My review of the eBay knock-off adjustable levers

[Skybarney]

Cool beans,  It is all about what makes you smile    It really is amazing what a difference a set of levers makes to the bikes feel.

[Triple J]

This thread is sad. You guys should support the companies that support motorcycling.

CRG, ASV, Vortex, Woodcraft, Speedymoto, etc. all support the sport/activity we love by developing and manufacturing nice parts for us. Most of these companies also support club-level racing across the country, usually through product discounts, which racers appreciate very much. I'm sponsored by Vortex, have spoke with the CRG guys at moto shows a couple times, and have attended trackdays with the Speedymoto guys when they were doing R&D on new parts. They all love motorcycles, and they try to design & make nice parts for us. 

Many of the sponsors to the left (who make this board possible by the way ) sell the above-named products. 

These knock-off companies probably haven't ever seen a Ducati Monster, or many of the other bikes they sell knock-off products for. They just order a product from one of the manufacturers above, then copy and sell it...for a much cheaper price because they're only paying $0.30/hour for their labor.  It sucks.

It isn't limited to moto parts either. The Chinese are trying to copy everything. I work in the tunneling industry and they've been attemping to copy tunnel boring machines (TBMs) for quite some time. Luckily for the American, Canadian, German, & Japanese TBM manufacturers, TBMs are much more complicated than moto parts.

[Skybarney]

TripleJ,

And just how many people complain about no or low paying jobs yet shop at Walmart?  Most Americans care less about supporting the companies that do RnD as long as they get the best deal.  It has happened everywhere in nearly every industry.  They have even knocked off paragliders and hot air balloons....

I will pay the money or I won't buy it.  Then again I have never set foot in a Walmart either 

[WayneR]

CRG, ASV, Vortex, Woodcraft, Speedymoto, etc. all support the sport/activity we love by developing and manufacturing nice parts for us.

Which I'm sure they do out of the goodness of their hearts...

Those companies are out to make a dollar & I'm out to get value for my money. On a more complicated/important part, I would not consider a Chinese knock off (wouldn't even think about a Dan Moto exhaust), but on something which does not require a lot of R&D and is essentially just bling, you bet I'm happy to pay significantly less for a very similar product.

At the price these companies charge for levers, I wouldn't even consider changing my OEM if it weren't for the knock offs.

[Rudemouthsky]

This thread is sad. You guys should support the companies that support motorcycling.

CRG, ASV, Vortex, Woodcraft, Speedymoto, etc. all support the sport/activity we love by developing and manufacturing nice parts for us. Most of these companies also support club-level racing across the country, usually through product discounts, which racers appreciate very much. I'm sponsored by Vortex, have spoke with the CRG guys at moto shows a couple times, and have attended trackdays with the Speedymoto guys when they were doing R&D on new parts. They all love motorcycles, and they try to design & make nice parts for us. 

Many of the sponsors to the left (who make this board possible by the way ) sell the above-named products. 

These knock-off companies probably haven't ever seen a Ducati Monster, or many of the other bikes they sell knock-off products for. They just order a product from one of the manufacturers above, then copy and sell it...for a much cheaper price because they're only paying $0.30/hour for their labor.  It sucks.

It isn't limited to moto parts either. The Chinese are trying to copy everything. I work in the tunneling industry and they've been attemping to copy tunnel boring machines (TBMs) for quite some time. Luckily for the American, Canadian, German, & Japanese TBM manufacturers, TBMs are much more complicated than moto parts.

If you shop at WalMart, or virtually any corporate big box store and/or eat out at corporate restaurants, you are the ultimate hypocrite. The food on your table is more than likely part of an abusive agricultural dictatorship run by Monsanto and Nestle, powered by exploited third world workers and the blood of animals that are tortured from the cradle to the grave before ending up on your plate. You should probably look inward before coming off all sanctimonious. None of the owners of these companies are going hungry. But I could pretty much guarantee that many if not most of your 1st world luxuries come at the expense of the ecosystem and the human/non human animals that inhabit it.

I'm a vegan and a full time political activist. You can be damn sure I don't shop at Walmart, and though I can't say I feel "good" about buying Chinese counterfeits, I certainly don't feel bad for Pazzo, CRG, or anyone else making a 4000% profit on their products.

[Rudemouthsky]

And the companies that farm out their manufacturing to China, then have the audacity to whine when it inevitably gets bootlegged really make me 

[Triple J]

I don't shop at Walmart. I don't claim to be perfect either, but I do buy local whenever possible. There are some things you can control and this is one of them. Pazzo is a knock-off too by the way.

Also, if you think the guys at the companies I've listed are making a 4000% profit, or getting rich from $100 levers, you are sadly mistaken.

I don't feel bad about those that farm out their manufacturing either.

[Triple J]

Which I'm sure they do out of the goodness of their hearts...

I'm not naive, of course they do it for marketing. They also do it because they like racing though. Probably more R&D than you think on a lot of these things. Last time I checked, CNC machines don't spit out working parts without design and then programming.

Whatever though. It's just my opinion. When the companies that design this stuff go out of business, have fun trying to find parts for new models.

[Rudemouthsky]

Really the lesson that should be learned here is the inherit evil of capitalism. The anarchist-socialist Proudhon remarked that; "all profit is theft" ; he was talking about the unpaid portion of the value created by the worker that went into the bosses pocket. "The boss" can afford CRG levers because of that unpaid labor. (profit). So The Boss gets his CRG levers by exploiting workers...who buy Chinese knockoffs instead, thus exploiting other workers below them. (the Chinese workers). That's why capitalism is also called a giant "pyramid scheme".

Basically we're all guilty to some extent unless we live like complete Luddites. But it's hypocritical for a guy who can afford the CRG's to tell the blue collar dude with a family he has to go without because; "it's the right thing to do".

imho of course...

[ducpainter]

Really the lesson that should be learned here is the inherit evil of capitalism. The anarchist-socialist Proudhon remarked that; "all profit is theft" ; he was talking about the unpaid portion of the value created by the worker that went into the bosses pocket. "The boss" can afford CRG levers because of that unpaid labor. (profit). So The Boss gets his CRG levers by exploiting workers...who buy Chinese knockoffs instead, thus exploiting other workers below them. (the Chinese workers). That's why capitalism is also called a giant "pyramid scheme".

Basically we're all guilty to some extent unless we live like complete Luddites. But it's hypocritical for a guy who can afford the CRG's to tell the blue collar dude with a family he has to go without because; "it's the right thing to do".

imho of course...

Dood...

we're not going there. It's politics...and we don't do politics-religion-or bashing of any group.

Read the damn rules... http://www.ducatimonsterforum.org/index.php?topic=107.0 ...please.

[jaxduc]

I learned my lesson!!

[Rudemouthsky]

damn, sorry DP yer absolutely right. It's been a loooonng winter...too much time reading IWW propaganda and not nearly enough riding...my apologies

[misirlou]

I bought some after-market levers but I just can't seem to figure out how to get little cilinder out of the lever.
Probably something simple but all tips or tricks are welcome 

[misirlou]

Nevermind, found the solution

With a punch or socket tap the bushing that holds the factory lever + fulcrum together all the way out. Your lever, fulcrum, spring, bushing should be 4 separate pieces. I used a big socket on the bottom to "catch" the bushing as I was tapping it out.

[Speedbeaver]

WARNING

Hey guys, after installing my ebay levers I realized that I had heavy clutch slip. Upon closer inspection I realized that the adjustment bolt didn't have the same dept as the one on the oem ones, thus causing the clutch not being fully depressed when the lever was released.

Solution: I simply swapped the adjustment bolts from the oem ones to my ebay levers. Perfect fit!