Exactly, the suicide clutch was a mod to make it more like the clutch pedal in a car.

 

that only happens when i been drinking. i like it sometimes because it keeps the handle bars clean but i've only had it on 1 of the last 3 bikes i've had. with as fast as we ride it's nice to be able to keep both hands on the bars.

 

I thought the term was suicide shifter — suicide because you had to take you hand off the handlebar to shift. The clutch was a foot clutch — nothing suicide about it.

But after looking it up on Wikipedia I guess the clutch was called suicide too. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_clutch

 

Good answer, my very 1st bike/scooter was a Cushman Eagle with a suicide clutch and left side shift lever, probably not too many guys on here remember them, left foot was the clutch and if you was in 1st gear at a stop and started leaning to the left you had better be quick in getting that thing in neutral because your foot is coming off of that clutch, ahhhh the good ole days........

 

Jessica, I have owned and ridden several Harley Flatheads with an original rocker clutch. And I put a suicide clutch on both the Panheads I've had. I still own one of those Pans and although it had a hand clutch when I bought it I soon altered its original foot shifter and adapted it for use as a suicide clutch pedal. And I made my own jockey shift (hand shift) lever.

Either the old-timer you asked has no idea what he is talking about or perhaps he was having a joke at your expense? A suicide set-up will not flip you backwards. And in fact, using a suicide at speed is not a problem. But trouble may occur when the rider is stopped because the left foot has to depress the pedal to operate the clutch and therefore said foot cannot be on the ground at that time. If the bike has a front brake then the rider can apply it while the right foot is on the deck and if balance is maintained then everything is fine. If no front brake then life can get tricky. And contrary to popular belief a bike will not necessarily jump into traffic if the rider's foot comes off the clutch pedal. Why not? Because he/she can close the throttle immediately and the engine will stall. Alternatively, the rider can hit the kill button if there is one. But of course another problem may then develop if there is traffic immediately behind the bike.

Certain old two-wheel Harleys had a rocker clutch as standard. And for those who wanted one a rocker clutch was still available from H-D for Big Twins (BTs) through about 1978/79. The Servi-Car had a rocker clutch from its introduction as a 1932 model through 1947 and then it received a suicide clutch pedal as original for 1948-later models. The mousetrap was a hand clutch booster used on certain BTs as original for 1952–67.

Some say the term suicide clutch originated from a rocker clutch set-up that did not operate properly for one reason or another and the pedal would move by itself, therefore allowing the clutch to become engaged without the rider intending it to do so. Some feel that even a proper suicide clutch set-up (similar operation to what you’d find in some cars) is not really a suicide if the bike has a front brake. My opinion is that the lack of a front brake has no bearing on whether or not the term suicide clutch applies; it is the clutch pedal set-up itself which determines the description. Will we ever know the real origin of the term suicide clutch? Probably not.

Are you considering a suicide clutch for your Street Bob? If so, I advise that for now you try balancing on your right foot at traffic lights etc and keeping your left foot up. Even if you feel yourself starting to lean left slightly, remain calm and try to correct yourself without lowering your left foot. After you become familiar with keeping your left foot up you could fit a suicide if you wish. But even if you do, it would be a good idea to practise with the new set-up and stay out of heavy traffic until you feel more comfortable with it.
Eric

 

No offence meant but there is no such thing as a suicide shifter. Why? Because shifting should not cause any problems and therefore it should not be linked to the word suicide. Some people incorrectly use the term suicide shifter when referring to a bike with any sort of hand shifter, regardless of what sort of clutch is involved. And the phrase suicide shifter may have resulted from people being confused about what constitutes a suicide clutch. Some people use a hand shift lever with a hand clutch lever attached to it and a guy once called that set-up a suicide shifter because he had to take off with only one hand on the handlebars. But I told him there was nothing suicidal about that.
Eric

 

Suicide clutch is a myth- it's not much fun if you're on a steep hill with traffic, and you'll look stupid if you kill it at a green light, but you'll live.

When I got rear ended my foot slipped the clutch and I went into a pick-up in front of me- but once you master it, you'll love it!

 

Excellent write-up, SBT.

To add something for those thinking about coming into the suicide fold - Baker transmission folks make a shift drum (N1) that puts neutral at the bottom. Shift pattern becomes N-1-2-3-4, etc. It is perfect for a hand shift, and as long as your clutch is adjusted properly (no drag), it is easy to find neutral when coming to a stop.

 

During WW2, a lot of allied soldiers getting their H-D WLA changed the foot clutch to hand clutch.

Foot rocker clutch was a typical american feature. European bikes also had the shifter near the fuel tank, but had a hand clutch on the bars.

 

All of the Harleys I owned when first starting out were tank shifters.If the rocker was not adjusted properly no way could you trust the bike running in gear with clutch disengaged and both feet on the ground.That clutch could engage when you least expect it too,someone walking in front of you,or behind someone at a stop sigh or whatever,hence the mo****r "Suicide clutch" I know first hand it happened once and you can bet I learned how to properly set up the rocker.A Harley at idle will instantly take off when it does your always surprised and with a foot clutch trying to get control of the bike get your foot to the rocker is near immpossible.In the meantime you have covered quite a distance.