Front brake = left lever; Clutch = right lever

[cadd]

My mind just got blown. One of my buddy who I ride with pretty often had his neighbor join us on a relaxing 40 mile ride.

He rides a 2007 SV650. He switched this clutch and brake lever!! Clutch lever is on the right side and brake lever is on the left side.

When asked why he did it, he just said he felt more comfortable with the front brakes on his left. (He's a lefty as well). He is an avid cyclist. Huge roadie and big time DH mountain biker. Been on two wheels since he's a kid. As a roadie, he was a Cat2 racer in his teens and twenties.

He was so used to having the front brakes on his left, he wasn't able to adjust when he started riding a motorcycle. So....he had custom brackets made to switch the brake and clutch!

I have no idea how he rev match downshifts, but he's really smooth at it.

Anyone heard of a modification like this like this done before?!?!?!!!!!

[MrAtom]

I used to commute on bike a lot before, so I considered something like that but I'm used to it now.

[Klondike1020]

lol - Yeah I did the same thing with my car but different.

I put the gas on the left the clutch on the right and the break in the middle.
Jk

seems like a silly mod to me.... but then again do what makes you comfortable.

at least now he knows no one will ride off on his bike lol

[Sirref]

I find it interesting that he's a lefty and wanted to do this switch

in the grand scheme of things it doesn't make a difference other than make him more comfortable which is a good thing, it's like my ideal setup is an adjustable shorty brake lever and a full length adjustable clutch lever. It looks odd at first but then you ride it and it feels so natural.

[cadd]

Originally Posted by Klondike1020

at least now he knows no one will ride off on his bike lol

I actually feel a bit sorry for the poor soul who's going to steal his bike. I'm all just picturing it happen.

[Sirref]

Originally Posted by cadd

I actually feel a bit sorry for the poor soul who's going to steal his bike. I'm all just picturing it happen.

reminds me of the car thief that couldn't drive stick

Link to original page on YouTube.

[Jim L]

I went the other way.
I traded sides on all the pedal bikes I have owned. It's an easy swap and the levers/perches don't care that they are both "upside down".

Drove me nuts to grab a big handful of the wrong brake.
Cheers,

[cadd]

Originally Posted by Jim L

I went the other way.
I traded sides on all the pedal bikes I have owned. It's an easy swap and the levers/perches don't care that they are both "upside down".

Same here! Once I started riding a motorcycle in my early 20s, I converted all my bicycles to right hand front brake. I commuted over 4,000 miles in NYC over the years. I needed the consistency of right hand = front brake. If not it's too confusing. On my track bike (fixed gear that I ride on the velodome), which has no brakes, I even put a brake lever on the right, just so it's consistent with all my other bikes!!!

[Klondike1020]

I am not ambidextrous or anything but I have never had a problem, switching straight from bicycling on Manhattan to ridding my cruiser home from work. Even my pedal moped wasnt an issue.

I just dont mix up the controls on different vehicles I guess.

Maybe I do on the diff back hoes. a lot of levers lol

[M42]

I can't help but feel like it might be awkward to revmatch that way.

[CC Cowboy]

Originally Posted by Klondike1020

lol - Yeah I did the same thing with my car but different.

I put the gas on the left the clutch on the right and the break in the middle.
Jk

seems like a silly mod to me.... but then again do what makes you comfortable.

at least now he knows no one will ride off on his bike lol

What broke?

[dcj13]

You guys should take an older brit bike (70's and older) for a ride: shifter on the right; rear brake on the left.

Better yet, have that friend do his handlebar stuff to one of those.

[Hero Danny]

Originally Posted by Klondike1020

at least now he knows no one will ride off on his bike lol

Holy **** that's an excellent point! Someone would be like wtf, **** this broken piece of **** bike. lmaooo

[choneofakind]

I've debated flipping the brakes on my MTB for just this reason. Put the front one where it belongs, on the left. Really throws me a curve when I'm used to riding bicycles and then I go to ride the motorcycle and have to think opposite hands for track braking. Might be why I struggle so much with braking on the motorcycle.

[JohnnyBravo]

Whatever makes you happy... And that vid up there did it

[Jim L]

Actually, it's worse than that.

I have a bunch of Brit stuff that goes from '53 to '72.
Some shifts on the left - street pattern
Some shifts on the left - GP pattern
Some on the right - street pattern
Some on the right - GP pattern
and
Some on the right - forward and backward
And some has neutral other than between 1 & 2

Now you know why I change my bicycle....
Cheers,

[akima]

I'm confuse. Do bicycles have the front brake on the left or right in the states? Over here the front brake is on the right (both bicycles and ninjas!).

One of the guys that taught me to ride said the only time he's ever crashed was when he went to New Zealand and borrowed a bike. He didn't realize that their front brake and clutch were reversed over there (front brake on the left). He approached a corner at speed, went to brake before reaching the corner and found himself pulling in the clutch. The engine reved up, the bike maintained its speed, he panic'd in confusion and went straight off the road. In 25 years that was his only motorcycle crash. I think New Zealand now has the standard front brake on the right configuration.

[choneofakind]

Front brake on bicycles in the states is on the left. For roadies, all it takes is flopping the cables/housings. From looking at British bicycle supply sites, it looks like Shimano makes models of MTB brakes that have the levers oriented the correct ways to use either right/left configuration that you want. Just need the right part numbers.

Kind of annoying with right on the ninja and left on the bicycles, but hey. You get used to it.

[alex.s]

nostalgia is a powerful drug. i hate old brit bikes. because they're terrible.

i had to flip my bicycle controls so the front brake was on the correct side.

[cadd]

In the US, bicycles have front brake on left. Higher end stuff (Tiagra, 105, Ultegra & Dura Ace for roadies and Diore for MTB) can easily be switched without much fuss. With your regular Walmart bikes, sometimes it's a pain to switch since the cheap brake/shift levers may not be identical on both sides.

In New Zealand, when they had brake on left and clutch on right, which side was the throttle on? How about rear brakes? The oldest bike I've ridden was an early 70s Honda Benly. That was "normal".

[greenaero]

This seems like an odd thing to do for someone without a physical handicap
( not enough hand strength to operate the front brakes) but whatever makes him happy. It must make it interesting for him when he rides another moto.

As others have posted, it was interesting in the bad old days before moto control positions and shift patterns were standardized to ride motos with the foot controls on different sides. I used to own a Suzuki X6 Hustler and a Benelli 125 with foot control position different on each. You had to focus on remembering which moto you were riding

[akima]

Originally Posted by cadd

In New Zealand, when they had brake on left and clutch on right, which side was the throttle on? How about rear brakes?

Not sure. He didn't mention that in his story to me and I was a full blown noobie so I didn't think to ask.

[dcj13]

Originally Posted by alex.s

nostalgia is a powerful drug. i hate old brit bikes. because they're terrible.

Amen to that! Same with the cars (we have 2 brit cars).

[choneofakind]

mid-60's Mini Cooper. Roll cage. Lowered on gas racing shocks. yummy. 10/10, would drive again.

[Klondike1020]

Where are the breaks again?> I never use them any ways lol/

All I need is the gas . go baby go

[cadd]

You can take breaks anywhere on the road. Why are you asking where they are?

[sharky nrk]

Originally Posted by alex.s

nostalgia is a powerful drug. i hate old brit bikes. because they're terrible.

i had to flip my bicycle controls so the front brake was on the correct side.

me too, swapped it day one on the roadie

[Rustitution]

Originally Posted by Sirref

... it's like my ideal setup is an adjustable shorty brake lever and a full length adjustable clutch lever. It looks odd at first but then you ride it and it feels so natural.

I like that set up too, I'm going to have to do the ex500 perch mod to get it on my 250