Hand Shifter For Suzuki 4-Wheeler

Hand Shifter For Suzuki 4-Wheeler ATV'S ATV'S 33-5-27 Edward Eveleigh designed and installed a hand shifter on his 400 Suzuki Eiger 4-wheeler. The Coffeyville, Okla., man has a medical condition called "foot drop" on his left foot which decreases his control of upward motion. He got the idea from shift levers he had seen on Honda 3-wheelers. Eveleigh U-bolted a 1 by 1/4-in. flat strap to the front rack and bent it to follow the contour of the fender down to the foot pad. He fabricated the shifter out of flat steel and a 3/8-in. rod. Ball joints on the top and bottom of the rod allow the shift to move forward (higher gears) and back (downshift) and keep from binding. A U-shaped metal piece with a couple of bolts attaches the rod to the foot pedal. The lever knob is from an old valve handle. When the handlebars are straight, the knob is about 6 in. away, so it's easy and safe to operate. Eveleigh notes that the whole thing can be unbolted in a few minutes, and that he didn't have to make any modifications to the 4-wheeler. He figures his design can be easily adapted for other model machines and says he's willing to share his sketches. "I use the 4-wheeler on the farm all the time to check cattle and for other things," Eveleigh says. He adds that his wife and children use the hand shifter too, even though they can also use the foot shifter. "Everybody who rides it prefers it," Eveleigh says. "It's kind of like riding an old Harley." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Edward Eveleigh, Rt. 1, Box 377, South Coffeyville, Okla. 74072 (ph 918 255-6329; eveleigh@gmail.com).

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