Suicide Shift

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Mar 18, 2010 | 09:35 AM

JustinDap

Thread Starter

Cruiser

Joined: Jul 2009

Posts: 198

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From: Essex, Vermont

Suicide Shift

Hey All -

I recently installed the LaBriola suicide shifter and I have been on a total of about 6-7 rides with it so far. I installed it over the winter and riding season is just starting up again here in VT. I still am not totally usta it yet and was just wondering how long it took others to get usta it. when I get going it's no problem just when I have to come to a complete stop and start going again. That is still not that great. I don't stall it much anymore, just takes a few seconds to get the bike going... maybe it's just not in muscle memory yet? I don't know. Just curious to see what others people experience was.

Thanks,
-Justin

Mar 18, 2010 | 01:43 PM

Dizzzz

Intermediate

Joined: Jan 2010

Posts: 36

Likes: 0

I have the same set-up on my Dyna. Although I rode one when I was younger it took me a few times to get used to it again. I always throw it in nuetral before I come to a stop so I don't "fling" myself into a intersection. You might need to "fine tune" your clutch arm so you can rock your foot on the peg while you engage the clutch....HAVE FUN...it makes riding alot more fun,

Mar 18, 2010 | 05:19 PM

panheadmatman

Intermediate

Joined: Apr 2007

Posts: 44

Likes: 0

From: land of misery

love or hate it

you will have to take a little time to get used to it . your riding style will change some.had it on my 61 pan and loved it thinkin my faat boy would be cool with it . sold that to a 60 year old man that had never riddin suicide and now cant get him off it .

Mar 18, 2010 | 05:27 PM

DR. V-TWIN

Former Sponsor

Joined: Jan 2009

Posts: 19,364

Likes: 40

From: Los Angeles, CA

Bring a wrench with you when you ride so you can adjust the clutch when you stop. I have the same setup on my softail and it takes a while to get it dialed in. I also roll into neutral before stopping. Makes it much easier. Word to the wise, be careful making tight left u turns. I put on a crash bar when I threw this on although i swore my bike would never have one. Have not needed it, but it is good to know it is there. For adjusting the clutch, set it a bit higher than you want engagement and then loosen the cable until it get's to a height you like. You can always raise or lwoer it by taking it off the splined shaft and moving it as well.

Mar 18, 2010 | 07:49 PM

TRacer

Road Captain

Joined: Dec 2008

Posts: 564

Likes: 3

From: Orange County, CA

I have the LaBriola foot clutch as well-- I have found that my clutch is a bit touchy/grabby when the bike is cold, then gets more linear as it warms up. I also will slip the bike into neutral the last 10 feet or so before a stop. I carried tools with me for the first month or so to do clutch adjustments on the fly; it took me several tweaks to get it right.

I have two shifters that I use and I swap them out once a month-- the LaBriola behind-the-leg lever that came with the kit, and a tank shifter I put together. For the behind-the-leg lever, I found that moving the attachment point of the shift linkage to right next to the splined shaft shortened the shift lever throw considerably (about 1" in each direction), and made it "feel" a lot like the Hurst short-throw shifter I had on a 5.0 Mustang many years ago.

Last edited by TRacer; Mar 18, 2010 at 07:53 PM.

Mar 18, 2010 | 07:55 PM

Shovelhead Jack

Banned

Joined: Jan 2010

Posts: 621

Likes: 0

From: Halfway to Hell

Always find neutral before stopping so you can put your left foot down while coming to a stop with the rear brake. This is more important on a bike with no front brake but good policy. Also, having the pedal set so you can keep your heel on the peg while engaging and disengaging the clutch makes it much easier to work the clutch out smoothly.

Mar 19, 2010 | 03:21 AM

bk43

Advanced

Joined: Jul 2009

Posts: 79

Likes: 0

No front brake!!! AHHH your a stud I could never go without my front brake, thats the meat and potatoes for stopping

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Mar 20, 2010 | 10:44 AM

JustinDap

Thread Starter

Cruiser

Joined: Jul 2009

Posts: 198

Likes: 0

From: Essex, Vermont

Hey Guys, Thanks for the replies. I definitely find neutral every time I know I'm going to be coming to a complete stop. Except for at stop signs, usually just approach those with my foot on the clutch. I ended up putting my factory forward controls back on cause before I had them extended out six inches and with this new springer seat, I was reaching too much for the controls. It helped a lot with the factory forwards and now I'm just working on fine tuning the thing. I didn't even realize that nut attached the the foot lever was even there to fine tune it. So thanks for bringing that to my attention. It's definitely a lot of fun to ride and she gets a lot of looks and people coming up to me saying you know back in the day when I was your age, I had a bike that had a very similar set up blah blah blah. Which is pretty cool. I'll just keep on riding her and fine tuning it. Going out on another group ride today, hopefully the rain holds off.

Thanks again for the replies.
Take it sleazy.

-Justin