Hi bought one of these last week to try I know a few of you have had them and not been able to set them up and then give up on them
Well I spoke to Ozzy before I fit mine during and after and still wasn't happy
So emailed them direct today and he sent me this detailed email about setup
He was shocked to hear people had given up on them and is confident everyone
Will love them when set up correctly, he has asked me to post his reply email
To assist anyone else with setup and to remind you of if your not happy send it back for a full refund carnt fault that well here's his reply to me
On 9 Jan 2015, at 16:12, Steve Pohl <steve.pohl@midwestme.com> wrote:
Ross,
I am sorry you are having trouble getting the lever adjusted properly. I am sure we can get you sorted with some explanations and minor readjustments.
First of all the alternate piston rod I supply is for the 350 bikes. For some reason there is a manufacturing variation that shows up specific to that particular bike even though the master cylinder is the same part number as all other bikes using Brembo MC's. On about 30% of the 350's the piston rod seems to be too long for use with my lever so I supply a shorter piston rod for an extra $10. I doubt you need the shorter piston rod but it does remain a possibility. The test for this is simple. If you can't squeeze the lever to the bar with the set screw removed then the piston rod is too long. If your lever does touch the bar then a shorter rod will do you no good. So check that out and let me know the result.
Understanding the design intent can help you with achieving proper adjustment. The stock lever disengages the clutch with finger room between the lever and the bar so the rest of the lever stroke separates the clutch plates further then is absolutely necessary. Because of all this extra slave cylinder throw the position of the engagement point and the end of the lever swing is not critical and adjustment of the stock lever is easy. But the ratio of lever swing to slave cylinder throw is high so the squeeze is hard.
My lever moves the slave cylinder roughly half the distance of the stock lever so the ratio of lever swing to slave displacement is lower and results in an easier pull. Because my lever minimizes the clutch plate separation, adjustment of both ends of the lever stroke is more critically precise especially the engagement position.
My lever was designed to start from about the same reach position as the stock lever when released and then be squeezed fully to the bar for complete disengagement.
The adjustment must start with the point the clutch begins to engage as you release the lever. Obviously you want the clutch to be fully disengaged when the lever is squeezed to the bar. But what is not so obvious is that you also want the clutch to start to engage as close to the bar as possible as you release the lever. The reason is that the lever must swing a minimum distance to allow the clutch spring(s) to fully load the clutch plates. This is the reach distance position. The adjustment for this is the button head cap screw which acts as a lever stop and sets the reach. Getting the engagement position as close to the bar as possible results in the reach distance being minimized.
So setting the engagement position is first and is critical. This is why the engine must be hot when starting the adjustment procedure. Because the clutch plate separation distance is minimized, cold tranny oil will cause much more fluid drag between the clutch plates. You would then try to eliminate the cold drag by adjusting the piston rod forward separating the clutch plates more, which means the reach distance will be greater as well. You should expect that the clutch with my lever will drag more when cold. But this will go away when the engine is hot.
This should give you a basis for understanding the critical nature of the adjustment procedure on the packaging. If it is followed correctly it should result in proper operation.
Adjustment is a common problem since my lever is much more precise to the operating parameters of the clutch then the stock lever but I don't think it is common that people give up and then don't use the lever. Just to make sure you know (and tell your friend) that I have a warranty for "defects in satisfaction" so if the lever does not work out for you then you can return it for a refund. I don't get a lot of returns, but I do get a lot of adjustment questions and once adjustment is achieved people love the lever.
The adjustment fasteners were Loctited at assembly but with the amount of adjustment tweaking you have been doing you should reapply Loctite. One characteristic of the hydraulic clutch systems is that once adjusted they don't change so if you seem to be having major changes in the operation of the clutch lever (other than cold to hot operation) I'd suspect that the adjustment fasteners are moving due to bike vibration and lack of Loctite. I do take my tiny allen wrenches out on the trail with me but I have not had to make any adjustments in three years of setting up the levers on my bikes. That is why I have not bothered to design the traditional thumb screw adjustments. Why make the lever more expensive? Once set they stay and there is no need for on the fly adjustment like with a cable clutch system.
It’s a good principal to be confident of your equipment especially during a race so I think you made a wise decision using the stock lever. But with the lever properly adjusted, a couple relatively short but aggressive rides allowing the bike to cool completely so you experience the cold to hot operating transformation should give you back the confidence to win a race with the new levers.
I hope this helps. Contact me if you have any more questions and/or call me if you would like to discuss in more detail. If all else fails, utilize the warrantee.
Steve
PS. I think this is a great outline for a YouTube video about the adjustment process if I can only find the time…
MME on facebook LinkedIn
Steve Pohl
Midwest Mountain Engineering
362 Monroe St.
Prescott, WI 54021
Office Phone: 715-262-4607
Cell Phone: 715-338-7407
website: Midwest Mountain Engineering
e-mail: steve.pohl@midwestme.com
Well I spoke to Ozzy before I fit mine during and after and still wasn't happy
So emailed them direct today and he sent me this detailed email about setup
He was shocked to hear people had given up on them and is confident everyone
Will love them when set up correctly, he has asked me to post his reply email
To assist anyone else with setup and to remind you of if your not happy send it back for a full refund carnt fault that well here's his reply to me
On 9 Jan 2015, at 16:12, Steve Pohl <steve.pohl@midwestme.com> wrote:
Ross,
I am sorry you are having trouble getting the lever adjusted properly. I am sure we can get you sorted with some explanations and minor readjustments.
First of all the alternate piston rod I supply is for the 350 bikes. For some reason there is a manufacturing variation that shows up specific to that particular bike even though the master cylinder is the same part number as all other bikes using Brembo MC's. On about 30% of the 350's the piston rod seems to be too long for use with my lever so I supply a shorter piston rod for an extra $10. I doubt you need the shorter piston rod but it does remain a possibility. The test for this is simple. If you can't squeeze the lever to the bar with the set screw removed then the piston rod is too long. If your lever does touch the bar then a shorter rod will do you no good. So check that out and let me know the result.
Understanding the design intent can help you with achieving proper adjustment. The stock lever disengages the clutch with finger room between the lever and the bar so the rest of the lever stroke separates the clutch plates further then is absolutely necessary. Because of all this extra slave cylinder throw the position of the engagement point and the end of the lever swing is not critical and adjustment of the stock lever is easy. But the ratio of lever swing to slave cylinder throw is high so the squeeze is hard.
My lever moves the slave cylinder roughly half the distance of the stock lever so the ratio of lever swing to slave displacement is lower and results in an easier pull. Because my lever minimizes the clutch plate separation, adjustment of both ends of the lever stroke is more critically precise especially the engagement position.
My lever was designed to start from about the same reach position as the stock lever when released and then be squeezed fully to the bar for complete disengagement.
The adjustment must start with the point the clutch begins to engage as you release the lever. Obviously you want the clutch to be fully disengaged when the lever is squeezed to the bar. But what is not so obvious is that you also want the clutch to start to engage as close to the bar as possible as you release the lever. The reason is that the lever must swing a minimum distance to allow the clutch spring(s) to fully load the clutch plates. This is the reach distance position. The adjustment for this is the button head cap screw which acts as a lever stop and sets the reach. Getting the engagement position as close to the bar as possible results in the reach distance being minimized.
So setting the engagement position is first and is critical. This is why the engine must be hot when starting the adjustment procedure. Because the clutch plate separation distance is minimized, cold tranny oil will cause much more fluid drag between the clutch plates. You would then try to eliminate the cold drag by adjusting the piston rod forward separating the clutch plates more, which means the reach distance will be greater as well. You should expect that the clutch with my lever will drag more when cold. But this will go away when the engine is hot.
This should give you a basis for understanding the critical nature of the adjustment procedure on the packaging. If it is followed correctly it should result in proper operation.
Adjustment is a common problem since my lever is much more precise to the operating parameters of the clutch then the stock lever but I don't think it is common that people give up and then don't use the lever. Just to make sure you know (and tell your friend) that I have a warranty for "defects in satisfaction" so if the lever does not work out for you then you can return it for a refund. I don't get a lot of returns, but I do get a lot of adjustment questions and once adjustment is achieved people love the lever.
The adjustment fasteners were Loctited at assembly but with the amount of adjustment tweaking you have been doing you should reapply Loctite. One characteristic of the hydraulic clutch systems is that once adjusted they don't change so if you seem to be having major changes in the operation of the clutch lever (other than cold to hot operation) I'd suspect that the adjustment fasteners are moving due to bike vibration and lack of Loctite. I do take my tiny allen wrenches out on the trail with me but I have not had to make any adjustments in three years of setting up the levers on my bikes. That is why I have not bothered to design the traditional thumb screw adjustments. Why make the lever more expensive? Once set they stay and there is no need for on the fly adjustment like with a cable clutch system.
It’s a good principal to be confident of your equipment especially during a race so I think you made a wise decision using the stock lever. But with the lever properly adjusted, a couple relatively short but aggressive rides allowing the bike to cool completely so you experience the cold to hot operating transformation should give you back the confidence to win a race with the new levers.
I hope this helps. Contact me if you have any more questions and/or call me if you would like to discuss in more detail. If all else fails, utilize the warrantee.
Steve
PS. I think this is a great outline for a YouTube video about the adjustment process if I can only find the time…
MME on facebook LinkedIn
Steve Pohl
Midwest Mountain Engineering
362 Monroe St.
Prescott, WI 54021
Office Phone: 715-262-4607
Cell Phone: 715-338-7407
website: Midwest Mountain Engineering
e-mail: steve.pohl@midwestme.com