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Clutch/brake lever adjustment? (K1200GT, '08)

robday

New member
Hi folks-
What is the proper way to adjust the height of the brake and clutch levers?
By height, I am referring to the position/angle on the bars.
On my '08 GT, they are nearly horizontal. The levers are nearly level with the bars. This is somewhat uncomfortable and I want to rotate them down a bit, but the manual says not to. However, I think the previous owner (who might have been short) has rotated them back/up to suit him. I can't imagine they came from the factory this way.
I only need 10-20 degrees to get the levers more in plane with my arms. As it is now, my wrists are rotated back to operate the levers, and after an hour or so stuck in traffic, my clutch hand is killing me.
One reason I think the PO might have adjusted them is because I can see a mark on the brake side that looks as if it was the previous position. The same spot on the clutch side is covered by the ASC switch, so I can't tell.

I've tried a few of the screws that look as if they hold the switch block halves together, but this doesn't seem to do it. The black portion of the bars (the outboard part) is held by a bracket/rubber bushing setup, and doesn't appear as if it can be adjusted.

What am I missing?

I understand the dangers of rotating them too far and messing up the fluid reservoirs, but I am not looking to go that far.
There must be a way to do this!
Please help, I think I'm getting carpal-tunnel syndrome!!!

Thanks,
Rob
 
Update

Ok, I got it figured out. And since it was non-intuitive, I'm posting here for the benefit of others.

I called the dealership and asked about it because the rider's manual simply says not to adjust the angle of the levers/switch clusters. But it appeared to me that they had been adjusted, and needed to go back to where they were supposed to be.

I got on the line with a tech, and he said that there are clamping bolts under all of the switches, and that I should probably bring it in so they could have a look. We talked for a while and I convinced him that I was fully capable of figuring it out, so he told me that all of the switches had to come off first, and that I would see the clamping bolts underneath. He was right; after carefully figuring out the proper order to remove the 4-6 screws on each side, I saw what to do. Note here, almost every one of the screws is different from the others, you cannot mix them up in any way. So lay them out on paper and label them.

Once open, I noticed what appeared to be index marks on each bar with corresponding lines on each lever housing. And yes, they had been adjusted, probably to accommodate a shorter rider. I loosened them, rotated them to line them back up, and carefully reassembled everything. Perfect, huge difference! And my clutch lever no longer bumps the edge of my Aerogard at full right bar position.
Of note: If your GT has ASC, the clutch side is more difficult as the ASC switch has to also be removed to access the screw that allows you to remove the rest of the switches. But the screw holding it on is actually inside the ASC switch housing. To remove the outer cover, there is another small screw on the backside, but access to it is blocked by the clutch cables and wiring. But I was able to pop open the cover and slightly "bend" the plastic housing far enough to allow access to the inner screw and successfully remove the switch.

I probably should have taken pictures, sorry. But the bottom line is that this adjustment is in fact possible. However, please be careful and do not make this adjustment unless absolutely necessary. Doing so may upset the alignment of the fluid reservoirs (in my case I was restoring them to the proper position). If this is done improperly, the next time the reservoirs are opened, you might have a paint-destroying mess on your hands. Since I don't know for sure who or why mine were changed, I also cannot rely on the fluid levels being correct, and will need to pop them open to check. And when I do this, I'll cover the top of the bike under the bars with something just in case.

I hope this info is helpful to others.
Rob
 
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