mechanism itself won't benefit from the extra travel.

There are some very interesting MotoCross levers that have fancy features including, bearing pivots, and adjustable pivot distances. They don't give enough details to know what they are doing.

Choice of levers, easy adjuster knob, needle roller pivot, lots of adjustment including the pivot. They have a nylon bushing on the handlebar to cause it to rotate if the bike drops. I don't know how well that would work on a street bike. This one is from Fly Racing:

http://www.flyracing.com/category/hard-parts/controls/levers

David

 

[b'knighted]

View attachment 19191
Choice of levers, easy adjuster knob, needle roller pivot, lots of adjustment including the pivot. They have a nylon bushing on the handlebar to cause it to rotate if the bike drops. I don't know how well that would work on a street bike. This one is from Fly Racing:

http://www.flyracing.com/category/hard-parts/controls/levers

David

You can even fit the nipple at either end!

 

[davidd]

Yes and with this one, thanks to the swiveling adjuster, you could run three cables!

Let the strongest pull win!

David

 

[vibrac]

Suzuki ones from fleabay with twin pull cable housings, compensator beam and integrated brake switch plus matching clutch lever will suit me and my pocket

 

[Bill Thomas]

I like the alloy dog leg ones , With the threaded holes for mirrors. Cheers Bill.