hand shift build - rotary top
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Road Master
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 905
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From: Minneapolis
hand shift build - rotary top
decided to waste a crap load of time and fab up a hand shift - foot clutch for this 78 I'm building - had a rotary top tranny and belt drive sittin on a shelf so I pulled the ratchet top tranny and installed the rotary top unit - had to "guess" at how to set this hand shift up but my guesses are pretty good so far - a bit of welding though - here are some pics - probably have 3 or 4 hours into this stuff - need to do a few finish welds and bends
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Road Master
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 905
Likes: 207
From: Minneapolis
I mocked it up there - pull shift lever back - it down-shifts - lever forward - it upshifts - this was an FL tranny - I ran it on my stroker - smooth shifting rotary - I'll post pics once i finish it - I just need to bend the clutch arm ----- I have no idea how ride-able it will be - but I enjoy hand shift bikes (as long as I have a front brake when I'm riding in the city)
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Joined: Nov 2006
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From: la la land jerzey
I prefer the shift going back to up shift as I am tall and my leg is in the way forward shifting
but I have driven some of the ones I bought / did and sold that way as the fx drum is pricy now that its the go to
I am not a fan of no front brake as well
but I have driven some of the ones I bought / did and sold that way as the fx drum is pricy now that its the go to
I am not a fan of no front brake as well
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Road Master
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 905
Likes: 207
From: Minneapolis
here is the lever - finished - I will add the rod using a heim joint - pre-drilled and tapped the end of the round stock on the lathe before I welded and bent the lever - gonna use a splined shifter lever with a custom lever end to work the clutch
here's my shift **** I snapped off with the lathe using 1 3/4" bar stock
and my custom kickstand stop to clear the belt - could not bring myself to spend 15 bucks for some POS Tedd junk
here's my shift **** I snapped off with the lathe using 1 3/4" bar stock
and my custom kickstand stop to clear the belt - could not bring myself to spend 15 bucks for some POS Tedd junk
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Road Master
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 905
Likes: 207
From: Minneapolis
finished up the foot clutch - used a splined shift lever - cut and reworked the lever - 2.5" distance is the best offset for the draw - draw bar is rolled 5/16 - then threaded 5/16-24 for the heim joints - the tranny bar was center bored and tapped 5/16-18 prior to bending and welding - do the heim is mounted to the end of the tranny clutch bar - the hand shifter lever for the rotary top took some time but came out very nice - the shift ball is turned down 1 3/4 bar stock - hand formed on the lathe
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Joined: Nov 2006
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From: la la land jerzey
had trouble with one that came in with a similar set up the weight of the shifter lever in alloy was leaning on the TOB, so I had to spring it will picture it up what I did tonight, its still in the shop
Last edited by johnjzjz; Jun 28, 2018 at 06:45 AM.
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From: la la land jerzey
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Road Master
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 905
Likes: 207
From: Minneapolis
Yes - I see - I could use a torsion spring on my setup - I like the brass controls - were those custom fabricated? the lever looks cast - wax casted? I have a similar setup on my 48FL but not brass- I like the position of the pegs - a little closer than the stock - easier to control the clutch - I will probably change my pedal to be a heel-toe setup once I get the kinks worked out - not a rocker - more like a gas pedal - so I have a heel rest for the clutch - most of my bikes end up in someones garage and they have to be bullet proof and rideable
Stage II
Joined: Dec 2019
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From: Cottonwood, AZ
finished up the foot clutch - used a splined shift lever - cut and reworked the lever - 2.5" distance is the best offset for the draw - draw bar is rolled 5/16 - then threaded 5/16-24 for the heim joints - the tranny bar was center bored and tapped 5/16-18 prior to bending and welding - do the heim is mounted to the end of the tranny clutch bar - the hand shifter lever for the rotary top took some time but came out very nice - the shift ball is turned down 1 3/4 bar stock - hand formed on the lathe