Reverse shift pattern

[Shifu]

Interested in any info from those who went reversing the gear changing pattern on their bikes. I finally given up resisting it on my track bike (a long left hander on a local track that needs upshift in the middle at full lean resulting in scrapping the boot) and to make it consistant also revered it on my Busa. Old automatic habits are hard to change and I only hope not to blow the gearbox Made myself a poster to hang in a garage and wrote REVERSE GEARS on the inside of my helmet visor but still nervous as in the moment it will be still easy to forget
How did you go?

[kawasuki]

Interested in any info from those who went reversing the gear changing pattern on their bikes. I finally given up resisting it on my track bike (a long left hander on a local track that needs upshift in the middle at full lean resulting in scrapping the boot) and to make it consistant also revered it on my Busa. Old automatic habits are hard to change and I only hope not to blow the gearbox Made myself a poster to hang in a garage and wrote REVERSE GEARS on the inside of my helmet visor but still nervous as in the moment it will be still easy to forget
How did you go?

Good luck.

[Belzybob]

Interested in any info from those who went reversing the gear changing pattern on their bikes. I finally given up resisting it on my track bike (a long left hander on a local track that needs upshift in the middle at full lean resulting in scrapping the boot) and to make it consistant also revered it on my Busa. Old automatic habits are hard to change and I only hope not to blow the gearbox Made myself a poster to hang in a garage and wrote REVERSE GEARS on the inside of my helmet visor but still nervous as in the moment it will be still easy to forget
How did you go?

I asked the same question quite some time ago and also got f-all useful response. I can drive various vehicles with and without auto boxes and a range of different gears, so re-training the brain to go down instead of up shouldn't be too hard. I did it in the old BSA days.

The thing that worries me is in the high concentration periods when operating outside your comfort zone, for example I've driven a lot of miles on the wrong side of the road in Europe and the USA and only when I was pushed to make it through a gap in traffic etc. have I ended up turning into oncoming traffic!

The race shift pattern is actually more logical, even for the road. The issue is switching between the two.

[Shifu]

I asked the same question quite some time ago and also got f-all useful response. I can drive various vehicles with and without auto boxes and a range of different gears, so re-training the brain to go down instead of up shouldn't be too hard. I did it in the old BSA days.

The thing that worries me is in the high concentration periods when operating outside your comfort zone, for example I've driven a lot of miles on the wrong side of the road in Europe and the USA and only when I was pushed to make it through a gap in traffic etc. have I ended up turning into oncoming traffic!

The race shift pattern is actually more logical, even for the road. The issue is switching between the two.

Yeah, I know what you mean. When we go to Europe we always hire the car and I have to be carefull for about twenty minutes of driving there before it feels natural. Same happens when we came back. But that's maybe because I've learned to drive there first before caming to Australia and brain "remmembers" that. Also the difference in the car is that there is more of the sequence: clutch/shift/ clutch/gas so there is sort of more time to catch it if you screw up. On the bike with a quckshifter there is only a split second move when the shift light comes on and you don't even think of it. I think I get on the Busa tomorrow and go for a ride slowly to see how it feels and whether I can get the slipper clutch to lock up

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Interested in any info from those who went reversing the gear changing pattern on their bikes. I finally given up resisting it on my track bike (a long left hander on a local track that needs upshift in the middle at full lean resulting in scrapping the boot) and to make it consistant also revered it on my Busa. Old automatic habits are hard to change and I only hope not to blow the gearbox Made myself a poster to hang in a garage and wrote REVERSE GEARS on the inside of my helmet visor but still nervous as in the moment it will be still easy to forget
How did you go?

Good luck.

Thanks mate. I know I'll need a lot of it

[Maj]

Our race bikes are reverse and street bike standard
once your used to it you can interchange easy , like a manual or auto car ,it just becomes the right thing to do with that vehicle
its only the getting used to it , i would plan a session of concentrating on gear changes and not speed , just plan on getting it right , and write a stickit on the tank or headstock area that you can reference
First year we changed the person assisting at the start would pat the rider on the back as they were about to leave and say reverse pattern 7 gears (always go for top twice), as its easy to forget something like that when your actually on track

[Shifu]

Our race bikes are reverse and street bike standard
once your used to it you can interchange easy , like a manual or auto car ,it just becomes the right thing to do with that vehicle
its only the getting used to it , i would plan a session of concentrating on gear changes and not speed , just plan on getting it right , and write a stickit on the tank or headstock area that you can reference
First year we changed the person assisting at the start would pat the rider on the back as they were about to leave and say reverse pattern 7 gears (always go for top twice), as its easy to forget something like that when your actually on track

Thanks for your suggestions Maj. I have written it inside the visor, but it is hard to see as it is out of focus. Note on the tank sure will be better.

[Ward P]

I've also thought it would be a good idea. Ridden some old bikes with reverse pattern, lean down-change down, sit up-change up. Would make turn 12 at the island heaps easier too. Sure it wouldn't take too long to make it automatic.

[IBENI]

My Busa (road) is in race shift with a quickshifter. Had to really concentrate on getting it right but once you do some twisty roads, with a lot of shifting up and down, it's great. Problem now is when I'm riding someone else's bike!

[Shifu]

I've also thought it would be a good idea. Ridden some old bikes with reverse pattern, lean down-change down, sit up-change up. Would make turn 12 at the island heaps easier too. Sure it wouldn't take too long to make it automatic.

I like that lean down-change down, sit up-change up phrase. It helps to remmember. I was thinking of cars accelerator similarity - push down to go faster, up to go slower. Only shame it is on the wrong leg

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My Busa (road) is in race shift with a quickshifter. Had to really concentrate on getting it right but once you do some twisty roads, with a lot of shifting up and down, it's great. Problem now is when I'm riding someone else's bike!

When I was changing mine I came across some mechanical difficulties. The stand switch was one (had to be taken out and have connector shorted) and the rear bolt of the stand itself. What did you do? I was considering modifying the lever (cut and weld job).

[Driller]

It's a matter of perseverance some get it and some don't but it helps to have your road ride converted to it as doing it has to become habit and its where you need to be because jumping from race shift to road shift on the track or road can have you in a world of hurt more so than visa versa. Think about honking out of a corner on road pattern in second and reaching for third only to find yourself selecting first

Besides quick shifters and race shift where made for each other that's if you have a QS

Mick Doohan was once quoted as saying regarding race shift "Head up change up Head down change down"