If anyone noticed, the levers were sold to the public as "safety levers". If anything the turkey levers helped sell millions of bikes in the "10 speed" bike boom of the mid to late 70's as parents buying their children their bikes saw the things as the equivalent of a sort of ABS for bikes, so it wouldn't be a bad descision to get Junior that 10 speed "racing bike" because those "safety levers" will help keep him from killing himself when he's riding the tops of the bars like all kids rode them....for sure! We're just all lucky the bike industry did not decide to give us all the trusty old coaster brake on those 10 speed bikes instead!
Chombi