First time drag racing report: FUN!!!

[CivilRock]

Update:
1. Finally pulled the trigger on a decent shift light. Got the Dyna DSM-4 "Shift Minder" kit.
2. Did some multimeter testing and ran a wire from the (-) on the horn to the "kickstand kill" orange wire on my Dyna 2000 ignition.
3. Put on the front tie-down strap for a test ride.

I did this all tonight and took the bike to go get my haircut. I was mostly interested in how my new horn kill was going to work... It was very effective. Granted, I wasn't doing WFO shifts at the redline, but it really made for seamless shifts. It was a little hard for me to not roll off the throttle or reach for the clutch, but I think with a little practice, I could get very good at it.

One thing I was amazed with was the amount of preload I could put on the shift lever without it shifting before I tapped the horn. It's going to be a new set of challenges for my next trip to the strip! I was hoping that I could go tonight, but they're closed for the weekend. There's only 2 weekend left this year, and the last one is Halloween night. With an 8 yr old daughter, there's no way I'm missing that. Hopefully next weekend doesn't rain, but I'd give it a 80% chance based on Portland, OR weather.

I can see how it's easy to get carried away with the shifting. The installation instructions on the Shift Minder showed how to wire it up so it triggers an auto-shift system. I'm going to take it one step at a time. I mean, there was 24 months between my two trips to the drag strip so far. It's not like I'm in a hurry to sling it down the track. I do want to see if my simple mods will shave 2 tenths off my 11.1 to get me into the Tens.

I think my next move is going to be a switch built into the shift rod and the Dyno 4-124 kit that JStewart mentions here. I think a "quick shift" system very similar to what my road racing bikes had is more my style. The air shifter setup would only be good on the drag track, and that's still only .05% of my time spent with the bike.

-Kevin

[jstewart]

way to go. I started out wiring the horn button to act as a shift kill 36 years ago on my first CBX. Graduated to building my own shift kill time delay boxes out of a 6VDC horn relay, a 480 microfarad capacitor and a 1000 ohm potentiometer. The 4-124 TD shift kill triggered by a shifter mounted micro switch is the way to go as you only have one thing to concentrate on doing at the right time (pull up on the shifter) instead of two things to coordinate. If you ever really get serious get a CO2 actuated shifter. I used a auto shift module with a CO2 air shifter for a while on my 2012 ZX14 but went back to a button shift trigger for safety reasons. If the bike gets out of shape off the line and auto shifts into second before you can react it can get really hairy.

[Joe H]

Anyone ever try wiring either the Dyna 2000 orange wire to a rear brake switch connoted to the shift lever??
Or Using a rear brake switch connoted to the shift lever for a quick shift switch.
The Dale Wakers Hole shot uses something that sure looks just like a rear brake switch for there quick shift product.

[jstewart]

Joe I can't see how you could use the Dyna 2000 orange wire in a quick shifter application effectively using either the Dale Walker switch you are referring to or a standard brake light switch. The Dyna 2000 orange wire will kill the ignition for as long as it is grounded. If you use a brake light switch and get it adjusted to just make when you pull up on the shift lever it will kill the ignition but it will remain grounded until you release the shift lever and it fully returns to it's normal position. This is to long a time delay. You need a time delay of between 60 to 80 milliseconds for really quick shifts. This is why Walker and Dynojet as well as others use a programmable time delay device between the switch and the ignition coils or the fuel injectors in the case of most newer bikes. If you can find a momentary switch which makes and then breaks for just long enough to unload the transmission gears during a upshift it may work but that is not how either the Dale Walker or a standard brake light switch works. This would not work effectively with the purpose built Dynojet shift switch or a similar one made by Walker & Bazzaz either since these trigger switches remain closed until the shift lever is released. I just think the time delay would be to long. I have installed a couple of the original Dale Walker shift kills that used the shift switch you are referring to and they work effectively because they work through his time delay box but they are sensitive to set up and to keep in proper adjustment. That is why Dale Walker went to a barrel switch mounted directly in the shift linkage in his second generation electric shifter.

If I wanted to make a inexpensive shift kill using the orange wire input on the Dyna 2000 I would use a SPDT toggle switch and the horn button to ground the orange Dyna 2000 wire. The SPDT switch would either activate the horn or the orange wire on the Dyna 2000 when the horn button makes a ground. By fanning the horn button with your left thumb while pre-loading the shift lever you can get really quick full throttle up-shifts with practice. You can buy a SPDT switch for less than $10 and the rest is just mounting the switch and some 18 gauge wire and misc. wire connectors to ground the orange wire on the Dyna 2000. If you have a stock ignition you can use this system on any bike by adding a normally closed relay to kill the ignition by wiring the N.C relay contacts in series with the bike's kill switch and using the horn button to activate the relay.

[Joe H]

Interesting stuff John, if you have a delay box you could use a brake switch, or do the Dyna or other switches just work that much better they are worth the price?

Sorry for the hi-jack Civilrock, My guess from reading this thread is you will soon be hip deep in all kinds of go fast stuff

[jstewart]

Joe with a delay box you can use any input you want including the brake light switch hooked to your shift lever. If you want, use the brake light switch to ground the orange wire on you're Dyna 2000 directly. I didn't say it won't work I just suspect the delay will be to long for really crisp fast shifts like a delay box will provide. The more expensive barrel switches mounted directly in the shift linkage (they would replace the shift rod on you're 1150 shift linkage) do the same thing but don't require any adjustment to set up and will not get out of adjustment. The barrel switch from Walker won't work on our GS 1150's, you would need to use the one from Dynojet for a pull type linkage rod. Personally If I wanted to use the Dyna 2000 orange wire input without spending much money I would do what CivilRock did and use the ground from the horn button. The only thing I would do differently is to add a single pole double throw switch so the horn button could be used for both the horn and the engine kill through the Dyna 2000. You can use your left thumb to fan quickly across the horn button and get really fast full throttle gear changes with practice.

[CivilRock]

I just bought the Dynojet Quickshifter 4-126 unit. Still have to buy a "pull" type sensor for the linkage.
I'm blown away that I have the Dyna 2000, but I still have to buy one unit to run a shift light, then another unit for quickshift. You'd think someone could make one unit that would do it all.
Anyway, The 4-126 is new, and lets the user make more adjustments. I figured for the extra $20 or whatever, it would be cool to have if I ever get that far into it.

Right after I bought it, I went and looked at air shift systems, and I realized for the same money, I could have bought a full air system. Oh well.

I just posted another thread about my two buddies that just bought bikes. I think it's going to be a very close race when we get to the strip.

-KM

[CivilRock]

OK, I just realized that Dynatek and Dynojet are two different companies. For some reason my cloudy head thought they were the same.

[rapidray]

While they ARE 2 different companies, they are both owned by Dynojet now.
Ray.