Are the brake/clutch levers on a (pre-2008) Ninja 250 supposed to be symmetric?

Question

I bought a used 2007 Kawasaki Ninja 250R a couple months ago. I had a mechanic check it out first, and I've been riding it since with no issues. The other day I noticed that the brake lever seems to be curled in at the end a bit more than the clutch lever. Are these levers supposed to be perfectly symmetric? (Inspired by this question.)

It's very low mileage, and there's no evidence that it's ever been laid down on that side. It doesn't pose any problem when riding, and in fact I didn't even notice this for a couple of weeks, nor did my mechanic. It seems perfectly sturdy still -- just in a slightly different shape than the clutch lever.

This isn't bad, is it?

Answer 1

I had a Honda Magna that was knocked over from being parked on two separate occasions. Both times it happened to fall on the clutch side and it curled up the clutch lever. I think this is by design as no other damage was done and I just had to replace the lever.

If yours is only bent slightly it might have fallen over at some point but not as hard (I am guessing this is a lighter bike). They are typically easy to replace and cheap. I would suggest looking up a new lever and if a new one is not curved then just replace it.

Answer 2

I had the same thing on my 08 ninja 500, the seller obviously laid it down on the left side so it had a "curled" clutch. A new one cost me $7 and I replaced it myself, so not a big deal.