Anyone ever convert to a jockey shift?

S

sk8er girl

New member
Never! after having so many Harleys with tank shift and also being an aggressive rider,tank shift is too slow and awkward for this cat.Don't let the opinion of the elder riders sway your decision,it is cool the shift by hand.
 
My decision was not influenced by anyone. I seriously doubt a tank shifter is too slow. Like many other things, it just takes practice. If you look at that video posted in this thread, he doesn't seem to shift slow.
 
hey-thanks for your words,appreciated! i put the heat shields on when i did the kick starter. i went to tru duals at the time to allow room for the kicker so i had the pipes off anyway. the conventional kicker pedal and arm dug into my leg while riding. this kicker was the fx style that hinged at the bottom. much better. it would also clear the rear floorboards where the other would not.

obviously much easier to use the button. i actually put the kick on for a weird reason. ive always been an everyday rider. my bike stays outside in an unheated shed. i must have had an intake leak one winter. when it was below 22 or so and i would be heading out for work, it just wouldnt crank. would run the battery down. but, it would kickstart in those situations.i'd put one on my 2006 rk but i dont feel like fooling with the exhaust right now.

head
 
I am doin the same thing to my 04 sporty. Everyone asks why would you do such a thing? I say, "why not?" besides people wont be askin to ride your bike any more. I have been doin some research on this for a couple of weeks now, a few articles stated that if you can walk and chew gum you can ride a foot clutch/hand shift. It just takes practice.
 
too funny ....after i took this pics i was driving off the grass not realizing i was spinning the rear tire all the way off the grass ...nice lil trench
 
Drew: Thanks for posting that information about the CHP's view on shifters like ours. My bike tends to draw looks from LEOs and I've often wondered if & when I'm going to get cited for it; however, I think my messed up left elbow would probably get me off.

Suicide from FL: Here is a pic of my '04 XLC (sorry for the quality; it was a quick pic from my camera phone.) The foot clutch is a LaBriola from...

http://www.lajockeyshifter.com/labriola_machine3_008.htm

...and the shifter is a hodgepodge of parts from the hardware store and a kit and a linkage from a Dyna; it is mounted to the front cylinder head using a bracket I fabricated. The shift pattern is reversed such that back is downshift & forward is upshift. The nice thing is, the shift knob is only 2" below the left handgrip, so I can jam through the gears by kicking the knob forward with my left thumb and still maintain a two-handed grip on the handlebars.

I've had a few instances where my left foot has had to come down; when that happens I squeeze the front brake and just let the bike stall. I ride my bike in heavy OC/LA County traffic 20K miles annually (daily commuter & kid taxi) and yes I split lanes with no problems.

I recently took a trip up to Saucelito via Highway 1 through Big Sur. Along the way I caught up to two Dynas and pretty much dogged them through the curves for 20 or so miles. We all stopped at the same gas station and their mouths fell open when they saw what had been tailing them! I also rode around downtown San Francisco for over an hour seeing how I'd do on the steep streets; I guess I was lucky as I didn't stall once.
 
I have been thinking of putting a tank shifter on my 06 street glide. My brother installed one on his Drifter. It is mounted on the right hand side of his fuel tank. He still has the hand clutch and foot shifter. That way he can use either hand or foot. He uses mainly the hand shifter. I thought that it would be odd being on the right hand side, but it makes sense and looks pretty darn cool too. So good that his bike took 1st prize at the local Drift In in Durango Colorado last month.

All pictures that i have seen for harleys, have the shifter on the left side of the tank, and for good reason ( that;s where the linkage is located).
But I really like his set up and want to do that to my ride, eventually.
 
That sounded good for a second because of being able to have both the foot and tank shifter with the original clutch, but now seems even more dangerous seeing that the front brake is on the right side. I would think it would also cause some confusion in a panic. Also, shifting with the right hand would be kind of weird because you would have to remove your hand from the gas/grip to shift, then put it back to throttle. It would be like driving a big rig with that long pause in between shifts. Again, I'm sure with many years of riding this way, it wouldn't be a big deal. I personally only want it one way or the other, foot or tank.

Funny thing is I've been kind of practicing lately using my foot as a clutch, shifting the ghost tank shifter and even stopping with just my right foot down. Getting a head start can't hurt.
 
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