CHAPTER 9
- THE
GEARBOX
INSTALLING THE RIGHT FOOT SHIFT KIT 'There are many difficulties with the factory-retrofitted Left Foot Shift arrangement. Since Crossover Linkages, for both brake and shifter, are required, and these both had t o be fitted into the limited space immediately behind the gearbox the engineers at REM are t o be credited for how well they got the job done, but it still left a system which t o many owners has proven unsatisfactory. The gearshift linkage, instead of the "Normal" two connections between the foot-operated control lever and the shifter bellcrank, now has four. In addition, the first two "swivels," under the primary case, are "one-sided," due t o space limitations, rather than proper "two-sided" devises, which makes for lots of trouble with looseness. Although these can be sorted out to some degree by concerted effort and rebuilding - some dealers even stock bushing kits (for the two swivel" connections mentioned above) t o help things out somewhat - many owners elect t o de-convert their machines back t o square one, refitting with the right shift/left brake setup as originally designed ( - and intended, in the minds of many, by God - Ed.) There is, in the minds of others, a danger t o this option, and that is the possibility of the rider getting mixed up in a panic situation, and stomping the right-foot gearchange lever instead of the brake pedal in a panic stop. This was presumably the thinking of the US EPA in mandating right-foot braking for motorcycles imported into the USA. (Canada, and a number of European countries, regrettably, followed suit.) The argument is that the overwhelming percentage of your braking is done with the front wheel in any regard, and that most riders find, with practice, that it isn't that difficult t o reprogram your reflexes t o use the proper foot. The decision is up to the owner, but before embarking on the change, be aware that it may take some effort on your part to "get used" to "switch-hitting," since most riders, at least in North America, have more than one motorcycle, and in these modern times, most of them are right-foot brakers. O n the other hand, most drivers of automobiles use automatic transmissions, and many brake interchangably with the left o r right foot, depending on conditions. This manual offers no advice as to which path t o follow, but for those who choose to "retro-retro" their gearchanging arrangement, here is how it's done. (You may wish to refer to the factory gearbox drawing.)
The Right-Shift Kit In adapting t o Left Shift, the factory had t o change a number of parts. Needless to say, the original RS parts will have t o be ordered to effect a replacement. In order t o change t o the Left Shift Linkage, the angle of the shifter ratchet assy had t o be changed. This required changing the bellcrank actuator, (inside the gearbox itself), the inner cover (43), t o rotate the mounting of the ratchet assy, and the ratchet actuator (69).
124
Mounts
The Enfield BULLET MANUAL by Pete Snidai O 2002