R1300GS clutch lever adjustment

[leadfarmer]

I’ve just adjusted the throw of my clutch lever to bring the bite point closer to the handlebar, I have the standard levers, not enduro and even on the closest of the 3 settings the bite point was too far out

Thought I’d post here how to adjust it further, BUT ! Before you touch your bike be aware that my dealer said the lever couldn’t be adjusted
The 1200s had the same system so this is nothing new but most folks aren’t aware of it

Disclaimer - it’s very simple to do but you need a bit of mechanical feel, if you aren’t confident with tools leave it alone!

Underneath the lever there is a plunger screwed into a pivot and locked by a grub screw (visible at the bottom with remnants of red loctite)





Loosen the grub screw but don’t remove it
Screw the plunger anti clockwise (out) half a turn at a time and check the distance between the lever and the handlebar, don’t come out more than a turn or two, there’s a shoulder on the plunger, if you feel resistance stop!
Once it’s adjusted tighten the grub screw

Start the bike and check the bite point before you ride the bike again

On mine I used an Allen key, I think a 2mm for both screws but it was unmarked
In the video below you can see the plunger and how it works at 14”, you can see there’s not much thread to play with and you can see the shoulder on the plunger
The chap says 2.5mm Allen key and T10 but mine seemed to be different, so again, make sure you have the correct tool for each screw!

 

[pbbanks]

I’ve just adjusted the throw of my clutch lever to bring the bite point closer to the handlebar, I have the standard levers, not enduro and even on the closest of the 3 settings the bite point was too far out

Thought I’d post here how to adjust it further, BUT ! Before you touch your bike be aware that my dealer said the lever couldn’t be adjusted
The 1200s had the same system so this is nothing new but most folks aren’t aware of it

Disclaimer - it’s very simple to do but you need a bit of mechanical feel, if you aren’t confident with tools leave it alone!

Underneath the lever there is a plunger screwed into a pivot and locked by a grub screw (visible at the bottom with remnants of red loctite)

View attachment 399522

View attachment 399523

Loosen the grub screw but don’t remove it
Screw the plunger anti clockwise (out) half a turn at a time and check the distance between the lever and the handlebar, don’t come out more than a turn or two, there’s a shoulder on the plunger, if you feel resistance stop!
Once it’s adjusted tighten the grub screw

Start the bike and check the bite point before you ride the bike again

On mine I used an Allen key, I think a 2mm for both screws but it was unmarked
In the video below you can see the plunger and how it works at 14”, you can see there’s not much thread to play with and you can see the shoulder on the plunger
The chap says 2.5mm Allen key and T10 but mine seemed to be different, so again, make sure you have the correct tool for each screw!

Have you ridden your bike after adjusting it ??. It's a very fine line of adjustment before you will get clutch slip.
I know from experience of adjusting mine on a previous 1250gs.

 

[TaskMule]

I think one would have to be pretty unaware to rotate the ball pin in a direction and amount to actually hold the piston in enough to cause clutch slip.
In the case of Leadfarmer's post we're screwing the ball pin in the opposite direction to actually get further away from the piston.

I too noticed the clutch engagement point to be further out than the 1250 and all previous bikes. I've gotten used to it but I may make this adjustment, I hadn't noticed this adjustment before. The grub screw hex is filled with tamper witness paint so that must be dug out first.

 

[leadfarmer]

Yes, as mentioned above, not sure if there's even enough thread to wind it far enough to push the piston and cause clutch slip

I was going the other way so the only worry would be clutch drag if the lever was too close to the bar, again I'm about on the limit of the possible adjustment and there is no problem

The clutch feels a hell of a lot better now, it really was too far out for me to be comfortable or confident with it

Saved me splurging 300 euros for a pair of dog leg levers

 

[gateway77]

Just to follow on from this thread re: hand Brake recall / cylinder check (?) being carried out under warranty worldwide.

I'd replaced my levers for the MG Biketech options as in the excellent video above. Great levers and easy install.

However after dropping my bike off for various bits of warranty work I have now been told by Head of Service Dept locally that - BMW (head office) state this will invalidate any warranty issue on the front brake system.

In this instance, they have offered to refit the whole cylinder in question and replace with original lever free of charge, but should I change them back to the aftermarket option it will not be covered under warranty going forward.

I guess if I'd replaced the original levers before sending the bike in this might not have been flagged up.

The key element for BMW is that they state the longer adjustment screw (held in place by the small grub screw) should not be altered in any way.
Apparently it's pre-set by the factory and shouldn't be adjusted. That's what the recall is checking - the position of the adjustment screw.

In the video to fit the aftermarket levers he does state to mark the position of where the grub screw sits to make sure it's back in the same place.
I did do this and I can't really see what difference it makes, but head office are not happy it seems.

BMW have said they plan to inform MGBiketech of this issue and warn them to tell customers it will invalidate warranty.

Apologies for not using the right technical terms. Any engineers on here have an opinion on this I'd be interested?

 

[spm0912]

Well maybe BMW should get a person with normal sized hands to set the clutch bite position because it’s way too far out to safely control the bike in tight slow speed situations. I changed my levers for the MG ones and it’s 10x better. This giant must also be responsible for the ludicrous lean angle on the adapted ride height models that need a club foot fitted in order for normal people to be able to lift the bike off the stand!

 

[leadfarmer]

hand Brake recall / cylinder check (?)

Not heard anything about that ?

Mine was serviced 2 days ago and had the switch gear and starter relay recalls done

 

[TaskMule]

Yes, as mentioned above, not sure if there's even enough thread to wind it far enough to push the piston and cause clutch slip

I was going the other way so the only worry would be clutch drag if the lever was too close to the bar, again I'm about on the limit of the possible adjustment and there is no problem

The clutch feels a hell of a lot better now, it really was too far out for me to be comfortable or confident with it

Saved me splurging 300 euros for a pa

Just to follow on from this thread re: hand Brake recall / cylinder check (?) being carried out under warranty worldwide.

I'd replaced my levers for the MG Biketech options as in the excellent video above. Great levers and easy install.

However after dropping my bike off for various bits of warranty work I have now been told by Head of Service Dept locally that - BMW (head office) state this will invalidate any warranty issue on the front brake system.

In this instance, they have offered to refit the whole cylinder in question and replace with original lever free of charge, but should I change them back to the aftermarket option it will not be covered under warranty going forward.

I guess if I'd replaced the original levers before sending the bike in this might not have been flagged up.

The key element for BMW is that they state the longer adjustment screw (held in place by the small grub screw) should not be altered in any way.
Apparently it's pre-set by the factory and shouldn't be adjusted. That's what the recall is checking - the position of the adjustment screw.

In the video to fit the aftermarket levers he does state to mark the position of where the grub screw sits to make sure it's back in the same place.
I did do this and I can't really see what difference it makes, but head office are not happy it seems.

BMW have said they plan to inform MGBiketech of this issue and warn them to tell customers it will invalidate warranty.

Apologies for not using the right technical terms. Any engineers on here have an opinion on this I'd be interested?

This is absolutely an issue. The brake lever has the same setup and there's no way for BMW to guarantee someone didn't under tighten, over tighten or whatever and this directly effects braking (on the brake lever side). On another concern, what kind of certification do aftermarket levers hold? Exactly what kind of alu is used and as for those hinged levers, particularly something from AliExpress. Are they certified by proper safety testing ? doubtfull. BMW will never warranty these or anything that happens due to a failure.

 

[tw99]

Well maybe BMW should get a person with normal sized hands to set the clutch bite position because it’s way too far out to safely control the bike in tight slow speed situations. I changed my levers for the MG ones and it’s 10x better. This giant must also be responsible for the ludicrous lean angle on the adapted ride height models that need a club foot fitted in order for normal people to be able to lift the bike off the stand!

They're just trying to move everyone to ASA

 

[leadfarmer]

This is absolutely an issue. The brake lever has the same setup and there's no way for BMW to guarantee someone didn't under tighten, over tighten or whatever and this directly effects braking (on the brake lever side). On another concern, what kind of certification do aftermarket levers hold? Exactly what kind of alu is used and as for those hinged levers, particularly something from AliExpress. Are they certified by proper safety testing ? doubtfull. BMW will never warranty these or anything that happens due to a failure.

I was thinking about getting these

Anything sold in Germany has to be ABE certified, so if in doubt about something, find it on a German website, like Louis.de, if it’s certified you’ll be fine

VMT Brake lever set for BMW R 1300 GS & GSA 23-, 189,00 €

VMT Brake lever set for BMW R 1300 GS & GSA 23- CNC milled &#9989 german engineering &#10144 fast shipping options &#9989 TÜV tested

voigt-mt.de

 

[The Stimulator]

I was thinking about getting these

Anything sold in Germany has to be ABE certified, so if in doubt about something, find it on a German website, like Louis.de, if it’s certified you’ll be fine

VMT Brake lever set for BMW R 1300 GS & GSA 23-, 189,00 €

VMT Brake lever set for BMW R 1300 GS & GSA 23- CNC milled &#9989 german engineering &#10144 fast shipping options &#9989 TÜV tested

voigt-mt.de

Now that looks a good find, and the price seems reasonable. All we need is a guinea pig to try them and report back

 

[gateway77]

The MG Biketech are very good quality, certified and fully adjustable - no problem or issue with them. (About 220 euros from Italy)
The issue is not the lever though - it is any fiddling / tampering with the adjustment screw that's going to invalidate warranty - as I understand it.

 

[leadfarmer]

Now that looks a good find, and the price seems reasonable. All we need is a guinea pig to try them and report back

Yes, they look to be quality kit, but I don’t need them now, a couple of minutes and a bit of care and attention and my clutch is now perfect

Haven’t touched the brake lever, no need to

 

[pbbanks]

I think one would have to be pretty unaware to rotate the ball pin in a direction and amount to actually hold the piston in enough to cause clutch slip.
In the case of Leadfarmer's post we're screwing the ball pin in the opposite direction to actually get further away from the piston.

I too noticed the clutch engagement point to be further out than the 1250 and all previous bikes. I've gotten used to it but I may make this adjustment, I hadn't noticed this adjustment before. The grub screw hex is filled with tamper witness paint so that must be dug out first.

It's not simply a question of not screwing the ball pin in to actually be pushing the clutch in. It's being careful to not screw it in so that the master cylinder piston doesn't come back far enough to clear the fluid release hole in the master cylinder. You can't see it & it may be fine when you test it but go out for a ride and it could eventually build up pressure where it's not releasing it because the master cylinder piston can't come back far enough to open the hole to the master cylinder & then the clutch can slip.

 

[mikef]

Thanks leadfarmer for great advice. Adjusted my 1300GSA clutch lever this afternoon as you describe and its way better. Now all I have to do is fix the ridiculously short side stand and replace the ridiculously wide OEM panniers and I'll be a happy bunny

 

[GSian]

Be careful when doing this adjustment, the red around the adjuster isn't locktite, it's red paint to show if it's been tampered with. If anything in that area goes wrong, the warranty won't be any good. There is enough movement in the screw to make the clutch slip. If the actuator levers of aftermarket levers aren't in exactly the same position, adjustment will be needed. Im not saying don't do it, I'm just saying be aware of the consequences.

 

[mikef]

Be careful when doing this adjustment, the red around the adjuster isn't locktite, it's red paint to show if it's been tampered with. If anything in that area goes wrong, the warranty won't be any good. There is enough movement in the screw to make the clutch slip. If the actuator levers of aftermarket levers aren't in exactly the same position, adjustment will be needed. Im not saying don't do it, I'm just saying be aware of the consequences.

I've kept the OEM levers and I only adjusted the screw about 1/2 - 3/4 turn out and that was sufficient for me. What I dont understand is if that screw is not meant to be adjusted why do BMW fit a screw rather than just a fixed length rod?

I've owned several GS/GSA bikes over the years as well as other BMW models and I dont remember ever feeling the clutch lever and biting point on any of my bikes was a problem so why the issue with the 1300GS/GSA? I generally take gloves in size XL or XXL so I have no idea how somebody with smaller hands rides this bike

 

[GSian]

I've kept the OEM levers and I only adjusted the screw about 1/2 - 3/4 turn out and that was sufficient for me. What I dont understand is if that screw is not meant to be adjusted why do BMW fit a screw rather than just a fixed length rod?

I've owned several GS/GSA bikes over the years as well as other BMW models and I dont remember ever feeling the clutch lever and biting point on any of my bikes was a problem so why the issue with the 1300GS/GSA? I generally take gloves in size XL or XXL so I have no idea how somebody with smaller hands rides this bike

I think the adjustment is there for them to set it up in the factory based on tolerances of the other components. I used to work for a German machine company, they did the same, block it off with some paint

As field engineers for the manufacturer, we used to make adjustments, but we did the warranty work. Local engineers made adjustments which sometimes made it worse and took us much longer to put things right. The short term easy way was to say "don't adjust it". I didn't work that way, I generally explained how it worked to the local engineers so they could make their own adjustments with the knowledge of how not to make it worse, but this took a bit longer, in the long term saved us time and money. Production people don't always see it the same way as the maintenance people.

 

[botus]

playing with this adjustment could impact side stand safety switching re start up - it could now be out of sync - some models have adjustment for this switch

 

[mikef]

I think the adjustment is there for them to set it up in the factory based on tolerances of the other components. I used to work for a German machine company, they did the same, block it off with some paint

As field engineers for the manufacturer, we used to make adjustments, but we did the warranty work. Local engineers made adjustments which sometimes made it worse and took us much longer to put things right. The short term easy way was to say "don't adjust it". I didn't work that way, I generally explained how it worked to the local engineers so they could make their own adjustments with the knowledge of how not to make it worse, but this took a bit longer, in the long term saved us time and money. Production people don't always see it the same way as the maintenance people.

Fair points. It would be interesting to know though whether the clutch lever is set up at the factory to a given distance from the hand grip or whether its just down to the bloke doing the adjustment to set the lever to whatever distance he thinks is normal. I'd also like to know why, on my bike at least, the brake lever is set up to be much closer to the hand grip than the clutch lever