[cycletime71]

I took some time today to modify my brake and clutch levers as I couldn't find any aftermarket ones that were to my liking. I had Pazzo shorties on my SV650 which were nice but they're three finger levers and I wanted two. I decided to mill the front of the blades down enough to curve the ends which help hook my fingers onto the levers. The brake lever isn't as thick and therefore has a smaller lip but still works great. Now I can operate my controls with more than just my thumb wrapped around the grips.

 

[ride2kill]

Nice!
thought i recognized those pinstripes

 

[ralph]

Excellent.

I bought Pazzi shorties for my scrambler a few weeks ago for the express purpose of being able to shift with two fingers. I didn't realize until I saw them in the flesh that being 'shorties' wouldn't help at all with those big ball ends (that I guess all levers have). The fact that they are adjustable does help but I can still pinch my ring finger if I pull hard on the clutch. I thought about cutting off the ball ends and then thought about the two fingers sliding off, but you have all that figured out. Can you go into a little more detail how you curved the ends of the levers to keep your fingers on, although it's probably beyond my metal working skill level which is non-existent.

 

[Mingu]

Good work, how long did the process take? Although sounds like a milling machine is pre-rec'd

 

[Sweet Tooth]

You did a good job and they fit the style of the bike quite well. You find them more comfortable and easy to use I take it?

 

[cycletime71]

Excellent.

I bought Pazzi shorties for my scrambler a few weeks ago for the express purpose of being able to shift with two fingers. I didn't realize until I saw them in the flesh that being 'shorties' wouldn't help at all with those big ball ends (that I guess all levers have). The fact that they are adjustable does help but I can still pinch my ring finger if I pull hard on the clutch. I thought about cutting off the ball ends and then thought about the two fingers sliding off, but you have all that figured out. Can you go into a little more detail how you curved the ends of the levers to keep your fingers on, although it's probably beyond my metal working skill level which is non-existent.

The Pazzo levers can easily be trimmed down to make a similar end hook like I have on mine, just cut the outer portion of the ball end. It would work best with the silver anodized levers as you could just sand and polish the ends to match as opposed to applying paint over top an anodized finish.


To modify the original levers you need to remove material from the blade, removing more at the end to create the hooks. The brake lever is thinner so the hook is not as pronounced as I couldn't take as much metal from this area. I used a milling bit bought off ebay in a basic craftsman drill press. I move the lever under this spinning bit on an 2 way cross sliding vice (poor man's milling machine). It is just a matter of securing the lever at the proper angle and making numerous passes until you arrive at your desired shape. A Dremel tool with a drum sander allows you to clean up the milling marks and smooth any rough/sharp areas. Cover everything with a couple coats of flat black spray paint and call it a day.

 

[cycletime71]

Good work, how long did the process take? Although sounds like a milling machine is pre-rec'd

It took me about two and a half hours to do both start to finish painted and reinstalled on the bike. I just posted above my poor man's milling machine used to do the work.

 

[cycletime71]

You did a good job and they fit the style of the bike quite well. You find them more comfortable and easy to use I take it?

Thanks for the compliment. I agree they fit the style of the bike and they feel better than the Pazzo levers I had prior. I feel I am able to shift faster and with better control with a solid grip on the handlebar. I also feel I get all of the leverage I need from the brake lever as I never used more than two fingers prior to this mod. My fingers rest in the same place on the lever but now I have the hook to help boost power.

 

[mattpowers]

This is super cool, thanks for sharing!

 

[cycletime71]

Your welcome. I forgot to mention these levers are less likely to be broken in a fall since they don't protrude out in harms way. The brake lever was shortened within the sacrificial break zone (two small notches on back part of lever) while the clutch lever lost 2 1/4 inches.