The shifter is very stiff out of the box, and the VW expert I was going to have put it on for me expressed his doubts about it. The comments from those of you with the Vintage shifter have all been positive. Has anyone found the shifter seemingly stiff out of the box but smoooth once installed?
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Love mine. Stiff but precise is the best way I can describe it.
You'll get used to it.
I wouldn't worry about it being stiff out of the box.
I have one in my IM and although I haven't driven my car yet with this shifter, I have shifted it though the gears, while stationary, without any stiffness. It takes a bit more effort to shift, because of the 40% reduction, and as Bill mentioned it has a more precise action to it.
Have it put in....you'll like it.
mine was also stiff out of the box. i loosened the allan bolts just slightly and greased it up under the ruber boot. works awesome! i freakin love that shifter!
Let us know how this goes. I'm thinking about this as an upgrade.
The shifter is very stiff out of the box, and the VW expert I was going to have put it on for me expressed his doubts about it. The comments from those of you with the Vintage shifter have all been positive. Has anyone found the shifter seemingly stiff out of the box but smoooth once installed?
Send it my way. I'll put it in my car and I'll let you know what I think. 
All kidding aside, a lot of guys swear by this shifter. If you don't like it, you will have plenty of buyers lined up for it.
Ted
I went with the Gene Berg in mine. The only downside is I can't use the Momo wood shift knob I purchased to match steering wheel,
They say Gene Berg is the best so I went with the best.
I couldn't be more happy, next up is dual Webers already purchased.
http://www.geneberg.com/popup_image.php?pID=1180
I had a Gene Berg shifter with a reverse key lock in my 'old' IM. It had a 60% reduction (no, that's not a typo-60%, not the usual 40%) and the shifts were super short. I loved that shifter, but didn't think it looked good in a speedster.
My speedster is the wide body outlaw. I figure pretty much anything goes, not like I'm fooling anyone, so I put in the Gene Berg and I think it looks good and performs great.
To each their own, is what I always say.
I've got Gene Berg's in both my replicas. Ugly, but flawless operation. It's the closest thing to having a Hurst Competition Plus in a VW.
I'm partial to CSPs myself. They come in multiple styles with the ball knob looking much more appropriate for classic looking Speedsters. Crisp, precise shifting and flawless operation.
Ditto what Mango said. Stiff at first but after greasing and pitting some miles on it its awesome. I love mine.
I just have the stock VW shifter. Looks fine and I can shift easily into all gears without any drama or angst and without any additional expense, modification or fiddling.
Additionaly, no speed-shifting means I'm not putting extra stress/duress on that puny little fragile (stock) shift lever in the nose cone of the tranny (which I'm guessing is not designed for spirited/speed shifting unless you've replaced it with a beefier part).
I'm just saying...
I wouldn't worry about it being stiff out of the box.
Have it put in....you'll like it.
Man I want to make one of those comedic posts but I will just... zip it!
I wouldn't worry about it being stiff out of the box.
Alright... Unless it lasts over four hours.
Tom - your avatar is a PERFECT accent for that comment!!!
Jim, I admire how you keep things simple but I could never live with the stock shifter that I had in my 07 VS. I upgraded to the CSP just before I ran the TOD (tail of the dragon) in 08. I never would have made it through with whatever was stock at that time. Then again I did not grow up driving 60's VWs and that may be part of the problem.
Ha, I'm so innocent I didn't realize the double meaning of my post. 
Meanwhile, back to the subject at hand. The shifter is in but the jury is still out. Definitely a big change from the stock linkage. I had trouble with the 3-2 shift, and after some tweaking it's better but still not right. We just got our first significant weather of the year, so I had to drive the car in the rain for the first time in it's life and now it will remain garaged for the duration. Presuming I can get the adjustments right I think I'll like the Vintage. Firm but precise was an apt description. Thanks for the encouragement from those who offered it. As for the thread drift, well there are just too many comedians in this group of misfits.
Thread drift is a naturally occurring phenomena on most any on-line club forum, including this SOC site.
Consider that participation on the SOC forum is like 'sitting in the garage with a bunch of your gear-head buddies, exchanging ideas, drinking beer, telling lies and busting each others balls'. All discussion in good fun and best taken with a grain of salt.
Regardless, lots of good info (and joking around)!
I hope my comment wasn't taken negatively. I used to be an active participant on this site and I appreciate the friendly atmosphere with a little frat house on the side. I got seduced by a kit plane and thought I should divest of one toy. Three years later I'm still stuck on considering selling the Beck, but I can't bring myself to actually try to. Not renewing my supporting membership here was a first step, and now I feel guilty posting here.
The 'Madness' comes in all forms (cars, planes, boats, etc)! Its all good! BTW - there are quite few plane enthusiasts on here as well!
...As for the thread drift, well there are just too many comedians in this group of misfits.
It's what makes us so much fun and worth coming back for more
As for the shifter, everyone I've read about buying one seems to really like it, so I'm sure you will too. Watch out for Ron, though; I still haven't figured out what he's doing with his..
Thread drift is a naturally occurring phenomena on most any on-line club forum, including this SOC site.
Consider that participation on the SOC forum is like 'sitting in the garage with a bunch of your gear-head buddies, exchanging ideas, drinking beer, telling lies and busting each others balls'. All discussion in good fun and best taken with a grain of salt.
Regardless, lots of good info (and joking around)!
What my brutha Jim said!
Heck, I still like skateboards!!! 
Luckily, there are some of us on this forum that never thread drift...never.
Unfortunately, I'm not one of them.
I hope my comment wasn't taken negatively. I used to be an active participant on this site and I appreciate the friendly atmosphere with a little frat house on the side. I got seduced by a kit plane and thought I should divest of one toy. Three years later I'm still stuck on considering selling the Beck, but I can't bring myself to actually try to. Not renewing my supporting membership here was a first step, and now I feel guilty posting here.
Rv4? Rv8? Kitfox?
What'd ya get!?!
Ted
SEL/SES Acro Tailwheel
RV's are very nice. Kit built tho' ...not home built or "amateur built" . Buy' em , assemble them, fly them....either way, it doesn't take as much / many balls as to build a plane from scratch, test fly the program yourself and enjoy it afterwards.
The RV's are great planes though and several are flying nearby. Nice fellas too.
Way off topic but here's the plane I built 15 years ago from plans. Couldn't afford a prop so I carved one on the picnic table. It came out pretty good. My Parents married in '43...Mom's name was Florence.
This Lad taught me all I know..........
I only fly behind store-bought propellers.
What planet did the guy in the overalls fly in from? Looks like a nice fellah, but judging by his spacecraft he couldn't have travelled far.
You boys are damn impressive. In my fantasy life, the one in which I am competent with mechanical stuff (and have a spare $200k sitting around), I build this bad boy.
Never gonna happen. You guys, though. You're doers.
I highly recommend store bought props too. I just needed to get stuff done when the bucks were not nearby at the time.
Here's another thing we did way back when...put dual electronic ignition into a Corvair dizzy, , It was easy with so much space...we did it earlier with an EA81 Soob dizzy back in the '90's ...not so much space but we did it on a regular basis.
Forgot about the lower photo which is again way off topic. I proved that a side draft Zenith Harley (style ) carb set up properly would pull and operate as well as a $700 Holley with altitude adjust feature. ...Saved about 10 lbs and the carb heat worked just fine too. My favourite carb was the old Holley5200 and guess
what's on my Soob today....?Weber 32/30 .
…and there you have it…thread drift!
By the time this thread comes back around to original topic of aftermarket shifters, your Vintage Speed Shifter will be broken-in and shifting smooth as silk! So its all good!
Beck356 - post a pic of your Beck next to your RV-12! Everyone (myself included) would sure like to see those 2 bad-boys side-by-side!
Me & my buddy cruising over Newport Beach, CA in his Cessna L-19 Bird Dog (used as observation plane in Vietnam)
RVs are very well designed and have a very wide performance envelope. I was going to build an RV-4 but thought better of it. I didn't foresee a time when I'd be able to spend enough time to remain current with flying. So to not be a hazard to myself and others, I decided to build a car. The jury's out if that was any safer of a choice!
Your shifter should be broken in now, as Jim says. Carry on.
musbjim, Great shot ! Played in a Cessina O-2A (336 civilian) doing forward air control, low and slow but great view!
Craigr - Glad you made it home safe & sound my brutha!
musbjim - Medic Vietnam '69-'70
