After almost 2 years of being boxed up in the garage I finally got off my ass and installed the paddle shift kit in my Megabusa. Many thanks to Jason Wood at Wizard Racing for help along the way. I get to test it tomorrow if it isn't raining!
So what is it? It is a kit that allows me to upshift or downshift without using the clutch on the Suzuki Hayabusa drivetrain in the Megabusa. It utilizes an electric solenoid (cylinder?) to push or pull the existing manual shift linkage. Before an upshift the ignition is killed for 50 ms so torque is removed from the dogs in the tranny. For a downshift the diaphragm installed in place of the base idle set screw pushes the throttle cable when needed to rev match the tranny. I now will only use the clutch to pull away or come to a complete stop. I kept the manual shifter to find neutral and for the "ghost factor" of having the shifter move by itself when I hit the paddles. :eek3:
Here is a video of a race car (Radical PR6) in Colorado with the exact same kit as mine:
QuickShifters.com
Here is a video of a Megabusa in Sweden with a kit similar to mine except he uses the factory manual shifter instead of paddles. It works exactly the same way (no clutch), but he has to move his right hand off the steering wheel and grab the shifter to get another gear. I can keep both hands on the wheel the entire race.
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1VjHDHLn6w"]YouTube - Westfield Megabusa on Gotland Ring[/nomedia]
Warning: crappy iPhone 4 pics below. Videos and better pictures will be posted in daylight conditions coming soon...
And for those that don't know what the hell a Megabusa is, check out my website below.
So what is it? It is a kit that allows me to upshift or downshift without using the clutch on the Suzuki Hayabusa drivetrain in the Megabusa. It utilizes an electric solenoid (cylinder?) to push or pull the existing manual shift linkage. Before an upshift the ignition is killed for 50 ms so torque is removed from the dogs in the tranny. For a downshift the diaphragm installed in place of the base idle set screw pushes the throttle cable when needed to rev match the tranny. I now will only use the clutch to pull away or come to a complete stop. I kept the manual shifter to find neutral and for the "ghost factor" of having the shifter move by itself when I hit the paddles. :eek3:
Here is a video of a race car (Radical PR6) in Colorado with the exact same kit as mine:
QuickShifters.com
Here is a video of a Megabusa in Sweden with a kit similar to mine except he uses the factory manual shifter instead of paddles. It works exactly the same way (no clutch), but he has to move his right hand off the steering wheel and grab the shifter to get another gear. I can keep both hands on the wheel the entire race.
[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1VjHDHLn6w"]YouTube - Westfield Megabusa on Gotland Ring[/nomedia]
Warning: crappy iPhone 4 pics below. Videos and better pictures will be posted in daylight conditions coming soon...
And for those that don't know what the hell a Megabusa is, check out my website below.
