<-=- Club Bevel Heaven -=->

I'm a right side shift guy and am looking to buy a bevel twin. I know it's a done deal with a 750 and some of the 860s. I'd like to know more about the "some" on the 860s. My key question now, is: "Is it possible to convert a 1978 900 Darmah to right side shift?" Can this be done using basically stock Ducati parts? If not, what do I have to make to do a tidy job? I'd rather end up with a 1 down shift pattern...

Second question, does anyone have an email contact for Mick Walker in England?
Stevan

I cut the piece that gets out of the clutch-cover.
Then welded a 10 mm bar to the other side of the gear-lever, drilled the case and fitted a 10mm ID bus in place of the neutral-indicator switch.
The endpiece was the piece of a 50cc Honda as was the gear lever.
You could use this (mine was converted to 1down) because You do have to fit some means to support the lever on the righthand side.
BTW I'm afraid You may have to take the cases apart to drill those holes.
have fun
ducadini

Whilst it is fairly straightforward to convert an early 860 or 900 to right hand shift, it is much harder with a Darmah or late 900 engine.
The motors that originally had Bosch ignition have a different selector drum fitted inside the cases.
This means that there is no means of connecting up the positive stop mechanism in the right hand selector box from an early motor, to the selector drum inside the crankcases of the Darmah motor.
Even some of the very last 900GTS motors had the Bosch ignition fitted.
To get a 'one-down' action on the right hand side would be easiest with an earlier 860/900 motor and either a reversed gearlever or a diagonal linkage on the rear-sets.

Jon

Hi Jon, I have an 860GTS which i will be converting to rhs gear change, any information would be helpfull.I have a 750 brake pedal but nothing else.

If you have the usual crossover shaft fitted to your GTS you need to discard it and its linkage and modify the selector box inside the right hand casing.
With reference to a parts book, remove the spindle, part no.0759.13.250 and replace it with the spindle from a late 5-speed Ducati single, part no.0608.13.200.
That should give you a splined spindle on the outside of the selector box, to which you can attatch a rear set gear lever or even a short gear lever from a single or even the original GTS item, all on the right hand side.
It all depends on what footpeg arrangement you intend to have.
Rear brake operation is by cable anyway.
You may be able to use the existing rear brake cable, or you may need a longer/shorter one making up.
It's hard to be too specific without knowing what you intend doing.
I just make up rear set parts and turn up and weld lugs onto the frame as required. You may have to do the same.

Jon

Thanks Jon, I intend this bike to be a comfy tourer with sit up bars and possibly a handlebar screen, getting too old for clip ons .