Shift linkage - footboards and a 5 speed transmission

Moto Guzzi V700, V7 Special, Ambassador, 850 GT, 850 GT California, Eldorado, and 850 California Police models

Created: 2014 May 26

Updated: 2014 May 26

Thanks to Gavin Woodworth for sending me this information via e-mail. In Gavin's own words:

So I finally figured out the full heim linkages that I mentioned earlier. The brake was quite straight forward, but the shift side took some fussing. Here's the breakdown of parts per linkage, all from McMaster-Carr:

Brake:

• McMaster-Carr part number 93275A022 - (2) 110 mm stud, you'll need two as I couldn't find anything long enough to do the job by itself
• McMaster-Carr part number 93020A775 - the coupling nut to connect the two studs to get the total necessary length
• McMaster-Carr part number 6275K53 - (2) the stud heim joint, one for each end

Shift:

• McMaster-Carr part number 93275A019 - 80 mm stud for the short link from the rocker to the tranny
• McMaster-Carr part number 93275A028 - 175 mm stud for the long link from shift lever to the rocker
• McMaster-Carr part number 6275K53 - (3) stud heim joint, two for the short link and one for the long link (shifter side)
• McMaster-Carr part number 8411K311 - Non-stud heim joint for rocker side of long linkage

Misc (for what it's worth):

• McMaster-Carr part number 94205A250 - Nylon locknuts I used on the stud ends of the heim joints
• McMaster-Carr part number 98676A400 - Standard nuts for locking the coupling nut and heim joints to the threaded studs
• McMaster-Carr part number 90965A170 - washers, they come in handy
• McMaster-Carr part number 4737T12 - seals for the non-stud ball joint, they can't hurt

This was everything I needed to completely redo all the linkages, but it wasn't without issue. First and foremost was the lack of clearance between the shifter and the starter bulge in the bell housing. To solve that, I ground a bit off the back of the heim joint (you can see the ground area and tight clearance in the photo). That still wasn't enough to clear, so I drilled an oversized countersink hole in the back of the shift lever that would allow the stud of the heim joint to sink in enough to clear. I drilled in small increments until it just had enough space, probably not more than ¹⁄₈ inch into the back of the shifter.

With that solved, I hooked up the rear side of the link using a male stud heim joint. It looked and worked great, until I installed the starter and realized that the studded heim throws the angle of the linkage too far inboard and interferes with the starter. *sigh* Another order to McMaster-Carr for the unstudded ball joint and it was all hooked up with just enough clearance on all sides. It's a tight avenue in there, as you can see in the photo. The short shift link installed as you already have detailed on your site...easy.

The brake was simple and required no modification or head scratching.

It took some patience, but the levers are completely without play now and give a really positive feel to the foot controls. It was terrible before, so I'm really happy with the modification.

Hope that makes sense and is helpful. If you want any more info on it, I'd be happy to clarify...these things can be a bit tricky to explain sometimes...