I had been saving up for over a year for a DD6 transmission. Mark Pavlica (your friendly rep. for Baker who hangs out and helps here) helped make that happen for me this week.


I contacted Mark to let him know I had finally got the money together and was ready to order. I told him I was talking to some of the local shops about getting it installed and we went from that to me riding up to MI on Monday and Mark doing it in his driveway!


I said, "You serious??"


He was. So Monday morning I hopped on my bike and rode the 440 miles to where he lives in Michigan.


Don't have a bunch of pictures because my hands were greasy most of the time. I did what I could to help, but it was mostly him that worked his butt off getting this tranny in for me. With a few cold beers helping to ease things along. 15 year old bike that had never been cracked. Yeah it was slow at times, but the man definitely knows what he's doing.





I should tell you that this picture was staged a bit. Some of those beer cans were mine just added for effect!


Mark and his lady Tina are some of the best folks you'd ever want to meet and they have some great friends too! He took me over to Baker and I got to see some of the operation there and even met the main man briefly.


Some interesting decoration in the assembly room...



Great folks all around! I wish it had been possible to spend more time there, but we were trying to get my old Ultra back together and mostly came there for a part that was either lost or missing (did I mention we had a beer or two?)


To sum up about Mark and the folks at Baker Drivetrain, let me just say I will gladly throw every bit of business their way I can!


Mark, you are one of the greats man!


Now, on to the DD6. Admittedly all I have ever had on this bike or any other I have owner is a stock Harley transmission so I cant compare the DD6 to any other but let me just say...WOW!


I only rode it for short periods the evening we got it in and did my best to tune in the speedometer to match Mark's truck going out I-69.


The next morning we parted ways as I had to get back to Kentucky and work.


I thought I could see and feel some minor differences in the bike on slow speed rides as far as RPM/speed of travel vs. what I was familiar with, but the highway is, of course, where the 6th speed comes into it's own.

With my old 5 speed tranny I was at 3K RPM at 70mph and getting about 39mpg. 3600 RPM at 80 mph and getting about 30mpg. Above 70mph she was sucking the gas down and getting pretty hot.

With the Baker DD6 in place on the way back home, I was running 3K at 80mph and getting 39mpg.

The bike also didn't feel as hot as it normally does after running those speeds for quite a while. Believe me, coming down I-75 yesterday afternoon the road was pretty hot. The bike's thermometer was showing right at 100 degrees, but I didn't have the heat on my legs I had gotten used to.

I do like to ride and don't need much of a reason to jump on a put a few hundred (or thousand) more miles on and I end up using the interstate if I have to cover a lot of ground in a short time.

If you, like me, have an older bike and had been thinking of upgrading to a 6 speed and have wondered if it would be worth it, all I can say is do it! Put a Baker on it! It's amazing what this did for my old bike when it comes to putting on the miles! I like this bike a lot and hopefully this will help ol' Blue last many more years!

Absolutely one of the 2 (the other was better shocks) best things I have ever done for my bike and me!

 

Beer makes some things so much easier to do. Good deal, hope everything works out well.

 

A toast to Mark!!! Now lets sit back and wait for the folks to start chiming in about using a $150 jack on a $20k ride.

 

I had to laugh when I read that. Those jacks work just fine!

 

I was wondering how long it would take before somebody noticed the Craftsman jack!


It worked just fine. The bike was solid as a rock.


Oh, and as fond as I am of ol' Blue, the first guy up with $20K can ride her and the new transmission away!

 

Baker is good folks. Put a 5 speed tapered shaft with the N1 top in my '87 Sloptail. Had to modify the original starter gear case a bit to get it to fit. After that, nothing but good times...

 

He's a good guy that Mark...but I already knew that.

 

Last year when Lowe's discontinued their jack( Kobalt) I went down and got one for$35. Works like a champ and even came with a pair of straps

 

I've met that guy, we have the same haircut.