Are you looking for a super-easy way to improve the overall performance of your motorcycle? Then you must install a quickshifter without wasting time.
‘Quickshifters,’ as the name implies, are devices that are designed for the quick-shifting of gears in order to save the time in which the rear tire is not pushing the bike forward. In other words, it allows clutchless shifting on a manual transmission, especially on a race track where each fraction of a second matter, a quickshifter, possesses great importance.
Although nowadays it is commonly found on every other motorcycle (tourers, street bikes, and even cruisers), it makes the shifting faster than normal shifting (usually in less than 50 milliseconds). Moreover, quick shifters also increase the safety and comfort of the motorcycle as the use of a clutch or throttle before and after a gearshift is no longer needed.
If you’re someone who enjoys uninterrupted and hassle-free rides, then you should consider installing a quickshifter on your motorbike. Since normal shifting requires a rider to perform two-timed and synchronized motions, a quickshifter replaces all these motions into a single movement. The overall performance and speed of the bike also increase by adding a quickshifter to your motorcycle.
Due to their fast performance capability and all the above reasons, these devices are showing up on more and more motorcycles we buy and ride, so let us take a good look at how does a quickshifter works.
How does a quickshifter work?
During a motorbike ride, the rider normally rolls off the throttle, pulls in the clutch, clicks up a gear, releases the clutch, and then rolls the throttle back on again in order to change up the gear. But if you’re riding a motorbike with a quick shifter, you don’t even have to touch the throttle or clutch, and it will handle everything on its own. All you have to do is just a click up with your foot. So, the next thing which comes to your mind is that how does a quickshifter work?
The working principle of almost all quick shifters is more or less the same, depending on the type of quick shifters used and the sensing and load reducing technique. It generally involves a sensor and a microcontroller. The sensor senses the gear shift action while the microcontroller proceeds the data, which means it calculates the timing and cuts off the ignition instantly. This allows the new gear to slip into its position by reducing the load at the transmission.
Types of quick shifters
Quick shifters are available in two types depending on the direction of motion of your shift lever.
Push quick shifters: when the shift lever needs to be pushed up when changing gears.
Pull quick shifters: when the shift lever needs to be pulled down when changing gears.
Also, most of the quick shifters are bi-directional, which means that they can change the gearshift in both directions, i.e., upshifts and downshifts. So, the term quickshifter alone is adequate.
Hоwever, exсeрtiоns аre рresent suсh аs 2016 Kаwаsаki Ninjа ZX-10R аnd 2015 H2/R’s “KQS” quiсkshifters whiсh аre “mоnо-direсtiоnаl” аnd оnly wоrk оn uрshifts.[5] Their рrimаry аim is usuаlly tо асhieve better ассelerаtiоn by reduсing the time intervаl between geаrshifts during ассelerаtiоn whiсh results in соntinuоus аnd smооther роwer delivery tо the wheels.
Exаmрles оf рerfоrmаnсe оriented mоtоrсyсles using bi-direсtiоnаl quiсkshifter аre BMW S1000RR аnd S1000R, 2017 Kаwаsаki Ninjа ZX-10R аnd H2/R, Suzuki GSX-R1000/R, Арriliа Tuоnо, KTM Duke 390 etс.
The tyрe оf quiсkshifter yоu get will deрend оn the mоtоrсyсle mоdel yоu hаve. Sоme рорulаr quiсk shifter brаnds аre Dynоjet, HM, аnd Bаzzаz.
Sensors
The gearshift sensors work by detecting the pressure change by means of push or pull on the shift lever. Besides, Molecular strain sensors are also available. They work by measuring molecular strain in the shift lever to determine the gearshift process instead of using a pressure switch. These sensors are more reliable than push/pull sensors since it has no moving parts and is free from vibrations resulting in false readings. However, they are not budget-friendly.
Microcontroller
Miсrосоntrоllers reduсe the lоаd frоm the trаnsmissiоn when required by соntrоlling the ignitiоn аnd/оr fuel suррly. They саn be either seраrаte frоm EСU оr а single unit (EСU рerfоrming quiсk-shifting). They аre сараble оf рrоviding neаr-рerfeсt geаrshift in аbоut tens оf milliseсоnds.
Load reduction
Load reduction, generally known as unloading, is the process of reducing the load from the transmission by cutting off ignition or fuel supply in the engine or simply by disengaging the clutch. This means that using a quick-shifter does less damage than a clutchless gearshift on a manual transmission since the load is reduced from the transmission correctly by the microcontroller.
Does it damage the gearbox?
No, the use of a quick-shifter does not damage the gearbox of your bike at all. On the contrary, many riders claim that a quickshifter actually causes less damage to the gearbox than regular shifting because of the fact that the performance of the gearbox depends on how you shift gears. Smooth-shifting makes your gearbox last a long time since a quickshifter makes the shifting much easier on the transmission and causes no loading during that split-second shift change by cutting the fuel supply, so it clearly does not cause any damage to the gearbox.
Is it possible to add a quick-shifter to any motorcycle?
Yes, you can easily add a quick-shifter to any motorbike while some specific models already have it installed. It was commonly known that quick shifters could only be added to racer bikes, but nowadays, most riders want a quickshifter even in their street bikes to improve the performance, speed, and convenience of the ride.
In conclusion, a quickshifter is an amazing upgrade for your motorbike. Particularly for a rider who enjoys speeding on the track as well as on the streets. A quickshifter is a unique feature that adds up to your motorcycle’s speed and enhances motorcycle performance, along with providing safety and comfort while riding. There are so many different types of quick shifters available in the market today; you just have to choose the one that fits your motorcycle perfectly.
