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My New 2nd Favorite Mod

5K views 36 replies 19 participants last post by  Bunkz 
#1 · (Edited)
Mike (Metalman) made me an aluminum sleeve for my shifter lever. (Thanks Mike :bigthumbsup:)

I put it on the bike last night and took it for a 50 mile ride today.

Wow, what a difference this thing makes in the shifting.....even 1st to 2nd gear is so much easier and smoother. (And my bike normally shifts like an old tractor from 1st to 2nd)

Cant explain how or why it makes shifting seem much more effortless.......but I can tell you it does. (The fact that it looks good also is icing on the cake)

Thanks for the mod Mike, I really like it.

It beat out all my other mods except for the Corbin Seat.....LOL

But you would be hard pressed to get me to give up either of them now that I have it on my bike. :D

I owe you several beers when you get back and if you ever need any pocket money these things would sell like hot cakes.......inexpensive fix for the hard shifting on this bike.

I know several 9'ers who would buy one if you make more.

BCS
 

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#2 ·
Mike (Metalman) made me an aluminum sleeve for my shifter lever. (Thanks Mike :bigthumbsup:)

I put it on the bike last night and took it for a 50 mile ride today.

Wow, what a difference this thing makes in the shifting.....even 1st to 2nd gear is so much easier and smoother. (And my bike normally shifts like an old tractor from 1st to 2nd)

Cant explain how or why it makes shifting seem much more effortless.......but I can tell you it does. (The fact that it looks good also is icing on the cake)

Thanks for the mod Mike, I really like it.

It beat out all my other mods except for the Corbin Seat.....LOL

But you would be hard pressed to get me to give up either of them now that I have it on my bike. :D

I owe you several beers when you get back and if you ever need any pocket money these things would sell like hot cakes.......inexpensive fix for the hard shifting on this bike.

I know several 9'ers who would buy one if you make more.

BCS
Any thought to just adjusting the shift lever angle to aid in that?
 
#8 ·
Good to hear that you are coming along and moving forward.

I hear the complicated mechanics of operating a motorcycle is great physical therapy with lots of different movements for the hands.....:joke:

Get well soon and we will see what color Suzuki has in store for us in 2019.....LOL

Still a 16/17 holdover sitting in the dealership near me. I have them down to 12,600 OTD on it now......but I am not really looking to buy at the moment, I just enjoy the hunt.

Take Care

BCS
 
#10 ·
Mike (Metalman) made me an aluminum sleeve for my shifter lever. (Thanks Mike :bigthumbsup:)

I owe you several beers when you get back and if you ever need any pocket money these things would sell like hot cakes.......inexpensive fix for the hard shifting on this bike.

I know several 9'ers who would buy one if you make more.

BCS
I'd happily contribute some hard earned to get one of these..
 
#11 ·
Mike (Metalman) made me an aluminum sleeve for my shifter lever. (Thanks Mike
)

I put it on the bike last night and took it for a 50 mile ride today.

Wow, what a difference this thing makes in the shifting.....even 1st to 2nd gear is so much easier and smoother. (And my bike normally shifts like an old tractor from 1st to 2nd)

Cant explain how or why it makes shifting seem much more effortless.......but I can tell you it does. (The fact that it looks good also is icing on the cake)

Thanks for the mod Mike, I really like it.

It beat out all my other mods except for the Corbin Seat.....LOL

But you would be hard pressed to get me to give up either of them now that I have it on my bike.


I owe you several beers when you get back and if you ever need any pocket money these things would sell like hot cakes.......inexpensive fix for the hard shifting on this bike.

I know several 9'ers who would buy one if you make more.

BCS
I've been looking for a way to mod my shifter as to not scrape up my boots. I like to ride to work, but after a few months my work shoes look worn topside from the shifter.

Think these are the way to go?
Does your friend sell these?
 
#12 ·
You might have to polish your boots now and then with this also.

Constant pressure of any kind on leather is bound to leave a mark.

Mike and Richard have been running this on their bikes for a while, they may be able to tell you.

Took a 50 mile (or so) ride this morning terrorizing the town......really liking the feel with this sleeve on there.
It gives it a totally different feel, much smoother shifts since I put it on.

Although I did miss second after launching off a light this morning......:redfaced: [Embarrassed]
Certainly not the first time I have done that. Happens every now and then. :D

BCS
 
#13 ·
Mike (Metalman) made me an aluminum sleeve for my shifter lever. (Thanks Mike :bigthumbsup:)

I put it on the bike last night and took it for a 50 mile ride today.

Wow, what a difference this thing makes in the shifting.....even 1st to 2nd gear is so much easier and smoother. (And my bike normally shifts like an old tractor from 1st to 2nd)

Cant explain how or why it makes shifting seem much more effortless.......but I can tell you it does. (The fact that it looks good also is icing on the cake)

Thanks for the mod Mike, I really like it.

It beat out all my other mods except for the Corbin Seat.....LOL

But you would be hard pressed to get me to give up either of them now that I have it on my bike. :D

I owe you several beers when you get back and if you ever need any pocket money these things would sell like hot cakes.......inexpensive fix for the hard shifting on this bike.

I know several 9'ers who would buy one if you make more.

BCS
I cut off the stock shifter peg and drilled and tapped a hole and put an Arlen Ness Retro shifter peg in it's place. I use Arlen Ness Retro shifter/brake pegs and grips (just installed). It looks like an aftermarket kit now.
 
#14 · (Edited)
This is what I installed on my 9 transmission gear lever : the Kuryakyn 8851 round peg that because it has rubber , it doesn`t wear the top of my shoe at all , it is thicker and much more comfortable and on top of it , it looks great .
https://www.amazon.com/Kuryakyn-8851-Round-Shift-Cover/dp/B000WK0NM8
It fits perfect .
It can be seen on this pic :

I also installed the Kuryakyn 8860 peg on the rear brake pedal . It can be seen here :

That completed the set of the 8028 ISO pegs for the front and rear driver and passenger pegs .
That was done a couple of years ago . Unfortunately , for some unknown reason , the Kuryakyn 8860 peg cannot be found anymore anywhere (?) , but it fitted the rear brake lever of my 109 perfectly .
 
#20 ·
Thanks for the compliments Charles.

I moved the shifting lever down one spline. It helped but not enough. Another notch was too much. I added the aluminum sleeve and couldn't believe how nicely it shifts (compared to without it). My 2006 Nine still doesn't shift very well.

I only moved the shifter lever down one notch on my 2013 Nine, but because it shifts so well I didn't bother using an aluminum sleeve.

The only problem with the aluminum sleeve is that on hot days when I am wearing flip flops, it burns the top of my toes.
 
#21 ·
I am loving how well my 9 shifts now....especially from 1st to 2nd.

You would not think such a small thing could make such a big difference....but it does!

You can certainly make some beer money if you make a few more, lots of guys have messaged me asking how they can get one. :bigthumbsup:

Only a Floridian would understand the riding a motorcycle in flip flops comment......so I get what you are saying.

I get odd looks wearing my work boots in shorts going down the road....but let em look, its to hot to wear jeans here in the summer.

Thanks again for the shifter sleeve, I like it a lot and I am really enjoying the easy shifting. (Especially at high RPM off the line)

BCS
 
#28 ·
It just so happens that I picked up some aluminum round stock today in Dutch Harbor.

I am going to try my hand on the lathe this trip and see if I can make a few of these.

If they turn out good and if Mike (Metalman) gives his blessing, I may have a few of these available for sale in a couple weeks when we get back on dry land.

Mike is the original creator of these so I certainly would not sell any without him giving the ok to do so first. (Don't want to step on anyone's toes)

Maybe he will work some kind of royalty deal with me in exchange for allowing me to use his design. :D

BCS
 
#30 ·
Ok no problem you have one reserved as long as Mike gives me the nod that its Ok to proceed. (I will contact him once I make some and see what he says)

I plan to make them with a few different pasterns just to individualize them, so I will post up some pictures once I get a few made and you can pick which one you want.

We left the dock early this morning so things should calm down enough to being making them tomorrow.

BCS
 
#36 · (Edited)
Yes I (attempted) to make several.

However I now know why I am an electrician and not a machinist.

I can cut the shape and fit on the lathe fine with no problem but the smooth finish always seemed to elude me.

The ones Mike makes are perfectly smooth with no sharp edges......but the ones I attempted to make were just not the same quality finish.

I am sure its got to do with the tool I chose to use or the speed settings I selected for the lathe (or both).

After my last attempt I lost interest and moved on to other projects, but I still have a lot of this aluminum round stock onboard, so maybe I will give it another shot this week to see if I can get a more desirable outcome.
(If nothing else its good practice for me on the lathe)

There is a guy on Facebook from Georgia who is producing all sorts of top quality, custom, machined parts for the M109 (or any bike really).
He is making custom foot pegs, derby covers, dipsticks, key fobs, axel caps, fork caps, etc. I am sure this would be child's play for him to make for anyone who wanted one.

His name is James Newell if anyone wants to contact him on FB to get some of these custom parts for their bike.

One member of this forum (Steve, FC) has a bunch of parts that James made on his bike, maybe he will share some photos here for you to see the quality work that James does.

BCS
 
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