A quickshifter (or quick shifter) is a device that eliminates the need to use the

clutch A clutch is a mechanical device that engages and disengages power transmission, especially from a drive shaft to a driven shaft. In the simplest application, clutches connect and disconnect two rotating shafts (drive shafts or line shafts). ...

throttle A throttle is the mechanism by which fluid flow is managed by constriction or obstruction. An engine's power can be increased or decreased by the restriction of inlet gases (by the use of a throttle), but usually decreased. The term ''throttle'' ...

when shifting gears on a

manual transmission A manual transmission (MT), also known as manual gearbox, standard transmission (in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States), or stick shift (in the United States), is a multi-speed motor vehicle transmission (mechanics), transmission ...

. This can increase the safety and comfort of the

vehicle A vehicle (from la, vehiculum) is a machine that transports people or cargo. Vehicles include wagons, bicycles, motor vehicles (motorcycles, cars, trucks, buses, mobility scooters for disabled people), railed vehicles (trains, trams), wa ...

and allow for faster gear shifting (usually shifting in less than 50 milliseconds) and is thus a popular performance enhancement for

motorcycles A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising, ...

Working mechanism

Almost all quickshifters work on the same basis, a

sensor A sensor is a device that produces an output signal for the purpose of sensing a physical phenomenon. In the broadest definition, a sensor is a device, module, machine, or subsystem that detects events or changes in its environment and sends ...

detects the gear shift action, a

microcontroller A microcontroller (MCU for ''microcontroller unit'', often also MC, UC, or μC) is a small computer on a single VLSI integrated circuit (IC) chip. A microcontroller contains one or more CPUs (processor cores) along with memory and programmable i ...

( CPU) processes the data (and calculates the timing) and cuts off

ignition Ignition may refer to: Science and technology * Firelighting, the human act of creating a fire for warmth, cooking and other uses * Combustion, an exothermic chemical reaction between a fuel and an oxidant * Fusion ignition, the point at which a ...

momentarily, resulting in a reduction of the

load Load or LOAD may refer to: Aeronautics and transportation *Load factor (aeronautics), the ratio of the lift of an aircraft to its weight *Passenger load factor, the ratio of revenue passenger miles to available seat miles of a particular transpo ...

at the

transmission Transmission may refer to: Medicine, science and technology * Power transmission ** Electric power transmission ** Propulsion transmission, technology allowing controlled application of power *** Automatic transmission *** Manual transmission *** ...

allowing the new gear to slip (and engage) into place. However the method of sensing and reducing the load can vary.

Sensor

Most gearshift sensors work by measuring the pressure change (push or pull) on the shift rod. However, some sensors use a

strain gauge A strain gauge (also spelled strain gage) is a device used to measure strain on an object. Invented by Edward E. Simmons and Arthur C. Ruge in 1938, the most common type of strain gauge consists of an insulating flexible backing which supports ...

, which is more expensive but may be more reliable and free from false readings due to vibrations since it has no

moving parts Machines include both fixed and moving parts. The moving parts have controlled and constrained motions. Moving parts are machine components excluding any moving fluids, such as fuel, coolant or hydraulic fluid. Moving parts also do not include ...

Microcontroller

The microcontrollers generally control the ignition and/or fuel supply to reduce the load from the transmission when needed. They can either be separate from the

engine control unit An engine control unit (ECU), also commonly called an engine control module (ECM), is a type of electronic control unit that controls a series of actuators on an internal combustion engine to ensure optimal engine performance. It does this by re ...

(ECU) or a single unit (meaning the ECU performs quick-shifting). They can provide a near-perfect gear shift in tens of milliseconds.

Load reduction

The load on the transmission is generally reduced (or "''unloaded''") by cutting off the

and/or fuel supply in the engine, or by disengaging the clutch. Since load is reduced precisely (if tuned correctly) by the microcontroller, using the quickshifter is less damaging to the transmission than

clutchless gear shifting A semi-automatic transmission is a "theoretical" multiple-speed transmission where part of its operation is automated (typically the actuation of the clutch), but the driver's input would be required to launch the vehicle from a standstill and ...

without a quickshifter.

Bi-directional quickshifter

A ''bi-directional'' quickshifter is a quickshifter that works on both directions of gearshift - upshifts and downshifts. Most quickshifters are bi-directional (sometimes called ''auto blippers''), so the term ''quickshifter'' alone is usually sufficient, however, "mono-directional" quickshifters that only work in one direction exist, like the "Kawasaki Quick Shifter" (KQS) on the 2016

Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R is a motorcycle in the Ninja sport bike series from the Japanese manufacturer Kawasaki, the successor to the Ninja ZX-9R. It was originally released in 2004 and has been updated and revised throughout the years. It co ...

and the 2015 H2/R, which works only for upshifting. Examples of performance oriented motorcycles using a bi-directional quickshifter are the

BMW S1000RR BMW S1000RR is a race oriented sport bike initially made by BMW Motorrad to compete in the 2009 Superbike World Championship, that is now in commercial production. It was introduced in Munich in April 2008, and is powered by a four-cylinder eng ...

and S1000R, 2017

ZX-10R The Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R is a motorcycle in the Ninja sport bike series from the Japanese manufacturer Kawasaki, the successor to the Ninja ZX-9R. It was originally released in 2004 and has been updated and revised throughout the years. It co ...

and H2/R, Suzuki GSX-R1000/R,

Aprilia Tuono The Aprilia Tuono is a naked motorcycle manufactured by Aprilia from 2002. It is based on the Aprilia RSV Mille. Its successor, the Aprilia RSV1000R superbike shares its engine, gearbox, frame and, partly, its suspension. The Tuono was succeede ...

KTM Duke 390 The KTM 390 Duke and RC 390 are displacement single-cylinder engine motorcycles assembled by Bajaj Auto, and KTM Asia Motorcycle Manufacturing, Inc. (KAMMI) for the Austrian manufacturer KTM. The bikes were developed under a joint program of Ba ...

etc.{{Cite news, url=https://www.cycleworld.com/2015/04/23/2016-aprilia-tuono-1100-v4-rr-first-ride-naked-sportbike-motorcycle-review-photos-specifications, title=2016 Aprilia Tuono 1100 V4 RR - FIRST RIDE, work=Cycle World, access-date=2017-10-06, language=en

References