Annitori Quickshifter PRO 2 – Yamaha R3 / MT-03

WHAT IS A QUICKSHIFTER?

A Quickshifter is an electronic device used by virtually every high performance rider that attaches to your motorcycle and allows for clutchless upshifting.Normally on a motorcycle you roll off the throttle, pull in the clutch, move the shift lever to the next gear; then release the clutch while reapplying throttle.  This is how shifting has been done for 100+ years on motorcycles.  All of this takes time, and also has the very negative effect of causing the motorcycle to change chassis attitude as the weight of the machine shifts back and forth during the shift.A well designed Quickshifter allows the rider to stay on the throttle and without engaging the clutch, execute a virtually instant and incredibly smooth upshift to the next gear.  The RL does this electronically by momentarily releasing the torque on the gearbox while the rider is moving the shift lever, thus allowing the gear to be changed very quickly, smoothly and with minimal effect on chassis position or attitude.  It’s the closest thing to a “paddle shift” you will find on a motorcycle!

HOW DOES THE ANNITORI QS PRO

QUICKSHIFTER WORK?

The Annitori QS PRO Quickshifter is an extremely sophisticated, fully digital and microprocessor controlled, Strain Gage sensor based system that is the highest technology available in the World today. Strain Gauge based shifters are used by virtually ALL of the top racing teams in the World, from MotoGP to World Superbike; and now Quickshifters are becoming stock parts on the highest performance bikes you see on your showroom floor. Without a doubt, a Quickshifter has become one of the most important products to add to any performance machine.

The problem has been that Strain Gauge based shifters were VERY expensive designs, with very complex and sophisticated software required to have them operate effectively.

Much too expensive for anyone outside of Factory backed riders.

Until now.

Our engineering teams have solved this complexity and created some of the most sophisticated software ever designed for motorcycles, and by doing so have created one of the most reliable, smoothest and quickest shifters available to the public.

 

WHY DO I WANT A QUICKSHIFTER ON MY MOTORCYCLE?

Quickshifters are a wonderful addition to any performance machine. So much so that now the BMW S1000RR, one of the TOP performance bikes in the World, one of the most expensive performance bikes out there, comes with a Quickshifter straight from BMW. Why?

Because Quickshifters ARE a very useful and beneficial addition to riding. All riding, all the time, anytime you are looking for added performance to your situation.

 

“I don’t know why I didn’t buy one of these a looooong time ago. I can say I will never own another bike without one though… and hell, I haven’t even gotten to play with it where I normally ride!”             Kevin, GA – USA

 

Better acceleration, better handling, smoother lines, more time to focus on other parts of the riding situation. For the price of a rear tire you gain more performance then virtually any other addition you could add to your machine.

And the QS PRO adds that performance every time you shift.  For your favorite day at the dragstrip a good Quickshifter can shave a couple of tenth’s off any riders times, and do it EVERY time you go down the track.  To a Roadracer or track day rider, these tenth’s of a second on EACH and EVERY run through the gearbox translates to saving seconds on every lap, and that is not counting the time savings of using the Quickshifter correctly in long corners where you need to shift but never could before.

BMW (and we are sure many others in the next few years!) has the Quickshifter on their top performance machine for a reason; a Quickshifter adds every moment to the performance and ease of any motorcycle’s fun.

 

DO I EVER STILL WANT TO USE MY CLUTCH?

Your clutch is still there, and still very useful when you are not in a “performance” riding mode.  Using a Quickshifter to shift from 2nd to 3rd at 1800 rpm’s on a modern, 15,000+ rpm 600cc sportbike is not exactly going to convince you as a rider of why you spent the money. Not that you can’t do it, but honestly, you don’t need to spend the money when pulling in the clutch to “short shift” works just fine in that situation.

But we suggest you should not expect a huge benefit from any performance product in those types of situations?

It would be like putting $500 sticky “best ever” tires on your bike to then ride from NY to San Francisco, never leaving straight up and down on I-80.  Great tires, but not exactly being used for what they were made for.

Let’s use another example that might help explain: steering dampers. All of you have one, some of you went out and paid more then a Quickshifter to upgrade the stock one. But we seriously doubt you did so, or set your damper up, to “maximize” its capabilities at 6 mph…?

That does not make the product “bad”, it just means the rider is not at that moment using the machine and the product in the manner they were designed/purchased to be used in.

Quick rule of thumb? If you are on the cams; on the power, then Quickshifters are wonderful additions to riding. But that does not mean “redline” or “racing”. It means you are accelerating and the gearbox has torque on it. The more the better!

On a CBR1000RR that is earlier in the rpm’s then the more “peaky” 600cc power curves; just a fact of life and engine size. We don’t think anyone is having their arms torn out at 4000rpm’s on a 600cc sportbike? But most of you did not buy 600cc sportbikes to “short shift” (we hope!), so there are an awful lot of opportunities on every ride to benefit from the QS PRO.

Quickshifters are a FANTASTIC addition to any performance machine, when you are using the “performance” side of the equation. If not, a Quickshifter does nothing wrong and simply waits there for you to need its services again…

In the end, what we are trying to say is that a Quickshifter is a performance product, to be used on a performance machine, in performance situations. That does not mean race “only”, because there is little difference between running through the gearbox to merge into traffic vs. running the high banks at Daytona; or needing the next gear during a long sweeping corner on your favorite backroad as compared to the carousel at Road America …

Like the stock BMW S1000RR, it means anytime you are looking for better performance, no matter where you are riding.