Can anyone tell me where the mechanics of the gearshift going one down and then up to the rest of the gears came from? Or is there something mechanical going on internally that I am missing?
Why one down and four up.
- Thread starter alb
- Start date
... wait till you learn GP shift.
Taken from Wikipedia:
[h=3]Sequential manual[/h] Main article: Sequential manual transmission
Some transmissions do not allow the driver to arbitrarily select any gear. Instead, the driver may only ever select the next-lowest or next-highest gear ratio. Sequential transmissions often incorporate a synchro-less dog-clutch engagement mechanism (instead of the synchromesh dog clutch common on H-pattern automotive transmissions), in which case the clutch is only necessary when selecting first or reverse gear from neutral, and most gear changes can be performed without the clutch. However, sequential shifting and synchro-less engagement are not inherently linked, though they often occur together due to the environment(s) in which these transmissions are used, such as racing cars and motorcycles.
Sequential transmissions are generally controlled by a forward-backward lever, foot pedal, or set of paddles mounted behind the steering wheel. In some cases, these are connected mechanically to the transmission. In many modern examples, these controls are attached to sensors which instruct a transmission computer to perform a shift—many of these systems can be switched into an automatic mode, where the computer controls the timing of shifts, much like an automatic transmission.
Motorcycles typically employ sequential transmissions, although the shift pattern is modified slightly for safety reasons. In a motorcycle the gears are usually shifted with the left foot pedal, the layout being this:
The gear shift lever on a 2003 Suzuki SV650S motorcycle.
6 - 5 - 4 - 3 - 2 N 1
The pedal goes one step–both up and down–from the center, before it reaches its limit and has to be allowed to move back to the center position. Thus, changing multiple gears in one direction is accomplished by repeatedly pumping the pedal, either up or down. Although neutral is listed as being between first and second gears for this type of transmission, it "feels" more like first and second gear are just "further away" from each other than any other two sequential gears. Because this can lead to difficulty in finding neutral for inexperienced riders most motorcycles have a neutral indicator light on the instrument panel to help find neutral. The reason neutral does not actually have its own spot in the sequence is to make it quicker to shift from first to second when moving. Neutral can be accidentally shifted into, though most high end, newer model motorcycles have means of avoiding this.[SUP][citation needed][/SUP] The reason for having neutral between the first and second gears instead of at the bottom is that when stopped, the rider can just click down repeatedly and know that they will end up in first and not neutral. This allows a rider to quickly move his bike from a standstill in an emergency situation. This may also help on a steep hill on which high torque is required. It could be disadvantageous or even dangerous to attempt to be in first without realizing it, then try for a lower gear, only to get neutral.
On motorcycles used on race tracks, the shifting pattern is often reversed, that is, the rider clicks down to upshift. This usage pattern increases the ground clearance by placing the rider's foot above the shift lever when the rider is most likely to need it, namely when leaning over and exiting a tight turn.
The shift pattern for most underbone motorcycles with an automatic centrifugal clutch is also modified for two key reasons - to enable the less-experienced riders to shift the gears without problems of "finding" neutral, and also due to the greater force needed to "lift" the gearshift lever (because the gearshift pedal of an underbone motorcycle also operates the clutch). The gearshift lever of an underbone motorcycle has two ends. The rider clicks down the front end with the left toe all the way to the top gear and clicks down the rear end with the heel all the way down to neutral. Some underbone models such as the Honda Wave have a "rotary" shift pattern, which means that the rider can shift directly to neutral from the top gear, but for safety reasons this is only possible when the motorcycle is stationary. Some models also have gear position indicators for all gear positions at the instrument panel.
joeboo
Well-known member
I always assumed this was the reason but never really was curious enough to look it up. Now I have a reference when I'm talking to other people about it. Thanks.
invictus43
Well-known member
Depends on the bike..
N3WMAN
Well-known member
+1 I've owned two bikes that were 5 speed.
The control layouts that have become accepted on most modern motorcycles, have not always been in place. Some things still haven't been standardized, e.g. BMW's infernal (to anyone coming from outside the BMW world!) turn signal switches, but they're coming around; new BMW designs use the standard design.
Once upon a time, Harleys had foot-operated clutches and a hand operated H-pattern shifter not unlike that of a manual transmission car. It's called "suicide shift" for a reason! With a car, it's not a problem to press the clutch pedal under any plausible condition of vehicle operation. With a motorcycle, if you have to press the clutch pedal at a standstill and the bike is leaning to the left, you are s c r e w e d . I'm sure others can think of other situations in which that method of operating the transmission of a motorcycle is just a bad idea.
British bikes for a long time had the shifter on the right and the rear brake lever on the left, and the shift lever used the inverted pattern (what people call GP shift nowadays). What's not intuitive is that changing gears requires operating your left hand (clutch) and right foot (shift lever), and braking requires operating your right hand and left foot. Not that there's anything particularly "wrong" about it, it's just not intuitive and seems exceedingly odd when looking back in time. ("Who the heck thought that was a good idea")
The current convention seems to have been adopted by default - by other arrangements falling by the wayside. Personally, I prefer reverse shift pattern. Fortunately, most bikes of the type that I prefer (sport) are designed so that the linkage can be flipped over nowadays.
Once upon a time, Harleys had foot-operated clutches and a hand operated H-pattern shifter not unlike that of a manual transmission car. It's called "suicide shift" for a reason! With a car, it's not a problem to press the clutch pedal under any plausible condition of vehicle operation. With a motorcycle, if you have to press the clutch pedal at a standstill and the bike is leaning to the left, you are s c r e w e d . I'm sure others can think of other situations in which that method of operating the transmission of a motorcycle is just a bad idea.
British bikes for a long time had the shifter on the right and the rear brake lever on the left, and the shift lever used the inverted pattern (what people call GP shift nowadays). What's not intuitive is that changing gears requires operating your left hand (clutch) and right foot (shift lever), and braking requires operating your right hand and left foot. Not that there's anything particularly "wrong" about it, it's just not intuitive and seems exceedingly odd when looking back in time. ("Who the heck thought that was a good idea")
The current convention seems to have been adopted by default - by other arrangements falling by the wayside. Personally, I prefer reverse shift pattern. Fortunately, most bikes of the type that I prefer (sport) are designed so that the linkage can be flipped over nowadays.
invictus43
Well-known member
Correct..normally stated as 1 up, 5 down..
wonderings
Well-known member
I really prefer BMW turn signal switch, its much more natural and intuitive then the standard on most bikes. Harley does the same, but one better not needing a cancel button, you just click it again. Getting on a bike again with the "normal" turn signal switch thats on pretty much all japanese bikes feels small, cramped and a pain to use compared to the BMW/Harley setup.
Some standards are just not worth following.
I like BWM signal switches, but switching bikes on a regular basis from BMW to anything else is a pain. You find yourself continually wanting to press the starter (and occasionally not stopping yourself in time).
You get used to whatever your riding but you do need to think it through somedays, my BMW is 1 down/3up , the Duc is 1down/ 5up, the Indian that was here was an agricultural experience, more like operating machinery than motorcycling, foot clutch and left hand tank shift. It needed the foot clutch because the clutch load was so heavy you'd probably never pull it by hand.
invictus43
Well-known member
bboySushi
Well-known member
Yes, a guy from Redline told me he used to ride those back in the day when he was part of the Force!
