ASV Levers review

Harry Muff · 03-26-2009, 4:08 PM

Hey guys.

Just wanted to post a quick review of the ASV regular length levers I just bought for my '06 CBR1000RR.

I love 'em. Stupid amounts of adjustability, easy enough to fit (we'll come to that in just a mo), and they look amazing.

Yes, they are expensive (£150 in the U.K.) but they make the bike feel so much easier to control.

For me the standard brake lever was far too close to the handlebar, even on it's maximum setting, making me think that the brakes weren't all that great. I was wrong. I've set it much further out now and it gives me much more confidence in grabbing a handful of brake.

Just as big an improvement has been the clutch lever.
Again, massive amounts of adjustability. With the standard lever, it was just too far out (and I have long fingers) and I was always catching myself holding it with my fingers instead of letting go completely. It was also the culprit for almost making me drop my bike. It's gone now.

Both the levers feel a tiny bit shorter than the stock ones too.

Downsides? (Apart from the price). Fitting the brake lever, I noticed that the brake light wouldn't go off without letting go of the lever quickly. Closer inspection revealed that the switch wasn't sticking. It was the lever not getting close enough to push it in (the switch acts to turn "off" the brake light, not "on". I fixed the problem by adding a few layers of black tape to the part that comes in to contact with the switch and trimmed off the excess. Looks fine and works perfectly now.

Of course you don't want to be doing that with a £75 lever but I didn't mind.
One thing I might try is to fit one of the other tabs the the lever comes supplied with for fitting to Kawasaki and Suzuki bikes. Might be that the wrong part was in the wrong bag. I'll let you know.

Either way, the levers work perfectly and make for a much better ride experience. And anything that makes riding a lot safer and more enjoyable is worth double the price! I can't praise them enough.

They also say they are unbreakable but I haven't got round to trying that out yet...

As you can tell, I am very impressed by these levers and I would at least recommend them to anyone with a CBR1000RR '04-'07.

They change the riding experience that much.

Hope this is of help to anyone considering taking the plunge.

Just do it.

Harry.

HondaBull929 · 04-04-2009, 8:03 AM

Thanks for the review. I've been looking into getting some levers.
Like the way the ASV's look and I too would love some added adjustability in both the levers.
Sounds like they are worth their weight.

shakey1378 · 04-14-2009, 5:59 PM

good review! i have the shorties on my 929 and didnt have an issue with the brake lights at all. definately feels better than stock and the adjustability is great.

Harry Muff · 04-14-2009, 6:22 PM

Thanks guys.

la95900rr · 04-14-2009, 7:59 PM

I just installed a set on my 04 last week and the brake light did the same thing. I put a towel in a vice and clamped the tab down and tweaked it a little bit. Also on my set the screw holes to mount the clutch switch pad weren't tapped deep enough so i had to fix that also. I was a little upset considering how much i paid for them. After the first ride with them i no longer had any doubts about the purchase, they are worth every penny.

iceman954 · 04-15-2009, 6:57 PM

put plazzo ones on954 great job slick action... sorry i dint get the short ones...

Harry Muff · 04-15-2009, 7:06 PM

I looked at those but didn't like the idea of only 6 set positions. Knowing me, I'd want a setting between two of the positions.

The ASVs effectively give you 100 positions with 3" of movement. There's something for everyone in there.

spina220 · 04-15-2009, 7:14 PM

I put crg's on my 954 and the new positions I can no put my levers in make a huge positive difference for me. I think that any aftermarket lever you can adjust to your own comfortable position is money well spent no matter how much it cost.

cbrbiker60007 · 04-27-2009, 7:46 PM

hey guys, im thinkin about getting short levers for my 2007 cbr600rr. just wanderin if anyone could tell if they make it difficult to do anything like pull in the clutch the whole way or brake hard. thanks

shakey1378 · 04-27-2009, 7:53 PM

no pull is the same. maybe a bit better feel at the lever with the asv's

Kiwiboy · 05-02-2009, 4:27 PM

Thanks for the review Harry.

Going to be picking up my new blade from the dealer in 7 Days time

Was looking at possibly getting a set but not cheap at £160 for a set.

How do these compare with other brands like the PAZZO levers, ect?

Cheers

Steve

shakey1378 · 05-02-2009, 5:13 PM

pazzo's dont have the fold away incase of a fall and asv guarantees theres for 5yrs if you break one they will replace it. asv also has more adjustability. pazzo's still a good lever. buy what fits your budget. cant go wrong with either. i just felt it was worth it for the asv's for the deal i got.

Harry Muff · 05-03-2009, 7:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kiwiboy

Thanks for the review Harry.

Going to be picking up my new blade from the dealer in 7 Days time

Was looking at possibly getting a set but not cheap at £160 for a set.

How do these compare with other brands like the PAZZO levers, ect?

Cheers

Steve

Well, it was all about the adjustability for me. Like I said in an earlier post, the six positions don't allow enough fine tuning for me. All the bikes I've seen at meets have had the levers set to maximum or minimum settings.
With the 3" movement that the ASV levers give, maximum or minimum is miles out or practically touching the bar with ultra fine tuning everywhere in between.

They look the dog's favourite bits too. You won't regret it when you open up the nicely made box for the first time. I haven't regret it for a second since buying them.

Incidentally, I got mine at Calsport for £148.50 delivered. Turns out they are the same fitment as the GSX-R1000 too.

Kiwiboy · 05-03-2009, 10:00 AM

Quote:

They look the dog's favourite bits too. You won't regret it when you open up the nicely made box for the first time. I haven't regret it for a second since buying them.

Incidentally, I got mine at Calsport for £148.50 delivered. Turns out they are the same fitment as the GSX-R1000 too.

Cheers I'll have a look at their website. My bike already comes fully loaded with all the R&G crash protecters and tail tidy as they used it for one of their catalouge photos and i also brought a Zero Gravity DB screen so I've just got to convince the wife that these levers are a must have item

Typical as we get a long weekend with good weather and I've got to wait until next weekend until i get the bike from the dealers

Cheers

Steve

jesse954 · 05-03-2009, 10:46 AM

I have pazzo shorty's on my '54 and love them. Soon as a I changed them, there was a noticeble difference in pull and they feel great. As far as lasting, I went down and my entire left clip on broke off. I'm still using the same levers though. That might be attributed to the shorty length not sticking out enough to catch on anything. They feel sort of like my mountain bike, in that I only use two fingers for clutch and one finger for braking. With EBC pads, any more than one finger is just over kill.

JSquier · 05-22-2009, 4:43 PM

I have the shorty ASVs as well. Also had the problem with the brake light.

If I were to do it again, I would go with the standard length clutch because I always pull mine in all the way, so my loose fingers get in the way. I've pretty much gotten used to it now though.

shakey1378 · 05-22-2009, 8:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JSquier

I have the shorty ASVs as well. Also had the problem with the brake light.

If I were to do it again, I would go with the standard length clutch because I always pull mine in all the way, so my loose fingers get in the way. I've pretty much gotten used to it now though.

if you make sure the clutch perch is all the way to the right it shouldnt catch on your ring finger. or play with the adjustment, you may have it to far out. i have big hands and it doesnt hit my other digits...

Mor · 06-23-2009, 1:41 PM

I put Rizoma's on my sc59. Very good fitting and I love the look.

Bigtoe · 06-24-2009, 4:26 PM

I have the CRG shotys on my 07 CBR1000RR. I love them so much I just ordered a set for my RC51.

The Fleckster · 08-25-2009, 3:01 AM

I just installed my ASV's this past weekend. I got them at Bills Bike & Gear in CA through his one time promo deal for $160 +15 S&H/paypal fees so $175 total. I got the long clutch lever as i use it in town and dont like my fingers under it. It keeps the fatigue down to a min in alot of town riding situations. I got the shorty brake lever.
180 clicks of adjustement and i installed them with a 10MM wrench, flatblade screwdriver, small phillips screwdriver, white lithium grease, and a dab of blue locktight for the bolt on electrical model specific tabs. It took about 15 minuts and they worked perfectley.

Happy customer A+++

flightmedic954 · 09-08-2009, 2:19 AM

best levers available.

The Gerd · 09-19-2009, 12:29 PM

Love my Shorty ASV levers in Gold which incidentally looks orange, which goes well with my repsol. I had the brake light switch problem but it was just a matter of loosening the screws on the tab and pushing the tab closer to the switch while tightening the screws back up.

I like the shorty clutch...at first i thought it would suck but its grown on me.

http://i6.photobucket.com/albums/y21...t/P8040162.jpg

splatty · 09-27-2009, 6:08 AM

I found the short clutch lever a little odd at first, but once used to it, it feels totally normal. Iput black shortys on my black and white blade, I think they look awesome.

http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/p...y/DSC00004.jpg

http://i392.photobucket.com/albums/p...y/DSC00006.jpg

-Z- · 09-27-2009, 4:14 PM

Got CRG's on the 954 already, so I went and got a set of ASV's for my VFR. It feels a little weird at first but that's probably because I've had the stock levers on there for the last ten years. The more I ride it, the more I like them. Now when I switch bikes it doesn't take me a whole 5 minutes to get re-adjusted to the controls.

BigE · 10-12-2009, 12:20 PM

Thanks for the review, just fitted ASV shorties to my 09, no problems with the brake light switch on mine. I did have to move the clutch level along the handlebar tho as on full lock the clutch lever was touching the fairing. Easy to fit and bags more feel on the brake as I've set the lever further out due to my long reach. I two finger brake so the shorties were perfect