Gear Shift Lever Position
 

So while you are just riding along is your foot usually under the shifter, over or out to the left. I was trying to get mine to a comfortable height and If I lower it to where its easy to upshift it seems hard to pull my foot out quickly from under it. I have tried several different shoes and this does seem to make a difference, but I was just wondering what people found as the most comfortable height for the lever.

Re: Gear Shift Lever Position
 

And how often do you need to pull your foot out QUICKLY ?? I would hope almost never.

Mine is adjusted to the point where it just touches the boots that I normally wear.....so that I have to consciously pull the toe up to shift.........and when cruising, my toe usually hangs out to the left slightly, I think. Who pays attention to details like that ?? :??:

My shifter sits just a few mm under my boot but I don't rest my boot on it. If you're having trouble getting under it, maybe try a thinner boot?

I always wear riding boots and had to adjust the shifter for position. On the GZ I had to adjust both brake and shifter for Lynda to be comfy and still operate properly. She always wears Red Wing ankle boots. The owners manual will show how to adjust both the foot controls. The rear brake light switch should be adjusted if the brake pedal is adjusted.

You know I was wondering the same thing, In my regular shoes its great but in my work shoes and my boots I have to almost squeeze under the shifter. I decided to leave it alone for now.

Picture this: You approach an intersection where you need to STOP. You aren't yet in 5th gear so your toe is still UNDER the shifter. As you go to change the position of your toe, it sticks under the shifter..............what next?

I prefer to adjust it so that it is just BARELY touching the top of the boot in a normal riding position............the boot being the thickest foot wear I ever ride with. With anything else on, there is a small space.

Think about it.

wow, i NEVER ride with my foot under the shifter unless i'm actively shifting. i even had to buy a thinner pair of boots because my work boots were so thick i couldn't get underneath it at all; one trip around the block and i realized they were useless.

maybe i just have big feet?

What? Are you saying that you remove your toe from under the shifter BETWEEN each shift ?? :??:

If you know you will be going up through the gears, that doesn't sound right to me.

yes and no; i find myself having to consciously remind myself to leave my foot there if i know i'm going to upshift again in five seconds. i almost always (90% of the time) remove my toe from under the shifter between shifts. not to the point of being obsessive or missing shifts because i *have to* move my foot or something, i just find it to be more natural. my foot doesn't really sit under the shifter comfortably and it only takes a second to move my foot under it.

that brings up a question: is there a way to adjust the height of the shift lever? it looks like i could just tighten up the nuts on the connecting bar, but when i tried this (half asleep at 2am in a poorly-lit garage) they didn't turn easily.

There is a post this in either how-to's or general maintenance.

Not much of a mechanic, are you? :roll:

You loosen the nuts and then turn the shaft. Note that one end is reverse threaded so that turning the shaft one way makes it longer and the other way shorter. That also means that one of the nuts turns "backwards" to loosen.

When you get the shifter where you want it, tighten both nuts.
Do NOT go for a test ride with the nuts loose. The rod can vibrate OUT quicker than you might expect.

sorry, i couldn't resist.



anyway, you're right, i'm not much of a mechanic at all. and when i say the nuts wouldn't turn, that was me trying to turn them with my fingers. in retrospect i would have been very worried if i could unscrew them by hand.

i'll take a better look at it tonight or tomorrow and see if i can't make it work.

thanks

Yes, loose nuts can be a problem! :cry:

You need a small tool. :roll:

hmm, that right there seems to be my problem. you want to come give me a hand? :neener:

Mmmmmm....no, I think I'll let you find your own tool. :tup:

When I took the MSF course they require you to wear ankle high shoes or boots, none of which I really had available. On the way to the course I stopped by Wal-Mart and bought the cheapest pair of Brahma boots they had for $25.00. I never had so much trouble shifting gears during that course. I didn't know until after I'd bought the boots that they were steel toe as well. Needless to say, I won't be wearing those boots when I ride anymore. I'm just going to go with shoes/boots with thinner toes as I like the shifter to be fairly close in.

I have some of those and wore them to ride daily for near two years. I like them and only retired them for water proofing and ankle armor. The tongue on these boots is as porous as a screen door. This is great for hot weather but not so great when its 25 degrees. Rain goes right through them. They were very stiff when I first got them but now they are very soft except for the steel toe. I wore them for about 20,000 miles of riding. I still have the boots and would wear them riding today. They were recommended to me by another GZ rider.

One thing I have learned about boots is that if you change to a different boot you might need to adjust the position of your shifter. My Icon motorcycle boots gave me fits.