Have had both knee surgery. So backing the bike up takes its toll. Love the bike to much to trade. Could not recommend the Baker gear box with reverse enough. So much easier to park the bike and gears are so much smoother. The friendly staff and the support you get from the Baker team is next level. Will definitely deal with them again in the future
Makes life easier for me, second time I bought this, being a little shorter, it makes manoeuvring very easy.
I bought the F6R for my 2011 Softail Crossbones. The recommended or similar tools are a big plus doing this install. I also used the Harley Davidson 2011 Softail service manual. Baker instructions were clear and easy to follow with minor exceptions. If you're converting a Crossbones you will need a couple tools not mentioned in the instructions or service manual. There was a problem with one part supplied, likely because I have an older model Harley. I called for tech support three times in the process of my install. The first was a simple assembly question quickly answered by J T (?). My second call to J T concerned the shifting of gears after the gearset was reinstalled without the clutch being installed, again I received a quick professional answer. 7 gears plus neutral. Your tech support was top notch for me. My third call happened after Baker had left for the Christmas/New Year holidays. I was left to solve my problem myself as I was unwilling to wait the week and a half for Baker's return. My problems: 1) interference preventing the install of the safety lever and mount, 2) pivot pin hole was too small and shoulder bolt was too small. 1) The safety lever and mount are installed on the bottom of the right front brake master cylinder and brake lever. There is some structure that prevents the safety lever and mount from sitting flush. I don't have the exact dimensions but you will need to remove about 1/2 x 5/8 inch and at least 1/4 inch deep section of material. It would be nice if I could insert a picture. I used a pneumatic pencil grinder, aluminum is soft, it goes fairly quick. Test fit often. 2) Baker provides a .310 inch shoulder bolt to replace the pivot pin for the brake lever. The hole in the provided mount is the appropriate size for the bolt. The pivot pin on a 2011 Crossbones is .403 inch with the holes in the master cylinder and brake lever to match. Luckily I have a 13/32 inch (.406 inch) drill bit that fit the master cylinder and brake lever with almost no play. I opened the hole in the provided safety lever mount to this size. I live in the Phoenix metro area, finding a shoulder bolt anywhere near .403 inch didn't happen. I did not try having a machine shop turn down a larger bolt as I expect it would be more than I'd be willing to pay. So I went for close. I chose a stainless 3/8 inch shoulder bolt (.375 inch) and used a stainless 10mm sleeve with .2mm wall (id .378/od.394). Play is about .015 inch. Shifting into reverse takes a little more attention. It's not an unconscious movement yet. Shifting out of reverse is a little difficult, I have to kick the rear shift lever pretty solid, normally I only use the front lever for shifting. Then the gearbox seems a little lost, the lever is very free and doesn't shift into neutral unless I downshift into 1st gear solidly again. Shifting into low gear can be missed when coming to a stop. The transmission can be very tight going into 1st gear, when downshifting after reaching 2nd gear the feel is so tight it makes you think you've already reached the bottom gear. I don't have many miles on this mod yet, I am confident more mileage will smooth the shifting. I will say having the reverse is awesome. My drive has a drop off into the street, I can drop the front wheel off then reverse back into the drive with ease. I am very pleased with the quality and precision of the parts used inside the transmission from Baker. Support has been excellent, when I first received my F6R system one part was wrong, polished instead of black. Baker immediately sent me the correct part. Tech assist is responsive, I spent zero minutes on hold. This is my second mod I purchased from Baker, the first being a compensator and manual chain tensioner. I would buy parts or systems from Baker again without hesitation. If Baker has a .403 inch shoulder bolt to match the pivot pin I removed I would appreciate one. I also used a cable standoff to keep the safety lever cable off my oil tank. Thanks for your excellent product. Ed C.
The F6R kit performs as advertised, clean install, and improves the shifting characteristics of the stock transmission. No more clunk when going from neutral into 1st and shifts to neutral or any gear is firm and positive feeling. The reverse lockout control is mounted below front brake lever and works flawlessly. No need to take your hands off the handlebars like others that add another shift lever to the transmission cover. Works great especially when trying to back up a slight grade and never have to worry about your foot slipping on the pavement. A little pricey, but work every penny.
I have a Trio Tilting Motor Works Trike and the reverse gear is sweet and smooth. Easy to operate the cable and shift into gear.