I was reading an article the other day about the older Harleys and was wondering about the operation of foot clutch/hand shift bikes. When preparing to come to a stop, does the rider keep the left foot on the clutch and hold the bike steady with the right foot down while stopped or coming to a stop, or was it common to place the bike in neutral just before coming to a stop and then coasting/braking to the final stop and therefore, both hands and feet are free while stopped. Just wondering.

 

An answer to that can only be found if we know whether the rider likes Fords or Chevy's, and whether he prefers Blondes, Brunettes or Redheads.
Once that information is determined the answer is: Yes.

 

It's actually an interesting question, worthy of a respectful answer.

 

the key to operation is that foot clutch stays where you put it,[ unlike a car ] So you can release the clutch, leave the bike in gear and come to a stop with the right foot on the brake and left foot on the ground. once stopped,I hold the bike with the hand brake [ that is useless to stop with ] switch out my ground foot and get back on the clutch with my left foot. Factory bikes with foot clutch hand shift and front brake were not termed suicide. The factory setup is a very easy ride. hope this answer your question. Some guys may use the front brake to finish the stop and keep their left foot on the clutch and right foot or both feet to the ground, with the bike still in gear.

 

I rode one once many years ago and while I liked how it looked doing it, it was a job. On a flat surface it was easy but on a hill, it was the worst, UNLESS you have a front break and this bike didn't. It's like driving a standard car but needing to balance it at stops.

 

Thanks Sixguns. I didn't know the foot clutch would stay in place, freeing up the left foot for steadying the bike while stopped. I suppose the operation as you described becomes second nature and intuitive after a period of time, just like our current set-ups are.

 

I bought hardtail Pan with a suicide foot clutch 28 years go. Rebuilt the bike over years but kept the suicide to keep it unique plus I never need take a key with me because very few people can ride a suicide. I always put it into neutral coming to a stop. There is a reason it's called suicide. If your foot slips off the clutch it can take off into traffic (twice to me over the years) plus to do a u turn always turn to the right. There is a definitely learning curve to it and does takes skill to ride.

 

Left foot clutch, right foot brake, left hand shift, right hand brake, throttle on right grip and ignition advance on left grip can keep you busy at times.

And to answer, I usually set rat-trap foot clutch on disengage and used both feet to stop. Transmission was three-speed tank-shift with R/F pattern of 1-N-2-3 so it is pretty easy to put in Neutral before stopping.

ETA This was a 1937 motor, my first in 1962. IIRC first gear had syncromesh but second and high did not so you rpm-matched when shifting up and down.

Yes, I would pay blood to have it back, but a ******** in a 1955 Chevrolet sideswiped the motor and me into a ditch and she never recovered.

 

Right, but there is no single technique, that allows a single answer.
My point is/was that every rider will operate differently,,
Even the same operator will do things differently in various situations.

Asking for a specific answer to this is mute,, there is no chance in He!! your going to get a specific answer to a variable situation.
Think about it.

 

I had my pan's tranny set up so I could pop it into neutral so easy I would just push the clutch in, slip to neutral, and roll to a stop.
In Seattle with all the hills I'd sometimes angle into the curb with the rear tire so I could launch from there when the light turned green.
In the older days with steel bumpers, you'd just roll back into the car behind you- most cagers were so scared they didn't honk the horn or say anything. I'd always did it with care and give them a "thank you" wave when I took off.
When I started out from neutral it was so automatic that I really didn't think about it.