Reversed Shift FJR (GP Pattern)

Throughout my racing, I always had GP shift pattern on my bikes. I prefer it greatly over std. shift! I've come up with a theory for how I can do it. I go between the R1, which has it, to the FJR that doesn't. It would be nice to have both the same. I know it's a racer's thing, but to me it's better. Just wondering if there would be an interest in it for the FJR. I'll let you know if it pans out!

What I would really like to see is a rocker shifter like my wife's cruiser. It is really easy to use the heel to upshift versus the toe. What advantage is it to racers to push up to downshift ?

chiri1 said:

What I would really like to see is a rocker shifter like my wife's cruiser. It is really easy to use the heel to upshift versus the toe. What advantage is it to racers to push up to downshift ?

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A heel/toe shifter on an FJR? Hmm. I don't think so.

chiri1 said:

What I would really like to see is a rocker shifter like my wife's cruiser. It is really easy to use the heel to upshift versus the toe. What advantage is it to racers to push up to downshift ?

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You get a more positive feel to push down rather than pull up. Plus you can shift while leaned over without catching your toe and pulling your foot under and off the peg (I've done it. Not fun!). No rocker in my future though, Sorry! It's just a personal preference for me. Feels natural for me and both bikes will be alike then.

I've thought about the reverse pattern, had it on next winters "figger it out" list. Whacha got in mind?

RTSR1/FJR said:

Throughout my racing, I always had GP shift pattern on my bikes. I prefer it greatly over std. shift! I've come up with a theory for how I can do it. I go between the R1, which has it, to the FJR that doesn't. It would be nice to have both the same. I know it's a racer's thing, but to me it's better. Just wondering if there would be an interest in it for the FJR. I'll let you know if it pans out!

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Count me in....I'd like to know....thanks RTSR1/FJR....Mike

It's crazy the number of times I'm accelerating through a tight left hand sweeper and think about touching my toe... again. It's a regular fear. I hope there is a reasonable fix.

Count me in for the info! Alot of my friends bikes are set up that way and it would be a different feel!

I agree that a GP shifting pattern is better for racing and/or track days. I had problems, though, with moving back and forth from the track/racing bike to the street bikes--shifting gears in the wrong direction. Not as big a deal on the street, but on the track in the higher RPM's, there isn't much margin for error during an "overrev." My only point being that I think it's a good idea to have all of your bikes configured the same way to minimize mis-shifts. I don't ride as many track days as I used to and, rather than convert each bike to GP, I'm back to a conventional pattern.

Keep in mind this is just a idea at the moment. There is machining (not of the bike) involved. If I can show an interest, maybe we can get a production run. It's fairly simple in design. I'll give more details later.

RTSR1/FJR said:

Feels natural for me and both bikes will be alike then.

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That's exactly why you should do it. I don't know what benefit there would be for the average rider/owner, other than to say, "Lookee here at what I've got!" Many years ago I rode a Triumph Tiger Cub and a Parilla 250 Scrambler. The Triumph was a right hand shift: 1-down, 3 up. The Parilla was a left hand shift: 1-up, 3-down. Let's just say a rider had to think about what they were doing when switching back and forth between bikes. Coming from the Parilla and quick-shifting the Triumph was, uhmmmm....interesting!

I have reverse shift on my CBR. I came close to losing it one day when I forgot what I was doing, it was not a pretty sight. After driving a normal shift daily for a month, I took out the CBR for a spirited ride. I left the development and twisted it hard to get across the road for a u-turn. Well I downshifted full throttle by mistake, got into a serious tankslapper with both legs flying behind me like superman. Barely saved it and stopped at the median, much to the amusement of the neighbors in a mini-van.

I've read several magazine articles where they wadded up bikes because of reverse shifters. I guess it should be all your bikes, or nothing. I wish the rearsets/reverse shifter wasn't so damn comfortable!

Without a lot of experience I rode a right hand reverse shifter. Talk about not having a clue on how to find first. With me it would be all or nothing. I understand the advantages, but for the street I don't see the neccessity. TJ

radman said:

I've thought about the reverse pattern, had it on next winters "figger it out" list. Whacha got in mind?

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Ok Rad, I've got it in work! First, a new motor mount will be fabbed with a boss for a belcrank that's in red. The stock Hiem joint linkage will be shorten and a new hiem joint linkage made to go between the shift lever and belcrank. Shifter cover will have to be trimmed. Belcrank will be fitted with a bearing for smoothness and shoulder bolt. My machinist wants to do it NOW, but I'm going to put it off till after my vac. when I come back in July. He said he'd be willing to make a few more once the prototype is built and working. Here's a little sketch to get an idea!

Looks to be more trouble than it would be worth to me. I don't do track days, it just seemed interesting to me, so I wouldn't count on me for a subsidy. The SO has also put the kabosh on any more farkling this year if I'm gonna make WFO. Also, I was thinking more along the lines of just turning the shaft lever 180 on the splines, and clearancing the stuff in the way. Simpler and less linkage to muddle the feel. Get it worked out though, you may find more interest.

radman said:

Looks to be more trouble than it would be worth to me. I don't do track days, it just seemed interesting to me, so I wouldn't count on me for a subsidy. The SO has also put the kabosh on any more farkling this year if I'm gonna make WFO. Also, I was thinking more along the lines of just turning the shaft lever 180 on the splines, and clearancing the stuff in the way. Simpler and less linkage to muddle the feel. Get it worked out though, you may find more interest.

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Can't just flip the lever. Not enough room. If you get a shorter lever. not enough throw to it and hard shifting then. It's really not that bad. It's simular in design to my old R6's "Attack" reverser, only that involved a whole new cover. Now they do it thru the Rearsets. I got nothing but time here. An exercise in design! lol

RTSR1/FJR said:

Can't just flip the lever. Not enough room. If you get a shorter lever. not enough throw to it and hard shifting then. It's really not that bad. It's simular in design to my old R6's "Attack" reverser, only that involved a whole new cover. Now they do it thru the Rearsets. I got nothing but time here. An exercise in design! lol

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What if you were able to find a longer shift shaft (the one with the splines that comes out of the motor) off of another bike? I thought they were pretty universal other than the length. Would that give you enough clearance?

Also, don't limit your thinking by assuming the shift rod (the one that goes from the lever up to the shift shaft coming out of the motor) has to be straight. When the R1 first came out, we were scratching our heads on how we could reverse the linkage with the 'rod through the frame' curveball that mamayamaha threw at us. We ran 2 full WERA endurance seasons with a non-straight shift rod that we fabricated and it was never a problem.

Randy said:

RTSR1/FJR said:

Can't just flip the lever. Not enough room. If you get a shorter lever. not enough throw to it and hard shifting then. It's really not that bad. It's simular in design to my old R6's "Attack" reverser, only that involved a whole new cover. Now they do it thru the Rearsets. I got nothing but time here. An exercise in design! lol

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What if you were able to find a longer shift shaft (the one with the splines that comes out of the motor) off of another bike? I thought they were pretty universal other than the length. Would that give you enough clearance?

Also, don't limit your thinking by assuming the shift rod (the one that goes from the lever up to the shift shaft coming out of the motor) has to be straight. When the R1 first came out, we were scratching our heads on how we could reverse the linkage with the 'rod through the frame' curveball that mamayamaha threw at us. We ran 2 full WERA endurance seasons with a non-straight shift rod that we fabricated and it was never a problem.

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I've ridden R1's with a bent Shift rod and they felt like rubber and I have seen them break. All you needed to do to achive right angles is space out the rearset .5" and run the rod on the outside of the frame with a '98-'99 shift lever and 1 in. spacer or this. I use the Valter Moto Set back plates now. Did many of them, R1 & R6 this way, plus you can still adj. without taking all a part. I like right angles. IMO it just looks better! I know this reverser won't be but for a very few, if any, but it's not costing me very much! Plus, I'll have the pleasure of trying to explain what it is! lol

RTSR1/FJR said:

I've ridden R1's with a bent Shift rod and they felt like rubber and I have seen them break.

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Yeah, me too. But, they were aluminum and they needed adjusted on the splines. The steel ones we built had a solid feel and never broke (many many hours at race pace including a 24-hr at Willow Springs). Many ways to skin a cat.

Regarding the switch over from standard to GP, I did about 2 hrs of street riding with it reversed before going on the track and never had an incident. Days at the track are long gone as are my days with reversed shift on my bikes. But, I've thrown a leg over a few street bikes with it reversed and didn't have a problem. It's not for everyone.