Brake Lever guards for trackdays...

Discussion in 'Mods, Upgrades, Accessories and Products' started by Frazzle, Nov 24, 2020.

  1. dern

    dern Well-Known Member

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    Ok, if you want to bodge this for less than a tenner then this is for you.

    First buy cheap brake lever guards from ebay... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114304835495. They seem to have gone up, I paid £8.50.

    Remove the throttle bar end and bolt, leave the insert in. Drive a screw between the bar and the insert like this...

    Screenshot 2021-02-19 at 15.37.03.png

    I did say that this was a bodge but this screw will stop the insert from rotating and from vibrating. It doesn't interfere with the throttle tube at all.

    The bolt supplied with the cheap guards matches the original so use two smallish nuts to make a spacer, use threadlock and install the lever guard...

    Screenshot 2021-02-19 at 15.40.05.png

    Screenshot 2021-02-19 at 15.40.25.png

    ...and you're done.

    If you bought the kit I did from ebay you have a spare end piece and three spare blade bits. To put everything back as it was take the lever off, take the screw out and put the bar end back on.
     
    #41 dern, Feb 19, 2021
    Last edited: Mar 2, 2021
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  2. Muffking

    Muffking God Like

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    Main thing is that it works. And after all, nobody is ever gonna see it.
     
  3. dern

    dern Well-Known Member

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    Exactly, I wouldn't have bothered if it wasn't a requirement of MSV.
     
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  4. tuktuk

    tuktuk Elite Member

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    Is that a little work around so you dont have to take that fiddly clip out?

    I had a mate do mine but it looked like a pain getting the weight bit out.
     
  5. dern

    dern Well-Known Member

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    Yes, that's right. When I screwed the guard straight in to the existing weight insert it just rotated far too easily. The idea is that you take out the weight insert and put in their crappy expanding insert but I didn't want to do that because their insert is crappy, I couldn't be arsed taking the old one out and I might want to put the bike back to normal. The screw just stops the weight insert rotating so easily so the guard holds its position when riding.

    There's a possibility that it might not resist moving enough to pass scrutineering for a race and I wouldn't want to use it for a grid start but to be good enough for a track day I'm pretty happy with it. I might go crazy and put another screw in though ;)
     
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  6. tuktuk

    tuktuk Elite Member

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    I was worried about mine initially as the weight of the part you remove is fairly heavy and I'm guessing weighty for a reason. Particularly removing it from one side only... always thought it would cause an imbalance or odd feeling but seems ok!
     
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  7. dern

    dern Well-Known Member

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    You should be ok as long as you only visit anti-clockwise tracks ;)
     
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  8. tuktuk

    tuktuk Elite Member

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    Haha, my local is about 8 rights and 3 lefts o_O
     
  9. mick66

    mick66 New Member

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    That's just the thing I was looking for..I don't want to remove my bar weights and want to remove the lever guard after the track day...
    Who thought making these compulsory ,especially in lower groups...
    Just heard The Muppets have been banned from kids channel, and comes with a warning as it's offensive...
    World's going crazy..or is it me. ?

    So this bodge-job is just the ticket..
    Thanks
     
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  10. CharlieR85

    CharlieR85 Elite Member

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  11. PauloHRC

    PauloHRC God Like

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    I've just bought these, will only use the brake lever side but they were the only ones I could find that incorporate a bar end weight and no adapters, fits straight into the bar insert. From a company in Germany offering 20% discount code (as well as 25% off) im presuming to offset potential customs charges. Plus delivery offers 60 day free returns. Think alot of the overseas bike shops will start doing this now.

    Anyway we'll see how it holds up but hopefully we'll never find out. At the end of the day if you nudge someone on track, it won't take to much force for it to rotate out of position or maybe even snap off! If you watch moto gp etc you'll see brake lever guards stuck upwards or even broken after contact with another rider so even theirs don't hold up 100%:rolleyes:
    20210304_074214.jpg
     
  12. FairWeatherBiker

    FairWeatherBiker Active Member

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    Hi, new to the forum.

    I have a 2011 bike that I mostly use on the road and only do 2/3 track days a year, so this lever guard idea is a pain. I do not want the guard on when I am on the road, so looking to easily change the bar ends. Also I do not want to remove the bar end weight from inside the bar as I am also thinking within 18 months of moving up to something newer.

    So far I have bopught the R&G version (BLG0001BK) and found out that 'fits most Honda models' really means it is only listed for 2017-2020 blades. Fitting it to a 2011 means it spins as you turn the throttle = no good.

    I have got hold of a new bar end weight and taken to a local engineering company who milled it down to fit as an adaptor in to the R&G guard.

    IMG_0731-1.jpg
    IMG_0733-1.jpg

    When it was inserted I needed to change the screw to an M6 x 70mm to get the right lenth. Fitting it to the bike all goes well, throttle turns and the guard remains in front of the brake lever.

    The problem is the force needed to move the guard up and down is not much at all. Could ride it, but on a track day a scrutineer will move it too easily. Anyone know how much attension will be paid to how much the lever guard will move?

    Other than Dern's idea of forcing a screw in the end of the bar, any ideas on stopping the bar end weight from turning easily?

    I did get a quote to run off a number of these adaptors, but it was £40-50 each. If you are thinking about going to an engineering company for a one off, expect about 2 hours worth of labour!
     
  13. Trackit

    Trackit Active Member

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    Hopefully you've all got some trackdays booked, places are getting booked up quickly, No limits have no places left for Inters at Cadwell or Oulton Park upto end of July.
     
  14. FairWeatherBiker

    FairWeatherBiker Active Member

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    A bit off topic for No Limits. Not used No Limits for about 10 years. With a stock road bike (OK, hugger and tail tidy) I am signed up for track days in July (Cad) and Aug (Snet) with the BMW club road bikes only. Looking to see if MSV release an Oulton road bike date later in the year.

    I think that is what grips me about these brake lever guards. I only do 'road bike only' days. You would have thought there may have been some room not to use lever guards on these days. I accept the decission has been made, so I better get on with it. Just looking for a solution I can fit when needed and remove at the end of the day.
     
  15. mick66

    mick66 New Member

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    Sign of the times unfortunately. Everyone's scared of being sued. No doubt they are covering there own asses as they have had an incident and don't want to leave themselves open ... So everyone else has to suffer... We are not racers, and enforcing the rule in the lower groups especially is plain stupid.. they'll be making us wear airbag suits next...
     
  16. Frazzle

    Frazzle Active Member

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    I understand peoples annoyance about having to fit a brake guard, however they don't cost much if you don't want to splash out and it is for safety... I'm not a track day veteran but have seen plenty of mangled bikes in both road bike days and regular days..... You get bellends at all trackdays irrespective of group, yes, novice and inters shouldn't really be riding close enough to warrant a lever guard but having been clipped in the past, some people just get a bit carried away once the visor goes down...
     
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  17. mick66

    mick66 New Member

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    Been doing track days for over 20 years.. and never seen or been aware of it ever happening.. (though I'm sure it has to someone somewhere). It's not the cost of the guards that's my problem but having to put them on and off which is not an easy job..
    If they were so worried about the safety of riders why have they stopped scrutineering bikes before they go on track like they used to. This is not a safety issue..more of an arse covering excersise...
    But either way..it is what it is...
     
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  18. CharlieR85

    CharlieR85 Elite Member

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    Yep I agree, buy one, fit it and forget about it.
     
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  19. PauloHRC

    PauloHRC God Like

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    Road bike, track day bike......whatever you're riding there is always the chance you can nudge the bike in front causing the brake lever to be unexpectedly applied and you're going arse over tit!!!

    I've just fitted one and used the standard insert but with a longer 80mm M6 bolt over the one supplied. I can remove it seconds too.

    I dont think any brake lever guard will stay completely fixed, especially if it comes into contact with something or someone. How many times have you seen a moto gp bike going round with the guard stuck up in the air having come in to contact with another rider. I've tightened mine up and I swear if I tighten it any more I'll strip the thread, it'll still move if you swing off it though!o_O
     
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  20. PauloHRC

    PauloHRC God Like

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    It wasn't long after this incident that we started to see brake lever guards become mandatory in racing, it was only a matter of time before it trickled its way down to lower tier racing and track days and now even road bike track days!
    Screenshot_20210327-111113_Google.jpg just for fun......who, where and when? :)
     

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