Will VMax, FJR, or Other Levers Fit a MkII First Gen. Venture?

[Mach VIII]

So I just got back from my first trip on my recently "restored" '89 VR.  My buddy and I rode from North Carolina up to the AMA Vintage Days Motorcycle Festival at Mid-Ohio Raceway and back last weekend.  Around 1100 miles or so round trip.  Me on my VR and he on his '86 Goldwing SEI.  The first roadtrip for either of these bikes in some years.  The VR did great!  The 'Wing....not so much, but that's another story.

One of the things I noticed is that the stock brake lever was out from the grip a bit further than I like.  I have delinked the brakes and installed R6 calipers.  The lever is pretty firm, so I would like it to be a bit closer to the bar as I prefer to cover and brake with two fingers - especially in the twistier stuff.  I was surprised to see that the levers aren't adjustable on these bikes.  I was even more surprised to see that there do not appear to be any after-market ones available either. 

So, I started wondering about cross-referencing for some adjustable levers intended to fit other bikes.  The most likely candidate seems like it would be original VMax ('85-'03).  Does anyone know if those are a direct fit to the stock master cylinders on a MkII first gen Venture?  If so, there seem to be some inexpensive adjustable options available to fit the VMax's (primarily sportbike style, which I'm fine with).  I've searched the forum here and Google but am surprised I don't find any clear answers.  A couple items seemed to suggest they might fit.  One post indicated someone made some minor modification/grinding and then they fit. 

If VMax levers won't fit, are there levers from any other bikes that DO fit the first generation Venture?

Thanks.

[Squidley]

Have you considered heating the lever up (off the bike of course) and bending it back a little bit more to your liking?

[skydoc_17]

Hey Todd,

Boy, it sounds like you had a great trip! With that being said, let's get to it! I installed a set of carbon fiber levers from a Yamaha R1, but I did have to modify them. The hole in the lever where the bolt secures the lever to the bracket for the master cylinder is your pivot point. If we are looking down on the front brake lever, to the left of the retaining bolt is the contact area that pushes on the plunger for the master cylinder piston. The more you remove material from this area, the closer the grip end of the lever will be to the throttle grip. I actually milled that area in a milling machine to modify mine Todd because they were carbon fiber and not aluminum, but a Dremel Tool, or even a single cut file would work to remove material. Grind on it some, and "dry fit" the lever to see if you are getting the desired effect. If it has moved closer, but needs to go more, grind a bit more off the lobe of the lever, and check it again. If you go crazy removing material, you will ruin the lever and you will need to start over again with a new lever so grind a little, then check it, grind a little, then check it. (You get the idea, I'm sure) Pretty much ANY of the big cruiser/touring bikes made by Yamaha use the same lever style on the master cylinder end of the lever Todd. The only difference is the length of the lever, and the bend of the lever at the hand grip area. The R1 levers I chose were shorter than the Venture levers, but I do not have "Bear Paw" type hands so that was not an issue for me. Plus there is not another Venture on the planet with Carbon Fiber levers on it so I was more than happy to take the extra time to fit them properly. I hope this helps, and good luck with this project!

Earl

[Mach VIII]

Thanks for the replies.  Skydoc - lots of good information there.  I hadn't really thought about it before reading your post, but it sounds like I could simply grind off a little material from the stock lever where it contacts the plunger in order to move the position back some to my liking.  While that wouldn't be the same as having some "trick" adjustable and foldable levers, that's fine for this bike's intended usage.  I don't usually adjust the lever position more than once on my bikes that DO have adjustable levers.  Even better - it's FREE!! (assuming I don't screw it up - hehehe).