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In the early days of the NABD each and every adaption
had to be done 'from scratch'. However, over the years we have been able
to obtain (in many cases commissioning the development) certain kits
which simplify (and lessen the cost of) many types of common motorcycle
and trike adaptions.
As the NABD national committee has negotiated some
rather good discounts on some of these kits, it is now common practice
for us to buy them in batches and supply them as part of adaption
grants. In this article I will give you a brief description of these
kits and their uses. At the moment we have seven different types of kit:
(All kits come with a full 12-month manufacturer's
guarantee).
These kits are generally easy to fit but we usually recommend that you
have a qualified engineer fit them to ensure that they work correctly
and safely.
The photos on this page show what parts are supplied in the respective
kits. (click for more images)
 The Kliktronic Gearchanger
This is a product that was developed some years ago by Bob Sirett and
Keith Holland at Kliktronic (www.kliktronic.co.uk), which we can supply
through our grant system for disabled riders. It was initially developed
for Bob's son Carl who became paraplegic following a serious bike
accident. It has since proven to be a godsend for countless other
disabled bikers.
The kit is an Electro-mechanical device comprising of a main cylindrical
double pole solenoid with an actuating rod extending from one end, which
when energised will extend or retract up to approximately 25mm from the
central (neutral) position. Also supplied is an electronic control box,
a complete wiring harness, handlebar mounted or under bar push-button
switches, and a solenoid mounting clamp (this clamp may not fit every
bike so you may have to have a small bracket made to suit your bike).
The push button switches come as standard to fit a 7/8" or
1"handlebar. The kit is supplied complete and with fairly 'idiot
proof' instructions.
There are a couple of other ways you can adapt a bike's gear changing.
You can have a cross over linkage from the left to the right-hand side
and have a heel and toe lever set-up for the gear change and rear brake.
Or you can have a twin cable twist grip on the left-hand side of the
bars and have the gear lever made with an extending rod facing to the
rear. Then you connect the cables to either end of the rods, when you
twist the grip one way it will change up a gear and the other way will
change down a gear.
Thumb
Brake Lever
There are four types of thumb brake lever which we can supply
through our grant system for disabled riders.
Two are produced by Wheaver Engineering (01782513363). They are
available to be mounted on the left-hand side or right-hand side of the
bars, on 1" or 7/8" bars. The bar mounted one is clamped
around the bar by two bolts and uses about 20mm of lateral room on the
handlebars. The L-Shaped one clamps to the original standard clutch/
brake lever assembly that is on your bike, by removing the clamp that
holds the lever on and replacing it with the thumb brake. This is
particularly useful when there is not much room on the bars. The
cylinder has a stroke of 12mm, and bore 14mm. Bore sizes of 12mm and
16mm are available by special order. Both types of thumb brakes come
with a reservoir, and can be used to operate either the front or rear
brake. All parts are available as spares from the engineer.
There is also a fork mounted thumb brake, which clamps to the top of the
left fork of the machine immediately below the top yoke, very useful
when the machine has very short or clip-on handlebars.
There is a left handle bar mounted thumbrake to fit 7/8" bars,
suitable for smaller bikes.
There are no hydraulic pipes supplied with these kits so you will need
to purchase these to suit your particular machine. We recommend that
good quality braided hoses are used to maximise braking efficiency.
 Twin
Hydraulic Levers (Twin Stop)
The twin brake lever kit, produced by Twin Stop (01359
242100) which we can supply through our grant
system for disabled riders, consists of two levers mounted parallel one
above the other on a single handlebar clamp. Each lever operates a
separate hydraulic master cylinder machined into
a single block thus taking up significantly less room on the handlebar.
This unit was designed initially for trikes, so has the capacity to operate
on bikes or trikes. The levers are designed to operate two brake systems only. This twin lever kit can be used on
the right-hand side of the handlebars only and fits 1" or 7/8" bars. There are
no hydraulic pipes supplied with these kits so you will need to purchase
these to suit your particular machine. There is a fitting kit available
from the engineers.
 Twin
Hydraulic Levers (Neptune Engineering)
The twin clutch / brake lever kit, produced by Neptune
Engineering (www.specialengineering.com) which we can supply through our
grant system for disabled riders, consists of two shaped levers mounted
parallel one above the other on a single handlebar clamp. The levers are
shaped to give easy use when used singly or together and both levers are
fully adjustable. Each lever operates a
separate hydraulic master cylinder machined into a single block making it very
neat on the handlebar. This unit was designed specifically for bikes, so
we do not recommend its use on a trike unless used for front brakes and
clutch. The levers can be used on solo bikes as a brake and clutch only.
The long lever cylinder is 19mm/6mm, the short one is 12mm/8.8mm
(bore/max stroke)
This lever kit can be used on either side of the handlebars and to fit
1" or 7/8" bars. The kit comes with a reservoir but there are
no hydraulic pipes supplied with these kits so you will need to purchase
these to suit your particular machine.
If you have a cable clutch then a hydraulic to cable conversion kit can
be used in conjunction with this kit, but it will need to be modified by
an engineer to suit the twin lever unit.
 Hydraulic
to Cable Conversion kit
This kit was developed initially for trials bikes, but it has
been fitted successfully to a number of road bikes. It can be used to
lighten the clutch lever operation on bikes, or to suit the use of a
twin lever hydraulic kit where the clutch is originally cable operated.
The NABD can supply these kits through our grant system for disabled
riders.
If you wish to purchase one directly then ring Vesty on 08707779201 for
your nearest stockist.
The kit is designed to mount on the left side of the bars, 7/8"
only, to a variety of motorcycles made by different manufacturers. It
may prove necessary to combine and adjust specific pieces of the system
for the best operation of your specific vehicle. A selection of
different pieces is included in this kit to achieve the correct
installation and operation, but you may need to make some parts. You get
full fitting instructions with this kit. The hydraulic system can be
bled if needed. The kit consists of two levers (one long & one
short), master cylinder, hydraulic pipe leading to a slave cylinder
which operates a short piece of cable with a variety of different
nipples and an adjuster.
 Easy
Clutch
The Easy Clutch (also available from www.sammymiller.co.uk) is a simple but effective way of lightening the
operation of a cable operated clutch. The small neat unit fits in line
with the existing clutch cable and requires no engineering or
fabrication to fit. Suitable for smaller bikes only.
I hope this article has given you a
better idea of some of the adaption
techniques available nowadays. We are
always on the lookout for new
innovations, which will simplify
adaptions for disabled riders. So if you
come across a product that can be
utilised in this way let us know.
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