Forged Carbon Brake Lever

Working in a small garage, I, a passionate dirt bike enthusiast, faced a broken brake lever on my Honda CR 125. With Inspiration from EC's video on How to Compression Mould Forged Carbon Fibre Components I was determined to fix the issue, by creating a carbon fibre replacement.

I began by reverse-engineering the original lever and designing a 3D model in CAD. Through Finite Element Analysis (FEA), I optimized the design for increased strength. This design for the brake lever was then used to design a mould. This mould was designed to be used with the forged carbon process.

Using the technology of FDM 3D printing, the mould was printed. Then a mixture of carbon fibre and epoxy was used to fill the mould with the required amount of material. The mould parts were then pressed together and I eagerly awaited the results. However, a small air bubble caused a fault in the lever.

Undeterred, I made a second attempt. Adding extra carbon fibre to problem area eliminated air bubble imperfections. After finishing the surface and fitting the carbon fibre brake lever onto my dirt bike, I can conclude a lever as a really well made.

The process of making was a simple way to create a wide range of complex composite parts. I look forward to make another part for my motorcycle.

A video of the process can be found here: Motorcycle Brake Lever Honda CR125