Shifter Fix

Oct 2016
Which brings me finally to the shifter.  Since last February, I'd spent hours deciding how the shifter and brake levers were going to work using the Tarozzi rearsets* (and levers) I'd purchased for the project.  In brief, the stock foot peg bracket on the right of the project I'd purchased was bent, and the foot peg itself had been cut off, replaced with a threaded hole.  Replacement either on eBay or new would be costly, and the aftermarket rearsets suited the cafe-style project better anyway, so I went this route.  But the 1975 frame and drum rear complicated matters.  I thought I had both figured out, but putting the solutions into practice turned out to be easier said than done.

Tarozzi brand aftermarket rearsets & levers

This issue has hung over the project since the beginning, and it took on a more urgent nature once the bike was actually finished and ready to ride.  A few short test rides quickly revealed just how much torque and force is going through the shift lever.  My prior solution (see earlier posts) became more and more sloppy, and the hole I'd drilled in the stock left block plate was actually cracking.  This plate is composed of some composite alloy and would not weld.  My neighbor Jerry suggested fabricating a plate with a spline shaft from scratch, and although I dreaded such a drastic approach I ended up concluding that this was indeed the way to go.  The alternative was to buy an $80 replacement stock block plate and return to the stock shifter (by cutting it down and adding the toe piece from the Tarozzi).

So it was, I sourced a steel plate and 5/8" ID steel bushing and drew out the required measurements.   Then drilled and cut until I had a rough bracket (as below, shown with stock bracket)

Jerry provided welding expertise and after a few hours we had a finished bracket incorporating a very snug-fitting bushing for the spline shaft.  All holes lined up and a test ride revealed positive shifting up and down through all the gears.  Success!  So now just have to dismantle, clean it up a bit more and paint before re-installing.

*footnote: the folding pegs stick out more than an inch wider than the non-folding pegs.  these were far too wide for the bike, and Jim at FFTP graciously agreed to swap my pegs for a new set they'd made which were shorter.  installation proved these to be a much better way to go.