lever, perch, master cylinder, whats it all mean

I recently picked up a 79 KZ1000 LTD that I plan on rebuilding and ugprading. I've done small work on other bikes I've owned but nothing this advanced.

I was looking to replace the hand controls and I've been reading for hours different stuff that was more specific and not just how does all this stuff work.

The basic question is, what all do I need to do to replace the levers. I think I understand that the lever fits into the perch. But then there is the whole master cylinder. Is that independent of the lever and perch? Do I need to replace the whole damn thing or just the lever and perch?

Thanks for the help!

You have a clutch lever and clutch perch. Brake lever and brake master cylinder.

You should try to buy levers the same brand of the perch or master cylinder. They aren't one size fits all. different angles, different thicknesses, pivot bolt sizes, etc.

If you have stock perch and master cylinder then find levers marked to fit your bike.

Thanks for the response!

I think I was getting confused when I would see clutch master cylinder. That would be for when you have a hydraulic clutch?

Familiarize yourself with the manuals, they can be found up in the right hand corner of this page under the FILEBASE link.
Then go to kawasaki.com to familiarize yourself with the parts diagrams. Here's a link:
Parts Diagram
You will see that the clutch lever has its own perch while the perch for the brake lever is actually part of the master cylinder itself.

Welcome to the madness!!!

tion911 wrote: Thanks for the response!

I think I was getting confused when I would see clutch master cylinder. That would be for when you have a hydraulic clutch?

Yes.