04 Monster 620 excessive front brake lever play?

[electricpete]

So, the freeplay in my front brake lever is a good two inches. It's not spongy, the brakes work just fine, and the pads are wearing evenly.
It's just that the freeplay in my 1100 Multi front brake lever is about half that. If the Monster were my only bike, i suppose I'd get used to it, but I switch back and forth between them regularly and it's hard to get used to all that excess motion.
I've tried adjusting the little plunger in the lever but that little spring-clip thingy won't allow much adjustment.
Any suggestions?
Do aftermarket levers allow more freeplay adjustment? I've looked at some online, but it's not clear whether that's a feature or not. I don't much care if the lever itself is adjustable (ala Multi) or not, I've pretty big hands so I can accommodate a wide variety of lever sizes.
Thanks

Peter

[stopintime]

CRG aftermarket levers have the adjustable plunger, but no spring clip, so it's easily adjustable. Maybe Ducati make it difficult on purpose.... maybe you can manipulate the clip...

[BK_856er]

Hmm, in my experience the coffin MC type plunger adjuster has quite a range, at least after digging out the epoxy from the set screw.  I later moved to CRG levers.

In fact, you usually have to be very careful to leave sufficient free play (= lever movement before hydraulics engage).  2" travel would bug me.

Take a look at this link and focus on the last part about visible liquid movement in the MC reservoir.  I don't do the 1 full turn CCW, but I do take care to have a safe and appropriate amount of free play.

http://www.ducatisuite.com/leverchange.html

BK

[electricpete]

Thanks, guys.
I had tried the trick of removing the mc cover and watching the little "fountain" erupt for most of the freeplay. That's how I figured that the system may have just a little too much motion of the mc piston.
Thanks for the suggestion of the CRG levers, I'll have a look.
Thanks, again.

Peter

[electricpete]

Thanks, again, guys.
I installed a set of the red anodized shorty levers, and they are great.
I was able to adjust out a lot of the excess freeplay and am now a happy camper.

Peter

[stopintime]

 

[ducpainter]

Just make sure the 'fountain' doesn't completely disappear.