Metallurgical help. Heating and bending a shift lever.

[EffBee]

I need some help from a knowledgeable metallurgist.

 

I had the same issue with my last 1100RT, but I bought more flexible boots that helped out. This time, I'm going to wear the stiffer boots, so that's not a solution.

 

The situation is this. The shift lever on my "new-to-me" 1100RT is a little too low. I've set it in the lower of the two adjustment holes on the footpeg plate, which puts it in the highest position. I've adjusted the turnbuckle on the shift linkage to its tightest. And I am still about 1/4" too low, which prevents me from releasing the shifter sufficiently, between gearshifts, for the shift mechanism inside to engage the next pin on the end of the shift drum. Thus, I shift, say, from second to third, and when I go to shift to fourth, there's nothing there unless I really force my toe downward so the shifter can return to its neutral position and the tranny be ready to engage that next gear. It's a hit-and-miss situation, but never happens if I consciously force my boot toe downward, so it's not in the tranny, but in the shifter position.

 

I've belt-sanded the ribs on the left footpeg to get my foot lower, and even rounded and chamfered the forward edge of those ribs. All of this has helped. But it hasn't entirely eliminated the problem. I thought the ride to Torrey would loosen up the boot ankle. It did, a little. Still, not enough.

 

I've got a vice, some soft clamps, and a bottle torch. I want to remove, heat and bend the shift lever.

 

1. Not that I know enough for it to matter, but is that a casting or a forging?

2. Will heating and bending it make it susceptible to breaking, given the relatively light pressures we use when shifting?

3. Do I heat the area slowly or quickly, at one point or from both sides?

4. Is it best to bend it at its most forward point, just before it exits the slot in the footpeg plate, or further back?

5. Should I get it as hot as possible, or just hot enough for it to give and bend under pressure?

6. Once bent, should I let it air-cool to room temp or dunk it in water?

7. Anything else you can think of?

[Whip]

Lower the pegs

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

Don't look at me; I failed metallurgy class the first time through. Granted, I'm pretty sure alcohol was a factor, but still...

 

I rarely have good luck bending aluminum, but hopefully someone else can give you a more definitive yes or no answer than that.

 

How is the actual rubber-coated peg attached to the arm? Is it part of the same casting, or does the peg have a threaded stud that screws into the arm? If the latter, might it be possible to make a small plate with a stud that screws into the hole in the arm, and a hole a short distance away into which the peg's threaded stud would go?

 

Yet another alternative: cut the arm into two pieces, and have it welded back together with a 1/4" offset from its original position. A local welding shop should be able to do that job for less than $20, I would think.

[dan cata]

As far as I know, the metal is called zamac or something like that. I don't think it has the same properties as aluminum.

[David R]

My shifter looks like aluminum. I would not heat or bend it. A 2 piece shifter would be the result.

 

You could turn the part that goes on the spline from transmission one notch. Remove the bolt all the way, it goes through a groove in the shaft.

 

Be positive the shift does not hit the end of the window.. Ever. This would cause incomplete engagement which could result in transmission replacement.

 

David

[Ian]

I agree with Whip. Do like I did and get a footpeg lowering kit from the German company Verholen. It comes with a new gearlever and there is an option that I ordered called a gearlever extension that has a swivelling adjustable height in addition to the two position hex stud standard adjustment. The kit also includes a sleeve to slip over the rear brake lever roller to accommodate the lowering.

 

I was so pleased with my kit I bought another for the rear pegs

 

If you are interested I will take a photo for you.

 

regards,

 

Ian

[EffBee]

I agree with Whip. Do like I did and get a footpeg lowering kit from the German company Verholen. It comes with a new gearlever and there is an option that I ordered called a gearlever extension that has a swivelling adjustable height in addition to the two position hex stud standard adjustment. The kit also includes a sleeve to slip over the rear brake lever roller to accommodate the lowering.

 

I was so pleased with my kit I bought another for the rear pegs

 

If you are interested I will take a photo for you.

 

regards,

 

Ian

 

Ian, thanks, but Whip has seen me ride and his suggestion was tongue-in-cheek. I already scrape the footpegs sometimes when cornering (try not to, Mr. Baker, but it happens). If I lowered the footpegs, I might as well just get a Gold Wing and be done with it.

 

No, I either need to heat/bend it or cut/reweld it. I really need someone who has metallurgical knowledge to tell me if the heat/bend method, which I can do in my garage, will make the shift lever too brittle.

[Polo]

Call me a simpleton, but wouldn't just choosing more amenable boots do? $200 will buy a pair of reasonable quality boots, this mod may end up costing more than that.

 

What's the magic of these boots that require you to modify your bike in order to wear them?

 

It seem to me like trying to lower the river instead of rising the bridge. Just sayin'...

[eddd]

Is the problem getting your boot under the shifter?

 

If yes, I modified my boots by adding a lip that I use to shift. I can send you pics if needed.

[Ian]

I had my new BMW Goretex Touring boots modified by a biker cobbler. He first ground down the tread pattern and vulcanised a 3/16th layer of rubber. He then vulcanised a 1/4" Vibram sole. This gave me more leg length. This might be a solution but of course might give you a problem in the other direction. It was not a problem for me because of the dropped arm extension provided by Verholen.

 

Unfortunately they do not now illustrate this particular part on their website.

 

I understood that that the BMW levers were made of duralumin. This material is very quick to work harden so if it is duralumin bending without heat would be a no. If duralumin is heated beyond 480C it reverts to being aluminium. For this reason you should not heat it with a flame. The correct method of heat treatment is a bath of potassium and sodium nitrate. A temperature of 300C then quenched in water oil oil will make is soft and pliable. It will naturally harded over several hours but it will not reach its previous strength unless it has been heated to 480C but NEVER above 500C.

 

The time to reach 480C varies according to the volume of material.

 

(The above information is from Flight Magazine May 22 1919! Just Google for "how to bend duralumin" and see www.flightglobal.com etc.)

 

I first learned about the risks of bending duralumin when experimenting bending Campagnolo cycle parts

 

In addition bending duralumin after heat treatment results in corrosion risk due to microscopic cracks and powder epoxy coating is advised.

 

Perhaps the best solution for you is to get a specialist in submerged inert gas alloy welding to advise about cutting and modifying. This should avoid the heat treating process.

 

regards,

 

Ian

[jjg3]

Have you considered emailing Touratech? They make an adjustable shift lever for the R1200RT. Depending on the method of install one of those may be able to fix you up.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

FB, can you shorten the ball-and-socket link? It's adjustable, and you mentioned that you've adjusted it to its shortest length, but might it be possible to disassemble it and remove some material from the female-threaded part? You're only looking for 1/4" at the boot end of the shifter, so if that link is attached at, say, 30% of the distance between the pivot point and the boot-end of the shifter, then you'd only need to grind off about 0.075 inches to allow you to screw the other piece of the link in just that much farther.

 

The above assumes that the male-threaded part of the link is bottoming out on its shoulder. If the male thread is bottoming out in the threaded hole in the other part of the link, then just grind off 0.075" from the end of it.

 

Thoughts?

[Skywagon]

I have learned to shift mine with just the sole on the side. Can't get my toe under it so just use the little rim on the sole. Try it. Very easy and works well. No, it hasn't scuffed my goot.

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Nando,

Aprilia has a neat adjustment on its shift and brake levers. Basically, the toe portion of the lever is mounted on an eccentric which in turn bolts to the shift lever. It would be a simple matter to adapt this to your standard lever. Saw off the stock toe piece, drill and tap the end of the lever and then mount the Aprilia stuff. The eccentric could easily be made from a piece of 1 or 1.25" round stock. Probably total of about $40 bucks at a machine shop.

[nrp]

If it is a copper-aluminum bearing alloy (Duraluminum or 2024 alloy) theoretically you could heat it to 900 degF, beat it, reheat it to 900, and then quickly quench it in cold water. After a few hours it would be hard, as Ian suggests.

 

The temperature tolerance for the 900 degF is +/- 20 degF for aircraft work. That is close to the melting point which is slightly over 1000 degF, so the chances of scrapping it are very high.

 

Furthermore, the chances of it being that alloy are very remote from a manufacturing cost standpoint. Most certainly any attempt to weld aluminum will be a metallurgical disaster of the first magnitude.

 

There's a reason airplanes are not made from welded aluminum (except for some fuel tanks).

 

Do the spline shift by one tooth trick.

[Selden]

Remove some material from the top of the opening in the side plate through which the shifter travels?

 

I have the same problem with Aerostich CTL boots; I compensate by upshifting with the side of the sole.

[AndyS]

Did you see this post:

 

http://bmwsporttouring.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=594560&Searchpage=3&Main=53662&Words=%2BLever%2Bmod%2B&Search=true#Post594560

 

Andy

[tallman]

FB,

This might be totally useless for the RT, but it is what the (some) K bikes do.

Don't know if it can be of any help at all.

How to get more footroom

[EffBee]

Did you see this post:

 

http://bmwsporttouring.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=594560&Searchpage=3&Main=53662&Words=%2BLever%2Bmod%2B&Search=true#Post594560

 

Andy

 

Nicely done. But I'm looking for about 1/4 - 1/2 inch more. That's all. That's why I'm wondering about making a slight bend in the main shifter body, behind the footpeg plate.

[Ian]

Here are photos of my Verholen peg lowering kit. The significant part that should be of interest to you is the gear extension part. As you can see it can be angled to suit your requirement.

 

http://images.nikonians.org/galleries/showphoto.php/photo/250468/cat/6755

 

regards,

 

Ian