DIY Brembo Shorty Lever

[caboose483]

I've had a shorty clutch lever for a while now and it survived a relatively hard dismount with just some scuffing on the nub just because the clipon broke off completely. My Brembo 19x18 lever is too long for my liking and i have worried about damaging it in a right-side drop.

I'd seen Buckland do a shorty job but i went a slightly different way with mine that i think ends up looking a bit better. All in all this mod cost me about $5.

1 - I cut the lever with a hack saw. I didnt even have to remove the lever or m/c from the bike. The lever isn't the hardest material so cutting through it is fairly easy. The first cut was right at the edge of the nub then the second cut was at the break-away notches in the lever. I cut about 1 1/2" off in total.

2 - Next i beveled the edges of each cut with a file. Make sure they'll fit properly together and the bevels should leave a V-groove on the front edge of the lever.

3 - Using a thin strip of electrical tape i held the nub in place against the lever. Run the tape down the top of the lever, around the nub then back up the bottom of the lever so the front and back are still exposed.

4 - J-B weld. Mix just a small amount and fill the v-groove joint in the front of the lever. Also fill in the concave side of the lever with JB. Once the JB has set, sand it down so there's no sharp corners or rough edges.

5 - Slide some big shrink tubing over the lever so the nub is mostly covered. The piece i used was about 3" long in total. Slide it over the lever then use whatever you need to (lighter, heat gun, whatev) to get it shrunk on there good.

6 - Rock n roll.

[froghammer]

God bless JB Weld. That stuff is magic.

[zacm7]

cheaper then mighty putty i guess...looks like a job well done.

[Yamaha_Gurl]

Tim you should be resting your shoulder and not working on bike stuff!

[Fog Ducker]

Thats pretty slick!

[caboose483]

Tim you should be resting your shoulder and not working on bike stuff!

My shoulder is fine! My surgeon gave me a big eye-roll when i told him i'm headin back out on track next weekend

[JohnnyP636]

Ive done the same thing, but with a real TIG weld that I grind smooth. Then powdercoat the whole master cylinder and lever, for that OEM look...

[caboose483]

Ive done the same thing, but with a real TIG weld that I grind smooth. Then powdercoat the whole master cylinder and lever, for that OEM look...

Looks nice.. but mine cost me about $5. Something that nice would look out of place on my bike.

[JohnnyP636]

Looks nice.. but mine cost me about $5. Something that nice would look out of place on my bike.

Mine just cost me my time, I dont have to pay for a small weld like that and powder coat for something like that in a batch would probably work out too $5. Toss it on the floor step on it and its good to go on a less blingity bike.

Personally I dont trust JB weld, maybe for something like a lawnmower, but not my bikes brakes. LOL...I know its just the ball end, even if it came off big deal...I used it on an oil pan hole once and had to replace it with a real weld eventually...

Id like to see you make that a folding lever with that JB weld. LOL

[NP6000]

Ive done the same thing, but with a real TIG weld that I grind smooth. Then powdercoat the whole master cylinder and lever, for that OEM look...

Where is the TIG weld in this photo? I realize I'm not supposed to be able to tell since you ground down the weld and then powder coated it. It looks like its welded 3/8" to the left of the master's push rod

Also I assume you know that a ground down weld is not as strong as a untouched weld. I guess it doesn't really matter anyhow since it would bend before you managed to brake the (ground down) weld.

[caboose483]

Id like to see you make that a folding lever with that JB weld. LOL

Meh.

I know what you're saying but for my purposes, and for other people who don't have easy access to someone who can TIG weld or powdercoat, this will work perfectly fine.

If the "weld" were load-bearing in anyway then i would have gone about it differently. As it is, with a shorty the only time there would be any load on that joint is if the clip on is broken off or the bike is cart wheeling. I broke my left clip on and just scuffed the nub a little, if the bike is cart wheeling then a broken off nub is probably the least of my concerns.

Most people don't have the time/energy/cash you have to put into a bike. I don't mean that in a negative way, i'm just sayin. If something like this serves its purpose just fine and costs peanuts and only takes about half an hour to do but doesn't look as nice as yours..... that's ok with me! lol

[JohnnyP636]

Meh.

I know what you're saying but for my purposes, and for other people who don't have easy access to someone who can TIG weld or powdercoat, this will work perfectly fine.

If the "weld" were load-bearing in anyway then i would have gone about it differently. As it is, with a shorty the only time there would be any load on that joint is if the clip on is broken off or the bike is cart wheeling. I broke my left clip on and just scuffed the nub a little, if the bike is cart wheeling then a broken off nub is probably the least of my concerns.

Most people don't have the time/energy/cash you have to put into a bike. I don't mean that in a negative way, i'm just sayin. If something like this serves its purpose just fine and costs peanuts and only takes about half an hour to do but doesn't look as nice as yours..... that's ok with me! lol

wasnt knocking your mod, just adding my version of it...Brembo shorty levers are $59 US!

[JohnnyP636]

Where is the TIG weld in this photo? I realize I'm not supposed to be able to tell since you ground down the weld and then powder coated it. It looks like its welded 3/8" to the left of the master's push rod

Also I assume you know that a ground down weld is not as strong as a untouched weld. I guess it doesn't really matter anyhow since it would bend before you managed to brake the (ground down) weld.

Weld is right at the ball, and the joint was Vgroved all the way around. So not even half the weld material was ground away...Trust me you wont be able to break that weld, even after being ground smooth...If it was a butt joint then it would be a different story

[zacm7]

wasnt knocking your mod, just adding my version of it...Brembo shorty levers are $59 US!

$50 can after taxes at topendz http://www.topendz.com/mm5/merchant....Category_Code= if your looking for them cheaper in the future.

[JohnnyP636]

$50 can after taxes at topendz http://www.topendz.com/mm5/merchant....Category_Code= if your looking for them cheaper in the future.

Thats for the RCS and only comes with the one half of the lever...Its not what I or the OP would need, as we both dont have RCS masters...

Caboose has a 19x18 so he would need this, and its actually more then I remember
http://www.yoyodyneti.com/ProductInf...id=110.7264.32

And my master that I posted is a Magura 190 so its a billet lever, and the short version for mine was $120 US! And you though my mod was expensive? LOL

I also have a Brembo billet 19x20 and the short lever for that is the same price as the 18mm pivot
http://www.yoyodyneti.com/ProductInf...id=110.7264.31

[zacm7]

aaa gotcha, whats the big difference with the brembo masters? just wondering as i just bought a track bike that has a brembo rear master...none of the other goodies like calipers and rotors though, it just looks a tad bigger then the stock r6 one.

[JohnnyP636]

aaa gotcha, whats the big difference with the brembo masters? just wondering as i just bought a track bike that has a brembo rear master...none of the other goodies like calipers and rotors though, it just looks a tad bigger then the stock r6 one.

There are a lot of different Brembo masters so thats not a one answer question, you would have to be more specific about what masters you want to know about...There are different bore x strokes but there are also different versions...Forged, Billet, and the new RCS

And FYI Yamaha R6's have OEM Brembo rear masters, so yours is probabaly stock...And the OEM stuff is nothing like the aftermarket stuff....

[DaveP]

the new RCS

Just wanna add that the RCS is the bomb! I'm loving it... thanks Tony.

[Rob]

Wouldn't trust JB weld for that. My life is worth a little more..

[reciprocity]

Machined, billet shortly flip-up is the only way to go.

Thanks condor!