Shifting gears on a Nimbus

Thanks to Lars Persson for this detailed description. 


The NImbus gearbox is a VERY basic gearbox. You have to SLOT the 2:nd gear into actual cog engagement. It does not get more unsynchronized than that. You should not put the bike in gear. You should CARESS it into gear. Take time.

To shift up is easier than to shift down, but!

Shifting up : pull clutch, let revs fall while maintaining a light pressure on the shift pedal. The gear falls into place. If you press hard or try to shift like a modern bike, shifting will not happen.

Shifting down: Pull clutch. Rev UP. As revs falls, sneak the gear in.

When you are REALLY good at this, you will only need clutch when starting! The veteran rider knows revolutions and speeds and can shift soundlessly without using the clutch at all.

BTW! Never stand idling with the bike in gear and the clutch pulled! This will wear out the main bearings faster than one can think possible!

If the spring for the ball is weak, the bike typically falls out of gear under load.

Proper clutch adjustment: The nuts holding the clutch bar should be as far in as possible, without the disengagement rod touching the arm. Then adjust cable so you get a comfortable clutch hande disengagement angle, wihtout the disengagement arm touching the disengagement rod.

The dogs of the wheels in the gearbox might wear down, but refurbished wheels can be bought over disk. It would be considerably more expensive to get a four speeder.