Topic: cb500/four rearset idea

[haill]

on a CB500/four can you rotate the gear shift lever 180 degrees  and move the original foot mount back to a  position welded in line with the swing arm on both sides along the down tube?
the brake lever would be shortened and bent to suit the new foot position on the right side.
would the shortening of the brake lever affect the rear brakes action all that much?
 would like to set my bike up to start riding track days next season but  keep the stock look of the bike as well.
thought this might be a viable solution
thanks keith

[wannabridin]

I wonder if a similar procedure could be preformed on a 750??

Good idea though!! Start cutting and flipping and let us know

[Retro Rocket]

That will reverse the action of the gear lever, you will have to lift the lever up to get first and down for the rest of the gears, if you can live with that then go for it.

Mick

[turboguzzi]

there's a thread on exactly such a rotation performed, it not only changes gear change direction but also reach to the foot levers and from what I saw there, doesn't really make it so rear set.

A bit half arsed IMHO, but yes, zero cost.

TG

[haill]

Thanks for getting back.
wasn't thinking so much of rotating the foot pegs but welding new mounts for them higher on the down tube section somewhat in line with the swing arm.
the gear shift lever would be rotated 180 degrees which   would place it  nearer the foot pegs new position. the brake arm would be shortened and shaped to position on the right side bringing that closer to the moved right footpeg. keeping the stock look/aesthetic/vintage feel of the bike more so.
have purchased a set of rearsets off a 954RR but before fitting  those thought that using the stock parts  might work well.
my interest is in the effect on the rear brakes. due to shorting the brake arm.
the ergonomics of the change also plays a huge factor, in that it works properly...

[CBGhia]

That will reverse the action of the gear lever, you will have to lift the lever up to get first and down for the rest of the gears, if you can live with that then go for it.

Mick

I ran GP style shifting for years on my Ducati.  I had trouble switching back.  If I had multiple bikes, I would not do it, but since i only have 1 for now I would run it. 

[lordmoonpie]

I did it on my 750....but then I had a mirror image shift drum made so that the shift pattern stayed the same even though the lever action was reversed. A bit over the top I admit but I wanted to do it and that's all the  justificaton I needed 

[Bill/BentON Racing]

I did it on my 750....but then I had a mirror image shift drum made so that the shift pattern stayed the same even though the lever action was reversed. A bit over the top I admit but I wanted to do it and that's all the  justificaton I needed 

Right on,why does it not surprise me that it was you who did it!(MIRROR SHIFT DRUM)Brilliant! Learn something new everyday. ,Bill,my Yosh CR kit has reverse shift drum,but make one.....

[lordmoonpie]

And thanks to Nova it is a work of art too!
Top is the new one, bottom original CB750 - note the right hand thicker part on the new one to remove the need for part of the original spacer setup on the gear selection mechanism - clever stuff huh, all because I knew (from experience!) that a race pattern box would end up with me shifting down when I wanted to go up and that'd end up more expensive than a custom shift drum LOL!

[ludite13]

  I "made" similar rearsets for my '72 Triumph that worked great!  I used a longer gearchange lever off a later model T160 and used rear pegs in one of the rear motor plates.  Love the GP pattern.  Wasn't so much of an issue when switching to another bike since the shifter was on the right side anyway!
Made the bike much more comfortable to ride.  I can't imagine hi dollar units would be much better. 
  I adapted some from a GSXR to my 550k's rear pillion mounts that took a lot of getting used to and will never be right for me ( I never bothered to come up with a rear brake solution it's so bad.)  Best to tack your mounts first for easy removal/placement change. 
  I'm pretty sure the rear brake would be harder to apply with a shorter lever.  Perhaps a geometric change in the linkage to make up for this?   

-James

[the B.N.G.]

I used Yamaha R1 factory rearsets on my 550.  I welded two 1" bungs to each side of the frame one on top and one on the bottom of the swingarm pivot bolt then bolted the factory aluminum brackets up.  For the shifter, I simply cut and rotate the shift arm and used heim joints with a rod and works perfectly.  The one real pain in the ass was the rear brake.  I was originally going to run a hydraulic disc rear wheel but instead I decided to keep the drum so since I cut the pivot I had to reweld it back on in a slightly higher location.  The problem is the spacing between the shaft and the new rearset.  The original rear brake shaft that the original brake pedal pivots on is huge and basically sticks way out and interfears with the new rearset so to make a long story short, you either need to make a different pivot or go with a disc on the rear.  In my opinion, the rear disc is the easiest and cleanest way to go.  Let me know if you need pics.

[haill]

Just finished welding up the rearsets, still have some modifications to the stock brake pedal which  intend to shorten and bend to suit the footrest postion. the kickstart also needs to be bent to clear the footrest as well. What I ended up with is a hybrid of stock and modern using rearsets from a 954RR and welding the original footrest to the linkage section on the shifter side. For the brake side took the original gear shift footrest and used it on the brake side. The offcut from footrest used for the shift linkage was used to weld to the frame to connect the brake footrest. confused. here's some pictures.
Rebuilding the swing arm with some brass bushings and purchased some new Ikon's 7210 shocks to make it all the more lovely.
Modified some clubman's that had way less drop then usually but had to weld a section to each side to widen them and made a new handle bar connectors from the old warning light section. The warning lights lest some of them will be moved to the headlight bucket.   

[haill]

Used a laser level to line them up across the bike for found using two different  connection methods for each side hard on the brain to get them even. Need to paint the welds to blend to the frame but one big hurdle dealt with.

[turboguzzi]

neat, looks like the same shift lever i am using, was of 954cbr i i recall

just make sure to stand/jump a few times on the pegs and see they do not bend. usually people weld two attachments points to spread the load, the single point you are using is bound to be under heavy, pure bending. Better safe than sorry, no?

how are you solving the brake side?

Cheers

TG

[haill]

here's the brake side. Cut a second brake lever that I purchased from a member here along with a second set of footrests. Just so if wanted to return to stock or messed up would have the parts...
Cut bent and welded the new brake lever to the shape that worked to clear the kick start lever and give one good brake postion.
need to smooth some things and make it all pretty like, but it's there and works well.
Checked the bending of the rearsets seems good. there is a tube welded perpendicular across the frame and attached to the rear brake connection. The only issue one could see is the direct transfer of force to the frame if laid down. 

[haill]

got some more done on the rearsets. grounded the welds and cut  bent welded the original kickstart arm. passes by the footrest without having to flip-up. baby steps my friends.

[haill]

here's the start of the the warning lights moved to the headlight bucket. Cut the gauge mount plate to give better view to the new warning light postion and cleans up the front end some. Placed a serrated lockwasher under to stop it from being able to spin.