Work

A bolt-in short shifter for Holman Moody

The brief: a short shifter that installs quickly, can be reversed, and keeps a great shift feel.

  • Installabout 20 minutes, bolted over the existing part
  • Throwfront-to-back cut 33%, side-to-side unchanged
  • Reversibleyes
The bolt-in short shifter, installed.

Shift feel over reduction numbers

The common approach is to replace the whole shifter assembly. That makes for an expensive part to manufacture and an install of about two hours. Before founding Atrick Design, I designed a single bolt-in piece instead. It locks in place over the existing part, cuts front-to-back throw by 33%, and keeps side-to-side travel the same, so there is no doubt which gear you are going to hit.

A shorter throw alone was never the goal. Chasing the biggest reduction number tends to cost shift feel, and feel and function were the point. The result was a less expensive part to make, a much faster install, and a shifter that feels right.