Heel shifter huh?
Tourer
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 327
Likes: 0
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 2,216
Likes: 102
From: Central Illinois
I'm always amazed at how much hate there is for the heel shifter. To me its what helps make the Electra Glide an Electra Glide. Like the fork covers and big front fender and saddlebags. Another thing I can't reconcile is a single seat. Just seems such a waste of a bike meant for 2 up riding and touring. But to each there own.
Harley sells a neat rear lever that has a swing away peg. I use it and find it very handy.
Harley sells a neat rear lever that has a swing away peg. I use it and find it very handy.
Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 148
Likes: 4
From: Spring Bay IL
Was in the dealer just yesterday, heard the tech on the ph about a guy lost both!
Dont know what gear he was in but rode it home from...? and burned the clutch up!
Sounded as though the bike was newer with a warranty...think the tech was tryin to
find out if HD would cover the clutch?
I'm tall & always extend my floorboards and readjust my shifter along with loctite!
And no use for a heal shifter..
This is all true stories but I'm not sayin names
Dont know what gear he was in but rode it home from...? and burned the clutch up!
Sounded as though the bike was newer with a warranty...think the tech was tryin to
find out if HD would cover the clutch?
I'm tall & always extend my floorboards and readjust my shifter along with loctite!
And no use for a heal shifter..
This is all true stories but I'm not sayin names
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 2,275
Likes: 241
From: Highlands, NJ
Been riding for 38 years mostly on metrics. When I switched over to HD, it took me a while to get used to the heel shifter, but now I love it.
Two words, Dealer Prep. You paid for it, and they obviously did a **** job. Get them to replace it.
Two words, Dealer Prep. You paid for it, and they obviously did a **** job. Get them to replace it.
Tourer
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 367
Likes: 0
From: MI
I tend to like the heel shifter. It gives my foot a 'point of reference' on the footboard. I've developed a bad habit when using the toe shifter of not getting my toe under the shifter. Sometime I just get the tip of my boot under it. With the heel shifter, I know to move my foot up a couple of inches to shift. And there are some times that I actually use the heel shifter.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 20,616
Likes: 4,440
From: anacoco, la
yep, sure is. you can use it to replace your toe shifter when the spines on that one get stripped out. or to hook a brother up when you're out on the highway and his falls off and he can't shift at all.....
but otherwise, no, not worth a damn...
what touring bike do you have that doesn't have a heel shifter? they all have them. if yours doesn't, and you miss it so much, add one.
the reason i 'hate' it, is because it makes me put my leg in an uncomfortable position where i will get a cramp in my quads after a short time. i'd rather be comfortable all the time, than to be able to shift like the cool kids some of the time...
and touring doesn't have to mean 2 up. i ride a rgc with solo seat. my wife rides a rgc with solo seat. if we go on a long trip, we add our detachable chopped tourpaks for storage and hit the highways. we always have a blast, and we ride solo 100% of the time.
but otherwise, no, not worth a damn...
what touring bike do you have that doesn't have a heel shifter? they all have them. if yours doesn't, and you miss it so much, add one.
I'm always amazed at how much hate there is for the heel shifter. To me its what helps make the Electra Glide an Electra Glide. Like the fork covers and big front fender and saddlebags. Another thing I can't reconcile is a single seat. Just seems such a waste of a bike meant for 2 up riding and touring. But to each there own.
and touring doesn't have to mean 2 up. i ride a rgc with solo seat. my wife rides a rgc with solo seat. if we go on a long trip, we add our detachable chopped tourpaks for storage and hit the highways. we always have a blast, and we ride solo 100% of the time.
Last edited by skratch; Jun 24, 2012 at 09:46 PM.
Cruiser
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 184
Likes: 2
From: Nor-Cal
I use mine. Moved the front shifter down where you can't get your toe underneath it, works great.
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Road Captain
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 531
Likes: 4
From: Chile Flats, AZ
I'm confused...
Like many others, I took mine off as well; came in handy when I sold it. The first couple bikes, I left it on and used it... but the last two I took it off for the room on the board.
I neither like nor dislike it...it has value (to me) on multi-day rides; but commuting and frequent shifting, I find just the toe shifter best for me....
course I'm easily oncfrudse dan dlyxik ta mites....
I neither like nor dislike it...it has value (to me) on multi-day rides; but commuting and frequent shifting, I find just the toe shifter best for me....
course I'm easily oncfrudse dan dlyxik ta mites....
I took my heel shifter off as well, and used the Kuryakyn spacer part to extend the toe shift lever out to the end. However, I was CONSTANTLY having to readjust the lever back onto the shaft because it continually worked it's way to nearly falling off. I noticed that unlike my former metric bikes, the bolt that holds the lever on there does NOT go into the 'groove' in the splined shaft of the shift lever, so it can vibrate out to the end of the shaft and fall off. I've since swapped the toe shift back to the inner half of the shaft so at least there is another inch or so for it to have to travel to vibrate it's way off. I haven't used loctite yet, but will once the shaft cover I ordered gets here...and I tighten that bolt as hard as I can manage without busting the 1/4" allen-head socket I use on it.
Seems like poor engineering on the levers themselves is to blame. Why doesn't the bolt run into the groove in the shaft to help ensure the lever stays on? It seems if the bolt-hole were a mm or two closer to the shaft, the bolt would nestle into that groove (like they do on metric bikes), and unless the bolt itself backed nearly completely out, it would prevent the levers from moving left or right. I know when working on my old Yammies and Kawis, you had to fully remove the bolt to be able to slide the shift lever off. On my Street Glide, I can remove the lever once the bolt is just loosened...not removed fully from the lever. I guess HD figures it can sell more levers if they allow them to always vibrate off, especially considering the outside lever is the rear shifter, but geez...
Seems like poor engineering on the levers themselves is to blame. Why doesn't the bolt run into the groove in the shaft to help ensure the lever stays on? It seems if the bolt-hole were a mm or two closer to the shaft, the bolt would nestle into that groove (like they do on metric bikes), and unless the bolt itself backed nearly completely out, it would prevent the levers from moving left or right. I know when working on my old Yammies and Kawis, you had to fully remove the bolt to be able to slide the shift lever off. On my Street Glide, I can remove the lever once the bolt is just loosened...not removed fully from the lever. I guess HD figures it can sell more levers if they allow them to always vibrate off, especially considering the outside lever is the rear shifter, but geez...