left side "suicide shift?????"
Thread Starter
|
3rd Gear
Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 7
Likes: 1
From: tulsa
left side "suicide shift?????"
Okay, this sounds odd, but it seems that someone told me that they had seen a left side suicide or jockey shift on a bike - with clutch still on the left side in it's normal place. I am guessing that someone simply welded some sort of handle with a grip on it to the shifter.... can anyone tell me if this is even a thing? Sounds incredibly stupid.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2012
Posts: 11,226
Likes: 3,049
From: St.Louis Mo.
This is exactly what i have. I welded a rod onto the heel shifter and rotated it so go points straight up and added a shift ****. I just reach over and shift it when needed. It's not as fast , but it works. The reason i did this was i lost my left leg above the knee after a deer ran into the side of me and knocked me off of my streetglide. I bought a trike and had no idea how i was going to shift it, but i knew one way or the other i was going to ride again. I did this as a temporary thing but it works so well i left it. I had to come up with something to get me back on a bike (trike). First day i had the trike i shifted with a piece of string tucked in my belt. I designed a shifter that would pass between the cylinders so it could be shifted on the right side but decided there was to many moving parts and pieces. What i have now is simple and bullet proof. At least as bullet proof as the Harley setup can be. You know what they say, Where there's a will ,There's a way ! The only slow shift really is 1st to 2nd. the others gears i can hit pretty quickly.
I did look at the electric shifters out there and most said they were a pain and needed constant adjustments.
I did look at the electric shifters out there and most said they were a pain and needed constant adjustments.
Trending Topics
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 32,851
Likes: 17,888
From: Newcastle, OK
I had a 1952 Panhead at one time with a suicide clutch, whereby the clutch itself was foot operated at the left side (close to where the foot shifter is located on modern bikes). The shifter **** was attached to a rod linkage going down to the transmission. The rod linkage passed through a notched plate assembly which was secured to the left side of the gas tank, and served to put the **** into the correct position for each of the four gears plus "neutral". The clutch was named "suicide" because when you stopped at a traffic light/stop sign (or for whatever reason to stop completely), that you either had to put the bike in "neutral" or hold the bike upright with your right foot while still in gear and the clutch depressed with your left foot. If for some reason you "forgot" and accidentally allowed your left foot to raise up, the bike would shoot forward into an intersection or harm`s way. Hence, "suicide clutch". I never had a problem with that, as it was easy to get used to, and I was young at the time and didn`t mind shifting that way. 
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Verdad Gallardo
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
