Control lever

A control lever is mounted to rotate about a given axis (8), and has a locking device (9) for locking the lever in a given angular position. The locking device (9) can be moved between a lock position and a release position by a sliding rod (17). A handle (4) in which the sliding rod (17) is housed presents a curved configuration allowing the height of the control lever to be reduced thereby forming a lesser obstruction for a vehicle operator. The sliding rod (17) comprises a flexible portion (25) to get around the curve in the handle (4) while still being able to axially actuate the locking device (9).