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My first heel/toe shifter was on my VTX. Coming off of a sportbike it took a day or so to get used to it...I like it a lot now.
Leaving the dealership the first day I got the VTX I looked like PeeWee Herman tooling down the road...all that was missing was going through a billboard.
Heel shifter? Are you kidding?
Heel shifters trap your foot in ONE position. Heel shifters require the heel to be raised, resulting in a very un-natural motion and feel. You have much less dexterity shifting when using a heel shifter. You cannot shift as fast using a heel shifter, and you have less feel for how the transmission is shifting. Bottom line, there is no good reason for a heel shifter. Why don't world champion riders use heel shifters? Gimme a break. Usually the only folks using a heel shifter are those guys that don't know now to take it off in the first place...or guys that use it cause their "buddies" use it. Or guys that simply do unexplainable things.
This is of course simply my humble, albeit correct , opinion on the subject.
You're right lowjoe... those are your opinions.
How many positions do you keep your foot in now that you don't have a heel shifter?
I know how to remove it, I choose not to. I don't care who uses it or not.
World champion touring bike riders?
I'll agree that you wouldn't have one on a sportbike...
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