Replace Brake Levers / Racing Lever Upgrade

Maintenance, guides, and walkthroughs for your PCX. Please do not post questions about repairing or fixing your bike here.

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WI_Hedgehog
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Replace Brake Levers / Racing Lever Upgrade

Post by WI_Hedgehog »

The PCX is a well-designed machine, although the reach to the brake levers is pretty long for those with smaller hands, sometimes causing throttle usage irregularities. Here's how I replaced the stock levers with adjustable race leavers (note this is a one-beer project, 2-beer if something goes wrong, so quite easy in the grand scheme of things):

1.) Order the levers. This step seems obvious, and it takes the longest. I ordered:
AliExpress / MTKRACING $22.93 (including shipping)
CNC For Honda PCX 125/150 all years Motorcycle Accessories Foldable Extending Brake Clutch Levers / Black

They come in different colors, and the colors are quite bold (they are race leavers!). Not wanting the blue on the leaver to contrast with the blue of the PCX I ordered Black.


2.) Tools. All the nuts are self-locking and come loosened--they all need to be tightened. Racers want to take things apart and inspect them fully before installing them, so things come ready to be disassembled.

I used a set of 1/4" drive sockets (metric) and a small adjustable wrench, although two socket sets would work better because some of the nuts are recessed and grabbing them with a wrench while turning a socket and holding the leaver is sure to make one look retarded. (Being a garage monkey I probably look that way regularly.)

If you don't have tools check out:
TEKTON 1/4-Inch Drive Socket Set, Metric, Cr-V, 4 mm -12 mm, 9-Sockets | 1202
GearWrench 1/4" 120XP Ratchet
On the ratchet, I bought:
GearWrench 81230P 120XP Full Polish Flex Teardrop Ratchet Set, 4-Piecefor $89.57 including s/h, right before Christmas. Amason seems to have greatly increased prices since then.

3.) Check the brake lever moves freely. Squeeze the brake and release it. When you release it the leaver should snap back to fully disengaged quickly, if it doesn't the source of the problem needs to be found and fixed.

4.) Once the levers arrive check the PCX logo is printed correctly and right-side-up, and tighten all bolts except the pivot bolt (the largest one). The levers I bought did not come with pivot bolts--this is standard practice, done to keep costs down and is no problem, when the time comes simply use the pivot bolts that hold the OEM levers in place. You don't need to pay for extra pivot bolts when yours aren't worn out as the extras will just become random bolts in the parts bin.

Don't go crazy on tightening and snap the bolts, 15-inch-pounds of torque should be enough. That's 15 pounds of force at 1" from the center of the pivot point, or 7# at 2", or 5" at 3"--you get the idea--snug, but not h0ly sh!t tight.

5.) Put the PCX on the center stand and set the parking brake (this will help with disassembly).

The parking brake should be a bit hard to set--if it's not it may need to be adjusted (tightened) at the drum. If you can roll the PXC without difficulty when the parking brake is set, it's not adjusted properly and/or the brake shoes are worn excessively.

6.) Partially remove the pivot bolt from the left-hand brake lever (8mm socket on the top, hold the bottom with a wrench so the wrench doesn't scratch any visible paint). Leave the bolt at least 1/2 way in, all the way in is best. Note the nuts are "self-locking," there is a blue plastic retainer molded into the nut. Notice how it makes the nut difficult to remove--this is important, because during re-assembly the retainer must be doing that job or the nut will vibrate loose and fall off.

7.) Remove the cable.

The cable consists of a braided piece of wire hidden inside a hard steel tube, all covered with black rubbery plastic. The end of the cable tube has a steel cap that fits in a deep recess in the brake leaver housing.

To remove the brake lever, squeeze the brake leaver, pull on the cable sheathing (pull on the outer rubbery covering), keeping the cable lined up with the thin slot cut into the brake lever housing, and pull the cable covering fairly hard while releasing the brake leaver, which should allow the metal end of the cable covering to be pulled out of the recess. The braided wire (inside the cable) can then be rotated out through the slot.

On the end of the braided wire is a round retainer which keeps the cable in the leaver. Pull the pivot bolt out while holding on to the leaver, pull the leaver out while holding on to the cable, then pull the round retainer out of the leaver.

Pretty easy once you've done it--which is good, because putting it back together is harder.

8.) Put the race lever in by reversing the process used to take everything apart, but do not put the nut on the pivot bolt. Take your time and don't scratch anything. Make sure it's the LEFT lever you're trying to install.

9.) With the lever in place, and the pivot bolt inserted, squeeze the brake and release it. When you release it the lever should snap back to fully disengaged quickly, if it doesn't:

Remove the lever. Put the lever back in without the cable. If it's a tight fit and the lever is hard to get in and out, and it doesn't move around easily, you've found a problem (there may be more than one). Check how freely it moves with and without the pivot bolt. Check how freely the original lever moves. Do not continue until the source of the problem has been found.

For me, there was no problem on this lever, but the fit of the other lever was too tight. On that lever I took two flat-blade screwdrivers and put the edge of one against the flat of another forming a T. I slid the T into the slot where the lever normally goes and used the flat (wide) part of the T to pry against the tall (narrow) part of the T--just a little, like 1/2 the thickness of a human hair (about 0.002" of an inch). I tried the fit and it was a tiny little bit better, which is the proper way to do it--NOT ENOUGH. I repeated the process of prying the slot open about the same amount--that being "not enough." It is far better to open the slot 0.001" at a time than to overshoot--do not overshoot! The aluminum slot will work-harden, so bending it too much then bending it back makes it brittle and more subject to breaking, plus it'll probably get scratched when trying to close it up (bend it back). Opening the slot up should take 5 to 10 tries to get it right--if you mess it up and nail it in 3 so be it, better than trying to get it done in 3 and overshooting--do not overshoot. The fit should be "perfect" where everything fits when aligned properly, the lever pivots freely on the pivot bolt and there is no slop.

10.) Install the nut (see the note below) on the pivot bolt and tighten it to "snug," check the movement of the lever, and snug it "a bit more." I personally snug it until "reasonable," or the lever starts to bind--and then back it off so there is no binding.

A note on the nut: The nut should have a blue plastic retainer on it that keeps it tight to the bolt so it does not vibrate loose. If this is damaged in any way or not functioning properly, buy another nut. Get one from a Honda dealer, the hardware store, a squirrel--no, not a squirrel. Make sure the blue retainer makes the nut harder to turn when installing the nut, if it doesn't get another nut. The nut can generally be used three times or so before this becomes a problem, but if it stops doing its job replace it. Sometimes it can get pushed out or destroyed when putting the nut on the bolt, this happens, it's normal, replace the nut.

Each leaver uses different sized pivot bolt (and different nut), so do one lever at a time.

Done with that side! (almost)
The little red lever on the brake (clutch) lever adjusts distance, moving the lever in and out. Make sure the brake lever can be pulled all the way without hitting the grip--if it hits the grip adjust it out a notch and try again. Make sure the PCX logo on the front of the lever is face-up. It should be near impossible to install the levers wrong, but double-check. The lever end should fold "up," not down. Double-check your work, it's part of the job.

The images have one race lever installed to compare to stock:
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Last edited by WI_Hedgehog on Fri Jan 05, 2018 1:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Replace Brake Levers / Racing Lever Upgrade

Post by WI_Hedgehog »

11.) The other side (right side) is much the same, but easier. (Your left hand is where the wedding ring or "slave band" goes, you didn't think that would be easy, did you?)

After removing the pivot bolt the lever just pulls out! Instead of pulling a cable the lever pushes against a hydraulic ram, so all should go smoothly.

The reason I mention this side second is because this is the side where the lever slot needed to be opened, and that's a finesse job. Plus it's actually harder to get the lever in and lined up because on the other side the emergency brake holds the cable for you making the pivot bolt easier to line up and slide in, but here the ram will be pushing against the lever making it a bit more frustrating--so this is a finesse job also.
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