Brake levers

[norkmeister]

Anyone managed to source better brake levers than those which come with the kit?  I like the motor override switches in the kit, but the quality of the levers is very poor.  I'd like different levers...

Cheers,
Jeremy.

[martinko]

Anyone managed to source better brake levers than those which come with the kit?  I like the motor override switches in the kit, but the quality of the levers is very poor.  I'd like different levers...

yes, thats really a mess. For me it seems they all use the same bullsh!t levers, whichever kits you buy :-(

Another question is, if you really need them -- when I start breaking, I release the throttle before anyway.
Yet another question is, if it's illegal to drive on public roads without current-breaking levers... for Europe at least, I think it's illegal, not sure about that.

Martin.

[Dave]

I'm with both of you on that; the brake levers are junk. Because of that I left them off of my install, but another factor was that the bike I put the motor on has combination brake lever & thumb shifters, and I didn't want to have to swap out the whole works. The controller works fine without the levers attached.

After one ride, I don't see why a motor cutoff switch in the brake is even necessary. There's no such thing on any internal combustion motorized vehicle; you just naturally let off the throttle when slowing down.

Personally, if I had to have a motor cutoff switch, I'd rather rig a switch up that's activated by movement of the brake mechanism itself rather than the lever.

[OneEye]

You would need to confirm this in your jurisdiction, but I believe in California the requirement is either a brake cutoff or a dead-man throttle which returns to zero power when released.  As long as you have one you meet the requirements. 

Anyone care to back me up on that?

[norkmeister]

I think the solution for me might be to replace one of the levers with the old one...