The factory-fit quickshifter on most current motorcycles uses a switch in-line with the rod that connects the gear-lever to the gearbox. What does a motorcycle quickshifter do? How does it work? Bubbles could also be an issue, so each device is meticulously sealed to ensure it’ll be as reliable on a race bike flat out in the rain as it will be on a road bike touring the Alps. The two-part compound must be applied in just the right way, in order to fully seal the electronics without fouling the button used in some units. The potting is done entirely by hand in a temperature-controlled room at HM Quickshifter. We try really hard to make our products really easy to install and use.” And most of those are the result of a crash or an installation problem,” says Gareth.Īll of HM Quickshifter’s products are designed to be ‘plug and play’ “I’m of the school of thought that if you need a user guide, you’ve failed as a design engineer. “We’ve been making the Quickshifter Plus for more than ten years, and the failure rate is something like 0.01%. The aluminium parts are locally sourced, and the highly specialised task of laminating the strain gauge to the machined part that sits on the bike’s selector rod is also done by Gareth and the team. When they come back, they’re each tested, wired up and potted (sealed in a waterproof compound) back in the small unit in Kent. It was really interesting predictive mathematics.” This is a guy who knows how to make complex electronic systems.Īll design, programming and development is carried out by GarethĪll of HM Quickshifter’s products (their shifters, pit boards and dash) are designed, prototyped and programmed in house, then the circuit boards are subcontracted out for component mounting. Of the previous jobs he’s allowed to talk about, he designed the guidance math and electronics for an air-to-air missile “That was really interesting as the speed of the thing meant that you only had the opportunity for one directional correction – if you tried to correct it again, the G-forces would pull it apart. The company is led by Gareth Hopkins, who’s designed electronics since he was twelve, has a masters degree in mathematics and raced bikes in the late 1990s. Behind the door of this small industrial unit is a team of five that hand-builds the strain-gauge-equipped quickshifters found on the vast majority of race bikes around the world. So how does a quickshifter work, how do they help you change gears on a motorbike and can it damage your gearbox? I visited HM Quickshifter in Sittingbourne, Kent to find out. Tourers, street bikes and even cruisers are all getting these devices, but they’re far from all the same from the most basic systems to full auto-blippers, they can feel completely different. Quickshifters have become commonplace on many motorcycles, and not just race bikes. Tested: Zona motorcycle rear view system prototype review.Tested: Viofo MT1 motorcycle dash cam review.Tested: Ultimate Addons bike phone mount review.TomTom vs Garmin review: Which is the best motorcycle sat-nav?.Tested: TomTom Rider 500 & 550 sat-nav review.Tested: Thinkware Sports M1 motorcycle dash-cam review.Tested: SP Connect motorcycle phone mount review.Tested: Sena SRL Bluetooth intercom for Shoei Neotec II review.Tested: Sena 50S Bluetooth motorcycle intercom review.Tested: Sena 50R Bluetooth intercom review.Tested: Sena 10U motorcycle intercom review.Tested: Sena 5S Bluetooth motorcycle intercom review.Tested: Schuberth SC1 communication system intercom review.Tested: Scottoiler xSystem automatic chain oiler review.Tested: Nuviz motorcycle head-up display (HUD) review.Omnicharge Omni Mobile 12800 Pro review | Premium quality portable power bank.First impressions: Nuviz motorcycle head-up display review.
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