Bent Shift Lever

[hmb]

I bent my shift lever today. What a dork. Anyway, I see that I can order a new one. I thought I would order a brake and clutch lever to have on hand (I know I'll probably break one of those sooner or later). I went to nofives.com and saw the shift lever, but the brake and clutch levers are not available. Is there some other after market levers I can use? Where would I find replacements? Are there other parts I should have on hand? Thanks for any info.

[DerViking]

I would put handgaurds on. I am at 5 years with no bent or broken levers. They also protect your hands in tight squeezes against trees and rocks. Adds a tiny bit of weight, but is definitely worth it. As to ordering, track down your local dealer. If you add your general location to your profile, the forum can point you in the best direction.

[Seavoyage]

Originally Posted by hmb

Is there some other after market levers I can use? Where would I find replacements? Are there other parts I should have on hand? Thanks for any info.

+1 on the handguards.

Raceline levers for AJP http://www.ebay.com/itm/RACELINE-SIL...-/360423907657

[Bent_boot42]

I have heard of guys breaking wrists when their hand slip off the grips (steep descents?) and get trapped by hand guards.

if you are trail riding the trials bike then it would make sense to have hand guards

[sieg]

Originally Posted by hmb

I bent my shift lever today. What a dork. Anyway, I see that I can order a new one. I thought I would order a brake and clutch lever to have on hand (I know I'll probably break one of those sooner or later). I went to nofives.com and saw the shift lever, but the brake and clutch levers are not available. Is there some other after market levers I can use? Where would I find replacements? Are there other parts I should have on hand? Thanks for any info.

What kind of bike? What kind of riding? It make a difference, dirt or adventure bike hand guards, touring bike it would be unlikely to happen again so no spares.

[hmb]

I am practicing wheelies, tight slow turns, small obstacles, and turning on slopes. All as a beginner. I have a Sherco 2.0. I don't do much trail riding with it. I have hand guards on my trail bike for that.

[DerViking]

I have heard the broken wrist story 3rd hand, but have never met anyone who had had actually gotten hung up in them. If you slip off the bars on a steep decent, you have a whole world of hurt ahead of you either way, like the busted thumb that let you slip off in the first place. The protection they provide for trials is no different than for desert or trail. If you run your hand into a rock or tree, it hurts. My very first trial I had an over the bars 5 when a branch grabbed my front brake. I have seen guys with bloody swollen knuckles from tree and rock strikes. I'd way rather run bark busters for a little weight, than ruin an event. Our loop can be pretty brushy depending on the event, cat claw is not to be trifled with. It took me two weeks to get it all dug out of my arms after setting the Valentine Trial.

Sure, you can run back to the truck for a spare lever, but I can't afford to. At $30 bucks a pop, when I am saving for a $25 entry fee, nope.... When you first start learning, you drop the bike often, or at least I did. Now I just drop the bike from much higher in the air. I crushed my gas tank, but the levers were fine!

[lineaway]

Run to the truck for levers?!? That is what a fanny pack is for! Actually the worst thing of bark busters or bar ends is when you need to replace things in a hurry!! You can break both wrists at any time with any set-up.

[thegraydog]

Well, I suppose you have a point there. When the barkbuster has been whanged out of shape again, taking it off to beat it in the vise you find the expander bolt bent and the threads dry, and it takes awhile. Still, I'm not using my hands to bend back straight, or to bend it out of whack to begin with. This is what a barkbuster is for.
As far as I know there are three trials riders running barkbusters, and two of them are posting here....

[lineaway]

Lance and his family used to always use them. Plus and minus both sides of the issue. One trials I had a slow rear tire leak. I had to run with too much air. I hit my pinky three times on the same rock. Lost the nail and should of had stitches. It was a two day event. I stayed with my friends and drank beer, still got second the next day! Busters? Hell no!

[motojunky]

Originally Posted by DerViking

I have heard the broken wrist story 3rd hand, but have never met anyone who had had actually gotten hung up in them.

This is 2nd/3rd hand for you, but I have seen it in person. While racing an enduro in 1988, my buddy tried to jump a small creek using a root as a take-off point. He came up short and hit the far bank. His right hand came off of the throttle and into the bark buster, breaking two of the small bones in the back of his right hand. He then helped me drag my bike out of the creek and raced for another ~50 miles.

Having seen it first hand, I still run bark busters on my woods bike. I have considered it on my trials bike, but (knocking feverishly on wood) have not broken a lever in three years of riding trials. It's not a priority for me. I keep the lever perches loose enough that they'll rotate in a crash, and also keep them inboard a bit so that the bar end usually hits first.

I fully expect to break both levers at this weekend's event.

[Sting32]

Originally Posted by motojunky

This is 2nd/3rd hand for you, but I have seen it in person. While racing an enduro in 1988, my buddy tried to jump a small creek using a root as a take-off point. He came up short and hit the far bank. His right hand came off of the throttle and into the bark buster, breaking two of the small bones in the back of his right hand. He then helped me drag my bike out of the creek and raced for another ~50 miles.

Having seen it first hand, I still run bark busters on my woods bike. I have considered it on my trials bike, but (knocking feverishly on wood) have not broken a lever in three years of riding trials. It's not a priority for me. I keep the lever perches loose enough that they'll rotate in a crash, and also keep them inboard a bit so that the bar end usually hits first.

I fully expect to break both levers at this weekend's event.

Depends on the bike again OP!

But protection for breaking the levers is, to position them correctly (on a trials bike) {yes I too am feverishly knocking on the fake laminated wood desk as I type}. I have levers on my bike (and I fall occasionally) that have yet to be bent, that I took with me from my 2010 bike.

The way you help prevent levers from breaking is, the perches should be pushed clean into where the handlbars bend down to reach the tripple clamps. you wrap the bar at least 3 coats, with teflon tape, that you use on pipes. then tighten levers so they dont move with "normal riding" but will move if you hit something, you can test by hitting them up or down with your palm... this keeps the ends of the bars themselves, to be 99.3% of the time the 1st thing that hits the ground, when you bail off for some reason, Im not accounting for high speeds I guess, above trials section paces, all bets are off IMHO on what all gets broken, let alone clutch/brake/handlbars, et al.

I also run my 90 degree throttle cable under the front brake, this way if or when I loop the bike, it doesn't break the throttle 90 degree assembly parts as easily. Tape and tightened the same as levers, where you cant move it with normal usage & Movements, but if you hit something it will give instead of break usually.

2 & 3, yeahThere are Bark busters, but before I did those things, on a trials bike at least, I rather find some of those "unbreakable/unbendable levers that will spring out of the way, although 2 of my bud's have bent those levers but they didn't break (one is a decent master rider) lol.

But do whichever you rather, I used to have mangled levers, as well as I got better it happens less. But for the longest periods, I moved my current levers to a "new to me" bike, just because I thought I liked the "custom bends" I had gotten used to. the last 2 bikes I have owned though, the levers were as straight as new ones (I took them off when bike was new, dad uses the "unbreakable levers" and loves them). I believe they are above $60 a side for those unbreakable ones... And you know, I am NOT sure how much just the replacement lever is, that you aren't supposed to need, lol.

[hmb]

Thanks for all the input. I ended up ordering the shift lever and a spare brake and clutch lever (just in case). I'll follow the advice of slightly loose levers. Hopefully I'll never need to use the spares.

[ADVCoop]

Originally Posted by Sting32

Depends on the bike again OP!

The way you help prevent levers from breaking is, the perches should be pushed clean into where the handlbars bend down to reach the tripple clamps. you wrap the bar at least 3 coats, with teflon tape, that you use on pipes. then tighten levers so they dont move with "normal riding" but will move if you hit something, you can test by hitting them up or down with your palm... this keeps the ends of the bars themselves, to be 99.3% of the time the 1st thing that hits the ground, when you bail off for some reason...

Agreed, I have used Teflon tape under perches for 20 years on dirt bikes with excellent results.