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Simple modifications
These modifications wont make your bike faster, cooler looking or whatever. but theyre great do-it-your-self tips that just might make that difference.
1. Have you ever dropped your bike and broken the clutch or brake lever all the way off?? real pain, aint it?? especially the clutch lever. This is what i do...Take your levers off and drill a small 6mm (depending on the lever) hole in the middle of the lever. This way (when you fall) the lever will break off at the middle and leave a little stump on for braking and shifting. it might feel sadistic drilling your brandnew shiny lever, but believe me ( i learned the hard way) it can save a whole load of hassle and "sans" clutch shifting. 2. For all of you with underpowered air-cooled 250's this is the way to stay "cool". Weld on some 1cm aluminum strips to the cylinder-head fins. Extended cylinder head fins help stabilize engine temp. in all off-road situations and some on-road. the difference will be felt in high rpm - low gear situations such as steep mountain climbs, where a fully loaded 250 really has to rev its guts out to gain any sort forward motion. |
Good idea.its also very easy to carry a spare clutch and brake lever under the seat or somewhere . This is what im doing , they cost very little aftermarket(check they actually do fit before you head off though,its easy to be sold the wrong ones). If you have a cable clutch carry a spare cable too.
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A method dirt riders have been using for years is to make sure the lever clamp isn't super tight. Loosen the clamp bolt lightly, enough so that a good whack with the hand will make the lever ASSEMBLY rotate, instead of snapping the lever. It should of course be tight enough that it won't rotate while riding http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/ubb/wink.gif
Also there are shorter levers available, long enough to work fine but not break esaily, and there is even one that has a hinge near the pivot that allows it to flex in all directions except in. Some European lvers like Magura are made of a much more malleable material that will bend instead of snapping, and are much tougher in the first place. And yes I carry spare levers anyway on a rtw. ------------------ Grant Johnson Share the Dream! at: www.HorizonsUnlimited.com |
I have found that wrapping PTFE tape "plumbers threadseal" around the handlebar a couple of times and then putting thre lever clamp over the tape will allow the lever to turn in a spill and still not slip.
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BE CAREFUL BYEING AFTER MARKET LEVERS. PRODUCTION LEVERS FROM MAGURA, HONDA ETC ARE DROPFORGED ALUMINIUM INSTEAD OF CHEAP CAST RUBBISH. THIS MEANS THEY CAN BE BENT BACK COLD OR BY FIRST SMEERING WITH SOAP, HEATING UNTIL THE SOAP TURNS BLACK AND THEN BENDING.
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Another way you can avoid broken levers, perches, etc is to mount some handguards. You can get ones which are basically an aluminum bar that clamps on the end of the bar and near the handlebar mounts, and you can get injection molded plastic ones that Acerbis makes that are actually very tough. Acerbis, Moose and others make them and they can do a lot more than just protect your levers. The Acerbis hand guards have an optional piece that mounts on them to keep wind off your hands, so you hands will stay a bit warmer in cool and damp conditions.
Using these, I can't see how it would be possible to break a lever. You could probably safely leave the spare levers at home if you had some strong hadguards on your bike. I guess these are more intended for enduro bikes, and I'm not sure how feasible it would be to mount these on say, an R1150GS or an Enfield... But I've been using these for a while and would be one of the first additions to any bike I was taking off road. http://www.acerbis.com http://www.mooseoffroad.com On a related note, for anyone who has an enduro or dual sport bike that these will fit on, consider mounting a pair of Answer Pro-Taper handlebars. I've never bent a pair in all my years of riding, and in very rough conditions where you're stading up and over the bars, they can reduce fatigue since they will flex more than standard bars will. With a fully loaded bike, it's pretty easy to turn most stock handlebars into pretzels with even a minor fall. ------------------ Wright Bagwell http://fwc.webjump.com/xr650l/ |
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