I would like to give a shout out to my boys over at Moose Racing![sm=massbounce.gif]

Okay, I will stop and start speaking English.

In all seriousness, I want to lodge another really positive customer service experience that I had yesterday, this time with Moose Racing. As some may recall, I had a question recently about a set of shorty levers that I wanted to get from Moose to fit under my new handguards and shields. I could not find a set that listed a direct fit for our bike. Brian (Nobrakes) suggested I use the Kawasaki parts diagrams to compare with other bikes, which I did and eventually ordered a set of levers. I knew when I ordered the set that the part numbers did not exactly match, but it looked like there was a decent chance they would fit. Well, I was wrong. While it looks like the clutch lever will work, the brake lever is quite different.

I really, really want me some shorty levers, so I decided to run it past the folks at Moose to see if maybe they have come out with a set for our relatively new bike. Unfortunately, the only way to communicate with Moose that I could find is through one of those crappy "email us" forms directly on their website. If you are anything like me, you assume that those emails go some auto-delete limbo with very little chance of resulting in anything approaching customer service. Well, I am happy to report that in the case of Moose Racing, I could not have been more wrong.

Within an hour or two, I happened to check my email and found an email from Branden at Moose Racing. He answered my specific part number question, then offered to take a picture of one lever to let me see if it might fit. He also requested that I send him pics of the levers that I wanted so he could see if he had anything that might work. By the time I checked my email again, he had sent me another email to tell me that he had already talked to their manufacturer and been told that they would not be able to help me because of the electrical switches in the lever assemblies. Undeterred, Branden told me to send the pics anyway and he would figure something out.

Now I realize at this point that there is a pretty good chance that I am out of luck as far as getting the shorty levers that I am wanting. Even so, I am really impressed with this "go the extra mile" attitude that Branden has exhibited. We are still working on it, but I can tell you that I am now officially a Moose fan. With all of the customer service nightmares that we talk about here, it is nice to hear about the good companies that are out there trying to do a great job.

 

I have a question for you.

Are you saying that the stock clutch and brake levers DO NOT FIT if you put on Moose Handguards?

I might have a different opinion.

 

No Marty, not at all. I just slid the lever mounts in just a little bit like it looks like you did. My search for shorty levers started because I thought I was going to have a bigger issue than I do, but the situation is absolutely workable as it stands. As I was looking around, I just happened to see these Moose Competition levers and liked the look of them and the idea of a shorter lever.

More than anything, I just like the challenge of trying to find or make something work on the bike. I am finding that I have an "inner tinkerer" that is dying to get out.

 

marty are those the stock bars? id like to try to figure out how i can make my hand guards be more in front of the levers instead of above them... if they are stock can u take a closer pic of the bars?

 

That's definitely the way customer service should be!

BTW, what handguards did you get? You shouldn't need shortly levers to fit under the handguards - if they hit, try sliding the mount inwards on the bar. Folks usually get shorty levers so that when you operate them with one or two fingers as one should, they don't smash your other fingers still wrapped around the grip.

BTW, I highly recommend some type of handguard for anyone who doesn't have them. Marty's are great - those will protect your levers and your hands in even the worst of falls. A fellow over on advrider mentioned in a recent ride report on the Continental Divide that his Acerbis hand guards, the ones with the larger "wings", cause him to get a broken hand when the "wing" was bent forward and crushed his hand, pinning it between the "wing" and the grip. It is a tribute to his toughness that he didn't let the accident completely ruin his "vacation of a lifetime" while riding the Divide.

Mine have a small guard and are shown below. This is there state after my crash which caused my broken collar bone. They worked great and are no worse for wear. These are MSR Hawkins and are tough as nails and there's no chance the plastic can fold backward on your hand:



BTW, here is my shorty clutch lever and perch. I got the "Pro" perch because of its easy adjuster **** - it's so easy you can adjust it while riding.





I did not get the shorty brake lever because when I activate my brake it doesn't come back far enough to interfere with my other fingers.


Thanks again for the report on Moose - it's good to hear some positive product / company comments around here instead of all the negative.

 

Actually, they are Renthal bars . . . . long story. One of those things where someone has something you need, you have something they need and there is a swap going on.

But the bars should be able to be "fitted" (read that as the use of physically making the handguards conform to the bend of the bars) as in bending them in a vise. You should be able to make them align where you want them.

 

My handguards are by Moose. I got the titanium finish but I think they are all the same shape unless you bend them yourself. My handlebar is an MSR Dominator bar. It took a little fiddling, but I was able to position my Moose guards pretty much exactly where I think they are supposed to go.

Also, for now I do have my clutch and brake assemblies pushed in a little. I have good clearance of my levers underneath my handguards, but I want that clearance with my assemblies back out toward the grips if I can get it. Also, like you said, Brian, I tend to use two fingers on my levers, so a smaller lever is a better fit for me. It boild down to a preference thing for me.

Also, the Moose Competition levers come with a Kawasaki Green polymer grip portion that look pretty sweet. I am hopeful that I will get something works out so that I can use them.

 

hey do you have a link and price on those bars.... thanks

 

EMS, here is a link for the bars that I have.

I did not get mine from this site. Actually, I bought them directly from the Kawa dealer 'cause I needed them immediately. I trashed my stock bars while trying to drill out the plug ends. Anyway, the price was about the same. I think I paid right at $37. They seem to be good quality bars.

Hope that helps.

 

Just to follow up on this - I exchanged a few e-mails with the fella I mentioned that broke his hand. What happened was not that the "wing" was compressed against his hand, but rather, the wing is normally cupped over the hand area to reduce the effects of cold wind. Well, when he went down in an otherwise simple low-side, the wing did not provide enough clearance for him to remove his hand as he pivoted off the bike while his hand rotated forward. And like a beer bottle opener on a bottle cap, it broke the bones in his hand. If the wing was not there, his hand would have cleared free and not been caught in the bone crusher. I believe that these wings are add-ons you can get to the Acerbis hand guards and typically used for cold / wet wether to keep the elements off. Just a friendly heads up to others who might have a similar configuration.