Paddle Shifters

[Ibnzmonkey]

Cool hey guys, im working on a new kart. Im using an extended race kart frame and a Ninja 250R Engine i got from a wrecked bike. When i built my Kawasaki KL250 Shifter i used a hand shifter and it works beautifully. I want to go a different route with this one and make paddle shifters. The hand switches are no problem i can take care of that easily.

My main concern is what kind of actuator could i use to move the shift lever? This is pretty awesome in its own right...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CCKNHAnCvuE

In their version they used pneumatics to actuate it but i would be worried of running out of air while in the middle of a race and i couldn't shift anymore.

I would like to go linear electric but i cannot locate one that moves fast enough to shift appropriately. Maybe someone on here can help me out with finding one. Thanks guys.

 

[mike75925]

why not plain old cable? it is probably the easiest. definitely the cheapest.

 

[freakboy]

and definity the most simple and safest... what happens if you blow a line in 6th gear with a wall coming and a mad panic and forgetting to hit the kill switch?

 

[Ibnzmonkey]

I could use a cable. On my KL250 Kart i was fortunate enough to have room just to add a lever with a connecting arm. Push forward to upshift pull back to down shift, easy peasy. The KL250 makes 28 whp and is easy to control whilst in the middle of shifting and hitting turns at darn near 60mph and straights topping about 90 mph.

The Ninja 250R makes about 55 whp. I would not like to take my hands off the wheel while shifting and driving hard through the track. I mean, cable would be easier but i would like to make it as safe as possible for myself. Im betting this one will easily hit 120 mph on a good straight.

and definity the most simple and safest... what happens if you blow a line in 6th gear with a wall coming and a mad panic and forgetting to hit the kill switch?

I know some people take short cuts while building things to make it easier on themselves but i don't like to whenever im building something im going to be driving, let alone over 100 mph. Your right, things like that could happen but if its build correctly and carefully this would be something that would occur if the planets aligned correctly. I always put a kill switch on the steering wheel on any kart i build for myself or someone else.

 

[mike75925]

which year ninja is this?

 

[Ibnzmonkey]

Its from a 2000, i found it at a local auto restoration shop. I was actually looking for someone to weld up a header for a friends Clone when i saw it sitting on the side of their garage in all of its glory. The owner let me have it for $300.

 

[bajagokart]

that go kart is the sickest thing i have ever seen!

 

[dpaxson]

ninja 250's don't make 55hp. more like 35 unless it's modified in some way. and what about using some kind of solenoid as an actuator?

 

[1992suburban]

I like air shifters.. run a small pump and tank.. works great!!
that new of a bike you can even have a kill hooked to it so you never have to let off the gas.

seriously think about air shifters, they are slick I have seen them work great in racing apps

 

[anderkart]

This video shows some prety good views of a shifter racekart setup:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1u53K8AufxY

Heres one in action, it shows they work plenty fast and your hands remain close by the steering wheel:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJMCuTn5SDg

Rickracer has quite a bit of related info that could help you on his build thread here: http://www.diygokarts.com/vb/showthread.php?t=4742&highlight=shifter+kart

You might be able to design and build our own componets but here's some links to shifter parts and stuff:
http://emmick.com/product_info.php?cPath=33&products_id=272&osCsid=nejaerul38tgvhalanjrmrtjp0
http://www.apskarting.com/ (click the Shifterkart parts and accessories link)

Heres a couple Electro shift setups that are super fast but expensive:
http://www.racingedge.biz/13-power-shifter-push-button-gear-shifter.html
http://www.mechatron-kart.com/me-shifter_english.htm

 

[mike75925]

i don't know about taking your hand off the wheel at those speeds. i was just wondering if a semi-auto would be a better configuration for a shifter. he was short shifting the crap out of that thing. i think i prefer the shifter that are made more like a steering wheel but slightly smaller. your hands stay on the wheel, thereby making your shifts quicker. you could hookup a kill switch that actuates before it actuates the shifter for rpm shifting. that would tend to eat your tires quicker though i think

 

[Kenny_McCormic]

Hardest part of an air shifter would be coming up with a pump. I would probably go with something operated on crank pulses or run it off the axle. Beyond that its a simple 2 way ram, accumulator bottle and a couple of triggers. A SPDT switch with a central "neutral" position could be used as a kill somewhere in the shift linkage.

 

[Kaptain Krunch]

ninja 250's don't make 55hp. more like 35 unless it's modified in some way. and what about using some kind of solenoid as an actuator?

They do make somewhere around 55, the 94 model made 48hp, i could believe 55 from the 2000 model.

 

[mike75925]

my 96 made 35 i think. but it was a punk

 

[mike75925]

http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/Kawa...erformance_statistics_.281988-2005_EX250-F.29

 

[Kaptain Krunch]

http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/kawasaki_ninja_250_1994.php

 

[mike75925]

kap'n, that is not the stock exhaust. though it is the same color scheme as the one i had. i bet he added more than just pipes.

 

[housey]

wat a bout getting some sort of amall altenator to power the pump?