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Rizoma RRC Adj Lever installed - Now brake feels like an on-off switch

6618 Views 6 Replies 4 Participants Last post by  Shazaam!, 
PaulM821
A couple weeks ago, I had the dealer install a set of Rizoma RRC Adjustable Brake/Clutch levers on my Monster 821. They are nice levers and I like that I can adjust them to fit my hands, however, on my ride home, the braking feel was very different than the OEM lever.

It stops fine if I squeeze hard, but there is no longer a progressive feel to the brakes. There is a long lever travel with no braking force at all until I give it a very strong squeeze. Before, I could modulate the front brakes easily and get excellent stopping power with two fingers. Now it feels more like an on-off switch and requires a much stronger squeeze on the lever to get good stopping power.

I definitely do not like the feel of the front brake now – it’s not very confidence inspiring. I know I need to take this up with the dealer since they did the installation, but I thought I’d ask for some input here before I talk to them.

I’m trying to figure out if this is just how the new levers feel, or if there was a problem with their installation.
What would cause the brakes to feel this way?

Air in the lines? -- Does a lever installation require them to open up the master cylinder? The brake does not feel mushy, it feels more like nothing…nothing… then bam – brakes.

Adjustment at the master cylinder? Could it be related to the plunger pin that goes into the master cylinder? I see that the plunger pin is threaded.

After my ride today, I’m ready to have the OEM levers put back on if these cannot be made to feel right.
I plan on contacting the dealer on Tuesday, but I would welcome your comments.

Thanks, Paul

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Hold Fast
PaulM821 said:
Adjustment at the master cylinder? Could it be related to the plunger pin that goes into the master cylinder? I see that the plunger pin is threaded.
Click to expand...
Yes, that should be what's making it feel like an on/off switch. There is no possible way that those can come pre-set to your liking so you need to back off that screw some until you get it to the point where it works for you.

EDIT: I missed the part where you said the dealer installed it ... this is not hard ... do it yourself.
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PaulM821
Thanks. I'll experiment with that pin and see if I can get an improvement in feel.

This was the response I got from the dealer: "...did you adjust them inward? I know you're wanting to adapt the bike for your stance, but when the levers are moved inward (toward the grips), they sacrifice the distance of "throw" the pin has going into the plunger of the master cylinder. This is likely what is causing the "on/off switch" feel and is a common problem for many riders."

While that may be true, what's the point of installing adjustable levers? The reason I bought them was to adjust them inward...
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PaulM821
So I found some time to ride this afternoon and I took along a screwdriver to make adjustments. Hold Fast, you were right... I was able to adjust the pin and change the feel of the brakes. I backed it out at quarter turn increments and the progressive feel returned.

I also experimented with the lever adjustments and found that it did also change the feel from click 2 to click 3.

I'll continue to fine tune it but thanks for the assist.

Paul
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Hold Fast
Glad that's all it was. I still think the dealer should have at least told about that.
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Aku308
Hold Fast said:
Yes, that should be what's making it feel like an on/off switch. There is no possible way that those can come pre-set to your liking so you need to back off that screw some until you get it to the point where it works for you.

EDIT: I missed the part where you said the dealer installed it ... this is not hard ... do it yourself.
Click to expand...
Thank you dude . Stock levers I was able to roll out throttle and realse clutch slow and felt the bite like at 20 to 30% release of clutch

With new CRG levers it doesn't bite till 95% of the lever is out . I was wondering if I had to make the push rod longer or shorter . You've saved me. No where that I googled it or youtube videos showed or explained it . Love you guy
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Shazaam!
The installation of aftermarket levers such as CRG and Rizoma often require an adjustment of the master cylinder piston rest position to assure that there is the correct amount of freeplay at the lever. Without this freeplay, the master cylinder will not fill properly and the problem will progress until you get functional failure. If you're unfamiliar with the concept of freeplay, take it to a trusted mechanic, dude.
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