BlueLghtning
11-10-2010, 12:28 PM
asymons412 thread about commuting for the first time on her bike made me remember something I learned from another rider that just seemed ingenious and a good practice.
I bought a KLR650 back in 09 and when I purchased the bike, the previous owner told me he had all 4 spare levers (clutch, front brake, rear brake, & shifter) zip tied on various places on the bike in case he ever needed one. You couldn't see them just looking at the bike, but he said I'd find them if I looked. I actually thought the guy was just pulling my leg at first and just shrugged it off and didn't think much more of it. :lol:
I had forgotten about this, but one day I was doing some maintenance and pulling off body panels, and sure enough I found the 4 various levers zip tied to various places on the frame and remembered he had told me that. Suddenly a light bulb went off and I was thinking that really isn't a bad idea.
We all know a broken front or rear brake lever usually isn't the end of the world, but can make riding a bit more interesting. However, if you fully break the clutch lever or gear shift lever, you probably aren't going very far from that point. None of us try to go out there and drop our bikes, but it happens and usually at least one bent lever is a casualty, but sometimes we break it clean off. Its just a small investment to buy them all and if storage space is a premium on your bike, finding out of the way places to zip tie them, gives you back that storage space and means you won't be pulling them out when you suddenly need more storage room. If you already have older levers you broke off halfway and replaced them, you could always use those as a backup since they'll still work. You always have them if you need them, just don't forget they are there when you actually do need them! :roflmao:
I bought a KLR650 back in 09 and when I purchased the bike, the previous owner told me he had all 4 spare levers (clutch, front brake, rear brake, & shifter) zip tied on various places on the bike in case he ever needed one. You couldn't see them just looking at the bike, but he said I'd find them if I looked. I actually thought the guy was just pulling my leg at first and just shrugged it off and didn't think much more of it. :lol:
I had forgotten about this, but one day I was doing some maintenance and pulling off body panels, and sure enough I found the 4 various levers zip tied to various places on the frame and remembered he had told me that. Suddenly a light bulb went off and I was thinking that really isn't a bad idea.
We all know a broken front or rear brake lever usually isn't the end of the world, but can make riding a bit more interesting. However, if you fully break the clutch lever or gear shift lever, you probably aren't going very far from that point. None of us try to go out there and drop our bikes, but it happens and usually at least one bent lever is a casualty, but sometimes we break it clean off. Its just a small investment to buy them all and if storage space is a premium on your bike, finding out of the way places to zip tie them, gives you back that storage space and means you won't be pulling them out when you suddenly need more storage room. If you already have older levers you broke off halfway and replaced them, you could always use those as a backup since they'll still work. You always have them if you need them, just don't forget they are there when you actually do need them! :roflmao: