The clever levers from Midwest are getting a reputation for being a
cost effective way to lighten your clutch action,
and also allow one or two finger use of each lever so you can hold on to the bars better.
We swapped the levers among several bikes so that we could get overall impressions from six riders.
Here's a summary of Midwest's claims from the website.
First, everyone agreed the clutch is noticeably lighter, especially when feathering the clutch.
We measured the clutch pull required at the same
spot on both levers and agreed the initial pull is about 50% easier.
From the halfway mark to full disengaged it was about 30% easier,
at least on the Beta RR300 when tested.
The consensus was this could only be a good thing in terms of less fatigue for the clutch hand.
It does feel really light.
It's easy to install.
The big benefit for me is that it completely avoids this knuckle which
I normally bruise really quite badly with a conventional lever.
You got to get used to the different amount of 'throw'.
So when you hit a hit a big hard hill you need to let te clutch out further.
The lever works on the basis of using more leverage, so generally you need to
pull the lever all the way into the handlebars to disengage the clutch.
This took some adjustment for everyone and there was some
bike stalling until we adapted to the longer pull.
Some felt this would be good in terms of finer clutch control.
Other riders weren't so keen but they definitely
agreed the lighter clutch action made it worthwhile.
Brilliant lever!
It fits my hand really well.
It's just a nice length.
And the big advantage that I find with it is that it if you crash with barkbusters,
the lever is way inboard and it's not going to fail with any barkbusters or anything.
A big plus in our book is the lever encourages one finger clutch action,
generally the ideal for technical dirt riding.
Set up properly, there is no danger of crushing the
lever against your other fingers against the bars.
The clutch on my Husaberg is already pretty light but the Midwest did make it a little bit lighter.
While the length is something I'll have to get used to, with it being a fair bit shorter.
The wider lever felt comfortable for everyone,
only rider questioned this as his gloves got wet then started to slip on the lever a bit.
He felt it wasn't a big issue, but in the long run would consider roughing
up the lever a little for more grip if it was an ongoing issue.
Quite comfortable!
I'm not normally a 'one-finger clutch man'.
I do like my one finger brakes.
I was immediately feel comfortable with that with the brake but it forced me to
probably use more one finger on the clutch.
And I think it's something I could get used to.
Plenty of european bikes like katos are known for their dragging clutches even when warmed up,
the increased length of the clutch pull usually means a bit of adjustment of the
lever to avoid clutch drag even when the lever is fully against the bars.
The Midwest brake lever.
As Midwest states, it has exactly the same action as the stock lever and is adjustable.
The big advantage we saw is it encourages a one finger grip for better grip on the handlebars,
or two fingers if you move the lever outward.
With the possible exception of the guy with wet gloves,
we all liked the thick lever again... the ergonomics are well thought out.
The brake is a massive improvement for me because I can use one finger comfortably.
I feel like I've got more purchase and more braking power,
and it doesn't come into contact with my other knuckles which is nice.
Our research on forums indicates that there's occasionally a rider who doesn't
gel with thicker levers but they usually just cut and file them down to a width they like.
However the vast majority seem to prefer the thick square edged lever design.
At around US$70 we feel the clutch lever is especially worthwhile if
you'd like to lighten your clutch pull without forking out a lot of money,
then if you like the ergonomics of it consider getting the matching brake lever as well.
And of course if you are one of the very small minority who wind up not liking it,
it simply becomes a spare lever in your kit if you break the stock lever.