Triumph Bonneville T120, Replacing/upgrading the brake and clutch levers/TEC bike parts! 

Hello Stuart. I would suggest that you take your right hand index finder (digit two if a physician) and run it across your left hand with pressure across the heart line (upper crease) in your left hand. If you feel a definite bump below the little finger (digit five if a physician) and your middle finger (digit three if a physician) you have cysts on those finger tendons. Very common as you age and digit five and three are usually the first to have cysts. Here in the colonies we refer to them as trigger fingers. I sold my bikes and gave up riding because I could not release a motorcycle clutch. The solution is a steroid injection into the cysts with a syringe that is applied until the cyst explodes and usually solves the trigger finger problem. I actually gave up riding because I could not use the clutch on a motorcycle anymore. Had the procedure done when I found a competent geriatric doctor and am now riding again. Cheers.

Thank you for taking the time to step-by-step this process. It's appreciated from someone just getting into motorcycles with essentially no prior knowledge.

Stuart, what a glorious source of straight forward accurate information from a bikers perspective! I very recently bought a 2001 T100 that has only 5k miles and had been laid up for 9 years! Must be a story there somewhere .. anyway, all fully serviced, MOT, new parts including front wheel and tyre, though has a large dent on top of the fuel tank. Ex sheet metal worker, so will be looking at a fix for that. Thank you so much, I think there will be lots of component parts that may require attention/replacement. I have rebuilt a 1959 T100 as a teenager and enjoyed it all and I am a stickler for quality at all costs. Your enthusiasm, knowledge and honesty is refreshing, never go into politics! Down the road from you in Hemswell, Lincs but look after the racket servicing for the squash prima donnas there once a year for a week, great people. All the best, Liam

Just completed this swap thanks to your video! They look and feel great, especially when compared to the stock units (also didn’t hurt they were priced WAY below the Triumph aftermarket levers). Cheers!

Iam 53 and I had a T100 2017 , and had the same problem with my left 🤚 hand, Thanks for this review. Watching you review I just got me a T120 2018 I just love this motorcycle, I got my new motorcycle at Brooklyn triumph. Great salesman. Thanks for all you're videos. 😄🙏🏽👍🏽

Very thorough walk-through, Stuart. Thanks for another quality video. Enjoy your weekend!

Will order those same parts for my Street Cup... Thanks for the installation method and all the good information you gave ! Brake / clutch levers are top notch and not overpriced at all. George at TEC is the man ! ;-)

Hello Stuart...I have been watching your channel prior to buying my '17 Bobber a couple years ago. All of your videos are great and I just installed the TEC levers on my bike. Very nice upgrade for very small expense. Thanks very much for your detailed content.

thank you very much for your content. Watching this specific video helped me install these levers on my 2018 Street Twin in minutes and correctly the first try :)

Thanks for the vid. As usual very well explained and carried out! I've ordered the levers and the bracket from TEC.

Your video really helped and gave me the confidence to work on my motorcycle. Thank you

Just completed the swap to these levers on my Street Twin. Theyre fantastic. Great video Stuart!

Great video, really made changing the levers a snap. Thank you!

Great tutorial, I am going to replace the levers of my 2015 triumph scrambler this morning. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks Stuart. You've done it again! Great video.

Just picked these up for my new Trident 660, can’t wait to put them on. Thanks for the video, makes it look easy 👍

Hi Stuart Thank you for your superb videos. I have just fitted a pair or these excellent levers, a simple enough job but made a lot easier by your video. The tips regarding taking care with the micro switches may well have saved me some grief! Cheers, Steve

Thanks for your great tips. I am sure that your video is very helpful to change the brake and clutch levers of bonnevile t100 and t120. Next time, I wil do it.

I just did my very first motorcycle repair! My wife just got her motorcycle license a few weeks ago and bought a Triumph street twin. She dropped the bike several times on her first day of riding and broke both levers. I ordered the Tec levers after watching your video and replaced them with ease. Thanks for the walkthrough!

I want to thank you Stuart, I’m certainly not particularly handy with a spanner. On fitting a pair of these on my T120 Black I was wondering why my clutch lever was rather wobbly! On further investigation or rather watching your video for about the 10th time, I realised I hadn’t inserted the brass bush! Happy days😉 sorted and excellent. Keep up the good work. It’s rather addicting this modding when you get started, costing me a bomb!

Thanks for the review Stuart. I've ordered a pair of the levers. Same problem with my left hand. Bought a centre stand from George a few weeks ago for my T 100 and it was easy to fit and works great.

I have a set of these on the way for my Street Cup. The more modern performance and styling should suit the bike quite well. Thanks for a thorough how-to, I’ll be using it soon!

Installed these today after I got home from a group ride... and WOW, big difference in comfort ... and literally a 3rd of the price of the Triumph version (which are nearly identical). Amazing bang for the buck... thanks again Stuart for the heads-up and recommendation. I have now done the TEC Fork Spring upgrade and the TEC Levers... quality products. Next up, rear shocks.

Yet another excellent video showing new upgrade parts and how to install them. I agree with you Stuart the new levers do look better quality. I've used lots of TEC bike parts and found them an excellent company to do business with.

Thanks for this! I've had similar issues with the clutch and brake levers vs. my hands on my T120 after prolonged rides, as well. *** After discovering how poorly made the levers are (perhaps I won the bad lever lottery), the brake lever having a surprise *break* while riding (thankfully it wasn't followed by my suffering a break), I decided to upgrade. An upgrade many perform when they first obtain a new-to-them bike. [the brake lever actually snapped in half towards the tip - I stopped and picked it up off the road, as the end is sharp - Whoever buys this bike someday can have it and the old levers] This is one of those upgrades, once installed, I wish I had done when first getting the bike. I'll be doing this for my other and future bikes, as well - in addition to positioning the levers, most likely asymmetrically, to the most pragmatic/operationally safest horizontal, reach and tension positions, which I also hadn't done. The new levers make such a difference... and they're beautiful, to boot. The stock levers aren't attractive. Mine had a dull gray and unrefined finish, which is surprising considering the brand and price point, and are serviceable, at best. The clutch did have a tension switch, which not all do. The new levers feel better. They're more ergonomically designed, with a bend in the grip, and they can be adjusted in more ways and extended/shortened. They're also designed to pivot if struck, so as not to break, seem much more solid and better constructed and, thanks to a disregard for IP, are emblazoned with the Triumph name. Plus, they're black, which matches the bike.

Very helpful video Thanks for posting

Yet another quality vid

Great Job Stuart, I hope this helps your hand out! Take care.

Thanks for the help!

Another great mod for your bike. I put a pair of Pazzos black levers on my TTR for much the same reasons you noted. One tip I found on a video after my install that would have made the clutch lever install much easier is the adjuster at the clutch lever perch is also slotted. If you line the slot of the adjuster up with the cable perch slot, you can extract more of the cable end from the perch which makes it much easier to remove and insert the clutch cable end into the lever slot during the install.

Hey Stuart, another excellent production and one eagerly awaited. On long rides I get the same problem but it's more in the tendons of my wrist. I was hoping at some point you'd look at levers - and by jingo you've done it! From the day I got my T120 I always thought the Triumph factory fitted ones were awful. They just look so cheap & nasty on a premium bike. Even though mine is the silver/cranberry colour scheme, these Tec levers will be my first mod. Thankyou again sir for a fantastic, informative video. Have a great weekend.

Thx for the instructions

The black levers look great.

great video, thanks for that.

Informative..Thank you!

Yes, somehow levers from factory are not so good so we too found the aftermaket ones moir esuitable. At first they looked just bling but there is also a reason included. Very good video again! Thanks!

Hi Stuart, I have also had problems with my hands, l fitted a pair of grip puppies which helped giving a slightly thicker grip. Now to fit these levers and hope l get the same results as you. Great videos keep up the good work

As usual Stuart another great video I must say I'm very impressed with Tec parts prices are good and the quality is really good to have you considered an x pipe conversion 😎

I’m putting my Triumph Rocket in part Exchange for a Triumph Bonneville this week.

Another nice review .... for me, those levers would probably look nicer without any logos stuck on them.

The new levers look great! But you forgot to mention the cake!!

Hi, Stuart. I also used this video to guide me while installing the Triumph Accessories clutch cable bracket and your tips helped ensure that the job only took the claimed 5 minutes to complete. Again, thank you very much for your videos. You are quickly becoming my go-to channel for "T120 How-to".

Those would look very nice in my Bobber! Triumph wants around 125 $ for a black pair. I’ll go with Tec . Thanks for the awesome video.

Thanks Stuart. Is the procedure similar for the Interceptor, especially the brass bit inserted in the pivot point of the clutch lever?

HI STUART ! I HEARD YOU SAY , YOU WERE DOING MORE MODS ! WELL ONE I DID TO MY THRUXTON, IS "NOLOGY " COILS AND SPARK PLUG WIRES ! AND LOVE THE POWER, AND CLEAN RUNNING STRONGER ENGINE ! I ALSO USED THERE SILVER PLUGS , BUT LOOK INTO "BRISK" PLUGS THERE " EVO" . AFTER I THEN DROPED THREE THEETH ON THE REAR SPROCKET , AND STILL HAVE BETTER PULL AND TALLER GEARS !

Hello, could you please share long term review of the levers ( comfort , how they lasted till now and any additional) . Thank you

I had those clutch cable brackets for sale but didn't know where it went. Thank you for all the info!! I haven't seen you use lock tite... ??

Those black levers look so much better. I have a similar issue with my clutch hand, when in traffic the two fingers I use for clutch control really ache. I keep trying to use all my fingers for operating the lever but it just feels wrong. The clutch on my bike is particularly heavy, good excuse to get a new bike 😉

Nice video Stuart. I was wondering how these would look on the bike, as I thought they may be too modern, but they do look good. I also managed to get a proper look at how you have set up your Halcyon 820's, I was please to see that they don't stick out as much as I'd feared. I now have a pair on order. Thanks again for your great attention to detail.

Hey stuart. Where did you get those bar end mirrors?

Those new levers look much better than the originals! I'm surprised that Triumph had quite frankly, those junky originals. Yes the bike is for customizing. But then again, it should be less expensive. I would think those brake levers would come in in a silver/chrome version and possibly without the aesthetic holes in them. I think that would satisfy the people who want a more vintage look while still having great ergonomic and quality improvements. I'm sure TEC is way ahead of the game and already creating them. :-P

great video Stuart i swapped my leavers on my sports bike to the short leavers looked great but i found every now and again ur hand would slip of the end ,and if u did some late braking this could be a concern in the end took the brake one off

Must be a generic triumph thing most of the parts you want to change have been changed by me now on the speed triple like you said its good to look at various sites to get a better deal really like the clutch cable holder👍😁🍀

Hi again Stuart, Great review as usual. I have actually developed a different clutch arm problem and have started to think it might be the lever. I have pain between my elbow and wrist. Different, I know, but I am going to look for a new set of levers now. I am in Thailand so I will probably end up with whatever is available here. The Triumph replacement levers are available but I don't know how much they are. Whatever price they are there are sure to be some triumph modifiers here who have sourced an alternative. Keep up the good work!

Thanks for the how-to. One issue I've encountered is that the clutch lever bushing top is smooth and round. The nut is a pressure nut and you can't keep the smooth top from spinning no matter what you do. Maybe I missed a step but I'm at a dead stop with this.

Nice bits ! The clutch cover bolts are definitely 8Nm .

Hey Stuart, do you have any advice on removing that brass bushing for the clutch lever seen at 11:32? Mine seems seized or part of the lever itself.

Hi Stuart, Installed these some weeks ago. All went fine. However the brake lever has a lot of ‘play’ before the brakes actually engage. This was the case already with the OEM levers off course but with the shape of the Tec’s I notice it a bit more as I can trap my fingers with two-finger-braking. Do you know of any way to reduce the length of travel/play before the brakes grab? It’s a lot and I can ‘bottom out’ the brake as well wherein there is a mechanical stop (the lever bottoms out the rubber pump) to the amount of force I can apply. Pads are fine, fluid too, only 4000kms on the bike. Haynes manual doesn’t mention anything either.

Top vid... thx

These or the triumph branded adjustable levers?

Yes, I'm sure you didn't enjoy it at all! Haha. The helmet and goggles look great!

Moi je n’arrive pas à enlever la vis noir en dessous … elle tourne dans le vent. Des conseils ? Merci

Stuart, what year 120 is this a 2017? Do you happen to know if the issue has been resolved by Triumph on the latest year model? If the accessory replacement offered by Triumph doesn't have the problem? Are there any other oem parts that might be of similar concern on the latest 120?

"somewhere safe"... on your seat! 😂

Dang, sounded like you had a case of ulnar palsy. Did you have numbness and tingling in your 4th and 5th fingers as well?

Can't remove the nut off the retaining pin of the clutch lever. Maybe it's the style of nut which has platic in the threading portion for a better hold but it is impossible to remove since the pin itself spins and will not stay put in order to get leverage.

CAn I install it in Continental GT 650?

Can yu get wafers with them?

Update: I had to cut a notch on the top of the pin with a Dremel.

If this doesn't completely fix the cramping problem, perhaps rotating the lever a few degrees up or down could be worth a try. A slight change of wrist angle can make a big difference. Ah the joys of getting old. :))

Nice upgrade , the black looks really nice compared to the original. Another thing about your fingers locking up, it sounds like you have trigger finger. If it recurs, you probably need an orthopaedic visit, anyway thanks for the great video.

Did the new levers alleviate the cramping at all? I've the same problem.

Dont know if it's a case of great minds thinking alike, or fools being of the same opinion............. I've just bought the same set from TEC, for my Thruxton R. Slightly different fitting procedure, but not so much as to make any difference. They look sooooo much better. The mismatch with the standard levers was driving me mad. Much better now.

Hi Stuart, have been watching your T120 videos avidly and love your take on the whole biking culture. I'm actually a complete newbie and am coming to motorbikes late (ignore the outdated profile pic). I've just completed my CBT and am looking to progress to a full license as soon as I can, hence the consumption of T120 videos by you and others. What advice would you have for someone in my position as I'm pretty sure I'm not alone on this journey? A beginner A-Z (in your own inimitable style) would be a winner IMHO. Thanks and keep up the great work!

Would the installation be similar on the older air cooled ? Thanks

Keep us posted, Stuart on weather your hand problem has remedied itself as a result?

I know I’m late to the party but why didn’t you totally remove the clutch cable from the lever support assembly? I’m sure that would have made removing and fitting the new levers somewhat easier.

I bought the recommended and was disappointed. I now use the one from the Bobber who are also black.

Do you know if these would also fit on the air cooled Bonnevilles?

I have in the past bought a few things from tec for my oil cooled bonnie and have been pleasantly surprised with the price and quality I'm thinking I might get a T120 for my retirement bike but as yet I haven't tried one I currently have a explora & a thruxton r but my bad back is playing up and I'm looking for something a little lighter and more comfortable

hallo , i did brake the micro switch ; (( is this a piece you can order ? i di not find it at th triumph parts list . gtz from belgium geert

Oh sheesh, MORE TEC purchases now going on my bike!

I just wish they put the Tec logo somewhere else rather than the outside of the lever. Really ruins the look of them for me

Las nuevas serán mejores, pero le quedan mejor las originales.