The Eldorado Sidehack Chronicles
Space was a bit tight, but replacing the shift linkage went remarkably smoothly. All the fasteners came loose and all the pinch bolt connections loosened and allowed the pedal and lever to slide off their splines. The photo shows the original clevis arrangement. The angle of the lever shows about the angle as it was installed on the transmission. The result was high forces and poor shift feel.
On Greg Benders’s Website I read about replacing the clevis arrangement with heim joints. I was able to get them at a machine shop a couple of miles from me, and it let me repair it faster. But another benefit is reduced lash compared to the clevis arrangement, which has lash between each arm and pin and each clevis and pin. Just 2 mm of lash in this linkage translates into 10 or 12 mm of lash at the pedal.
The ball joints were called “type 1″ and had internal threads. If I have any issues with the strength of this setup, I may replace it with a “type 2″ with has external threads. The connector would then be a tube with tapped threads that would be able to handle higher compression loads. However, it shifts so much more easily and predictably I don’t expect to generate the high forces and bending that broke the original linkage.
I highly recommend this mod for your loop frame Guzzi. If firms up the shift pedal, increases feel and feedback, and results in a gear shift that snicks properly into the gears with much better feel. It greatly enhances the riding experience. It is also a great feeling to fix your bike with a trip to a machine shop and a hardware store (for the threaded rod).
- the Muse
September 28th, 2009 at 6:18 pm
This makes sense, amazing what 30 or 40 years of know how will do to improve a design!
September 28th, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Also the little details that you can do to a machine that isn’t cost effective when new if the value to the customer is not realized. The heim joints are probably twice the cost of the clevis. I think I had close to $10 into the linkage at low volume retail prices. Price would fall with volume, but it would still be a cost add compared to a clevis. Like other details such as polishing intakes, you can make a machine better than new for what seems like a pittance.