Cruise Drive Smooth Shift Kit
Celebrating his 25th anniversary in business in 2023, Harley transmission specialist Bert Baker has taken the same design principles that have made the Baker Drivetrain Six-Speed Overdrive shift so smooth and applied them to create a shift drum/pillow block kit that will bolt onto any cruise drive six-speed and give super smooth and precise shifting.
The pillow block included with the kit is machined from 6061-T6 extrusion stock for a significant increase in strength over the factory design.
Features include redundant neutral to assist the rider in finding neutral "the first time, every time.
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| N1 shift system for neutral below first gear |
"Smoother, more positive shifting is achieved by incorporating advanced geometry in the fork pin grooves, and the integration of a linear detent bearing on the right-side mounting plate. The fixed spindle drum design offers lower friction as the drum rotates, reducing the effort required by the rider to complete a shift.
"Each design improvement combines in a precise mechanical choreography that is inherently silent."
Baker explains that there is no need to disassemble the stock gearset from the bearing door - "just pull out the stock gearset and swap out the stock shift drum for the Baker smooth shift kit drum." No adjustments are needed for the shift drum, direct bolt in design that re-uses the stock shifter pawl, stock pawl centering pin, shift forks and fork rods.
Applications include 2007-2026 Touring, 2007-2017 Softail and 2017 and up M-8 Applications.
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| Cruise Drive smooth shift |
Also seen here, Baker N1 Shift Drums for five and six speed models have a 0-down all-up shifting pattern and eliminate any possibility of catching neutral on aggressive 1-2 shifts. Neutral is below first. The N1 drum is also popular with hand shifting bikes where finding neutral without doubt, or error, is critical to safety or riding/looking smooth.
"We start with a solid chunk of steel, machine in all the features, then remove the unnecessary material. Two Teflon-coated bushings are pressed into the drum axis bore for smooth rotation on shifts."
The N1 drum changes the shift pattern from the standard 1-N-2-3-4 to N-1-2-3-4. Baker also offers the N1 for 1952-1979 'ratchet tops' with no modification and standard shift pattern drum replacements.
BAKER DRIVETRAIN