View Poll Results: do you use heel shifter?
yes
678
58.55%
no
381
32.90%
sometimes
99
8.55%
Voters: 1158. You may not vote on this poll
do you use heel shifter?
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,383
Likes: 3
From: Texas City, TX
Originally Posted by JohnnyC
Never had a heel shifter until I bought my Tour Glide. I adapted to using it right away.
When I replaced the charging system I set it as low as possible, and set the forward control just high enough to get my boot under it if needed. Now that they are positioned for me there is no other way I'd prefer shifting.
I like the feel of moving forward and just lifting my heal after each shift. I seem to get more positive shifts by using it too.
For those who feel it's in the way ... Adjusting it to your positioning may be all you needed to do to make it work correctly.
Question for all those who strip it off their bike before they even tried it .... Why?
When I replaced the charging system I set it as low as possible, and set the forward control just high enough to get my boot under it if needed. Now that they are positioned for me there is no other way I'd prefer shifting.
I like the feel of moving forward and just lifting my heal after each shift. I seem to get more positive shifts by using it too.
For those who feel it's in the way ... Adjusting it to your positioning may be all you needed to do to make it work correctly.
Question for all those who strip it off their bike before they even tried it .... Why?
I think you'll find that, in the vast majority of cases stated in this thread, we "have" tried it! Heal shifters are not for everyone. In my case, I learned to ride on a bike with a heal shifter way back in the late 60's. I tried to use it but it never felt natural, "for me," even when I didn't have the experience to be biased one way or the other. So I simply pulled up on the toe side to upshift as apposed to using the heal shifter.
When I bought my 09 Ultra (my first Harley) I tried using it when I took delivery. I had the same reaction to the feel of it as I did back with that first bike. I also found that there was "barely" enough room for my foot between the heal and toe shift levers. I've got a long foot. I could have adjusted either lever up or down all I wanted and it would have made no difference. Since I wasn't going to use the heal shifter anyway, I took it off as soon as I got home and the added room on the foot board was great, especially since I didn't have to thread my foot between the two shifters every time I started from a stop.
Threads like this pop up from time to time and they always seem to go the same way. Everyone's got an opinion and that's just how it is. Some like Sportsters, some like Dyna's, some like Road Kings, Street Glides, Road Glides, or Electra Glides in their various forms. Some of us use heal shifters, and some of us don't. There is no right or wrong about it!
Ride Safe,
Steve R.
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,898
From: Bedford UK
Mine stops my foot sliding off the back of the footboard! It is showing wear after many years. I'm not sure what holds my other foot in place.... 
Advanced
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 61
Likes: 0
From: Connecticut
Ditto. I had it removed before I took delivery of my 2010 RGC. Since I first learned to ride in 1969, before heel shifters, I find it a nuisance.
Intermediate
Joined: Oct 2010
Posts: 29
Likes: 0
From: Northern Alabama
I thought i would hate it..............Now i cannot imagine riding without it, i have extended levers on mine which makes it even more comfortable.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 5,149
Likes: 2,975
From: WACO
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Road Master
Joined: Sep 2009
Posts: 817
Likes: 26
From: PA
My shifter lever stripped after 30K on my FLHT after a lot of hard usage in the smokies. Mechanic said it was from using the heal shifter. Actually lasted a long time considering the abuse. I don't use it much on my 09 Ultra. It's a repair I'd like to avoid.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2009
Posts: 2,502
Likes: 6
From: Lapeer , Mich
just got a 07 ultra that the previous owner had removed the heal shifter , took it for a test ride and had a hard time shifting [ kept looking for heel shifter ] as soon as it was mine heel shifter went back on , just used to it