Something you failed to mention is the small little grey knob sticking out behind the clutch lever that most people snap on this bike when swapping the levers. I did that myself and had to buy a replacement - it makes it so you can't start the bike in gear at all since the bike can't tell if you have the clutch pulled in. In a howto vid that would be a nice note to be careful of that plastic sensor jutting out, but oh well.
The life of the lever... Quality never hurts guys, but levers don't have a lifespan, cheap ones will be fine. Scouts honor - cables have a lifespan, but once again, more expensive levers will not affect this one way or the other. Buy what you like that's in your budget and don't stress
The biggest consideration with the really cheap levers is probably fit, as sometimes they won't fit at all, or a poor fit causes engagement issues - normally on the clutch side, or a loose lever. That can in turn create additional issues. As long as the bolts, etc aren't rusting away though, they should last though as you say. The really reputable brands should be a lot better in that regard. Where you can get caught out I think is paying more for a very cheap lever. Say where you think the $25 levers are too cheap, so you buy the $100 set (for quality!) and they could be the same apart from a laser engraving.
@@s4m130 That's always the risk. The factories producing the good stuff are in some cases the same places producing the cheap stuff in different production runs, which you'd hope reflects a different quality assurance standard and componentry standard if they are fully assembled there, rather than just a massive mark-up for branding. The reason I paid more for the SD-Rs was because the previous set lasted really well, and didn't have any of the issues often attributed with the very cheap options (fading quickly, rusted/failing components, very poor fit). I've tried to order a few really cheap sets to do a comparison and see if I can spot differences in the quality, maybe run one of each to see about fading, etc, and they never turned up.
These are just SDR (SD-Racing) levers that I bought off eBay from an Australian store, you do need to make sure they'll fit your model, but it should be included on the listing.
Not related to levers but is it possible to upgrade brakes? It is common in reviews to hear that the brakes are of a lower standard than expected. For example that there is just one disc upfront. I haven’t seen anywhere anyone upgrading the brake system.
It might be possible to fit a beefier caliper possibly with a spacer/bracket to fit, but honestly the front brake on the Ninja 400 is really good. You could opt for a pad with a lot more bite if you wanted, while there's also the option of braided brake lines, before going for the caliper. Being such a light bike the single caliper is a good setup, while going too powerful on the front may put a lot of strain on the forks, where it's nicely balanced now for a one-size fits all system.
Moto Journo Kris Thanks for that reply Kris. It was just a general question not related to the bike. I do hear some reviewers often not happy with brakes or find brakes to be just ok, and I have never heard of an upgrade for brakes other than the pads and braided lines
@@allenparsens5279 It depends what you're doing, for instance you can upgrade the master-cylinder, say to a radial item if there's a standard one fitted, or to a Brembo (radial) system, or in some cases there might be a direct caliper swap that's possible. Otherwise you're looking at a bracket to ensure a different caliper still sits on the standard rotor and grips properly and in the right place. You can also look at getting a larger rotor (and in some cases caliper) to suit, which may be available as a kit. One popular custom bike option is finding a front end (forks and triples down) that can be used to upgrade a more basic system, which includes the full brake setup as well.
Clutch is a cable, brake is hydraulic, so the lever pushes against the master cylinder's sealed system of brake fluid for your brake application, with no need for a cable. There are brake lines, full of brake fluid though, so it probably looks similar in that regard. (That's a very basic non mechanical explanation that I'm sure will have actual mechanics cringing)
Decent but not as good as something like Pazzo. They're still fitted with no issues, but if I was being really fussy I'd say they could be a slightly better fit in the perch.
brother r u in near to city as i m seeing harbour bridge. Can you do some tail tidy and lever installation on my cbr 650f? if u r available. Can you help me to install? thanks
Something you failed to mention is the small little grey knob sticking out behind the clutch lever that most people snap on this bike when swapping the levers. I did that myself and had to buy a replacement - it makes it so you can't start the bike in gear at all since the bike can't tell if you have the clutch pulled in. In a howto vid that would be a nice note to be careful of that plastic sensor jutting out, but oh well.
Good point, I'm always super careful removing the clutch as most bikes have a sensor there, but didn't even think to specifically mention it.
so funny cause I snapped it trying to loosen the clutch right before reading this comment lol
The life of the lever... Quality never hurts guys, but levers don't have a lifespan, cheap ones will be fine. Scouts honor - cables have a lifespan, but once again, more expensive levers will not affect this one way or the other. Buy what you like that's in your budget and don't stress
The biggest consideration with the really cheap levers is probably fit, as sometimes they won't fit at all, or a poor fit causes engagement issues - normally on the clutch side, or a loose lever. That can in turn create additional issues. As long as the bolts, etc aren't rusting away though, they should last though as you say.
The really reputable brands should be a lot better in that regard. Where you can get caught out I think is paying more for a very cheap lever. Say where you think the $25 levers are too cheap, so you buy the $100 set (for quality!) and they could be the same apart from a laser engraving.
@@MotoJournoKris Kris, how do you know this isn't what SD-R do? Engraved cheap levers?
@@s4m130 That's always the risk. The factories producing the good stuff are in some cases the same places producing the cheap stuff in different production runs, which you'd hope reflects a different quality assurance standard and componentry standard if they are fully assembled there, rather than just a massive mark-up for branding.
The reason I paid more for the SD-Rs was because the previous set lasted really well, and didn't have any of the issues often attributed with the very cheap options (fading quickly, rusted/failing components, very poor fit). I've tried to order a few really cheap sets to do a comparison and see if I can spot differences in the quality, maybe run one of each to see about fading, etc, and they never turned up.
The fading is fine. I'm most concerned about brake lever malfunction
Very detailed, thank you
Hey Kris, how's the clearance of the levers in relation to the inner bodywork at full steering lock?
I'll take a look tomorrow and let you know. It's never been an issue, but I'll see how it looks at the widest setting/span for the levers too.
Where can i order the levers? What is the brand pls? Will it be compatible with any bike?
These are just SDR (SD-Racing) levers that I bought off eBay from an Australian store, you do need to make sure they'll fit your model, but it should be included on the listing.
Not related to levers but is it possible to upgrade brakes? It is common in reviews to hear that the brakes are of a lower standard than expected. For example that there is just one disc upfront. I haven’t seen anywhere anyone upgrading the brake system.
It might be possible to fit a beefier caliper possibly with a spacer/bracket to fit, but honestly the front brake on the Ninja 400 is really good. You could opt for a pad with a lot more bite if you wanted, while there's also the option of braided brake lines, before going for the caliper. Being such a light bike the single caliper is a good setup, while going too powerful on the front may put a lot of strain on the forks, where it's nicely balanced now for a one-size fits all system.
Moto Journo Kris Thanks for that reply Kris. It was just a general question not related to the bike. I do hear some reviewers often not happy with brakes or find brakes to be just ok, and I have never heard of an upgrade for brakes other than the pads and braided lines
@@allenparsens5279 It depends what you're doing, for instance you can upgrade the master-cylinder, say to a radial item if there's a standard one fitted, or to a Brembo (radial) system, or in some cases there might be a direct caliper swap that's possible. Otherwise you're looking at a bracket to ensure a different caliper still sits on the standard rotor and grips properly and in the right place. You can also look at getting a larger rotor (and in some cases caliper) to suit, which may be available as a kit.
One popular custom bike option is finding a front end (forks and triples down) that can be used to upgrade a more basic system, which includes the full brake setup as well.
Does this lever fit on yamaha r3 2019? 😁
Most listings will have what the levers will fit, I'm not sure if they run the same levers off the top of my head.
So is there no cable to run through the lever on the brake side? I’m confused cause this isn’t like my old bike (I’m getting a 400 soon)
Clutch is a cable, brake is hydraulic, so the lever pushes against the master cylinder's sealed system of brake fluid for your brake application, with no need for a cable. There are brake lines, full of brake fluid though, so it probably looks similar in that regard.
(That's a very basic non mechanical explanation that I'm sure will have actual mechanics cringing)
@@MotoJournoKris oh okay that makes sense thank you!
How are the quilty of the levers?
Decent but not as good as something like Pazzo. They're still fitted with no issues, but if I was being really fussy I'd say they could be a slightly better fit in the perch.
Brother where can we gey seat cowl?
That one is from Kawasaki, should be able to order it as a genuine accessory from any Kawasaki dealer or store.
brother r u in near to city as i m seeing harbour bridge. Can you do some tail tidy and lever installation on my cbr 650f? if u r available. Can you help me to install? thanks