Shift STAR kit - virtually eliminate missed shifts - quicker shifts,, too.

SHFT-EVO-H51-KT     $199.95

Make shifting MUCH quicker and virtually eliminate missed shifts.

Just remove countershaft sprocket, water pump and shift mechanism cover. No case splitting required.
Makes the shift mechanism quicker acting - It's not the same as undercutting gears.
marc@factorypro.com

• It's everything that we ever wanted to do to a shift mechanism -
  Slightly stronger detent spring - a new MicroBearing detent arm and the final piece... A completely redesigned, empirically refined, multi angled, variable radii, repeaked and valleyed:
   

• EVO-7 Shift STAR
  This part will change the feel of the bike as a whole. Shifting effort is lighter - more precise and the speed at which the gears fully  engage is dramatically improved - Quicker, easier, shifting -

  • A "twitch" on the lever and the throttle and you are in the next gear. Perfect for track use and road riding for effortless downshifts into a corner and just a "tap" to upshift without any more than a "twitch" off the throttle -

  • Missed shifts virtually disappear. Fork and dog damage caused by missed shifts is eliminated.

  • In town? Low rpm cruise in second - shift to third? Quicker and smoother - NO more clunky, lazy shifting in town -Totally different and improved -
     

  • Quickshifter notes:
    The FP STAR kits allow the transmission to shift quicker than stock - reducing missed shifts and the damage cause by missed shifts.
    With stock shift mechanism parts, normal optimal Dynojet QS shift kill time in upper gears is around 50ms to 55ms.
    The STAR kit shifts quicker, so, 40ms to 45ms is normally more correct.
    I'd guess that if one were to also blueprint and reshim the gearbox gears, you might be able to make it shift another 5-7 ms quicker
    Having too much kill time for the shift mechanism causes clunky shifting.

    To do a preliminary Kill time setup on an EC997 dyno, set dyno RPM to hold 3/4 of redline in top gear (if it's a 10k redline, set hold at 7.5k), then downshift to 2nd or 3rd and let rpm drop down to idle. Open throttle fully and shift at redline in each gear, until you get to where the dyno is actually holding 4th or 5th at some rpm before redline (it will be a higher rpm than 7.5k in our 10k example),
    You should be able to upshift at full throttle in 4th, 5th, 6th. Shoot for the smoothest shift transitions. The lightweight EC997 dyno roller reacts very quickly to power changes.
    What I've noticed is that shifting by hand gives better feel than shifting with your foot and that it's quicker to have two people - one to make the kill time changes and one to work the throttle and shift.
     
    
     

     

• Proven concept - Virtually all the Factory Pro Support riders in the AMA and WERA multi- Champions Vesrah Racing tested and proved the EVO-7 Shift STARS.
   

• Stock shift performance that everybody used to take as a "given" will be regarded as "slow and lazy" after riding an RC-51/ SP-1/2 or VTR1000 with this kit -
   

• Kit includes a new detent arm with a FP low friction microbearing roller, fp  performance shift spring and the NEW Factory Pro EVO Detent Star.

Make shifting MUCH quicker and virtually eliminate missed shifts.

Just remove countershaft sprocket, water pump and shift mechanism cover. No case splitting required.

Installation: Remove right side clutch cover. Remove clutch assembly (impact wrench and 30mm socket) Install new EVO Shift STAR, Microbearing Detent Arm and and Factory Pro Detent Spring. Reinstall clutch and cover. No case splitting required!

Estimated install: 1 hour, if you are super quick and have all the tools laid out. 1.5 - 2.5 hours at normal human speeds and what we would charge for in our shop. 3-4 hours if you are a "working hobbyist" and have impact and sockets. 6-8 hours to a week if you are a journalist and not on a deadline. And 1-2 months if you let me do it. :-)

..............................

Want to read about how championship AMA Supersport tuners do transmissions?

• A great (10 to 15 hours of labor on gears and shafts) gearbox job generally includes:
   

  • Shimming to minimize lateral play on the gears. (to builder's judgment)

  • Shimming to move each fixed gear closer to it's sliding mate (but not too close) (to builder's judgment)

  • Shimming shafts to move the assembly closer to an optimum position. (to builder's judgment)

  • Using a surface grinder to make your own custom thickness shims.

  • Making sure that you place the "rounded" side of the circlips against any shim or gear

    • That puts the "sharp" edge of the circlip nicely in the circlip retaining groove on the transmission shaft so it doesn't "ramp out" under side loading..

  • Checking and adjusting shift mechanism "fingers" on the shift star "pins". (to builder's judgment)

  • Checking, replacing gears with worn engagement dogs and slots - or undercutting worn engagement dogs.

    • I tend to try to use as little angle on the undercut, as the more undercut angle, the more you have to let off the power to get the gears to separate - important when not using a "quickshifter" or "air shifter".

  • Deburring of most gears, most shafts, the shift drum and the shift forks

    • A commercial facility, such as Supertech, owned by the iconic Dennis Zickrick, in Colorado, does metal finishing and low friction coatings.

  • I don't recommend cryogenically treating powdered metal gears, like most Japanese type gears are - I don't feel it's a good use of the process. I know that I'll get some flack on that. I'm not saying that "cryo" is bad, as I do use it at times for pistons, springs, knives, unfinished gun barrels... just not powdered metal gears or large finished machined castings.
     

• Additionally, separate from the gears and shafts, there's the shift mechanism (shift shaft, selector device, shift fingers, detent arm and spring, detent star)
   

  • Checking straightness of shift shaft (sometimes they get bent on the left, shift linkage / rear set side)

  • Polishing sliding parts in the shift mechanism (to decrease friction of shift drum rotation - and "quicker is better")

  • Reducing friction of the detent arm (arm needs a bearing - which we make as a model requires and "quicker is better")

  • optimizing detent arm spring pressure (if the spring pressure should be changed, we make - and "quicker is better")

  • optimizing detent ramps (if the ramps aren't right, we make replacement "stars" - making it "quicker")
     

• Adding an EVO Shift STAR kit - In general, if the gearbox is setup "alright" (I would say that most stock, original, undamaged transmissiona are "alright"), that just adding the EVO Shift STAR kit is going to be 80% to 90% of what is theoretically possible in improving shifting quickness, reducing missed shifts, decreasing rider effort and protecting the shift forks and gear engagement dogs from damage caused by missed shifts.
   

• How do you know that a transmission is shifting quicker and more reliably?

  • You can feel it when riding.

    • Even when hand shifting on the bench, it's easier to get out of gear and "snicks" into gear, rather than "clunks" into gear (yes, most Kaws won't shift into 2nd unless the output shaft is spinning :-)

  • You notice that you only have time to slightly "twitch" the throttle off a teeny bit between shifts and hardly have time to pull the clutch lever even a little before the bike's already in the next gear.

  • You "try" to miss a shift on bench or riding and almost can't.

  • Your "quickshifter" equipped bike shifts clunkily after an EVO Shift STAR kit install and you have to decrease "shift kill time" by 15 to 20ms to accommodate the EVO STAR's quicker shifting.

    • That 15 to 20ms is now converted to "engine power" time, rather than "engine kill" time. That will improve power delivery time on a racetrack and at the drags.

    • Funny story - a team called up and said the bike's shifted awfully clunky after the Shift STAR - I was mystified and in talking, we couldn't figure out why the riders claimed the clunkiness - as in the pits, it was def. quicker - and didn't even think to ask about whether they were using a quickshifter.
      They called up later and said that they figured out that the "quickshifter" was now killing the power too long and it was perfect when they decreased the shift kill time.

      • BTW - for roadracing, a perfect QS system will have several factors to program. Should still be pretty easy to sort out - and there's nothing commercially available as or Feb 2009, and that includes the guy who supposedly built his own Suzuki ecu, (well, he did make the box at least - the ECU seemed to be a repackaged EFI Technologies ECU according to the software) on the market that's "right" for roadracing, though most all are are fine for drag racing and  "alright" for roadracing.

xxxETR-ZU - Premium, Platinum, U Groove spark plug.
It is recommended to start a tuning session with new spark plugs.ZU - Premium, Platinum, U Groove spark plug.
It is recommended to start a tuning session with new spark plugs.

~$10.00

Denso (ND, Nippon Denso) is the largest OEM supplier for autos and motorcycles of electrical components in the world. Sometimes, people forget that Denso makes pretty darn good spark plugs, too! Wide heat range properties discourage plug fouling at low speed AND overheating at high speed.
We have been using Denso spark plugs in our AMA Supersport bikes since Denso was Nippon Denso and ND. We have found that some standard, <$10, off the shelf, Denso spark plugs work as well as $125 special spark plugs - on a professional roadrace level!
Codes:
X = 12mm thread w/ 18mm hex
27 = Heat range. (Hint - it is ~3x NGK #. I.E. an "9" heat range in NGK)
E = 3/4" reach
P = Projected tip type plug or
T = Dual ground electrodes
R = Resister type internal construction
Z = Thin platinum center electrode w/ tapered ground (side) electrode
U = "U Groove" side electrode for better spark and finally..
9 = is "pregapped" at .9mm (You should check any "pregapped" plug before you install it..)