Reverse "GP" Shifting

[psycledelic]

psychledelic - I agree with you that reverse-shifting (aka - gp shifting) is better than standard shifting but of course everyone has their own reasons to do it. I used to use it on my track bikes because you get a more positive upshift, no toe under shifter in turns (but that might only happen a tiny % of times honestly) and it was somewhat easier to "backshift" while hard on the brakes. The biggest plus for me was the not missing an upshift anymore. You mentioned that it improves your riding tremendously. Can you please expand on that?

Is it riding experience? Enjoyment? Quality? Or less mistakes? Just wondering as I have friends who ask me about it and I only have my own reasons to switch.

Another great plus (sometimes a minus) is that other people tend to not want to ride your bike if it's reverse shifted.

Good idea on the sticker though. I left myself a note on the tank this morning but didn't need it as I thought about it all morning when I was getting ready.  Backshift, backshift, backshift. Forward shift. I got it.

Sorry it took me so long to reply, Ever since I started riding, the standard upshift with your toe under the lever never felt right.  After rides over 2 hours, I would get lazy and miss shifts.  I would occasionally miss shifts when coming out of a curve, and worst of all, hit a false neutral while my friends and I were accellerating hard (there bikes are a little faster then mine anyway).  With the reverse pattern, that is gone.  I can really jam into the gears when I want to.  I can work the clutch faster (if I use it).  For me, the GP shifting just felt more natural.  And yea, the GP sticker will deter people from asking to ride your bike. 

[Howley]

Thanks Desmoq. I'll have a fiddle with it on saturday I think.

[J.P.]

dump the linkage.

[jdubbs32584]

dump the linkage.

or spend zero dollars to flip it until you know if you like it. then dump the linkage.

[Capo]

I am a little confused as to why 1 down and 4/5 was ever considered standard.  I am a good couple of weeks and over a 1000 miles into the new shift pattern and it has improved my riding tremendously.  I don't see a downside to it.  I agree that some "race" characteristics, such as racing slicks, really don't have a practical use on the road, but I have always thought that racing, NASCAR for example, was a kind of R&D for Chevrolet, Ford, etc., and had a trickle down into the later production versions.  It seems to me like the motorcycle market would be even more into that mentality because the production bikes are so much closer to the race machines then cars would ever be. 
I seems to me that the standard shift pattern resembles the old reliable computer system that controls the facility that I work at.  It has been in place for so long and has gotten so big that it is just impossible to change without causing major problems.  In the case of motorcycle shifting, major problems means getting people killed. 
On a side note, for anyone that swaps to the GP shifting, a small sticker on the tach is a great way to remind yourself for the first couple of weeks.  Or at least until you get it into your head.

BSA's were (are) one up three down and Triumphs (produced at the same tiem) were one down three up. Then along came the Japenese who "standardised" things which also included the gear change being on the left.

[Howley]

Well I've decided it's impossible. If I keep the lever in the stock position and flip the linkage, the linkage hits the lever pivot. I need to rotate the actuator forwards, but if I do that, it hits my aftermarket clutch slave.
My only option now is to buy a reverse shifter. Oh well.

[NAKID]

Maybe that's the problem on yours, the aftermarket slave...

[Howley]

Yeah I could definitely do it if the slave wasn't getting in the way.

[tangueroHondo]

Anyone read the Aug Motorcyclist article (?) about Gp shifters?  It's negative about using them on street bikes.

[Trenchdigger]

I missed that one.

Why was it negative for GP-shifting on street bikes?

[duc996]

Will it work for my s4r?Do i have to adjust my pegs?

[desmoquattro]

Will it work for my s4r?Do i have to adjust my pegs?

It worked on my S4r just fine, with no adjustment to the rearsets. Eventually I went with a true GP shifter, but reversing the stock linkage was easy.

[AleksT]

Anyone read the Aug Motorcyclist article (?) about Gp shifters?  It's negative about using them on street bikes.

I read that and it's a decent article too. However, I still think it's all about personal preference. If you can adapt to reverse shifting then it's no more "dangerous" (or whatever) than standard - it's just different. I have it on my Monster but can't get it to feel quite right on my 998 with a DP reverser and Cycle Cat rearsets. SUCKS!

[118811]

Any u Monster owners using a reverse shifter?
Pro's and con's?

[kopfjäger]

Numerous threads on this topic.