Ducati Monster Forum

I'll apologize first for my ignorance. 

Why would you/should you change your brake and clutch levers?  Cause of the size of your hands?   Amount of travel aftermarket levers provide? 

The installation in the tutorials looks fairly simple and it's not too expensive of an upgrade.  I am curious as to the theory behind it.

My hands are small, would I benefit from changing levers on my 696?  What are some that are recommended?

Thanks.

Bling..!!! 

CRG..

Adjustability - different hands, different needs.
Shorty option - leaves one or two fingers out of the game, again different needs.
+ bling

CRG
Pazzo
Rizoma
ASV
and probably some more...

Haha!  That's it?  For the bling factor? 

Don't think that suites me as I'm going for the Dark Knight/Stealth looking 696.  Want to black out everything.  No shiny bling to be found on my bike.

to be able to change the friction zone of the clutch closer to the bar instead off engaging all the way out.

Is that something that is recommended?  The 696 clutch doesn't take too much to engage/disengage from it's idle position.

Black is an option  [thumbsup] still the bling effect without actually blinging

I changed mine out mainly for the adjustability. I have small hands and the stock levers weren't cutting it for me.
It's a bad habit but I two finger brake. The end result was purchasing a short brake lever with a standard length clutch.

That makes left handers easier cause the extra weight on that side  :P

Yep,if you are going to black her out, then you really should think of some new levers. otherwise the buffed aluminum ones will stand out like a sore thumb

+1 bling, adjustability

Um... but the 696 stock levers are already black.  

Mate, if you're happy with the look of the stock levers and you dont feel the need to adjust the lever>grip distance, then keep your $$ to pay for your black ceramic exhaust coating  ;).

Adjustability - when I test ( you all belive that  ;) ) the wifes 620 I use 5 on the clutch, 4 on the brake. She uses 3 on both.

Which ones did you get? 

Termis CFs are getting put on as we speak.  The one good thing that came out of my little traffic incident was that the insurance had the exhaust getting replaced for little scratches.  Each OEM can was $1100.  Left one got written up but the right one I took the $100 appearance allowance as it lowered the estimate to fix since the total estimate was very close to the 75% of the value of the bike limit where insurance scraps the bike.  So for $1200 to cover exhausts, I'm putting Termi CFs on and paying what little difference. 

I initially had titanium colored Pazzo Racing levers but sold them and switched to black ASV levers. Both are very nice quality wise. The ASV offers more adjustment. You can "fine tune" the reach. With the Pazzo and CRG levers, you're limited to 6 settings.

Less flex = better feel

I have small hands and the reach to the stock levers got painful during stop and go traffic.

+ they look a hell of a lot better than the stock cast levers.

It's all for show  [thumbsup]

If you can't cover your front brake, or you can't operate the turn signals and the clutch at the same time, then you would benefit from adjustable levers. ;)

I'd say that is a good habit! Leaves you with some fingers for handlebar control!  [thumbsup]

Good old fashioned  "cos i could". and cos they pretty.
and cos the dpm ducati performance ones were 1/4 the retail price and it was just too good an opertunity to pass on.

At first read I thought you were talking about fingers!  :o

+1

Stop and go traffic was the biggest reason for me.  The adjustable levers make a huge difference. 

We should all admit one thing. We all really like to modify our bikes one way or another the thing is that we all need a good excuse to do so, and as we can see on this particular one, I am sure that the fundamental reason is because it looks cool.. Nothing wrong with that.
I remember riding bikes when such goodies were not available as they are now, we had to put up with the hard levers specially if they were not hydraulic. some of them were UGLY and about 6” long too.  So it is all about having a cool looking bike. (but yes like this one, some mods have a real practical use.) Ride safe..!    [cheeky]

I have small hands too.  Did you get shortys or regular for both???
tks in advance.

This may sound bad but... I live in Los Angeles and no matter how "safe" I ride, there are so many drivers and such adverse conditions that the shiny side of my bike sees the pavement from time to time.

I get shorty levers on all my bikes so that I don't have to replace my levers quite as often. It's something I learned from dirt bikes. A lot of people buy "unbreakable" levers, which are basically just shorter levers that are less likely to come in contact with the ground (crashing or dropping dirt bikes is like a regular thing, not a out of the ordinary tragic experience).

Anyhow, just a thought.

I got the shorties.  There is no issue with the front brake as the pull is extremely light on my M1100.  The clutch is much closer to the handlebar now and results in an easier pull as I'm not reaching with the tips of my fingers.  The pull is still somewhat stiff b/c of the dry clutch and would probably benefit more from the long clutch lever, resulting in an even easier pull.

That being said, I like the shorties.  Many others have found the short clutch lever to not work to their liking.  YMMV.

I went with the Pazzo w/ long clutch & short brake.  Look much better then stock (which is why I bought them), but the adjustable levers were a big +.  I was able to take a lot of the pull out of the clutch with the stock levers.  I guess that, with a hydraulic clutch, once it is open, it is open.  I must have had a lot of extra clutch pull at the bar. 

Side note:  If you ride in the winter, the Pazzos (as I would guess the others) can be adjusted closer to accommodate for MX handguards.  Not much on style, but at 20 degrees.  You take what you can get.

 The stock 1100 lever adjust just fine.

i just have to add that i got asv shorties and they feel one million percent better (more comfortable) especially for one finger braking

personal preference. of course they look tits as well

As already said, if you're happy with what you have, spend your money elsewhere.

I got shorty Pazzo levers (in black) because I like to 2-finger brake and clutch, and the let me do that without any clearance issues for my other fingers.  They also offer greater adjustability than stock, and easier to do on the fly, if needed.

I don't remember the exact numbers, but I do have the clutch and brake set differently.

-Rob

+1  (Short Pazzos, Ti) And a much better feel for sure...Not to mention bling factor!   [coffee]

Seems that even though I don't have that much of a problem with lever effort, I prefer a lever that can come further toward the bar.  The OEM 4 way adjustables don't get close enough for me.

I went overkill, and have a Brembo master, which really helps lever effort as well as position adjustability.  Have this setup on my M900, and feel that I can "feather" the clutch better.  YMMV.

better not get the double cheeseburger from burger king

True, BK is embarrassing.....but they make things in the bedroom look huge!