I first ran across HPN's replacement rear brake lever while flipping pages in a Touratech catalog, and the idea of tucking the lever up out of the way seemed like a good one. The $140 price tag is very high, however, but when some insurance claim cash came my way I decided "what the heck" and ordered one (along with an oil cooler relocation kit).

The kit comes with everything you'll need for installation except a drill. The instructions in the package are in German, however, and like the cooler, there is a help page for the brake lever on the Touratech USA web site (though it's not referenced from the catalog page like the cooler). I was able to piece together the path forward from looking at the illustrations on the German instruction sheet and reading the text on the Touratech web page.

The kit comes with three pieces: the replacement brake lever, a new cable stop for the rear drive end of the brake cable, and a cable alignment bracket for the pedal end of the cable. The latter is needed because the bend in the cable necessitated by the reversed lever makes the cable want to droop as it emerges from the brake pedal housing. The lever is aluminum, just like the original, and is the same length as well. It incorporates a jog so that the cable end will not hit the drive housing. The cable stops and brackets are cad plated steel, as are the mounting screws.

Installation consists of removing the original brake lever and installing both of the new cable ends. Begin by disconnecting the factory rear brake cable, spinning off the big wing nut and setting it aside in a safe place. Also remove the rubber boot from the cable. Pull the cable out of the stop in the final drive housing, and pull the cable out of the stop.

Slide the HPN alignment bracket over the cable with the tail of the bracket pointing up and facing to the rear of the bike. With the brake pedal end of the cable fully seated into its stop, position the alignment bracket so that the end metal ferrule on the cable is at least 1/8" from the bracket. Mark the location of the hole in the other leg of the bracket onto the brake pedal housing. Remove the plastic cover from the housing and drill a 7/32 or AWG #3 hole in the housing. Using the provided bolt and nut, mount the bracket to the housing, again ensuring that the bracket is at least 1/8" back from the end of the cable ferrule.

Next pick the HPN cable stop out of the kit. It will re-angle the brake cable housing so it aligns with the new brake arm. It's not very intuitive how the new stop should be mounted, but the stop has a tab with a hole in it, through which the mounting bolt is inserted. The bolt then passes through the original anchor location of the cable on the drive housing.

Thread the cable through the stop and make sure the cable housing is bottomed in the new anchor. Slip the rubber boot over the cable.

Last step is to swap out the brake lever. To remove the old brake lever, unscrew the mounting bolt and remove it. It's not sufficient to just loosen it, as the bolt passes through a groove in the brake pivot shaft that will keep the brake arm on the shaft. Install the new brake arm onto the brake pivot shaft facing up, such that the cable makes a 90° angle with the shaft when the brake is applied. Getting this angle correct is vital to preserving the function and power of the brake, since maximum torque is applied to the lever only when the angle is at precisely 90°.

Remove the mounting bolt from the new lever and slip it over the brake pivot shaft so that the teeth in the arm engage those in the shaft. It might take a couple of trys before the angle is right, and it's probably best to connect the brake lever to the cable and check it after each assembly. Also check to make sure there is some thread sticking out from the aft end of the wing nut. Insert the pinch bolt in the new lever and tighten it until the lever doesn't wiggle on the brake shaft.

The picture below shows how the end of the new lever should align with the cable anchor on the rear drive housing.

So after all this work, is it worth it? Well I have to confess that I never bent or broke a brake lever before the mod, even when riding some pretty rough rocks and ruts. But knowing that the lever is more out of the way is a comforting thought. As far as the cost goes, if it hadn't been for the insurance claim money, I wouldn't have pursued this mod. From a performance perspective, the extra drag on the cable imposed by the new bends makes the brake less responsive, to the point that the brake pedal will hesitate to return if the cable isn't properly lubricated. I have also noticed a slight decrease in effectiveness of the brake, but I'm at a loss to explain why. In theory, since the length of the two levers is nearly identical, the amount of torque applied to the brake pivot shaft should be the same. The rear wheel can still be locked on dry pavement, but it just seems to require a bit more effort on the brake pedal.