Simple solutions:
Before taking the financial plunge with parts, ask forums!
More interestingly, no sooner had I ordered it, I stumbled upon an online chat on Facebook about the very item I’d just pinged £52 away for. So what exactly were they saying? Like many online discussions it started off pretty negative, with various friends of my mate pooh-poohing his Adelin master cylinder: how rude! My mate got the thread flowing: “I’m giving it a look and so far it looks okay. It’s cast and painted but looks and feels quality, it feels smooth when you pull the lever and the pivot looks good and strong too.” But – it seems – you can’t keep a good ‘Doubting Thomas’ down. One bystander said: “I'm still twitchy about them, I may wait until this season is done and see what feedback there is from users.” We were now getting further into the subject and a fellow Adelin owner revealed his intentions: “I am going to strip it and have a good look inside it. I spent five or six years importing ISR stuff and have seen what makes them work and know why they work so well after stripping and replacing seals in older ones. The bore is the key to it working and not wearing seals. The casting looks OK and I will try it on one of the 250s.”
It was all going good until another virtual friend joined in with “Braved an Adelin?” It was starting to be like a bike part, bit-part soap opera and we were slipping backwards again, until someone chucked this view in: “To be honest, it would be good to have a ‘professional’ view on them, rather than all the online experts that have never seen them in the flesh. Look forward to hearing about it!” I could almost have applauded: well said that man! Next up was someone who could back up their facts: Ray Stringer also knows a thing or two about good kit. If you know the name he was a very handy British and International level racer who – in addition to his good riding – became a very well-known tuner, race bike builder and team owner. So what did Ray have to say? “I bought one a couple of months ago because I was intrigued to see how it performed,” said the legend. “I left the lever strapped as tight as I could for the weekend and it did not bleed any fluid past the seal. I then pulled the lever as hard as I could with both hands and could not snap the lever. The only problem with it is the ratio is not what they say it is. This one was supposed to be a 16 by 19 and when I measured it, it’s actually a 21 by 19. That would give a rock solid lever but no pressure at the pads: a Brembo 18, 17 or 16 lever fits straight into it though…” I was impressed with Mr Stringer’s in-depth research (and when you see the size of him, I’m amazed the lever took both those strong hands’ firm grip without snapping). So, although I’d never regretted my impulsive purchase it was good to see I had a product that was rated by people who know much more about the subject than I do. I wasn’t alone: one of those who’d been less than complimentary earlier in the thread had now changed his tune. Here’s what they said: “I was looking at costs of the Adelin 18 to 19 at about £70 on average. Looking into it I would only need the 16x18 at £39 for my CBR. I think it’s worth buying one and keeping it as a spare.” Finally, it looked like we were all agreed. I won’t really get to know what it’s like until I get my SRAD sorted; more importantly I really need to buy some calipers before that’s even possible. But, with my Adelin master cylinder safely sitting in the garage inside its posh packaging I’m back online to source a few more Chinese parts that we’re all too quick to dismiss. Hopefully they’ll be decent quality and priced to suit my remaining budget.