Ducati Monster Forum

Moto Board => Tech => Topic started by: leungevity on March 22, 2011, 01:16:38 PM

Title: adjusting the shifter
Post by: leungevity on March 22, 2011, 01:16:38 PM
in my motorcycle boot thread, i mentioned that i'm having a hard time getting my wee toe underneath the shifter with my puma raceboots on, and somebody mentioned that it was a simple fix to adjust the shifter with a 8 and 10mm wrench. (i'm guessing to give me more room?) can anybody can tell me what needs to be done?

Thanks!
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: thought on March 22, 2011, 01:24:15 PM
not sure which bike you have, but there are instructions in the manual on how to adjust it for the 796... it's pretty simple to do
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: Slide Panda on March 22, 2011, 02:45:20 PM
I'm going to assume the new are the same as the old.  To adjust, there's a threaded rod that has two hiem joints secured with nuts to jamb them. This connects the foot lever to the small lever attached to the shifting mechanism.

All you need to do is loosen the nuts each end and turn the rod. One end is reversed threading so be sure to have a close look before you lay a wrench on.
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: leungevity on March 23, 2011, 06:13:37 AM
thanks,  i'll check it out later when i get home! 

sorry, i have a monster 800sie
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: erkishhorde on March 23, 2011, 12:19:17 PM
Quote from: Sad Panda on March 22, 2011, 02:45:20 PM
I'm going to assume the new are the same as the old.  To adjust, there's a threaded rod that has two hiem joints secured with nuts to jamb them. This connects the foot lever to the small lever attached to the shifting mechanism.

All you need to do is loosen the nuts each end and turn the rod. One end is reversed threading so be sure to have a close look before you lay a wrench on.

Oh, I've been taking out the screw where the shifter lever mounts and taking the shifter off and rotating it that way. Is one way more right than the other? If so, I assume I'm doing it incorrectly. Not that I adjust my shift lever that often.
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: stopintime on March 23, 2011, 12:31:10 PM
Quote from: erkishhorde on March 23, 2011, 12:19:17 PM
Oh, I've been taking out the screw where the shifter lever mounts and taking the shifter off and rotating it that way. Is one way more right than the other? If so, I assume I'm doing it incorrectly. Not that I adjust my shift lever that often.

With the normal method, threads on both ends will move - making an adjustment a joint venture.
Your method could, with huge adjustments, result in too many exposed threads - making the assembly fall apart.

That's the theory - it's not very likely to happen though, but since you asked :)
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: leungevity on March 23, 2011, 02:16:28 PM
so i took a look at my bike, and it does look pretty simple, but it looks like you'd want to take the little arm off the transmission gearing and rotate that upwards (to allow for more room for the boot), and then put it all back together that way (which would include rotating that rod to lengthen it), not just turn the rod.  Is this correct or is what i'm describing a waste of time?
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: Speeddog on March 23, 2011, 02:50:43 PM
You can reposition the arm on the shift shaft, but it'll move the lever a* lot*.

Adjusting the shift rod lets you change it a little or a lot.
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: stopintime on March 23, 2011, 03:18:55 PM
Quote from: leungevity on March 23, 2011, 02:16:28 PM
so i took a look at my bike, and it does look pretty simple, but it looks like you'd want to take the little arm off the transmission gearing and rotate that upwards (to allow for more room for the boot), and then put it all back together that way (which would include rotating that rod to lengthen it), not just turn the rod.  Is this correct or is what i'm describing a waste of time?

If you're talking about positioning the little arm up, instead of down - yes, it's a waste of time. It won't help your foot position issue and it will transform the shifter to a reverse/"GP" shift - first up and the rest down.

Just loosen the two nuts on either rod end, rotate the rod, check, tighten nuts [thumbsup]
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: Slide Panda on March 23, 2011, 05:38:31 PM
Quote from: Speeddog on March 23, 2011, 02:50:43 PM
You can reposition the arm on the shift shaft, but it'll move the lever a* lot*.

Yeah, rotating that little lever 1 spline moves the foot lever and inch or more, it's huge. You'll probably only need to move it a turn or maybe two if you're really having issues. But in fussing with mine, I've found a little goes a long way
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: leungevity on March 25, 2011, 07:48:11 AM
well, i've adjusted the arm as far as it can go... guess we'll find out if it's enough the next time i go ride :)

thanks for the help!  :)

odd that one of the 2 nuts maxed out first.  thought they would be the same.
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: Slide Panda on March 25, 2011, 09:27:36 AM
They should be. Might be that only one side was adjusted before.

If you've reached the end of where you can adjust the threaded rod, then you can take off that smaller lever that connects to the shifter shaft and move that. As mentioned before it moves the lever a lot. But if you've topped/bottomed out the threaded rod, you just mess with that again to make the jump not-so-huge
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: leungevity on March 31, 2011, 07:17:50 AM
so first ride with adjusted shifter, definitely easier to get the foot under the shifter than before, but i might have to adjust a little bit closed again, as i was finding that i had a harder time upshifting.  I'd shift, only to find out that i was still in the same gear, or sometimes i'd think i missed the shift and do it again, to see that i was now 2 gears up. 

guess i'll just keep playing with it, to try and find that happy medium between fitment and more positive shift actuation.
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: Timmy Tucker on March 31, 2011, 09:35:43 PM
It took me 3-4 tries to get mine where I like it. I made a slight adjustment and then rode it around the block with riding boots on. Lather, Rinse, Repeat. Took me maybe 30 mins total.


Quote from: leungevity on March 31, 2011, 07:17:50 AM
... as i was finding that i had a harder time upshifting.  I'd shift, only to find out that i was still in the same gear...  

For some reason mine takes a little extra work to upshift into 3rd unless I'm pretty high in the rpm's.
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: leungevity on March 31, 2011, 09:46:08 PM
yea, i'll play with it when i'm ready to take it out again... crappy weather coming so no point playing with it when i can't try it out.  I'm not having a physically harder time pushing the gear selector, it's just that when i do upshift, sometimes i don't actually actuate the transmission.  as if the distance to push it has increased... or moved beyond the range of motion that i would normally utilize.
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: stopintime on March 31, 2011, 11:08:31 PM
Can you post a picture?

I ask just to see how it's positioned now.
In theory it's possible to adjust it into a position where shifting is no longer working.

When the linkage angles are closest to 90 degrees, the least amount of lever travel is required. At some point, a very high lever will no longer push the linkage rod horizontally. You might be somewhere in the middle.
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: leungevity on April 01, 2011, 05:45:35 AM
i'll get on it when i get home! :)

Thanks!
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: leungevity on April 02, 2011, 05:35:49 AM
(http://img853.imageshack.us/img853/5820/img5048.jpg) (http://img853.imageshack.us/i/img5048.jpg/)

Uploaded with ImageShack.us (http://imageshack.us)
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: 671M900 on April 02, 2011, 06:42:55 AM
It's happened to me before with the cycle cats. I could downshift, but up shifting had the lever side linkage moving upwards instead of forward. Yours looks like it could be a little longer.
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: stopintime on April 02, 2011, 07:29:57 AM
Quote from: 671M900 on April 02, 2011, 06:42:55 AM
It's happened to me before with the cycle cats. I could downshift, but up shifting had the lever side linkage moving upwards instead of forward. Yours looks like it could be a little longer.

That's what I mentioned, but it's quite close to 90 degrees as it sits now. I don't think this position is bad enough to cause a missed shift. What I would recommend though, is to oil the ball links on both sides - they look very dry.
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: leungevity on April 02, 2011, 02:10:13 PM
what's a ball link?

which part at 90* would cause the problem?  the forward part?  I'm planning on rotating it a little lower to see if that helps...
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: stopintime on April 02, 2011, 03:33:26 PM
Quote from: leungevity on April 02, 2011, 02:10:13 PM
what's a ball link?

which part at 90* would cause the problem?  the forward part?  I'm planning on rotating it a little lower to see if that helps...

A ball link is my poor English to describe a ball joint (I think)  ??? Helm joint  ???
I mean on the very end of the linkage rod - there's one on each end....

90* question - the lever is mounted and pivots on a large bolt. From it, downwards, another ~one inch arm. If the lever is adjusted very high, this one inch arm will face forward - not being able to push the rod horizontally. That's not where yours is now, but any adjustment where this arm is not 90 degrees to the rod will make shifts a little bit harder.
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: ducpainter on April 02, 2011, 03:41:51 PM
You guys have been adjusting this shifter for 11 days now.

How's it goin'? ;D
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: stopintime on April 02, 2011, 04:01:04 PM
Quote from: ducpainter on April 02, 2011, 03:41:51 PM
You guys have been adjusting this shifter for 11 days now.

How's it goin'? ;D

We're getting there.  ;D
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: ducpainter on April 02, 2011, 04:20:19 PM
Quote from: stopintime on April 02, 2011, 04:01:04 PM
We're getting there.  ;D
Sweet...

now just don't go over thinking it.

It's not rocket science and the shop foreman says you've already blown the flat rate. [laugh]
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: stopintime on April 02, 2011, 04:28:46 PM
Du kan hilse formannen og be ham pule seg selv i ræva - jeg bruker den tiden det tar  [evil]
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: ducpainter on April 02, 2011, 04:31:38 PM
Quote from: stopintime on April 02, 2011, 04:28:46 PM
Du kan hilse formannen og be ham pule seg selv i ræva - jeg bruker den tiden det tar  [evil]
Ouch.   [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh]
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: leungevity on April 03, 2011, 07:17:05 AM
 [laugh] [laugh] [laugh] [laugh]  :)  nice one ducpainter :)  i actually laughed out loud on your posts
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: leungevity on April 03, 2011, 11:50:19 AM
so i adjusted it back a 4-5 twists and took it for a ride.  happy to report it shifts much better now and reducing the space, somehow, actually made it easier for me to get my toe under the shifter.

Thanks to all who participated :)
Title: Re: adjusting the shifter
Post by: stopintime on April 03, 2011, 02:44:14 PM
Take another picture and let us discuss this a bit further....

If for no good - at least to entertain DP :D