Happy Hands - Rotate Your Clutch and Brake Levers Forward

[brownwa]

Tweaked the bike two weeks after I bought it because I was getting sore thumbs and hands. The culprit was the stock angle of the brake and clutch levers being far too high. If you too are experiencing sore thumb joints and hand cramps I strongly recommend this fix.

Basically rotate your brake and clutch levers about 5-45 degrees forward. There is a physical limit to how forward you can rotate them because of the front brake cable. Test it out by turning your bars to the stops while repositioning the brake handle. For convenience, the stock handle bars have a nice little notch to remind you where the stock position of the brake handle should be.

This "mod" is a must IMO for those who like to cover their clutch or brake levers with two fingers. You'll be able to cover your brake especially a lot more comfortably.

Also adjust the brake reach to number 4. The stock setting of number 1 is way too far out. I locked the front brake with it set at 4 and pulling it in barely 2/3rds of the way, threshold braking at 45 mph.

My hands have been rejoicing since this simple DIY mod.

Be warned, Yamaha does not give you the right sized metric wrench to adjust the clutch lever position. Just buy or borrow a SMALL metric wretch, preferably fixed (as in non-adjustable). You will strip the delicate paint off the nuts if you attempt it with an adjustable wrench or vice grips.

 

[Superzoom]

I'm a little confused when you say the levers are too "high", and then you say to rotate them "forward" for a better position. Do you mean rotate them downward or upward for a better position? I assume you mean downward.

I didn't actually know that there was a "stock" angle for levers. I assumed the mechanic assembling the bike just put them at an angle he liked. I assumed this because all the bikes I've ever owned came to me with levers at weird angles, and I changed the angle on pretty much all of them to what I thought was more comfortable, which was usually 10 or 15 degrees down from horizontal.

 

[brownwa]

I'm a little confused when you say the levers are too "high", and then you say to rotate them "forward" for a better position. Do you mean rotate them downward or upward for a better position? I assume you mean downward.

I didn't actually know that there was a "stock" angle for levers. I assumed the mechanic assembling the bike just put them at an angle he liked. I assumed this because all the bikes I've ever owned came to me with levers at weird angles, and I changed the angle on pretty much all of them to what I thought was more comfortable, which was usually 10 or 15 degrees down from horizontal.

My bad. Yeah, I mean to rotate them downward. In my Canadian mind that's forward I guess :canada: When I picked up my bike the right brake lever was perfectly aligned with the little notch on the handle bar. The levers are now positioned about the same as yours.

 

[tanoz]

One of the first things i did to my bike as well. The stock handlebars have these punch holes in them that allow the controls to all be set to the same level for our bike. Whats strange is that the clutch side and front brake side are at different angles on our bike too.

 

[Superzoom]

My bad. Yeah, I mean to rotate them downward. In my Canadian mind that's forward I guess :canada: When I picked up my bike the right brake lever was perfectly aligned with the little notch on the handle bar. The levers are now positioned about the same as yours.

I'm a Canuck too, so I should have understood you perfectly! Now I would have understood if you were an Aussie, as I'm sure their handlebars rotate in an opposite direction to ours.

The bottom line is that, yes, you should rotate your levers to be comfortable and functional as it's easy to do.