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Chinese knock-off CRG levers

Eugene

Eugene

New member
Joined
Mar 8, 2008
Location
San Francisco
Moto(s)
S1000R
So I've been poking around ebay, and I see a lot of these CRG-knockoff levers from China. Here's an example:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Clutch-Brak...Parts_Accessories&hash=item3cc57197b3&vxp=mtr

It looks like they pretty much blatantly ripped off the design - and are selling them for about 1/6th to 1/8th the price.

Anyone have experience with these? I decided to order a set... I guess if they're crap I'm out $40. I figure it's worth the risk if it's close enough to the real thing, right?
 
I use repo OEM levers from taiwan. they were probably made in china. no issues.

my other bikes have pazzo levers

I can't advise you whether you should buy knock offs or not.
 
Have them on my track bike for two seasons...No issues yet.
 
Eugene, I bought those exact levers for my '09 Monster. I expected them to be so-so quality coming from China and being very cheap. They exceeded my expectations, though. They may be cheap Chinese levers, but they feel solid, they adjust easily, and are easy to lube. If you aren't looking for bling, then they are definitely a quality economical find.

Speaking of which, it's been 5 months since I lubed them... *runs out to the garage*
 
only problem i ever hear of w/ knock-off levers is the lever not allowing the master cylinder to fully release, so the brakes get hot, pressures goes up, and they end up locking. be careful on that first ride.
 
works great, and held up on a light drop and direct hit on the lever....but, it fades...red fades to a dirty pink...black turns to a smoke color after time....get silver levers...
 
stangmx13 said:
only problem i ever hear of w/ knock-off levers is the lever not allowing the master cylinder to fully release, so the brakes get hot, pressures goes up, and they end up locking. be careful on that first ride.
Click to expand...

Not worth the risk.
 
I have this for almost 3 years now.i had a black w/red.adjuster.for me it worked perfectly fine....they would be a bit thicker than crgs...they do fade though..if youre worried about the looks,raw aluminum is the way to go..if you dont mind the fading,then youll do just fine with any color except for red..they do turn into pink

You know theres an ebay seller that has the same product and shipps it out from sacramento for $34
 
stangmx13 said:
only problem i ever hear of w/ knock-off levers is the lever not allowing the master cylinder to fully release, so the brakes get hot, pressures goes up, and they end up locking. be careful on that first ride.
Click to expand...

Had this happen to me. I checked and found the hole for the rod from the MC was too small for the rod to engage properly.This caused pressure on the rod even when fully out. There needs to be a small amount of free play. Drilled hole to proper diameter/depth and that solved it. To be honest it could of just ben a mistake in parts as I was running a radial front MC from one bike on a bike that came with a standard. I mentioned this mis-match when ordering levers for my bike but possibly over looked.
That said I running the same knock offs on my current bike with no issues..
DT
 
stangmx13 said:
only problem i ever hear of w/ knock-off levers is the lever not allowing the master cylinder to fully release, so the brakes get hot, pressures goes up, and they end up locking. be careful on that first ride.
Click to expand...

Oh is that all?! :laughing

I'll stick with the real thing, not die AND support a local business - CRG is right here in Santa Cruz County.

I'm surprised to even be saying that, since I'm usually the last one to pooh-pooh Chinese knockoffs, and am such a cheapskate (just got some of those ebay Galfer rotor copies..)
 
I would definitely trust one of the most important system on a motorcycle to a cheap knock off by an unknown manufacture. A "manufacturer" that copies a well know companies design using inferior materials and processes to make money by preying on people's desire for high quality pieces but don't have the means to purchase them. :rolleyes
 
The only failures I've heard of were due to improper installation by the rider. Make sure the rod fits in the hole.

As for the materials being inferior - not sure how knockoffs made with 6061-T6 aluminum are inferior...I believe CRG and Pazzo use the same. China probably doesn't have a solid QC department so make sure you inspect them prior to installation.
 
I felt the same way until I actually checked some out. Some of the over-seas companies turn out quality stuff and others don't. Just like here. What I am assuming is most of these are made on a CNC machine so if you have a good program and material to start with will be the determining factors on the final product.
I actually like the features on my imports which have adjustable length that I can fine tune to my hands.
Personally, I don't like how the CRG's feel and ran Pazzo's in the past.
DT
 
Dont forget your smart phone is made in China!!! There are high and low quality companies in any country. I bought some knocked-off stuff for cheap and just cant tell how different they are from the original one. When you buy a brand name, beside the quality, you buy the name too. That's why Louis Vuitton purses are so expensive. You would never believe me if I say the cost for 1 Ray-Ban glasses is +/10-20 bucks (included labor and everything) .
 
I bought a pair of these last week after doing a little research. Estimated shipping time is 1 month :(
 
I had knock offs (the 2 wheels - link in above posts) on 3 of my bikes. I had no issues at all. The levers feel thicker than Pazzos but I got use to it really quick. I haven't had them fade yet but I don't ride everyday.

For being a China company their service is really good too. Paid $30 or so shipped. I would buy again without hesitation.
 
If this is the CRG knockoff stuff found at cycle gear, I've got both of them on mine. The mirrors are surprisingly convex and work well. The handlebars have a decent weight to them and the adjuster seems like decent quality. I bought them off amazon for $50.
 
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