In searching through some old posts here, I found a discussion from back in January when some of you folks were discussing shorty levers. I didn't quite follow one part of the discussion, so I want to follow up with a few questions. First of all, for anyone that is interested, I am referring to these products:

Brake Lever @ DennisKirk.com
Clutch Lever Selection @ DennisKirk.com

The question is this - are levers like this a basic item that should be a direct replacement for the long stock lever. I understand that there is a lockout switch in the clutch mount that prevents starting the bike unless it is in neutral or the clutch is engaged, so I don't want to replace the whole clutch assembly. Ideally, I would just swap out the levers themselves on both sides so that they match up better inside my new Moose handguards. They are quite cheap, so I figure it could be a cheap solution to a nagging problem. I could cut the stock levers down by hand, but I prefer a more polished solution.

Thanks.

 

Well I will tell you one thing,,, I love the ASV Shorty clutch that I have. With the stock clutch I was pinching the crap out of my ring and pinky finger. The ASV shorty has a stop screw that you can adjust. It is also a direct fit. The only thing that you have to do, is take a small piece of metel and solder it to the sensor to make a conection. Once I did that I just tucked the safety sensor under the front number plate. All is goon. Know I dont need the clutch in to start the bike. It will start in any gear with the clutch out. Sorry I dont have a close up picture of it. I will try and get you one if you want.

 

GT,

I have seen a couple of pics of the ASV unit. It looks really great and seems to perform well to boot. I am going to have to pass on it for several reasons, though. First is $. I keep throwing $20 here and $60 there at this bike. I have to stop the madness. The ASV clutch that I found was like $60 plush another amount about the same for the front brake. No way the missus will stand for throwing $ at something that isn't really broken.

Also, I like the safety feature of not being able to start the bike unless the clutch is in or in neutral. I rented a Harley a couple of months ago and you can start them regardless of the gear selected or clutch position. It is pretty embarassing to crank that bad boy up and have it lurch forward on you. It only happened once, but that was one time too many. I am a pretty absent-minded dude. Disabling that feature is just asking for trouble for me. Shoot, I have just now gotten to the point that I always turned the bike of by turning and removing the key. I can't tell you how many times I left the key on the "ON" position because I just used the kill switch and left the bike. On the plus side, I am a professional push starter now.

Thanks for the info, though. Hopefully someone will weigh in on whether I can just use those Moose levers to swap out onto my existing clutch assembly & brake assembly.

 

[sm=wootwoot.gif] yeahyeah me waiting to hear this too....................

 

Alright, in looking through some of the Moose products, it looks like they offer a set of levers (clutch & brake combo) called their Competition line. They come in a variety of colors, including Kawi Green!!

While I can not find one specifically listed for the KLX250S, it looks there are two versions that fit the KLX250R (94-96), the KLX300 (97-03) and the KLX650R (93-96).

See models M557-24-20 and M557-24-60 at this link Parts Unlimited


For you folks that are familiar with the similarities/differences between these models, do you think we will have any problems fitting control levers on a KLX250S that fits the KLX300?

If not one weighs in, then I might have to volunteer to be the forum guinea pig on this one.

Chris

 

What I usually do in that situation is check the Kawasaki parts diagrams on their web site for both the KLX300R and the KLX250S - just pull them up in two seperate windows side by side and check the part numbers. If the part numbers are the same, you can be sure that the 3rd party part claiming KLX300 support will also work on the KLX250S.

 

Brian,

Now why didn't I think of that? Great suggestion.

Well, I just finished doing the comparison, and I am pretty sure I am going to be okay. The part numbers are not identical, so I am not 100% sure they will match up, but they are close enough, and the diagrams look close enough that I think they will work. The numbers stack up as so:

Brake lever[ul][*] KLX250S = 46092-1175[*] KLX300R = 46092-1186
[/ul]
Clutch lever[ul][*] KLX250S = 46092-1159[*] KLX300R = 46092-1110
[/ul]

The diagrams of each part look identical. The assemblies are slightly different, but it looks like the connections for each lever are either exactly the same or extremely similar between the two models. I think it is worth the small gamble, so I am going to go for it. I will let you all know how it works out.

 

Keep in mind that the first 5-digit number is a general part number, i.e., "clutch lever", while the 4-digit number following is generally a more specific identifier. While these parts don't match, as you said, you can sometimes check the drawings and have a pretty good whether they are interchangable or not, even so. Probably there is some minor difference between them, hopefully it is not related to the switch activation - does the KLX300 have a clutch pulled sensor switch? If it does, I'm pretty sure you'll be OK, but if not, then that might be the difference.

Hope it works out for ya, let us know ...

 

Brian,

Yeah, I kinda figured there will be some minor difference. The drawings looked really, really close, though, so I am betting I will be fine. The set of levers was only $23, so I'm not going to break the bank either way.

I just ordered the levers and the folding mirrors (EMGO version of Ken Sean style) from DennisKirk.com. Should be there by the weekend.

After these two little things, I am going to have to settle down for a while with my modding. I have been on a pretty wicked tear here for about 2 weeks.

I still need to install my Pelican 1400 and my windscreen.

Chris

 

For anyone that might have an interest in the shorty levers from Moose (Competition Series), I hate to report that they do not work for our bikes. Not only do the particular model numbers that I used not work, but Moose does not have anything else that will work.

The good news is that I had a great customer service experience with Moose with tons of emails, pictures and suggestions flying back and forth with a very knowledgeable rep. The bad news is that the final answer was "no".

It looks like I will stick with my stock levers and keep them pushed in on the bars to clear my hand guards.

On a related note, does anyone have any experience with just cutting the ends of levers off? I would think that the ball on the end serves to keep your hand from sliding off at an inopportune moment. Am I right there? I have been told by at least one guy that works on bikes that the cheap alloy that these levers are made of will not respond well to an attempt to cut the lever and weld the ball back on. I might just cut them and turn the edge up with a vise. Not a bad idea, now that I think of it. I just thought of that.

Don't anyone freak out. I am not foolish enough to just break out the hacksaw and go to town. I am trying to think this through before just going nuts with handtools. I am slowly learning my lesson.

Thanks,
Chris