Cheap Chinese levers - first impressions

[SPP]

What and where
The title says it all. $115 for shorty knock offs from Trademe. 6 days (incl weekend) to deliver to rural address and was very well packaged. I bought these thinking that I could try out shorty levers and if I liked them but these fell apart then I’d just stump up for the real deal. For now I'm pretty happy with them. Lets see in a few weeks.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Parts-for-sale/Brakes/auction-305579412.htm

Installation
“Customer please install by specialist”… I’d be embarrassed to call someone in to do the job. Two bolts and about 30mins… and that included hunting for the Teflon grease, pissing around lubing everything, and taking pictures.

First Impressions
I’m not a metallurgist but the quality seems ok. Lever slop is no more than Honda levers. The little bolts are a bit chintzy but the levers are fine.

In use
Brake – I could never get comfortable using two fingers so I’ve gotten into a habit of leaving only one finger up there. With these, sitting two fingers on the lever feels perfect.
Clutch – I have to use three fingers because the lever jams my free fingers into the grip if I don’t…. just like the Honda lever. The best thing though is that once the cable play is set it’s much easier to adjust the clutch throw. A click or two and the clutch grabs exactly where I want it without having a sloppy lever.

Pimp value
Black shorty’s definitely look better and “hardly broken when bike fall”.

[R6_kid]

spotted these and wondered what sorta quality they'd be. Might try and track the guy down to match some up to my bike. Having an aftermarket master cylinder is nice but a bit of a pain in the ass to find levers for!

[miloking]

What and where
The title says it all. $115 for shorty knock offs from Trademe. 6 days (incl weekend) to deliver to rural address and was very well packaged. I bought these thinking that I could try out shorty levers and if I liked them but these fell apart then I’d just stump up for the real deal. For now I'm pretty happy with them. Lets see in a few weeks.
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Trade-Me-Motors/Motorbikes/Parts-for-sale/Brakes/auction-305579412.htm

Installation
“Customer please install by specialist”… I’d be embarrassed to call someone in to do the job. Two bolts and about 30mins… and that included hunting for the Teflon grease, pissing around lubing everything, and taking pictures.

First Impressions
I’m not a metallurgist but the quality seems ok. Lever slop is no more than Honda levers. The little bolts are a bit chintzy but the levers are fine.

In use
Brake – I could never get comfortable using two fingers so I’ve gotten into a habit of leaving only one finger up there. With these, sitting two fingers on the lever feels perfect.
Clutch – I have to use three fingers because the lever jams my free fingers into the grip if I don’t…. just like the Honda lever. The best thing though is that once the cable play is set it’s much easier to adjust the clutch throw. A click or two and the clutch grabs exactly where I want it without having a sloppy lever.

Pimp value
Black shorty’s definitely look better and “hardly broken when bike fall”.

Nice, i also have a set of full lenght on my CBR but bought fron Egay not tardme (same levers just directly from china :D) and iam pretty happy with them ... i guess the cynical response would be "iam pretty happy with them until i grab handful of brake and nothing happens" but so far so good...
Also they are copies of Pazzo levers but the adjuster isnt realy red (as pazzos) but more magenta but who cares...

[ital916]

Just letting you guys know we can get these levers in at motomail. We have a few on the shelf if you want a closer look before considering them.

[imdying]

Good plan, we should all buy a set and support ripping off Pazzos gear. Then, when they finally go out of business, we can all sit and twiddle our thumbs now that the gooks have nobody to steal designs from.

[ckai]

Good plan, we should all buy a set and support ripping off Pazzos gear. Then, when they finally go out of business, we can all sit and twiddle our thumbs now that the gooks have nobody to steal designs from.

hahah it could be argued (if we're being really cynical) that Pazzo "ripped" off manufacturers like ASV. ;)

Pazzo has only been around for only a few years but are doing bloody well. I have Pazzo's and love them (after ASV shagged me around) but they do cut corners to make there's cheaper than the competitors, just like these cheap chinese knock-offs.

Hell, it comes down to being prepared to pay for what you get. More you pay - more quality you get. But is it worth all the extra money?

I do get annoyed with Chinese companies always copying and not coming up with anything themselves, but that's what they do.

These levers look reasonable though. Me, I'll stick with Pazzo's.

[imdying]

hahah it could be argued (if we're being really cynical) that Pazzo "ripped" off manufacturers like ASV. ;)Only by somebody ignorant of the individual designs. Pazzo, CRG, and ASV all manufacture different designs of levers; the Chinese ones are a direct rip off of Pazzo's design.


Hell, it comes down to being prepared to pay for what you get. More you pay - more quality you get. But is it worth all the extra money?No, it comes down to theft of a design, which isn't a problem in China. I wonder if it is actually legal to import these into New Zealand?


These levers look reasonable though. Me, I'll stick with Pazzo's.I don't doubt they're ok to use, the Chinese can make good products if they choose to.

[Suntoucher]

As good as shorties look, are they nicer to use?

[R6_kid]

O it comes down to theft of a design, which isn't a problem in China. I wonder if it is actually legal to import these into New Zealand?

Surely it's fine as long as they aren't plastered with Pazzo branding?

[R6_kid]

Just letting you guys know we can get these levers in at motomail. We have a few on the shelf if you want a closer look before considering them.

What's your price?

[Ivan]

Im running a brake lever yetto get a clutch through a mate who sponsors me these levers are incredibly good believe it or not very good adjustment and good feel and a good fit as well

[SPP]

As good as shorties look, are they nicer to use?

I’ve only just starting using them (and on a sportbike) but yes much nicer. It’s immediately noticeable that they’re better suited for how I hold the grips.

The brake lever is more comfortable for two finger braking. The clutch lever can be adjusted for early engagement without having too much play.

I can't comment on the durability of these yet but they work well. There are better quality shorty levers out there though (Titax, CRG, ASV, Pazzo...)

[AllanB]

I've seen these on E-bay. Appeared too cheap to be any good!!!!!!

In reality there is absolutely no reason for them not to be as good as the masters they copied them from :innocent: they have access to decent metals and machinery to make them.

I just worry about that moment of panic braking from some naughty speed and the lever shitting itself.

But then chances are some of the bits on my bike were make under license for Honda Japan by the exact same Chinese company.

Funny the power of a companies label.

[boomer]

Good plan, we should all buy a set and support ripping off Pazzos gear. Then, when they finally go out of business, we can all sit and twiddle our thumbs now that the gooks have nobody to steal designs from.

STILL Mr Happy..... i see....! :rofl:


BLING (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOk1qctTHGo)

[dipshit]

I just worry about that moment of panic braking from some naughty speed and the lever shitting itself.

Exactly. Why go cheap just to save yourself a couple of hundred dollars when it comes to your brakes..!

See this... http://www.gixxer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=274298

[vifferman]

No, it comes down to theft of a design, which isn't a problem in China. I wonder if it is actually legal to import these into New Zealand?
Don't see why not - they're available in the USA and Canadia (where Pazzos are made, IIRC). The same discussion and arguments have come up on other biker forums too, although apart from the Gixxer one ('leavers', LOL), I haven't read any reports of them misbehaving.
I'd fit 'em, but I'm not sure I'd try the wave rotors also made in China. A friend of mine in Canadia has them on his VFR, but he's being very careful - first sign of misbehaviour and they're in the trashcan.

[Biggles08]

I thought it may be time for me to put my two cents in...why buy 'imitation' when you can get the real deal 'TITAX' Levers for only $295 A PAIR, any colour combination you want! That's less than $150 per side (if only just). These are EXACTLY the same levers they use in WSBK and MotoGP teams, not some unknown Chinese manufacture. These levers are TUV certified (ISO 9001) so you know what you are getting. Personally I wouldn't mess around with your braking system unless you are 100% confident in the product quality, that's why I haven't used aftermarket levers until I found these as I personally know what its like to have no brake lever at 190kph. PM me for details or go to www.bigglesracing.co.nz (http://www.bigglesracing.co.nz) if your interested :yes:
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[imdying]

Don't see why notI'm not sure either. Customs have a list on their site of companies they they protect the trademarks of on incoming goods. I'm not sure who the genuine Pazzo importer is, so can't check to see if they're on the list. They have put me onto the Ministry of Consumer Affairs. If they say it's not legal, then I'll find the importer, pass the details of what I've found onto them and Pazzo. If you want them, you should get stuck in now; I have no problem spending a little time getting them removed from this country and the parasites who're importing them prosecuted, should it turn out they're not legal to import into New Zealand. If it turns out that it is legal to import counterfeit goods like this, then it's down to each persons own conscience I guess.

[ital916]

What's your price?

we have them priced at $114

[Ivan]

I am not going to say the price of a stock lever you buy from the shop as it might upset some companys but I can tell you the prices are stupid I can tell you these "cheap Chinese Knock offs" were 30 bucks more but I have no problem with them they are just as good as any other lever I race with myne and have not had any issue I love the fact while rding you can adjust the brakes on the go to


Also what is illegal about this? and Whites branded brake levers which are direct copies of OEM levers except a shit load less the price? these here are not Pazzo or Titax they are GP PRO or some name similar come in a nice package alot better than your plastic lunch bag OEM lever and look like a Pazzo Etc they are just a stubby lever with clickers rather than a long OEM lever with a round dial adjuster

[AllanB]

If it is a direct copy you may have a chance to stop the import by a NZ agent - to get around these copyright issues many companies take a brilliant design and modify it slightly - in short, right or wrong, they get away with it :shit:

And then there is all the others - I see lots of CRG bar-end mirror copies available in NZ at about half the cost.

It is interesting that there is not some form of standard that critical items like brake parts should have to meet.

[Biggles08]

It is interesting that there is not some form of standard that critical items like brake parts should have to meet.
VERY good point, for every other part there is...like braided lines etc! I would like to think common sense would prevail in this instance myself...but hey, Darwin's law I guess!:blink:

[DR650gary]

Before everyone gets too outraged at knock offs and copies, we recently had to buy a stock OEM outboard part for a Johnson. $425 (with discount) from supplier in Whangarei, $167.00 delivered ex USA from a dealer in Adelaide. Same part number etc.

Look at many dealer/importer margins.

It's not just Auckland cafes, we are being robbed in this country.

Cheers

[98tls]

I'm not sure either. Customs have a list on their site of companies they they protect the trademarks of on incoming goods. I'm not sure who the genuine Pazzo importer is, so can't check to see if they're on the list. They have put me onto the Ministry of Consumer Affairs. If they say it's not legal, then I'll find the importer, pass the details of what I've found onto them and Pazzo. If you want them, you should get stuck in now; I have no problem spending a little time getting them removed from this country and the parasites who're importing them prosecuted, should it turn out they're not legal to import into New Zealand. If it turns out that it is legal to import counterfeit goods like this, then it's down to each persons own conscience I guess.

Have you seen the thread on the TL site re the knock off set doing the rounds?

[imdying]

Just popped over to the planet for looksie. That's the first time I've heard (apart from the thread about the poor fitting on R1s) of actual quality problems. In a way it's a little surprising, but not in another... I mean, the Chinese are really good at making knock offs so I expected they'd be fine... but then I guess I shouldn't be surprised that they have poor quality anodizing, fitment problems and poor quality fasteners of the incorrect type.

Cosmetic issues aren't the end of the world, I guess you just have to hope like hell you don't get a set with deeper problems?

Digital photos are both a blessing and a curse... they look really good on the auction sites, but the close up shots, not so good.

[Ivan]

i must be running something slightly differnt then cause myne are perfect and fit with ease

[Grubber]

Exactly. Why go cheap just to save yourself a couple of hundred dollars when it comes to your brakes..!

See this... http://www.gixxer.com/forums/showthread.php?t=274298

This is kinda the answer i came searching for!
thanks Dude.

[Grubber]

I'm not sure either. Customs have a list on their site of companies they they protect the trademarks of on incoming goods. I'm not sure who the genuine Pazzo importer is, so can't check to see if they're on the list. They have put me onto the Ministry of Consumer Affairs. If they say it's not legal, then I'll find the importer, pass the details of what I've found onto them and Pazzo. If you want them, you should get stuck in now; I have no problem spending a little time getting them removed from this country and the parasites who're importing them prosecuted, should it turn out they're not legal to import into New Zealand. If it turns out that it is legal to import counterfeit goods like this, then it's down to each persons own conscience I guess.

I know you can get them from the fastbikegear.co.nz.

[aff-man]

Having worked a bit with chinese gear I can say this..

There are imitations and imitations.

For instance we brought in some bolt set samples that were rubbish and then got some more from a different supplier that looked identical and they were miles better.

That being said the fully adjustable rear sets we brought in were incredible, stood up to a good binning a lot better than the italian counterparts we were also bringing in...

OEM stuff can be rubbish as well, just look at the quality of the alloy they use for gixxer frames!!

I like the look of them stubbies so would probably look at a set if the CRG's break due to unforseen incidents

[imdying]

i must be running something slightly differnt then cause myne are perfect and fit with easeWho knows... obviously you don't, and how could you? Such is the joy of buying cheap Chinese knock off shite.

[bsasuper]

I brought a bulk lot of ebay (10pairs) was pleased with the quality, they fitted good, and selling the other 9 pairs was easy:innocent: (dont worry, they were all snapped up over the ditch)

[Biggles08]

I brought a bulk lot of ebay (10pairs) was pleased with the quality, they fitted good, and selling the other 9 pairs was easy:innocent: (dont worry, they were all snapped up over the ditch)
Ha! Suckers...bloody Aussies! hehehe

[SS90]

Don't see why not - they're available in the USA and Canadia (where Pazzos are made, IIRC). .......... ('leavers', LOL)

Those who live in Glass houses etc........

Canadia, where the fuck is that?, or do you mean Cambodia (possibly), or perhaps Canada?

[vifferman]

Those who live in Glass houses etc........

Canadia, where the fuck is that?, or do you mean Cambodia (possibly), or perhaps Canada?
Canadia - where Canadians come from.
It's obvious, innit? "Canada" can't be right, or they'd be called Canadans. I talked to our pet Canadian at work (Gadget Steve) and he agreed with me.

[FastBikeGear]

I know you can get them from the fastbikegear.co.nz.

The issue of fake Pazzo's is not something that we are concerned about unless anyone is sold fakes by someone who passes them off as Pazzo's

At the recent Speed Show we displayed a couple of different brands of levers that we sell and asked punters to make an evaluation.

Without exception everyone picked the Titax as being the premier brand based on the quality of the finish and their smoother operation due to the use of bearings instead of plain bushings as per other brands.

But you can only see part of the story by just looking at a product. What I like about Titax is their German TUV and ISO certification. It gives me reassurance that I am not selling something that could become a safety issue.

As a supplier I dread the phone call or posting on KiwiBiker "My son bought your product and now....." or to find out a product proves to be unreliable or the finish wears off in six months and I am faced with all costs of servicing the warranty.

I also like the fact that Titax go to he trouble to not only make short and long levers but the the bend in the lever is also matched to the bikes brakes to give you perfect ergonomics. There are two bend options Radial and non radial. When I first upgraded my bike to radial master cylinders I changed to the Titax radial bend lever and the improvement in ergonomics was very noticeable and satisfying.

No other brand pays this much attention to detail.
Oh and the price premium over the brands that people arn't even proud enough of to give a brand name is very reasonable at just $147 per lever.

Oh and yes I am biased and do have a vested interest!

[Grubber]

The issue of fake Pazzo's is not something that we are concerned about unless anyone is sold fakes by someone who passes them off as Pazzo's

At the recent Speed Show we displayed a couple of different brands of levers that we sell and asked punters to make an evaluation.

Without exception everyone picked the Titax as being the premier brand based on the quality of the finish and their smoother operation due to the use of bearings instead of plain bushings as per other brands.

But you can only see part of the story by just looking at a product. What I like about Titax is their German TUV and ISO certification. It gives me reassurance that I am not selling something that could become a safety issue.

As a supplier I dread the phone call or posting on KiwiBiker "My son bought your product and now....." or to find out a product proves to be unreliable or the finish wears off in six months and I am faced with all costs of servicing the warranty.

I also like the fact that Titax go to he trouble to not only make short and long levers but the the bend in the lever is also matched to the bikes brakes to give you perfect ergonomics. There are two bend options Radial and non radial. When I first upgraded my bike to radial master cylinders I changed to the Titax radial bend lever and the improvement in ergonomics was very noticeable and satisfying.

No other brand pays this much attention to detail.
Oh and the price premium over the brands that people arn't even proud enough of to give a brand name is very reasonable at just $147 per lever.

Oh and yes I am biased and do have a vested interest!

Sounds fair. Been looking at getting some for my 955i and the Titax ones look like the beast to buy. Will probably be in touch very soon. ISO standards count for a lot in my books.

[Old Steve]

I had a friend who used to say:

There's a fair price for oats. You can buy cheaper oats, but they've usually been through the horse first.

When it comes to my brakes, I'll buy genuine oats, not horseshit.

[98tls]

I had a friend who used to say:

There's a fair price for oats. You can buy cheaper oats, but they've usually been through the horse first.

When it comes to my brakes, I'll buy genuine oats, not horseshit.

By all means go ahead,me i will simply troll the endless list of stuff thats been through the horse.$147 a lever:rolleyes:fuck that,rather these for $97 a pair landed on my doorstep.

[sil3nt]

By all means go ahead,me i will simply troll the endless list of stuff thats been through the horse.$147 a lever:rolleyes:fuck that,rather these for $97 a pair landed on my doorstep.But now you've made everyone who paid more look silly so of course yours are going to fall off as soon as it rains and you will die a horrible death :rolleyes:

[98tls]

But now you've made everyone who paid more look silly so of course yours are going to fall off as soon as it rains and you will die a horrible death :rolleyes:

:rolleyes:Ahh well,theres always a price to pay eh.

[nallac]

:rolleyes:Ahh well,theres always a price to pay eh.


usually half price -ex the states.......

[98tls]

usually half price -ex the states.......

:first:About it.Not xactly 1/2 price but the bloke that fitted the rubber on a set of aftermarket rims i bought was telling me he had a fella show up at his shop the other day with a price list for said rims here,$4500 for the rims not incl of the rear sprocket ZX12 etc needed to use them,i bought mine for $3000 incl of high end chain,Tri metal sprocket and the horrendus cost of post.,Crazy eh.Not being made of money in fact quite the opposite i tend to try and get the best bang for my $ and really have no inner feelings of guilt re lining a dealers pocket.

[orangeback]

:first:About it.Not xactly 1/2 price but the bloke that fitted the rubber on a set of aftermarket rims i bought was telling me he had a fella show up at his shop the other day with a price list for said rims here,$4500 for the rims not incl of the rear sprocket ZX12 etc needed to use them,i bought mine for $3000 incl of high end chain,Tri metal sprocket and the horrendus cost of post.,Crazy eh.Not being made of money in fact quite the opposite i tend to try and get the best bang for my $ and really have no inner feelings of guilt re lining a dealers pocket.

i got these for a motard 3 years back local, in chch, he brought them in from the states for me. ( took ages ) 3.5 *17 4.5*17 crorizzia rims, brembo radial calliper & mount , both discs , sprocket carrier and sprocket for 2300 or 2600 cant remember , and he made money on them some how ?233704233703

[DEATH_INC.]

I've been running some rip-off levers on mine for a year or so now, no issues at all. Tho they came from hong-kong, not china :laugh:

They are a fair bit different than the genuine Pazzo's someone I know has too.

[98tls]

i got these for a motard 3 years back local, in chch, he brought them in from the states for me. ( took ages ) 3.5 *17 4.5*17 crorizzia rims, brembo radial calliper & mount , both discs , sprocket carrier and sprocket for 2300 or 2600 cant remember , and he made money on them some how ?233704233703

Nice,very nice.As you say he still made a $,just shows you eh.

[orangeback]

facebook .check out this guys stuff and well priced , German company making it in Thailand / Singapore , with Asian prices
http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=164840893549772&set=pu.109894739044388&theater
sends out to Nz you pay in usd
cool stuff here , if you own a z1000 or 750 or the common gixer r1 etc
http://www.facebook.com/photos.php?id=109894739044388

[SPP]

Happy to report these are still working fine, no real problems. The throw adjuster (clutch) is a little tight but I don't play with that anyway.

Held up against a Titax set these look, feel, and work pretty average... but they're doing the job.

[FastBikeGear]

The other option is to buy genuine Titax levers from us. As used by top riders like Leon Haslam, several MotoGP teams and top racers in NZ like Nick Cole and Marcus Beagley.

German TUV testing and certification so you can trust them when you need them!

We deal directly with the Titax factory and are the NZ agents so you get factory support with local warranty support and very competitive pricing!

Check out our customer feed back on the web site to see how we value our customers.

see www.titax.co.nz

Liam Venter
www.FastBikeGear.co.NZ

[Gubb]

I got a pair landed for NZ$45. Pretty happy with them so far.

[John_H]

I got some 'M-label' for my speedy and can't really see any difference to the expensive ones. I am really happy with them.

[pritch]

As I understand the situation CRG came up with the original design but neglected to patent it. Pazzo therefore are just another rip-off and "genuine Pazzo" is an oxymoron when you mention levers.

There are some quality items around: Titax, Gilles Tooling etc. For CRG though, Hardracing and Kyle Racing sometimes have a little price war which can work in our favour.