Simple to construct shifter pivot

[ammpro]

Guys, I made a functional shifter pivot using off-the-shelf parts from McMaster-Carr (McMaster.com), a tabletop drill press and vise. Total cost of parts is less than $15.
Note: There is absolutely no need for a splined shaft, it provides no benefit.
It uses a flanged bearing at the pivot point, with a 1/4-20 screw, flat washer, and lock nut. I made a shoulder screw by threading, then shortening, a much longer bolt. It is not necessary, a normal screw will suffice.
It works like a charm...
If anyone wants specifics, just ask.




Frank
P.S. Pardon the dirty bike. Been down with shoulder replacement...

[MarkT]

Good job.  Looks like it should work.  Interestingly, just acquired a much younger Valk with 26k miles.  I note the shifter is much more crisp than I had got used to on Deerslayer before I did my shifter mod.  The OEM design is wanting, and that shows when wear sets in.  And if you try to take it to the limits by installing a BBT forward control kit.  Can't fault Honda too much.  They got almost everything else perfectly.  Even on the first year of production!

BTW I also noticed, they used a single coil assembly in '97 but decided that was wanting as my '98 (Deerslayer) they had already gone to the triple coil setup. I didn't look closely on Jade to see if the assembly has more than one coil.  It's just, I was looking to use the black/white wire from the kill switch (on my Dan-Marc latch-relay power) to the coils and ECM, and access it in an easy spot, when I noticd the coil arrangement.

[ammpro]

Yeah. Cleared to ride again, but haven't yet (my driveway is sloped and gravel, and my right shoulder is still tender...). BUT, just sitting in the garage, I can shift, even into neutral, with ease, now that I have this mod on. WHAT A DIFFERENCE!!! I doubled up on the brackets, though I believe one each would suffice.

[fordmano]

Come on now, when you come up with a good idea of course we all want specifics!
Damn it, spill the beans buddy. We need extremely specific detail some of us (i.e.:ME) ain't as smarts as y'all is!


Looks good by the way. Thanks.

[ammpro]

OK. Really very simple. I bought two sizes of stainless steel U-bolt plates, and a flanged bearing, from McMaster-Carr.
The nuts, bolts, and washers are available from Mcmaster.com, also, but ACE Hardware has them, too.
The plates are pre-drilled at perfect center-to-center spacing for this application. All you need to do is bore out some of the holes to clear an M10 bolt, and the bearing. I drilled both plates, together, by aligning them with a drill bit in the other hole, and clamping them in a vise.
Run the M10 bolt through and finger tighten the nuts. Stick it in the shift lever splined hole and mark the spot to drill a through hole, in the shift lever, for the 1/4-20 (or bolt of your preference) bolt.
For the flanged bearing, I chose to take a 1/4-20 bolt, long enough to have a partially threaded shank, and run a die down it to create a shoulder bolt, then I cut it to length. This is really not necessary. You can just use a suitable screw and nut. I chose 1/4" bolt because that flanged bearing ID is very common.
Bolt the plates to the shifter arm, run the M10 bolt in till it hits the splined shaft, align everything, and tighten the outer nut.
The rest is straight forward.
Call me if you need help. 954-558-4369
Frank

[ammpro]

Needed to make a minor adjustment during first ride...downshifting was not good, so I loosened up a couple of the bolts and found a more natural position, then re-tightened. Perfect.

[fordmano]

Excellent, Thanks for that level of detail.

Now I might be brave enough to try it out shortly.


Thanks,
Matt

[Jess from VA]

When I see these designs, I keep thinking about the first guy who sat down and decided to build an artificial knee joint arthrosis.

[DK]

When I see these designs, I keep thinking about the first guy who sat down and decided to build an artificial knee joint arthrosis.

I hate to think what my life would have been like for the past 23 years.

My knee replacement was done in 1992 and after all these years still works beautifully in spite of my having been extremely active with it.

Dan

[Fazer]

Just showing my ignorance, but what is the purpose of the shifter pivot?

[ammpro]

The Valkyrie shifter is cantilevered so far out from the pivot point on the engine, that excessive forces are present at the point where it exits the engine case, causing early seal and bearing failures, and interfering with what would normally be smooth operation. The extra pivot point supports the free end, so the rod swings more naturally in its intended arc.
Hope that helps.
Frank

[Fazer]

Thanks Ammpro.  I see now that the location of the shifter pad is the same, but the mechanical advantage is improved.  I was unaware that these bikes have such a week link--pun intended.

[ammpro]

Actually, the mechanical advantage is the same. It's just that the far (outer) end of the shift rod is stabilized, eliminating the cantilever forces. Motion and forces are restricted to the rotational axis.

[DK]

Ammpro,

I installed your version of the pivot support this week. It was a piece of cake using your parts list & source.

The improvement in shifting is absolutely amazing, way above my expectations.

All you have to do is order $12.00 worth of parts, drill one hole & tighten three bolts.

I highly recommend it. Thanks for sharing.

Dan

[ammpro]

Glad you like it!
I guess a career as an electronic and mechanical engineer finally paid off 
Frank

[MarkT]

Like to do that but I plan to get another BBT forward control kit and install on Jade.  Don't think your mod is compatible.  Though it might be with a small mod to it. The BBT kit has a plate that bolts to the face of the shifter arm.  Though I might just weld it on, and remove much of the metal. Have to look at it again after I get the kit.

[DK]

Mark,

Maybe you could either put the BBT clamp over the plate furthest from the pivot or use a longer plate & drill it so as to allow bolting it down with one of the BBT clamp bolts.

Dan

[MarkT]

Didn't need much.  I didn't need to use the anchor strap, screwed into the OEM shifter.  Instead I used the plate provided by BBT fwd controls mod, clamped it in position on the OEM shifter arm, then located the axis of the OEM shifter on the BBT plate.  Drilled the right size hole, and welded the nut in the above listed kit parts to it.  Then shortened the bolt appropriately, and screwed it into the welded-on nut to anchor the plate that reaches to the pivot bearing.  Used only one of those plates.  Used the 2 from the bearing to the crashbar bolt, in the above design.  Haven't tested it yet but it works OK on the lift.  Likely might need some tweaking. Did not install Heim joints or the reset spring helper as I did on Deerslayer.  However Jade has only 26k miles. Did use some grease on the pivot points.  The internal bearings are less worn, which is obvious when you ride it - shifts were crisper than on Deerslayer before I modded it with a shifter anchor and BBT fwd controls.

[DK]

Mark,

Nice!

Dan

[greggh]

I love the pictures thank you very much for the work you've done and laying out all items needed.
I will be manufacturing this myself for my shift lever and shift back thank you once again
Greggh

[Fazer]

My first attempt at this caused binding and was hard to shift.  Over the weekend I tried again and realized the bolt with the bearing that pivots was too tight, which must have been the bolt referred to that was converted to a "shoulder bolt."  Once I loosened it up, everything works great.  I have a set of dies, so I will do the same next time I get a chance to tinker. 

Thanks Ammpro for posting your idea.

[crash1980]

Ok, I'm a little lost on this.  Does this change the location of the shifter?

[mark81]

No it doesn't change the position, just adds an anchor point on the outside end so it rotates like it should instead of the shifter shaft flexing up and down and wearing out the bearing. The shaft sticks out of the case quite far and has some angles to it putting a lot of leverage and pressure on the shaft and bearing. If you look at the it on your bike an follow the shifter through the exhaust to the case it will all make sense.

[crash1980]

No it doesn't change the position, just adds an anchor point on the outside end so it rotates like it should instead of the shifter shaft flexing up and down and wearing out the bearing. The shaft sticks out of the case quite far and has some angles to it putting a lot of leverage and pressure on the shaft and bearing. If you look at the it on your bike an follow the shifter through the exhaust to the case it will all make sense.

[Ricky-D]

Rationalizing this un-needed piece of metal amazement as prolonging the life of some bearings is farcical.

I, for the life of me, do not understand why some still keep riding their Valkyrie considering the poor opinion

they possess of the engineering skills of Honda. Yet they do, still ride these 15 year old relics that haven't

given any problems (over the course of time) to receive such unknowledgeable utterings. And "improvements", my ass!

***

[98valk]

Ammpro recently passed away.

http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,83429.0.html

[Fazer]

Rationalizing this un-needed piece of metal amazement as prolonging the life of some bearings is farcical.

I, for the life of me, do not understand why some still keep riding their Valkyrie considering the poor opinion

they possess of the engineering skills of Honda. Yet they do, still ride these 15 year old relics that haven't

given any problems (over the course of time) to receive such unknowledgeable utterings. And "improvements", my ass!

***

I dunno--this thing makes sense to me, don't think it'll hurt the bike.  Anything can be improved...Just sayin'.

[MarkT]

Rationalizing this un-needed piece of metal amazement as prolonging the life of some bearings is farcical.

I, for the life of me, do not understand why some still keep riding their Valkyrie considering the poor opinion

they possess of the engineering skills of Honda. Yet they do, still ride these 15 year old relics that haven't

given any problems (over the course of time) to receive such unknowledgeable utterings. And "improvements", my ass!

***

I dunno--this thing makes sense to me, don't think it'll hurt the bike.  Anything can be improved...Just sayin'.

It's a REAL problem. The fix produces REAL results.  I've done it on both of my Valks and they both are improved. He's badmouthing it because he's too lazy or unable to do it himself so slams those of us who aren't. There's a reason he's on my ignore list. I really don't care about "ricky's"  opinion. I consider the source and discredit - and block - his utterings.

[indybobm]

Rationalizing this un-needed piece of metal amazement as prolonging the life of some bearings is farcical.

I, for the life of me, do not understand why some still keep riding their Valkyrie considering the poor opinion

they possess of the engineering skills of Honda. Yet they do, still ride these 15 year old relics that haven't

given any problems (over the course of time) to receive such unknowledgeable utterings. And "improvements", my ass!

***

Ricky, sometimes you need to keep quiet.

[RDKLL]

Ammpro recently passed away.

http://www.valkyrieforum.com/bbs/index.php/topic,83429.0.html

I saw that and thought the handle sounded familair...condolences to the family

[MarkT]

Deerslayer had a problem with the BBT adjusters slipping until I welded them.  So I went ahead and added the Heim joint linkage on Jade so I could weld the adjuster and have easy adjustment.  Not to mention, eliminating a source of play and friction.  And I have the parts on hand and like to improve things.

[Ken Tarver]

Is this basically to prevent over-extending the "throw" limit of the lever/shaft up or down when shifting?
Or is there some benefit of the pivot when the lever/shaft is in motion between top and bottom of shift pattern?

Ken......replaced shaft oil seal today.

[hukmut]

Ken, the shifter rod on a Valkyrie sticks out quite a ways from the engine case. The part that you use to change gears, the part that you mash on with your toe, makes the shifter rod (link) move up and down/ side to side. Somewhat akin to a spoon in a cup, though, not THAT sloppy. The added link effectively removes that "play" resulting in a cleaner, crisper, more accurate shift by placing a pivot point at the end of the shift rod thereby supporting that part. Look at a Valkyrie shifter and it will become readily apparent. Some Valkyries have more play than others, therefore, some riders will experience an improvement in shifting, while others may not. Hope my explanation has helped.
Ride safe.

[Ken Tarver]

Hey there Pat!
Yeah I'm aware of how all that looks under there. Was just wondering if too much pressure up and down was being applied when shifting. Thinking maybe a simple slotted bracket, with the top and bottom of the slot at the correct location to prevent over pressure being applied when shifting.

Ken

[Ricky-D]

Ken, this modifications dates back to the 1500 Goldwing which must have been troublesome (shifting) in this particular area.

Some fellow, I think an Englishman, came up with a modification to support the shifter lever. Some Valkyrie owners got

wind of this and wanted it for themselves also. Only problem was the Goldwing modification used the bike fairing

enclosure to support the modification. Since the Valkyrie has no lower fairing enclosure there ensued a development

by several people to fabricate something for the Valkyrie that would emulate the Goldwing modification. I consider it and extremely

unnecessary modification, and gaudy to boot.

*** 

[DK]

Ken, this modifications dates back to the 1500 Goldwing which must have been troublesome (shifting) in this particular area.

Some fellow, I think an Englishman, came up with a modification to support the shifter lever. Some Valkyrie owners got

wind of this and wanted it for themselves also. Only problem was the Goldwing modification used the bike fairing

enclosure to support the modification. Since the Valkyrie has no lower fairing enclosure there ensued a development

by several people to fabricate something for the Valkyrie that would emulate the Goldwing modification. I consider it and extremely

unnecessary modification, and gaudy to boot.

*** 

Wrong, completely wrong.

Shifter pivots for the GW 1500 do not attach to or utilize the fairing in any way other than removal of fairing components to facilitate installation. See the install pics & video:

http://www.gl1500auxiliaryshifterpivot.com

As to pivots for Valks, I've yet to hear any complaints from anyone who has made the mod. Ricky D. seems to be the only one complaining and he obviously has not tried it or even made the effort to understand how it works.

Dan

[Ricky-D]

Dan, your resource is not that to which I refer.

***

[indybobm]

Ricky, this is the one that started the conversation months ago.
This is the one that got everybody thinking about the mod and how it can be adapted or duplicated for the Valk.

[Ricky-D]

That may be true, but this subject was actually discussed originally, many years ago and involved using

the Goldwing fairing to support the outboard end of the shifter. There were pictures and plenty of information.

***

[cogsman]

Do you have part #s for the bolt on the left and the bolt on the right? I want to make sure I get the right pitch for the bolt that goes into the frame so as not to cross thread.