Help for small hands

[SanDiegoMike]

I tried posting on a Honda Rebel website looking for adjustable levers for my daughter's 450, with no luck. So now, I am seeking the answer from people in this talented group...is there a source for levers that will allow my daughter's little hands to reach them better? Do you know of a way to modify the ones she has now to make them work better? any help is appreciated. Thanks all!

[Cobia]

Adjustable levers

Check this link out. Maybe they'll have some to fit your bike.

http://www.webbikeworld.com/t2/pazzo...ble-levers.htm

[fredintoon]

Hi Mike,
are you looking for adjustable levers or just levers that are nearer to the grips?

[SanDiegoMike]

Hi Fred,

Mostly, I need for the levers to be closer to the bars. They are aluminum, so I'm worried about them breaking if I just try to bend them a little. Obviously, I don't want the clutch or brake operation to be negatively affected either. I just want my little girl to be able to reach and operate the controls safely.

[fredintoon]

Bending levers

Hi Mike,
there's a trick to bending aluminum.
Heat the part with a propane torch until a thin piece of softwood leaves a charred line on the part. Quench the part. Now it is temporarily annealed and you have an hour or so to work it before the alloy goes back to it's pre-annealed state.

[SanDiegoMike]

Thanks for the advice Fred. I want to do this right, so I have a couple more questions for you, if you don't mind.

First:

Heat the part with a propane torch until a thin piece of softwood leaves a charred line on the part.

What type of softwood do you recommend and how thin does it need to be? Would a toothpick work?

Second:

Quench the part.

Until it is cool to the touch, or does it need to still be warm?

Third:

you have an hour or so to work it before the alloy goes back to it's pre-annealed state.

Does that mean that once it is completely cooled, I wont have to worry about the lever continuing to bend with repeated use?
I apologize for my lack of knowledge in this area, but I want to make sure that I don't mess anything up. Thanks a million for the help!

[fredintoon]

Hi Mike,
heating to around 450ºF anneals most aluminum alloys. With some high strength alloys it's only temporary and the metal returns to it's stronger but less ductile internal structure after some hours. Any handy popsicle stick, spent kitchen match or splinter of firewood or yes, even a toothpick, will work as an el-cheapo temperature sensor by leaving a streak of char on a hot enough surface.
(Remember Fahrenheit 451?)
It'll still be annealed if the alloy air cools, quenching is only so you don't burn your fingers and no, it don't have to still be warm because the re-hardening is time sensitive. (we used to keep annealed aircraft rivets in a deep freeze to extend the time it took them to re-harden) There is no guarantee that your levers will not snap off while being re-shaped because who knows what alloy they're made of? It's that if they are annealed first the chance of them breaking is far less than if you tried the same re-shaping without doing so. Good luck with it.

[SanDiegoMike]

Thanks for the great advice, Fred!
I was able to reshape them without too much trouble, and they will work out great for my daughter without any adverse effect on clutch or brake operation.
Every time I ask for help through this site, I always get great solutions to the problems I am having. One of these days, someone will ask a question that I will be able to answer!
Thanks again!