Any after market clutch lever options ?

The clutch is killing me-while under way it's ok to shift-but at a stop sign or red light ,having to hold it in for an extended period of time-my hand hurts like hell. Finding myself having to put bike in neutral to rest hand-not a fan of doing this-prefer keeping bike in gear. Are there any after market clutch levers or a clutch one can cannibalize from another bike-perhaps with a different design over stock ?
cheers

Not sure that a different lever is going to make any difference on the tension exerted by the hydraulics in the clutch. Some people change the lever for another (sorry, can't remember which) because they find the reach is too far for shorter fingers. No doubt, sitting for more than a couple of minutes does get tiring on the hand, especially doing it a lot in stop and go traffic. I could say you will get more used to it as time goes on too, but in slow traffic, I often click into neutral for the rest. I'm not sure if you have had a hydraulic clutch on your previous bike(s), but you don't need to pull the lever more than about a half inch to release the clutch.

I installed an adjustable clutch lever off of a VFR on my ST1300 and it works perfectly. Not sure if it would work on the St 1100. You could compare the set up by looking at one at your local dealer.

Try sliding your hand outboard so that your pinky and ring fingers are on the bar end weight, and your two strongest fingers are holding the end of the lever which naturally provides the most leverage.

Fwiw I'm in neutral before I even bring the bike to a halt, preferably from 2nd to N, and I don't drop it back in gear until the car in front of me is actually moving.

I do the end of the lever trick for extended clutch-in holds, and also the Nuetral postion, but preferably only once there's a car at a full stop behind me. Otherwise I like to leave it in gear too as the OP prefers.
You can also add a little grease to the contacts points of the lever and the pin - it helped mine a lot and made it a touch smoother and easier to work.

There is a post here in which CBR1100XX Blackbird levers have been used.

The ST1100 clutch lever is shared with the following models, and there are adjustable levers for things like the PC800 on ebay (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-PC800-Pacific-Coast-89-98-Black-Adjustable-Upgrade-Clutch-Lever-/180730714269?hash=item2a1463d89d:m:mmbS58mVHuootdDAKLjOZjw)

This Honda 53178-KE8-006 LEVER, L. HANDLE is used on these models and components:

I bought a set of these off Amazon. The clutch is adjustable in the same manner as the the brake.

paulcb said:

I bought a set of these off Amazon. The clutch is adjustable in the same manner as the the brake.

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They even match the color of my bike!

SMSW said:

They even match the color of my bike!

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Yeah, they're pretty much identical to the stock ST11 brake lever, with the same 2 position adjustment.

SanDiegoDan said:

Try sliding your hand outboard so that your pinky and ring fingers are on the bar end weight, and your two strongest fingers are holding the end of the lever which naturally provides the most leverage.

Fwiw I'm in neutral before I even bring the bike to a halt, preferably from 2nd to N, and I don't drop it back in gear until the car in front of me is actually moving.

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For YOUR safety alone, not a good choice or option. Get some 50+yrs. of riding under your belt and your thought process and choice will change......hopefully.

Brant said:

For YOUR safety alone, not a good choice or option. Get some 50+yrs. of riding under your belt and your thought process and choice will change......hopefully

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Suggest to him where you think he erred in his thought processes and choice so he won't have to wait 50+yrs for enlightenment.

ST Gui said:

Suggest to him where you think he erred in his thought processes and choice so he won't have to wait 50+yrs for enlightenment.

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Excellent point.

Please help me out Brant... I really need it because I only have 42+ years riding under my belt. Thank you.

SanDiegoDan said:

Please help me out Brant... I really need it because I only have 42+ years riding under my belt. Thank you.

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Well, no help, as that is plenty enough yrs. behind the bars to know not to leave it in neutral at stop lites.......especially in those high traffic locations out that direction.

Why? So I can stare at my mirror looking for someone who is about to rear end me? And then I'll release the clutch and squirt away just in the knick of time? And because I'm already in gear I'll have the time to execute this maneuver? Ok thanks for the lesson, and now let's please bring on all the old war stories of how many times you saved your own life by doing exactly this (and please don't exclude the times you panic popped the clutch and stalled it, or launched into the bumper of the car in front of you, or shot out into cross traffic, or missed the light because you were looking in your mirror, or pulled up between cars for no reason at all, or clipped your mirror or hard bag trying to thread the needle, or got halfway clear duck paddling at 1 mph and still got rear ended).

99% of threats are between your 10 and your 2. Brothers... I say keep your heads up. Just one man's opinion.

SanDiegoDan said:

Why? So I can stare at my mirror looking for someone who is about to rear end me? And then I'll release the clutch and squirt away just in the knick of time? And because I'm already in gear I'll have the time to execute this maneuver? Ok thanks for the lesson, and now let's please bring on all the old war stories of how many times you saved your own life by doing exactly this (and please don't exclude the times you panic popped the clutch and stalled it, or launched into the bumper of the car in front of you, or shot out into cross traffic, or missed the light because you were looking in your mirror, or pulled up between cars for no reason at all, or clipped your mirror or hard bag trying to thread the needle, or got halfway clear duck paddling at 1 mph and still got rear ended).

99% of threats are between your 10 and your 2. Brothers... I say keep your heads up. Just one man's opinion.

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+1. I'm with you... I put it in neutral at stop lights too. Although, out of habit, I check my mirrors every time to see what's coming to a stop. Once there, it goes to neutral if all looks OK. IMO, the chances of keeping it in gear and then using that to successfully avoid getting hit from behind are very close to zero. Too many other bad things can happen keeping it in gear. IMO, it sounds good on paper but not in everyday life. I've commuted in stop/go traffic everyday for several years and I've never needed to be in gear to avoid a situation. There are only so many things we can do to mitigate our risks when riding, else we should just cage it everywhere.

I keep the bike in gear at stops for one reason: one a few occasions (a few too many though) I twist the grip the bike makes noise and I go nowhere. It's a rookie mistake made because all my riding career I never put the bike in neutral at a stop. A lot of unlearning to do so I keep it in gear. If I need to adjust something or get something out of a pocket I go back in gear afterwards.

Because of the span of the lever to grip distance my hand gets sore quick in stop and go traffic. That makes holding the clutch in at a stop a little tiring.

I got these: http://shop.the2wheels.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_id=533&search=adjustable+clutch+lever and always get a good grip on the lever instead of just by my finger tips. My hand is less tired and holding the lever in at a stop is now no big deal.

My V65 Saber and V61 Interceptor both had hydraulic clutches and I was able to get direct replacement dog-leg non-adjustable levers that were comfortable. I never found that option for my ST.

I had a spare adjustable OEM clutch lever from my 1999 VFR800, and that fitted the ST1100 like it was made for it. That means any aftermarket part that fits my VFR, will also fit the ST, so there is a huge range to choose from.