Hello there, I have just recently bought a 42wla, after a long time looking finally found a genuine one that has been restored by a collector in France & absolutely love it !! However, have never ridden a bike with foot clutch before, what a shock my first ride was, been looking on the forum and reading other peoples opinions on this type of configuration, and would have to agree with the general opinion, very difficult to ride, particularly with the amount of traffic on the roads here !

Has been suggested too me to convert over to a foot shifter and hand clutch but not really sure if this is possible, and also whether it will change the value of the bike ?

Any input would be greatly appreciated.

Ideally I want to enjoy and ride the bike and not just keep it in the garage under covers.

 

I don't think anyone makes a converstion for a WL. There may have been some in the past but I doubt if you will find one. I wouldn't change it if it has the rocker clutch because it will definately affect the value. I converted my 68FLH to a rocker clutch and tank shift. It was down right terrifying at first but after a few days it bacame natural. It is a little tricky starting off and turning to the left but once you get used to it you will find you won't even think about it as muscle memory takes over. The real disadvantage of driving an antique in traffic is lack of decent brakes. You have mechanical brakes fore and aft and they are marginal at best. My FLH has mechanical fronts (useless) and hydraulic drums rear (fair) and I'm always looking for holes to steer for if I have to make a sudden stop in traffic.

 

Paul, as mentioned you will get used to it. I've owned several WLAs with the standard rocker clutch, some having a tank shift and some having a jockey shift. And I have a suicide clutch and jockey shift on my Panhead. But I converted one of my WLAs to footshift, doing the mods myself, although it was a bit difficult to change gears.

A company called B&H used to make footshift conversions for Big Twins and 45s and one is shown below on a WLD. Sometimes the Big Twin setups appear on eBay but the 45 setups seem to be less common. Eric