Would you drive a car without adjusting the seat and mirrors? Motorcycle ergonomics are even more crucial given the multiple functions demanded of your limbs and digits.
This advice is pure gold. The first thing I do when getting a new bike is spend the 10 minutes to get all the controls exactly where they should be to fit me.
Hello David, I’m unable to get your good information to work when riding an adventure bike; in more of a upright riding position; so could you comment on those adjustments for different riding positions?
I've had a GSXR 600 and now a KTM 1290 Super Duke and I've tried adjusting my levers and never found something that felt right. This video had me shout "Woah!" several times while you demonstrated just what I've been needing. Excellent, excellent advice. Thank you, Dave!
Great video Dave. Couple of things I would also consider is making sure your levers don't hit your fuel tank at full lock, and wearing gear to see how the adjustments feel with them on, as each piece of of gear will feel different with different adjustments.
i always see riders improving more and more. back in 2011 we didnt have this sort of information available so easily. you hopped on and rode it the best you can. new riders are getting better and better sooner and sooner.
They are as they do have so many more resources to leverage online and when at the track. I think that having data also helps via phone apps to see how you ride and help you be more consistent. We are as always the beneficiary of progress.
Top man, Dave, I finally bought my RT. I mentioned I was tossing up between an RT and a GS Adv. I treated myself to some new Daytonas. My bike was in getting the top box sorted. BMW have got big production issues at the mo. When I was taking the loan RT bike back (the boots came between dropping my bike off and picking it up) I couldn’t get my foot under the lever. The new boots were the Evo Voltex. My old ones are the Evo Sports GTX. I had to go all the way to Peterborough in 3rd gear, which is about 20 miles away from me! I didn’t have time to fiddle with the loan bike. Today, I adjusted mine (badly). The shift wouldn’t go down. I obviously turned up the shaft too much. Your video helped me set it correctly. Thank you, from one Brit to another!
Just remember if riding an Adventure Bike its a compromise between between the position of the brake hand lever for standing, & sitting . I adjusted my lever up while seated on the bike to the correct position but didn't realise the acute angle I was putting on my wrist when standing . Thank you for your video it made me think about my posture something I hadn't really considered in 40+ years of riding , I would just jump on an' ride
This vid is Gold. Thanks Dave being 6foot5 i was struggling to get my foot up to change down on a cb600f. So much more of an enjoyable ride now using all your advice. Top Geezer!
👍 bought a new bike earlier this year from a main dealer, not a word about ergonomics, just take your money and say goodbye, just bought another bike and will implement what I have learnt from Dave Moss, i really think his advice makes me a more comfortable, safer rider. Can't thank Dave enough
Thank you for this great video and others, i've used what i've learned to improve my environment on my bike via reducing pressure points and improving comfort. But i've also helped friends who were ready to give up on riding due to wrist pain learn how to be comfortable on their bikes again! thank you thank you!
Thanks Dave. I’ve found I need to bring the brake lever position closer than the optimal shown. The reason is when rev matching while braking I may bump it and disrupt the bike. Maybe it’s a technique thing but bringing it in one or two clicks from optimal eliminates this.
I own a 2022 BMW S1000RR M Sport from watching Dave's video's I have purchased a set of ASV fully adjustable levers and the BMW M rear sets spent some time setting the bike up for me and wow made a massive improvement. I have been riding for years Dave's video's are legendary made my riding a million times safer and much more comfortable thankyou for your devotion helping us Dave respect at you fella 😎👌
Thank you for your testomonial showing how myt work has made a huge difference to your understanding and consequent bike fitment that you have created to meet your needs. A tip of my hat to you!
Thank you Dave, I wish they touched upon these things in beginner riding courses. No wonder I had trouble with shifting with the riding school bike, not knowing any better I thought it was only due to inexperience.
I have small hands and have always been unsure how to adjust the levers. This tutorial gives me a good guide. Also the parting comment of try changes for a week is good.
I'm starting to believe that I'm REALLY over-thinking my front lever set-up. I've adjusted both of them at least three times so far. I'm new so of course I want everything as "perfect" as possible. I think I'm pretty close to where I want everything but this video helps a lot. Thank you!!
If you have to think about an action, then the lever is not quite righty. Normally, that is angle not reach. If it feels intuitive, you are in the right location!
Man…when I was a kid I was lucky if I could adjust brake / clutch lever engagement points and the collar on rear shock which I was to afraid to mess with so I adjusted to every bike I got through the 80’s…. Was searching for suspension adjusting tips and went down a “Dave moss tuning” rabbit hole of you tube videos … which is kinda cool I found the adjustment sequence before I’ve even rode my new ( new to me ) fz1…I won’t have wrong adjustments to overcome when I adjust them to me .
Dave! Glad your still doing your thing 😌 I past 34,000 miles on my (05) GSXR 750 couple weeks ago. I'm thinking about retiring it from the street and setting it up strictly as a track bike 😊 Any info you have would be well received 👍🏻🙏
Mr. Moss does. He is very grateful for the generous and gracious comments. In fact, he is the only one that responds to every question ... so..... my sincere thanks for your question.
Dave, you’re a fkim absolute master and prodigy. I am infatuated by your knowledge and the tools you have to dial in everyone’s bike that much better. Are you ever in NH? maybe Loudon NH for the bike races or Laconia NH for bike week? I’d pay good money to have you do the same to my 2008 Suzuki GSX-R600
Thank you for your kind words! For 2023, I would like to try and travel to more areas of the US from march to November, so i am looking at budgets to do that balanced with income opportunities for classes and motorcycle set up events.
All based on your spine length and distance to the bars as that sets your forearm angle by default. So if you can move the bars and create more comfort that shows you the preferred alignment for your forearm.
What about a 2017 gsxr1000? I tried to lower my brake lever but the fixed cable gets in the way. My 08 zx6r had a nipple to keep the throttle cables in the standard position so I’m assuming this bike has one to. Thoughts?
Thanks. Another great video. In my case I adjust the levers the way you do it, sitting as if I was in 'race mode', with my weight probably slightly more towards the front rather than in a relaxed position. That changes down the lever angle a little bit, it makes me lower them a couple of degrees more. Probably fine millimetric adjustments like this one make no difference. The important thing as you said is that nothing is getting in the way and that you set the appropriate distance as well. You have a radial pump, I have an axial one, yours should give you more feel. I don't have the knob with numbers to set the distance, but I do it by moving the lever along the handlebar towards the bike, that also gives me (at least to me) more feel as by doing so, I get more leverage (it compensates a bit the fact that it's axial rather than radial). Thanks again
I live in Northern California and travel extensively to teach. Thank you for your kind words, I am honored to know you find the content very informative. Thank you for taking the time to type your thoughts!
Mr. Moss I have an odd question never asked. What is the "Normal" angle for clipons? What is stock normally and what if any changes should be made for racing applications? OEM are risers, Woodcraft are not and now the front fairing may need modification depending on the angle I use.
im curious if there are more adjustments to be made with gloves on as ive found that my adjustment out of gloves doesnt match what i need in gloves, especially winter gloves at least in terms of getting to that first knuckle as a gloved hand doesnt move the same when reaching for the levers. in fact summer gloves seem to make my hands feel smaller on the controls
When I adjust my brake/clutch levers via adjustment dial, the engagement points change drastically. Adjusting clutch cable / re-bleeding brakes does change the engagement point or feedback feel. There is a lot of dead play in both before they actually engage (maybe last 10% of the throw). Any advice on how to alleviate the issue?
Dead space is normally the gap between the lever and contact point for the brake. With time and wear, that increases. For the clutch, free play should be 1-2mm when the engine is hot.
Hey Dave. I recently did a fork service on my 2007 CBR1000RR and when I got finished I noticed one forks preload adjuster can turn 15.5 times and the other turns 15.75 until full hard. I did not touch any of the preload mechanisms in the cap while servicing. The manual says the range should be 15 turns. Could it just be the preload tolerances were off from the factory? Should that small difference have an impact on handling if I set the preload equal from full soft?
I am actually very thankful for this video and I am surprised that the school I went to didn't talk about this at all. On the bikes that we were using that were provided by the school, I had situations in which I would brake and actually rev up the motorcycle (luckily I always had the clutch pulled in during these moments) just like you mention at the beginning of the video, and surprisingly, none of the instructors mentioned ergonomics to me at all. In fact one of them was even surprised and wondered why I was accelerating while braking, and of course I didn't know any better so I thought there was something wrong with my technique. But after seeing this video I realize the setup of the brake lever was awful.
Thank you for tasking the time to watch the video and review the prior experiences to have perspective and context. I'm sure there will be other videos here that will be positive for you.
Should that line from the forearm through the brake lever be set while in a full tuck for a race bike? I notice it was set from an upright position, would that be where a track bike rider spends most of their riding time?
I like the clutch and front brake lever low enough so you don't have to lift your fingers high to get over them. I use one finger on the front brake but use all four fingers on the clutch .. The Horn is really hard to reach on the FZ-07.. and it will be loud enough when I finally install my air horn .. to get the idiots in cages attention when they cut me off and move into my lane.
I have a question about throttle position. Iv adjusted my levers on my 1999 ducati 750ss but I feel like my throttle needs rotating forward a little to reduce the angle of my wrist while accelerating. My problem is the throttle housing is pinned in to the bar and the bar is pinned in to clamp so I can't easily rotate either without modification. I could rotate the clip on and then drill the recess in the bar for the bolt or I can remove the pin from the throttle. Do you think either method will be safe? And which would be preferable? Thanks.
This is great for drag racing but in traffic where you might need to turn the bars. Those settings will easily hit the body work. So this is mostly for the track not the street.
If I understand you correctly, you are asking about the reservoir for a master cylinder that is held in place via a piece of metal, usually aluminum. Many are fixed to the upper triple clamp, so to resolve the issue you need a much longer hose from the master cylinder to the reservoir and you can get the angle you need. If the master cylinder and reservoir move as one unit, there is no problem. If the reservoir is part of a one piece assembly, it will hit the bars or triple clamps so angle adjustment is very limited.
I have a new 2023 MT-09 and the brake fluid reservoir is connected to the front brake lever mounting bracket on the handle bars. Is it ok to adjust this downward, and not have the fluid level ‘level’ in the reservoir? Any advice is appreciated!
That is not an issue at all as you have the large rubber seal inside the top of the cap. The only issue is if the fluid is below the low level and you allow air to get in and that takes some effort!
Anyway to adjust a clutch thats hydraulic? Bought aftermarket levers but only the brake side will adjust closer for me. Was told after the fact only cable adjustable allows the clutch closer.
If the lever has no adjustment point at all, then yes, the cable free play is the only adjustment. Some levers will offer adjustment on the actual lever itself, others will offer adjustment between lever and piston for hydraulic variants.
At 2:25 you're easily turning the silver adjustment wheel. Did you loosen something beforehand to make it spin easily? Asking because my bike's wheel is "frozen"
I use a 6mm allen when I need leverage vs a large flat tip. If you have the correct Torx tool, that is your best choice. If the adjuster is frozen, are you referring to both or just one leg. If both, normal settings changes move the adjuster left/counter clockwise to minimum. I would start by gently going right/clockwise with even pressure vs shock treatment with sudden force. If it does not move, try the opposite direction. Next step is that there is a risk that a preload spacer is cracked, so that means loosening the upper triple clamp bolt and the fork cap (make sure the bike is on the side/kick stand). Once the cap comes loose, compress the fork to see the spacer against the cap to look for damage. If there is no damage, close the fork up and repeat on the other leg. If there is no damage to either spacer, have a suspension shop or race team mechanic test the adjusters to see if they can get them free.
Kangaroo skin is very thin and other manufacturers use leather of combination of materials. Set the angle with gloves on if that is critical to you as a fundamental with the process.
Correct torque for most riders is via a torque wrench. For those who have used that tool for a long time develop a feel for the various common torque settings.
I am currenctly doing my MSC. The cluch level is so far from the grip I have to stretch my palm between the thumb and my two fingers to reach the level with my first finger joint my hands are hurting since the third class.
Can dave make a video about topcase handling instability? Just a thought, might be a popular video considering he is the go to suspension guru. Can be a big help to touring riders too.
Do they gear shifters that are extended outwards I have an ankle injury that makes it hard to shift because it cause me to toe out just far enough to miss the shifter I keep having to toe in and really a pain in the arse. Please help
When riding relaxed my arm is more straight up. When riding fast, my arm is dropped down almost parallel to the ground. Which scenario should I set up the brake/clutch lever angle for?
hi there Dave, Just trying to work out what i am doing wrong! I adjusted this for my foot but then i have trouble changing gear ie it doesn't go into say second to third. could you give me any advice that i could try please.. the clutch Is adjusted to have correct free play. i have after market levers due to small hands. setting is on number 1 my bike is Honda cb500f 2023 i got it new after passing my test in the uk.. im 60+ and love your videos kind regards kev
1. Check that each angle is 90 degrees in the entire linkage. 2. Check the shift arm position and movement - it should not stress the shift rod. 3. Check the shift rod for any contact during the full up and down movement path. 4. Check the Heim joints are not seized Those are the primary visual checks I run.
thank you for that information. i have managed to sort it this morning. i kind of played around with it so more but will look at what you have mentioned. thank you @@catalystreactionsbw
Have you checked clutch free play at the lever with a hot engine? I am curious to see if that has been done. The other aspect is too make sure the shifter is not too high as that will put you in neutral often by mistake.
Yes i set the freeplay while the engine was hot i was paying attention during your video i promise lol. you were right though the shifter was too high and adjusting it seems to have fixed the problem. Thanks Dave!
I install new aftermarket clutch lever on my bike ... but after i install it it become loose and when i grabbed it wont go back to original position ... am i install my clutch wrong or something else
@@mynameismrmeow Look at the OEM lever, it will have a golf bushing where the bolt goes through. Sometimes that needs to be removed and put into the aftermarket lever
Thank you. I use the MV as a coaching bike and sometimes that means showing a person around the track two up. Having a stock bike also allows riders to see that you do not need to spend $$$ on modifications and weight reduction.
Sadly, my 2019 R3 won’t let me angle the brake lever any lower than it is. I forgot why; I only recall my disappointment. Master cylinder hits the windshield fairing or something.
All the Levers on my Yamaha FZ-07 were way out of whack from the Dealer. I would not have fit anyone properly . The rear brake has a lot of free play which means it takes longer to apply the brake. If I adjust it Properly then the brake light won't go on . Very Frustrating. It needs a brake pressure switch instead of a lever pulling on a switch .. I have tried every adjustment possible and can't get the brake light to go on. Luckly I have an Admore LED on the License plate that sensed de-acceleration and of course I have my front brake that works well .
@@TWIRKNOLOVE Good Point. I used to have a couple of spares in my Shop.. My 6 wheel drive truck has an air over brake fluid traction lock system .. and I like to have the light on the dash working to let me know when my differentials and spiders are locked. Still would need the proper T to plumb it .. and the Yamaha is probably Metric .
Depending on your technique, you would assess that as part of your unique setting. You may have to move the lever out more, but the question is how old is the brake fluid? It is good for 90 days to 3 months. I change mine every 4 months as it is very cheap and a simple task. What i do not use I give to a new rider or friend to use.
With the adjustment of the clutch lever, is there likely to be cable slack because the tension has been changed due to its new angle? If so, how much would need to be dialed back for optimum use? Thanks.
Shouldn't people be riding with the brake covered at all times anyway? That's what I do and there's no issue accelerating into braking or any impediment of accelerating short of needing to whack wide open. Maybe it's different on track.
If you choose to ride that way, are you pull the lever in the correct plane compared to your forearm? If not, then you lose a great deal of efficiency. If you palm is above or below your forearm, then the lever pull is incorrect biomechanically.
Where the pin fits, would it be possible to change it to a slot instead of a hole? Could you remove the pin? Just a couple of thoughts for you to ponder.
Would have been good for you to be wearing your motorcycle boots when showing the pedal adjustments .. And if you ever went for a "quick run" wearing those running shoes .... laces looking a bit on the dangerously long / sloppy side ;)
Agreed with you on boots. We should have done that but the camera picked up very little foot/ankle movement so different color upper would be needed for much better contrast.
Is there a reason not to ride with a finger/two fingers ‘open’ and ready to cover the brakes at all times? It’s become second nature to me, but I can definitely imagine that I’m compromising *something* by not having all fingers on throttle.
You can ride however you choose with finger placement and the number of fingers used. Technique is what feels most natural but sometimes that is "natural" based on incorrect ergo's
@@catalystreactionsbw "...but sometimes that is "natural" based on incorrect ergo's" Aye! That's exactly what I'm concerned about. In any case, something needs to be changed :D
Before we start adjusting levers, one should remember that super sports are to be ridden with elbows close to the ribs and not as moto X. When we do that movement we realize how much our fingers moving up and down. So that's the first test before we start spannering, our Japanese friends and some European manufacturers set them correctly from the first place. I hope that helps a bit.
This video assumes it is normal on a sports bike to have your arm at about a 45° angle to the handlebars. Your forearm should be parallel with the ground...then adjust levers. If you want a relaxed seating position, a sports bike is not a good idea.
You don't brake in a tuck, you lift your head up so yeah your arms are at an angle. Maybe not 45 degrees all the time like how he's sitting on the bike, but definitely not parrelel to the ground either
@@jeffbarnard348 Agreed, raising your head to brake is a common technique. On the other hand, 95% of the time when you are not braking, and in a tucked position, some riders prefer to have their levers set for instant access if needed without having to raise the head and body up to reach the levers.
