How many Suscide Clutch riders here??

[PONY]

Tonys post on clutch cables got me thinking about my first Harley I built about 1972. A 1952 pan with a Suicide clutch complete with the dog chain and gold plated putter. I'd been riding my Ariel Square Four chopper for close to three years so I knew how to ride a hand clutch/foot shift, BUT boy was I in for a Suprise!! I crashed it Four Times in Three Days!! three times in intersections when I couldn't find neutral, lost my balance and had to throw it down to avoid poping the clutch and going out into traffic. And the last straw when I accidently poped the clutch in my back yard and hit my House! Iv'e been riding Foot Shifts ever since..

[mikes51]

three times in intersections when I couldn't find neutral, lost my balance and had to throw it down to avoid poping the clutch and going out into traffic. ..

Yours is the original jockey shift like I once had. Super hard to feel the detents to find neutral. In hindsight, there must be some way to make a z-gate type device or increase the pressure on the detents. People used to think I was double clutching down the street, sheesh, I was just letting out the clutch, to see if I found second gear. 4th gear was easy though, push that lever right down to the primary cover.

Most of the ones I see now have the shift lever hooked up to the footshift type, ratchet device on the trans. So those you just click, click, to find neutral. Still not easy to ride, but not as hard as the one you had.

Killer bike, btw.

[PONY]

Yours is the original jockey shift like I once had. Super hard to feel the detents to find neutral. In hindsight, there must be some way to make a z-gate type device or increase the pressure on the detents. People used to think I was double clutching down the street, sheesh, I was just letting out the clutch, to see if I found second gear. 4th gear was easy though, push that lever right down to the primary cover.

Most of the ones I see now have the shift lever hooked up to the footshift type, ratchet device on the trans. So those you just click, click, to find neutral. Still not easy to ride, but not as hard as the one you had.

Killer bike, btw.

I found out later from my buddy that had a 47 Knuckle with a 24" over springer and a suicide that if you went all the way down to 1st and back to nutral it was easier.

[=mike=]

I do the crazy foot clutch / hand shifter dance with my '56 . . . I just start looking for neutral way before I think I'm going to need it :) Also with a later style 4 speed , it is alot easier to work through the gears .

[Tony Bones]

My Pan is set up Jockey. The only thing that worries me w/ it is panic stops.

[Fab Kevin]

I love foot clutch/hand shift. If the controls are set up right, it is VERY easy to do. Maybe if you're just learning to ride it would be tough....?

You do have to be more in touch with whats happening, but it is a rush and a lot of fun.

[gringo]

ive had them on my last three.....i dig it

its personal preference but its kinda like kickstarters for me where it just puts me a little more in "tune" with the bike

i like feelin it clank thru the gears

[Cindy]

My Indian is a suicide clutch but honestly I've never riden a bike that wasn't. Just as well since I might get spoiled.

On my bike there's no shift gate so it can be tricky finding neutral. However, just like the other's responding here, I throw it into neutral lonnng before I need it. Hell, it's much easier to locate first again anyway, if the light happens to turn green. Also revving it as you approach the stop will assure you you're in nuetral, or NOT. Unfortunaltely no one told me all this. I assumed you had to do everything all at once when you were stopping. And did I mention there's hills in SF?

My pa, who knows these bikes in and out, was smart enough to install a kill switch that's mounted thumb distance away if I need it. Just makes you feel all warm inside knowing it's there.

[Irish Rich]

First bike I ever owned was a '41 Sport Scout, in '67. I was 15, and I learned on a foot clutch/hand shift. And, like you, I didn't know anything else, so it didn't matter!

What would mess me up was that the Indian foot clutch engaged/dis-engaged opposite the Harley rocker clutch did, which is the first one I learned on.

[Cindy]

Wow! I was born in '67!

[JOCK E SHIFT]

My Pan is set up Jockey. The only thing that worries me w/ it is panic stops. thats all i ever rode,,,panic stops have the brake cam shear off at 2 am on a sat morning,and being on the way to a run,,with no front brake.Had to call a buddy 70 miles away to get the part.

[bones35]

count me in, makin a new shift lever out of 30 chevy cowl vent righr now. foot clutch on the left, foot brake on the right, nothin on the bars. the only way to roll.

[Fab Kevin]

Cindy - I always thought Irish Rich was born in '67 too!

[Conder]

The 2 most recent bikes I've built/owned. Kick, rigid, suicide, jockey/tank shift and no front brake...I can't lay off 'em, they scare me too much.

[JOSE]

how do you handle stop & go on a hill with no front brake?

i've been going thru it in my head and i keep falling.

[Tony Bones]

how do you handle stop & go on a hill with no front brake?

i've been going thru it in my head and i keep falling.

Interesting. I don't usually fall...I just drift backwards, crank the bars, and hit something to stop. Suicide w/ no front brake is muy scary.

[=mike=]

how do you handle stop & go on a hill with no front brake?

i've been going thru it in my head and i keep falling.


I put the bike into first and ease the clutch in & out till I have to move forward again . Otherwise I have a freind who rolls up next to me and puts thier foot behind the tire so I cat roll backwards . It's' alot like a car where you can work the clutch & stuff . You just keep the wheel cocked to the left if you think you are going to fall so you dont have to take your foot off the clutch .

[JOCK E SHIFT]

The 2 most recent bikes I've built/owned. Kick, rigid, suicide, jockey/tank shift and no front brake...I can't lay off 'em, they scare me too much. is there any other way!!!!

[Conder]

is there any other way!!!!

An old schooler I used to know told me "if yer goin' uphill, plant yer tire against the bumper of the car behind ya. Fer downhill do the same in reverse. If there ain't no car, find neutral goin' down hill so you can use yer back brake (if yer a punk sissy and got a back brake), if yer goin' uphill just slip the clutch in first."

I find neutral downhill and slip the clutch uphill. If you do it right it ain't even that loud! The secret key to ridin' a bike like this...a neutral indicator light. Ya didn't hear it from me...

[oldspeed]

I have owned and ridden jockey shift or tank shift bikes for years, I find if the foot clutch is stock they tend to work very well with the adjustment controling the pedal from moving from vibration. I do admit I like the indian style better just like a car pedal, don't know wht Harley went the other way. But as soon as you change them into suicide (pedal either in or out) they do get trickey. My first chopper was built from a 1939 flathead Harley had the clutch pedal set just below the peanut tank so your foot was high, sat in the rain at an intersection watching my foot vibrate off the Chrome pedal and there was nothing at the time I could do about it, finally just shot threw the light. I still ride foot clutch bikes but now I leave the pedal stock so I can take my foot off even in gear. It's funny how normal it seems now. My Chief is set up left hand throttle right hand spark advance and foot clutch with shifter on the right. Just got to remember which bike i'm riding.

[R.F.]

I have a hard time riding hand-clutch/foot-shift bikes now. Discombooberated from being used to hand shifting. Except my GSX-R...that just wouldn't seem right with a hand shift, but might be cool.

[Tha Nutz]

Didn't know you had a Gixxer, R.F.--how sweet is that thing? Wheelies in third, or what?

I need to convince the wife that I need a crotch rocket--I like those triumph triples quite a bit.

I have a hard time riding hand-clutch/foot-shift bikes now. Discombooberated from being used to hand shifting. Except my GSX-R...that just wouldn't seem right with a hand shift, but might be cool.

[R.F.]

Didn't know you had a Gixxer, R.F.--how sweet is that thing? Wheelies in third, or what?

I need to convince the wife that I need a crotch rocket--I like those triumph triples quite a bit.

It "was" for commuting. It's a '91, so it's nothing like the new ones. Sold it over the weekend, then went into the dealer, got them down to 9K on a brand-new one, then chickened out (don't like debt). Drove down the street to the H-D dealer, couldn't get them down on the Firebolt XB12R, but am still considering it. They say the Buell's rev-out a 5,800! Fuck, my GSX-R tached at 11-12,000! I gotta find a commuter replacement.

[Tha Nutz]

I thought the new buells were OK when I was at the dealer a few weeks ago, but I like the older buells (esp. the '95-'96 model years) more than the new ones. I have absolutley no good reason for that.

I like a ton of the new suzukis I have seen around town recently. And there is one of those "naked" yamahas that look cool too. I don't know enough about those bikes to know all the names of them, but a ton of the new ones look really good.

It's all moot anyway, I have to finish the triumph, shovelhead and '29 tudor before I buy anything else.

It "was" for commuting. It's a '91, so it's nothing like the new ones. Sold it over the weekend, then went into the dealer, got them down to 9K on a brand-new one, then chickened out (don't like debt). Drove down the street to the H-D dealer, couldn't get them down on the Firebolt XB12R, but am still considering it. They say the Buell's rev-out a 5,800! Fuck, my GSX-R tached at 11-12,000! I gotta find a commuter replacement.

[PONY]

I have owned and ridden jockey shift or tank shift bikes for years, I find if the foot clutch is stock they tend to work very well with the adjustment controling the pedal from moving from vibration. I do admit I like the indian style better just like a car pedal, don't know wht Harley went the other way. But as soon as you change them into suicide (pedal either in or out) they do get trickey. My first chopper was built from a 1939 flathead Harley had the clutch pedal set just below the peanut tank so your foot was high, sat in the rain at an intersection watching my foot vibrate off the Chrome pedal and there was nothing at the time I could do about it, finally just shot threw the light. I still ride foot clutch bikes but now I leave the pedal stock so I can take my foot off even in gear. It's funny how normal it seems now. My Chief is set up left hand throttle right hand spark advance and foot clutch with shifter on the right. Just got to remember which bike i'm riding.
My buddy with the knuck and suicide convinced me that the stock clutch pedal (snap over center) wasn't custom enough so I sh*t canned it I favor of the dog chain. Man what a mistake that turned out to be.Using a ratachet lid makes shifting a whole lot easier too. I'll stick with my 56 pan/shovel & mousetrap set up. Black = Winter Rat / Red = Summer rat. /same bike.

[Skibo]

Well, I'm new to this board having seen a post on another about it and I can say I like it already. I haven't been around the block as much as a lot of guys out there and this is only my second HD (took me ten years to earn it which nobody my age seems to want to have to do anymore but I digress). At any rate, I have an 02' Dyna Glide that I put a mid-mount foot clutch hand jammer setup on. "Why in the fuck did you do that to that bike?" says the local stealership man when I dropped by to see a buddy who works there. I couldn't even explain it to him. Something about bashing through the gears hitting 90 on the highway one handed that makes it all worth it. Took a little getting used to the panic stop thingy but it's getting there. Anyways, glad to be aboard, hope ya don't mind. Later, Skibo

[TNsportster]

It "was" for commuting. It's a '91, so it's nothing like the new ones. Sold it over the weekend, then went into the dealer, got them down to 9K on a brand-new one, then chickened out (don't like debt). Drove down the street to the H-D dealer, couldn't get them down on the Firebolt XB12R, but am still considering it. They say the Buell's rev-out a 5,800! Fuck, my GSX-R tached at 11-12,000! I gotta find a commuter replacement.

Damn.
Wish I had the self control to leave a dealer empty handed with $ in my pocket!
Woulda saved me a few headaches in the past... (why the FUCK I though I needed a Victory is STILL something I need to explore some day...)

[juschopit]

this is the first version of the jockey setup for my 750 honda

http://image18.webshots.com/19/1/57/1/214915701GJOUBS_ph.jpg
and this is the mostly final version of the bike, the jockey is a bit difficult to see in any of the pics i take
http://image44.webshots.com/45/4/92/31/366549231sKeyZi_ph.jpg

[silversurfer]

Just like others in here, I just look for neutral ahead of time. One of the guys at my locall shop tried to convince me to not switch to suicide, said it was "dangerous". Riding bikes is dangerous allright, those of you who had a close call with Granny in the Olds, on a daily basis, know what I am talking about. We ride for a diferent reason. If anything, I am more aware now than before, as I'm always lookin ahead, just in case.

[Creepinogie]

My 55 shovel pan was a jockey shift. And my Indian Chief is one. And I'm gonna convert one of my shovels to it, but the rocker clutch on a Harley works opposite the way Indians do. You can reverse the clutch arm on an Indian to make them work like a HD but I'm going to live with both set ups as I don't want to have the Chief clutch like a Harley....

[Danny F.]

24 years ago...
http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o175/DannyF_02/Lucpan.jpg

[Flatironmike]

Um, 'jockey shift' is what I call 'em and yep, got two at the moment:

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/149/339978399_64a1fc4438.jpg

and:

highly recommend them to the somewhat experienced rider.

MC

[JOCK E SHIFT]

i got a neutral between every gear,just tap it and its in..old jockey lid

[Flatironmike]

and

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/140/327407292_ce08bd373c.jpg

[TNsportster]

yep.

It scared me for the first little bit, but it's hella fun now!

[TurboRoadster]

Didn't know you had a Gixxer, R.F.--how sweet is that thing? Wheelies in third, or what?

I need to convince the wife that I need a crotch rocket--I like those triumph triples quite a bit.
me too

[Nads]

Fooot shift, hand clutches scare me now, I rode my friend's Road King the other day and even with modern front and rear brakes it scared the hell out of me. I guess I'm just used to it, panic stops are scary as hell though with just a rear mechanical brake. Florida's flat so hills are no problem, but tourists and scantily clad women can be.

[tim dunleavy]

heres mine. i keep breaking the clutch release finger because i dont have a stop on my pedal.
<NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT>
<NOSCRIPT>http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f389/tldunleavy/DSC00749.jpg</NOSCRIPT>
<NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT>
<NOSCRIPT>http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f389/tldunleavy/DSC00755.jpg</NOSCRIPT>
<NOSCRIPT></NOSCRIPT>
<NOSCRIPT>http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f389/tldunleavy/DSC00749.jpg</NOSCRIPT><!-- Menu Top -->

[tim dunleavy]

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f389/tldunleavy/DSC00755.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f389/tldunleavy/DSC00749.jpg

[bwagner]

I have a setup on my Brand New 2007 softail that I made myself. at the moment, there is no positive forward stop for the pedal. Is this going to cause problems? If so, what kind? I'll put a stop on it if needed, but honestly the current setup is temporary until I make some nicer Forward controls for myself when I find the time. Any help on this is greatly appreciated!! Thanks

[Guy]

I have the utmost respect for jockey shift riders. I had one on the Pan when I first put it together and it scared me so much I reverted to foot shift smart-quick. Then I was told the trick is to have the clutch pedal set up like a gear shift, directly adjacent to the peg, so you get more control and leverage with the foot (on mine, I had to lift my foot back off the peg and onto the pedal). So I may have another go.

There's a scene on a street in NY in 'Hells Angels Forever' where a guy casually pulls a little wheelie on a jockey-shift, extended-front-end Pan as he accelerates away from the curb, in traffic, smiling as he looks back at the camera. I watch it now and again to remind myself I'll always be a wannabe ...

[Apehanger Hank]

Both of these were suicide/jockey bikes. The blue knuck was my first Harley and first chopper. When I first built it, I ran the shifter gate on the top motor mount at the suggestion of K.B. Vance. My other rides, 47 Chief, 51 Pan and several 45s all ran with suicide clutches/jockey shifts. I always used a rod or cable (45) from the pedal to the clutch...I didn't like the look of the dog chains flopping around. Who stops on a hill? Just give it the gas and laugh like hell!
Hank

[caleb]

Iv'e been riding Foot Shifts ever since..

Foot clutch hand shift is all I ride, throw in no front brake. Any time I get on a standard foot shift set up, I crash! Ha, not really but it feels weird. I recall when I set the suicide up on my first bike, stalled a hand full of times, did the lean to much to the left and slip the clutch thing... But it's kind of like snowboarding, it can be a pain in the ass to learn for the first couple times, but once it clicks, it feels natural and its a blast.

[vtwinmotors]

suicide clutch yes yes i have two pans set up that way and love them if i could get my 2000 bagger lower to ground it would be foot clutch hand shift i am still working on that plus not to many theifs can ride suicide machines..

[bwagner]

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f389/tldunleavy/DSC00755.jpg

http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f389/tldunleavy/DSC00749.jpg

Sorry to go off-topic, but damn that is a clean lookin ride. I'm envious. Very nice man

[Ryno]

Not to be an asshole, but why do people do this?
You have a brand new 2007 softail. It's not going to look like a "bobber" or a "chopper" or a "fredder" no matter what you do, so why sacrifice performance for something that will probably eventually make you eat shit?

Same thing with people who buy brand new sporty's then put a wannabe bates seat on it with struts and paint it flat black.

I'm all for choppin and fabricating and making your ride your own, but sometimes it gets pretty silly.

I have a setup on my Brand New 2007 softail that I made myself. at the moment, there is no positive forward stop for the pedal. Is this going to cause problems? If so, what kind? I'll put a stop on it if needed, but honestly the current setup is temporary until I make some nicer Forward controls for myself when I find the time. Any help on this is greatly appreciated!! Thanks

[bwagner]

Not to be an asshole, but why do people do this?
You have a brand new 2007 softail. It's not going to look like a "bobber" or a "chopper" or a "fredder" no matter what you do, so why sacrifice performance for something that will probably eventually make you eat shit?

Same thing with people who buy brand new sporty's then put a wannabe bates seat on it with struts and paint it flat black.

I'm all for choppin and fabricating and making your ride your own, but sometimes it gets pretty silly.

Why would I do this? Why do any of us do the things we do to our bikes? How about to our homes, and our cars?I would do this because I want to.
I would do this because I paid for it, and I like to modify things.

How is it a performance sacrifice?
I think it's funny that you would post this on a web site like this. Maybe since my bike is brand new I'm not as cool as some of the others on the board with older bikes, but I still ride because i want to, and I'm not going to wait twenty years until I'm cool enough to start making my bike the way I want it to be.

Is your ride Stock?

[Dirty Richard]

setup my Suzuki for foot clutch-hand shift and rode the hell out of it like that..when I went to buy my Shovel and knew I was gonna ride it home I was nervous as hell about having to hand clutch foot shift!!..i felt like I had forgotten how...felt so weird being able to put my left foot down whenever......but I agree with what a lot of you said...definitely start finding neutral early as possible..also my Suzuki has the advantage of only weighing 430 lbs so can sit a while with my foot on the clutch and not fall over

[Richiepan]

Tonys post on clutch cables got me thinking about my first Harley I built about 1972. A 1952 pan with a Suicide clutch complete with the dog chain and gold plated putter. I'd been riding my Ariel Square Four chopper for close to three years so I knew how to ride a hand clutch/foot shift, BUT boy was I in for a Suprise!! I crashed it Four Times in Three Days!! three times in intersections when I couldn't find neutral, lost my balance and had to throw it down to avoid poping the clutch and going out into traffic. And the last straw when I accidently poped the clutch in my back yard and hit my House! Iv'e been riding Foot Shifts ever since..
only way to go
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/richiepan/shifter.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/richiepan/bo1.jpg

[Ryno]

Dude...first i should have given you props for making something for your bike. Like i said, i've got nothing against people wanting to make shit their own.

However, i find it hard to believe that you're going to be able to rip through the gears on that thing easier than you would with the setup it came with. Thats part of the performance factor i was talking about.

The only things stock on my ride are the frame and the tins. Everything else has been fucked with one way or another. But i would never put a jockey setup on my bike just because i can.

Do what you like. Ride what you want. Maybe i think its ghey, and you love it. More power to you. I was just wondering why you did it in the first place? Because you can? Good answer!

The whole "coolness" factor is over-rated. In fact this place is a hotbed for dudes who think they're cool... but there are only a handful of dudes who would actually get the trophy. It doesn't take 20 years to get what you want. You just have to dig.
Dig?
;)

[mike13]

If you live in a big city...There aint nothing like bombing through traffic on a loud ass jockey shift....NOTHING.

[yard man]

Words to live by :D

Who stops on a hill? Just give it the gas and laugh like hell!
Hank

[stray cadi 61]

Up hills just stick your knee behind your kicker,thats if you have one.

[bwagner]

Ryno....I'm not one to "Rip" through the gears. I like going fast as much as the next guy, but honestly, if thats all I was interested in, I'd be on a crotch rocket of some sorts. I bought my motorcycle because it's the one I wanted. I'm going to do things to this bike that I may even become ashamed of after I'm done. For now, it's jockey shiftin, next week, who knows? I like Harleys, choppers, bobbers, Ol' School, New School, no school whatever. I just like things with wheels. I'm not the type to let well enough alone. I've been ridiculed by my friends and family for choices I've made, but I'm the kind of guy that does things for me, not for the approval of others. I am very new to this, only had the bike since August, but I do it because I've always wanted to. The jockey shift on my bike isn't there "Just because I can", it's there because I want it there. I might even put a sprung saddle on it even though it's a softail. Who know whats next for it, not even I know, but when the time comes that I want to change things, I'll do it, and I'll have to suffer the consequences. I think of this post as a conversation, not an argument, so please don't be mislead. I'm out to make no enemies, one can never have enough friends in life, and thats what I'm here for. I enjoy reading the stuff on this board because it's about motorcycles, and I can never get enough of that. Have a great night.

[LUKESTER]

I ride a stroked shovel-Pan I gotta shift with my hand......... no front brake, but the Neutral light helps alot, I tried a rocker setup, it was easier, but it sucked........... LUKESTER

[caleb]

Words to live by :D

the hills can be fun for sure... road the streets of frisco suicide.. even with a bitch on the back... you get real good at shifting your weight and or timing the traffic..

[Eveldave]

i think i forgot how to ride with a footshift long ago.

[2316scooter]

think Im going to do the hand shift thing,a little concerned about the foward controls I got now and turnin it into clutch.
on the "fuck cant remember the name" 79shovel tranny should I hook to the arm on the trans or the secondary arm

does that make any sense to someone

[Englishman]

Got a Baker 6 speed overdrive on the shovel with a dog chain foot clutch, I can bang through all the gears pretty damn fast when I've a mind to. Probably would save a couple of milliseconds with a hand clutch setup, but I'm not going to be winning any races anyway. Speaking of which, how about "MadDog" Rob Moore, he drag raced the "Herniator" with a foot clutch and did very well.

[tiberius]

Best secret for a suicide set-up...floorboards...then it's just a lift of the toe and press the pedal. For traffic jams and parade laps, lots of stop and go it's actually better than hand clutching..(carpal tunnel).

[Capino]

Not to be an asshole, but why do people do this?
You have a brand new 2007 softail. It's not going to look like a "bobber" or a "chopper" or a "fredder" no matter what you do, so why sacrifice performance for something that will probably eventually make you eat shit?

Same thing with people who buy brand new sporty's then put a wannabe bates seat on it with struts and paint it flat black.

I'm all for choppin and fabricating and making your ride your own, but sometimes it gets pretty silly.


I dont see where he said he wanted to make a bobber or a chopper out of his bike...how will it eventually make him eat shit?

[Oklahoma]

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i249/biltwell/shift.jpg (http://photobucket.com/)
I put the clutch on my shifter a few years ago, and it was fun that way too. Just made right turns at street lights hard from a dead stop at first. After 2 lights you got though. If ya can't find neutral you can still hold the clutch in with both feet down.

[45Brit]

I had a panhead with a suicide clutch and in the end, I just took it off, too much like hard work. Put the stock pedal back on and that was fine. Put the tank shifter back on 'cos I couldn't reach the jockey handle once I put the bouncy seat back either! but it was nice that way...

[knotwerk]

Damn.
Wish I had the self control to leave a dealer empty handed with $ in my pocket!
Woulda saved me a few headaches in the past... (why the FUCK I though I needed a Victory is STILL something I need to explore some day...)
oooo a hammer?

[Cherry Bomb Mike]

The first set up on my '55 pan shovel was foot clutch/hand shift with no front brake and foot pegs; the hills kicked my ass. My current rebuild of the pan shovel I added a front brake, and foot boards instead of the pegs. I think this might work out better for me around town.

[Brundlefly]

only way to go
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/richiepan/shifter.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/richiepan/bo1.jpg

That shifter knob is the shit! Love that bike

[TNsportster]

oooo a hammer?

ummm. NO.
One of the 1st generation pre-Ness ones. POS.

[TNsportster]

Just ditched my foot clutch setup.

foot shift is just faster and more fun here in hilly TN, IMO.

[AJH]

only way to go
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/richiepan/bo1.jpg

hey you aint fishtailin on that hole shot bubba,,, yes to the JS rode one in 88 12 over pan crazy rake, windy roads , and one the other day around the airport both someone elses, aside from the 45 rocker set up very comfortable, fuck hand clutches unless your looking to stregthen the vistors hand, I have it on my bagless bagger and I hate the fukin thing but I got bigger problems

[45Brit]

cherry bomb mike is right. I did pretty much the same thing and it worked well for me. Once you have footboards you'll be looking for a tractor seat to get your legs comfy...

[brokedowngeorge]

Been riding suicide for over 30 years, same bike. Didn't add a front brake untill 1985. Not because of starting, because of stopping! Needing two more inches before you smack the car in front of you sucks! It has become second nature to know when to find neautral, when to drop all the way to first gear or when to float 2nd as I approach a situation that may require me to stop. I run an original Jock-top with straight-line, minimal detent shifting and rarely miss a gear. With a correctly built trans, the gears are always in exactly the same place! Riding a suicide and living is all about being present, in the moment! I think that is why I have kept it all these years, it keeps me awake. Hell, I just rode the Dragons Tail with this bike- what a rush---one hand on the throttle, other on the shifter, jammin' gears and draggin' floorboards!!!!! It don't get any better that that!!!

[Trip]

My '59 Pan was set up as a Suscide took about 20 Miles or so to get used to it, the wife rode off straight up had no problem at all with the set up, I like Tank Shifts so I set my '07 FLSTSC last week still haven't painted it. Easy to convert only mild adjustments plus I haven't modified the original bike take about 3 hrs. to convert back to stock.

[jamie desoto]

the xs650 im building now im thinkin about putting a jockey shift on it but i was gonna put the clutch on the jockey handle .. good idea?? bad idea???

[Neo Dutch]

the xs650 im building now im thinkin about putting a jockey shift on it but i was gonna put the clutch on the jockey handle .. good idea?? bad idea???
Bad idea. Looks like crap and you'll only have one hand on the bars during the entire clutch process. Might be easy out on the open road or riding down the beach in Daytona, but imagine pulling out onto a busy street in the rain. At least with a foot clutch you have complete control of the bars.

[Trent]

This post is way out of "hand".

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i282/AtomicTrent/45ULOct9jpg2.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i282/AtomicTrent/groundzero.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i282/AtomicTrent/sept23small.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i282/AtomicTrent/IMG_0162a.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i282/AtomicTrent/seat3s.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i282/AtomicTrent/45.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i282/AtomicTrent/chancewifes.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i282/AtomicTrent/61s.jpg

[Kuda]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v212/richiepan/bo1.jpg

First off, I fuckin' love that bike. In fact, if you had a couple of beat-to-hell throwover bags on it and a 21" front wheel, that would be THE bike that a 1%'r was riding into the campground I was staying in when I first fell in love with pans back when I was about 8 years old (and that was over 30 years ago...ouch). Even had almost the same paint, too...

Second, just curious about why you left the brake on the left side. I almost never see that any more, everyone (myself included) move it over to the right. Just curious...

And lastly, my own humble contribution to this jockey thread. Just to show the non-belivers that you can tear up the mountain twisties with a hand shift...

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o178/IB_Kuda/JamminGearsonNeedlesHighway.jpg

And the aforementioned handshifter (picture by our very own T-Dazzler(c)...)

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o178/IB_Kuda/CloseupofShifter.jpg

Not a suicide right now (still have the set up complete with black dog-chain, but took it off earlier this year and haven't put it back on yet, still rockin' the rocker)...

-Kuda
'49 panchop

[chopperking]

And the aforementioned handshifter (picture by our very own T-Dazzler(c)...)

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o178/IB_Kuda/CloseupofShifter.jpg

Not a suicide right now (still have the set up complete with black dog-chain, but took it off earlier this year and haven't put it back on yet, still rockin' the rocker)...

-Kuda
'49 panchop[/quote]

how many times did you burn your fingers before you got used to it?

[Kuda]

how many times did you burn your fingers before you got used to it?

Heh heh. Actually, not once. But I sorta cheated: the pipes are Jet-Hot coated. The only time it's hot enough to burn my fingers is after a long high speed blast when I first pull off at a light. Even then, if I've got any reflexes left at all it's not a problem, the coating gives you about .40 of a second to say "oh shit" and pull your hand back before you lose skin... :D

-Kuda
'49 panchop

[Richard D]

Second, just curious about why you left the brake on the left side. I almost never see that any more, everyone (myself included) move it over to the right. Just curious...

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o178/IB_Kuda/JamminGearsonNeedlesHighway.jpg


Looks like yours is on the left, too? I think they look cleaner with both brakes on the left, just my opinion.

[Kuda]

Looks like yours is on the left, too? I think they look cleaner with both brakes on the left, just my opinion.

Er...oops. :o I meant the brake LEVER. Early HD's had the drum on the left, later models on the right. The lever was originally on the left side for almost all early models. But when you're jockey shifting, I find it nice to be able to use both the throttle and the brake and still be able to shift...

-Kuda (maybe I'm just a pussy, eh?) :rolleyes:
'49 panchop

[jamie desoto]

Bad idea. Looks like crap and you'll only have one hand on the bars during the entire clutch process. Might be easy out on the open road or riding down the beach in Daytona, but imagine pulling out onto a busy street in the rain. At least with a foot clutch you have complete control of the bars.


i dont know dutch you thik everything i do is a bad idea.. anyone else got an opinion?

[Trip]

I sort of agree with Neo Dutch wouldn' look all that good but when your setting your bike up leave options open to change and chop it around after all that's what your doing in the first place, if you don't like it put a clutch rocker assembly on it, I find the odd ocassion when I need to put my left foot down the clutch stays engaged unlike the suicide when foot off all go ready or not. The amount of people who bag me out about my clutch set up is to me quere, Harley was standard this way till '52 (I hope I'm right here) I drive my bike not ride it, plus I'll do what I want when I want ! Hey try before you decide my suit you. Not bagging Suicide here guys just not my choice.

[Dakota Kid]

The Only way to go...

[DrDano]

i dont know dutch you thik everything i do is a bad idea.. anyone else got an opinion?

I've been running a foot clutch on my XS chopper for about 5 months now. I've had a few panic-swerve situations where it was damn nice being able to stab the bike in neutral with the clutch, stand on the brake with the other foot and swerve hard with two hands. I got left turned by a minivan not 2 weeks after I got the chop running and I'm willing to bet without both hands on the bar and with how much flex is in the front end of my bike with no fender, I would broadsided that soccer mom. If you want the lever on the handle do it, you can always change it later if it turns out it sucks. I personally don't like the look of the lever on the handle, it just looks too busy with a short handle and a lever hanging off of it. I'm sure someone out there has made a hydraulic button of some kind that would be on the backside of the lever and out of view, that would be trick -- no lever, no pedal.

[Trip]

Yeah !! These photo's take me back to when I was a kid highly impressionable an all, this is what I've been looking for. Great bikes Trent. The WLA belonged to a good friend of mine who also raced WLA's (Hand Shift) in our Classic Races here in Australia, we all miss him heaps not quite the same without our "Hoppy"

[chopperking]

http://i219.photobucket.com/albums/cc17/chopperkingjj/DSCF0022.jpg

hydraulic, ww2 bayonet

[leadsled]

I used a servi-car brake pedal for my foot clutch, with a police shifter.

[Trip]

Leadsled, any chance of a photo of your set up, I don't know what a "with a police shifter." is ? And whilst I'm in your ear could you post a larger version of your Avitar pic, just love the clean look of your front end. Trip

[Big Nick]

http://i144.photobucket.com/albums/r170/Bulldogmafia07/IMG_4787.jpg

[Chuckamatic]

Right hand shift, left hand clutch here. Can't really burn into a parking lot with no front brake, but it feels pretty cool goin down the road. Thinkin I will make my Ironhead a similar setup, although with a front brake. Like someone said, don't commit to it until you know you prefer it.
http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff131/chucke221037/SUNP0073.jpg

[RonM]

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q208/RonMbucket/bikesinseptember011.jpg

[RonM]

My ride above, no front brake,foot clutch,not rocker type,three speed on the tank. I couldnt get used to jockey shift under my ass

[69GSCAL]

Once you get used to it you're all good.
I road nothing but foot shifter/ hand clutches on dirt bikes before my suicide.
After a few weeks on a very steep learning curve I couldn't imagine doing anything else.

Just don't be an idiot and jump into traffic until you've got it down.
You'll have the shortest lifespan of any JJ memeber to date. Cruise the block and learn the ropes.

[waltmcq]

I'm one

[leadsled]

A police shifter uses a ratchet lid and the shifter mounts to the frame.

[Tinppa]

When I first put my jockey shifter I was doing wheelies(very small ones) from every traffic light and stalled a cycle twice in intersection with lights but after those litlle things trained I don't go back to hand clutch

[Trip]

Thanks for that leadsled, can't help but wonder why Harley had such a choice, Tank or Frame ? I recently saw an 80ci Flat head servycar that had twin mounts on the tank for right hand shift, ex american parking cop bike.

[shitbird]

Yeah, I dig the motion and feel of the jockey.
No front brakes...
Just gotta be aware of what's coming up.
I live in the SF area, so...yeah, we gots tha hills.
Not a biggie....but like dude said earier...splitting lanes, grabbing a gear is good feeling.

[leadsled]

here's the best picture of mine. Keep in mind the brake pedal I used I cut the flat off of it a welded on the lower portion of the arm.

[Trip]

Man that's a heavy duty piece of casting I've seen an original Mouse trap and thought it was heavy duty, is that an end of generator regulator/rectifier I spy on your bike ? I had a Frank's I think it was called, could never get the gap or the standard ones to work on my pan until I put one of those end type bloody hard to get over here years piece of piss to fit and worked like a charm ! (bike was converted to 12vlt.)

[tat2dmthrfckr]

I got a 78 kaw 750 with a jockey shift, and a hand clutch on the shifter....The only drawbacks are taking off one handed, and fighting the bike one handed in traffic when cagers chalkem in front of you....good side, both feet down when you stop.

[ssjones]

Chuck:
That is a great looking bike! Too bad about our giant MD license plates. I fixed mine on the '02 by scanning/printing/shrinking to the 4" x 6" size and laminating. So far no issues.

Right hand shift, left hand clutch here. Can't really burn into a parking lot with no front brake, but it feels pretty cool goin down the road. Thinkin I will make my Ironhead a similar setup, although with a front brake. Like someone said, don't commit to it until you know you prefer it.
http://i236.photobucket.com/albums/ff131/chucke221037/SUNP0073.jpg

[rustbike]

my bike
http://images4.pictiger.com/thumbs/09/f9c0c16a8bd9126b49f5baede2548109.th.jpg (http://server4.pictiger.com/img/1481787/picture-hosting/l-ed-0461-cdbe-24943-ddd-4-a-316-d-5-f-9-fdebb.php)

[tat2dmthrfckr]

http://i187.photobucket.com/albums/x251/tat2dmthrfckr/090907_18441.jpg

Hear is the pic of my chop that has the suicide with the hand clutch, hope you guys like it.

[Danny F.]

Foot shift & hand clutch....well, kinda..:D

http://i120.photobucket.com/albums/o175/DannyF_02/Numriser0046-2.jpg

[=mike=]

That's trippy as shit right there . . . lets you keep both feet on the ground at a light & during take off !!

[Dragstews]

Speedy-Shift.....Foot Shift and Foot Clutch, Both in one Pedal. Been riding this one a long time now. Made first in 1947 and was the answer to the foot shift before Harley did it in 52.



http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk140/dragstews/Picture025.jpg

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk140/dragstews/speedyy.jpg

[steinauge]

My 49 FL has a jockey shift on a regular hand shift lid(not a ratchet jockey) I always thought those were pretty easy to find neutral on.The trick is to go into neutral from 1st gear with the clutch engaged-just lift the lever up and there you are.I have found it to be very advisable to put the trans in neutral before you stop.

[swinewerx]

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i249/biltwell/shift.jpg (http://photobucket.com/)
I put the clutch on my shifter a few years ago, and it was fun that way too. Just made right turns at street lights hard from a dead stop at first. After 2 lights you got though. If ya can't find neutral you can still hold the clutch in with both feet down.I know this post is old but I have this set up on two of my bikes the L S and ol'bloo
http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/5/12115304638.jpg (http://www.putfile.com/pic/8079077)
I don't have a current pic of ol' bloo with it's shift set up.But like you said turns from a dead stop at first, are challenging but soon you realize you can shift and turn without losing your birthday

[bucket13]

Speedy-Shift.....Foot Shift and Foot Clutch, Both in one Pedal. Been riding this one a long time now. Made first in 1947 and was the answer to the foot shift before Harley did it in 52.



http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/kk140/dragstews/2692592166-65986914-1.jpg

Wish you had a better picture....