Adjusting Firebolt foot controls with dropped (Rider) footpegs

[Bueller]

I use Rider footpeg on my Firebolt.  They drop the peg about 1.25", and they are the same pegs as the Lightning.  After fitting the Rider pegs I couldn't get enough adjustment on the brake to lower the height to a comfortable position, and I've had to play around with the shift selector.  Some other riders may benefit from the info.

The title says Firebolt, but I don't fully understand why Lightnings don't have the same problem.  They are the same frame and brake lever.  I didn't check the part numbers for the master cylinder push rod, but just looking at the angle of the brake these look the same.  Perhaps the upright riding position on the Lightening makes the difference.

I ended up having 1cm + the width of a saw cut removed from the master cylinder pushrod.  (The bike is under warranty so I am getting all mods done through the dealer at the moment).  At first it felt like I couldn't apply enough pressure to the brake because at that angle the tendons in the feet couldn't exert sufficient force.  Now I am used to it, and the force feels fine.  I have max'd out on this adjustment, so there is none to spare.  The position of the brake is good for me.  I find the brake quickly and intuitively whereas before I was always lifting the foot and tamping the brake. The Rider pegs push the foot slightly further from the frame, so there was also an uncomfortable feeling that I could tamp down and miss the end of the lever.  (Never did, it just felt possible.) Now my foot is right next to the brake and I know where it is.

To modify the pushrod the dealer drained the brakes, removed the pushrod  cut it, checked the adjustment against what I wanted, and then had to fill and re-bleed the brakes once it was reassembled.  The pushrod is next to the frame; you can lift it a bit, but if you don't take precautions you will mark the frame.  Kootenanny managed to cut his without removing it.  If you PM him he could possibly tell you how he did it.


The gear shift was the other control that needed adjusting, and here the challenge is to get enough adjustment while keeping the gear shift within a range where the gears will actually change.  When I dropped the lever down to where it felt comfortable, it was not possible to push down and select first gear.  I found that it was necessary to push forward and down.  I have had to come up incrementally to get the adjustment set to where I can change down into every gear without having to push forward.  With the setting like this gear changes come with a definite sharp clunk.  I hope that this will wear in a bit.  Maybe the warmer weather that on the way will also help.  The change is always clunkier when cold, and smooth and silent on a run.

To change the selector adjustment.  The top thread is a conventional right hand thread, and the botton is left hand thread.  You need to turn both of the lock nuts anticlockwise as you look from above to loosten them.  To move the adjustment tube the first time I needed to use a pair of grips with cloth in the jaws to prevent marking.  It can't have been Loctite because I didn't need to heat it.  After that I could just turn the tube by hand.  Both locknuts tighten clockwise of course.


A friend has the standard pegs on his Firebolt, and wasn't able to up-change in his new boots.  From my tinkering  I could see that he needed to drop his gear selector slightly.  I remember a posting from from someone with a new Buell that had problems with a second to third or third to forth up-change.  It was either STN or BadWeb, I will see if I can find the topic and see if they have tried adjusting the selector.


I still have lots of problems with the change from fifth to sixth.

[Rogue]

Bueller, I too have the Rider Footpeg on my Firebolt.  I managed to adjust my both the shift lever and rear brakes to my satisfaction.  In fact, they feel the same as I had it before I went to the Rider footpeg.  I did max out the rear brake adjustment pushrod.  

[Bueller]

Bueller, I too have the Rider Footpeg on my Firebolt.  I managed to adjust my both the shift lever and rear brakes to my satisfaction.  In fact, they feel the same as I had it before I went to the Rider footpeg.  I did max out the rear brake adjustment pushrod.  

Hi Rogue,

I remember you saying that you managed to squeeze the brake adjustment to a comfortable position without cutting.  I think that was after you fitted the Helibars, and if so, the different ride position may make the difference.  Lightnings have the same brake setup, but the bars are back and higher.

My Helibars should arrive soon and I can see if that makes a difference.  The brake is perfect for me now.  I wouldn't mind the selector a little lower but it's very close.

[Kootenanny]

I modified my brake lever connector link over a year ago, but as I recall, I simply unscrewed the threaded part of the link, removed a few mm worth of thread, and re-installed it.  This allowed me to thread it in a bit further before the end made contact.  I'll take a look tomorrow, maybe get a pic.

I also adjusted the shifter--it's pretty straightforward, but remember to tighten the locknuts securely.  I was on a relatively long trip, and was finding my shifting becoming difficult--it got to the point I couldn't upshift at all, and I was getting concerned about my transmission.  After a few tense moments at the roadside, I suddenly realized...the locknuts had loosened, and my linkage was slowly threading itself out!  A quick, easy roadside repair, and I was golden.

However, I still haven't got it to shift smoothly from 5th to 6th yet, either...