Pre 60 left hand gear change?

[090]

Any such thing?
Any one done a conversion from right to left?
I find it out right dangerous riding a RH gear change.

[paul]

on what
 

[VMX247]

I find it out right dangerous riding a RH gear change.

shouldn't go so fast      

[GD66]

Such a conversion is seen regularly in historic roadracing where riders often jump from older to newer bikes : or race pommie bikes, but ride on the road or trail and can come unstuck in emergency situations. But it usually involves linkages to a cross-shaft mounted on bearings, a lot of things to go astray under the rigours of mx. I'm lucky, when I was a snotty kid working in a bike shop after school, you'd jump off a Suzuki onto a Norton, off a Honda onto an AJS, off a scooter onto a Triumph etc, so never had a problem. Even now I can get away with it in roadracing.... ...well, so far....

But if it concerns you or plays on your mind, give it a miss and stay on a left-hooker, 'cos sure as eggs if you're preoccupied with it, you'll do it....

[Ray Kricker]

I have road bikes that are 1d 4u on r, 1d 5u on r, 1u 4d on l, 1u 3d on r and a Bul that's 1d 4u on r.  I'm ok until I think about it then sometimes I just get lost.  So just don't think about it.  Just remember one way will make you go faster and the other will make you go slower.  Oh, and always try to remember where the brake is........see simple.

[Nathan S]

After researching LHS gearchange pre-65 bikes, I don't like your chances.

I'd be looking at Jawas as the most likely possibility.

As best as I can tell, all of the pommy stuff is RHS gear change, and the jap stuff of that age is mostly rip-offs of the pommy stuff.

[mx250]

Don't worry, it hardly makes a difference. With the pommy shit if you go for a downward gear change instead of the brake, the sudden downward gear change is more effective than going for the rear brake anyway.

You'll adapt quickly.

[Curly3]

Unless you nock it into top gear thinking you're jumping on the anchors. I did this the first time I rode a Hagon Jawa with a Norton box, 1 up 3 down if I remember rightly.
Exciting.

[bazza]

MX250 is on to it

[pancho]

Most continental bikes to my knowledge were always left foot change. In the 60's i had a 250 jawa i rode at moorebank left h 1up3 down, a 350 Payne frame BSA rh 1up 3 down a 500 AJAY with a Triumph box rh 1down 3 up and my road bike was a BMW R60 1 down 3up left hand, and in those days i coped ok. BUT now my XTslider I have converted to right hand change is good but i get befuddled in the heat of the moment when riding my RT1 which of course is left hand change. The conversion to rh change on the XT was simple [k.i.s.s. method] and is trouble free.  cheers wally.                    PS Some pre 60s continentals i know of Jawa, CZ, Ogar, DKW, Puch, etc

[brent j]

I did a few conversions, the other way around L to R, in the late 70's early 80's for a guy with an artificial left leg, mainly on Suzukis.

It's quite easy as long as the shift shaft can be extended, ie no gears or such in the way. It requires some welding on the cases and a mill to bore it back to size and fit the seal.

We always left the original gear lever in place so others could ride the bike.

Brent

[LWC82PE]

It really doesnt take that much to get used to a RH gear lever. You would be surprised how little practice time it takes before you get the hang of it.

I know that on some of the early jap stuff you can change the lever from one side to another as the shift shaft runs through both sides of the cases.

[Bamford#69]

Hi,
Iv'e seen the Rickman gear shift conversion linkage kit , fitted to a Jawa Metisse, I think Edgar Phipps has it now, but the neatest conversion Iv'e seen was on an Historic  roadracer, AMC/Norton gearbox using a Mitsubishi Magna gearshift cable (push/pull cable), running in a smooth arc above the swing arm pivot, from the shift lever at the gearbox, to a fabricated bracket on the left side footpeg .
cheers