Topic: Hand shifter

[Sdsbassist]

Anyone ever fab a hand shifter, one with the clutch on the shift lever? Juat curious if anyone has any tips, tricks, ect

[Sdsbassist]

..like a jockey shift more or less

[Terry in Australia]

When I was a kid, one of the local bus drivers only had one foot. (the right one) He rode a Honda SL125 from memory, and just welded a shaft with a handle for a clutch lever, and did all his shifting by hand. I don't remember having a close up look, and I reckon it would have wobbled all over the place, but it apparently worked fine. Cheers, Terry.  

[jonda500]

shouldn't be too hard to set up a gear shift something like this (see pic) although you may want to go with taller than standard gearing or you'll barely use the left handlebar grip at times as you'll be so busy with the clutch and gear shifts your hand will tend to rest on the gear knob instead!

[Sdsbassist]

Im looking for a shaft with the lever right on it. What would be the technical name for something like this?

[gerhed]

You could put in a foot clutch with the hand shifter?
That's what I use.

[Sdsbassist]

Makes me too nervous

[Stev-o]

Im looking for a shaft with the lever right on it. What would be the technical name for something like this?

"Hand control".  You could mod a stock gear shifter by welding on a long 7/8" shaft and then use the stock clutch perch.

[Sdsbassist]

Love the idea, heres the thing: where would you get 7/8ths tubing from? I suppose I could just buy a broomstick bar and use that...

[Schnell]

You could put in a foot clutch with the hand shifter?
That's what I use.

I see a problem if you are at a stoplight, have the clutch engaged, transmission in gear, and the bike tips to the right necessitating that your foot needs to stop the fall.

[gerhed]

The main thing to remember with a foot clutch is to make every effort to get
into neutral before you come to a complete stop.
Otherwise bad things can happen.

[Stev-o]

Love the idea, heres the thing: where would you get 7/8ths tubing from?

http://www.discountsteel.com/items/Bar.cfm

[754]

Just make sure there is  a pivot between the shifter shaft and the hand part, 7/8 tubing easy to find but if you use part of a used bar, the curve will come in handy, and the chrome will survive, except at the weld..
 Use rod ends on your linkage. Is it on a chopper ?

[tlbranth]

I typed "motorcycle hand shift" in Google and got just under 1 million hits. Look and copy.

[bjbuchanan]

You could put in a foot clutch with the hand shifter?
That's what I use.

I see a problem if you are at a stoplight, have the clutch engaged, transmission in gear, and the bike tips to the right necessitating that your foot needs to stop the fall.

That's why a lot of people, even with regular bikes have a habit of putting it in neutral at a light. It just gets passed down over and over as "how you ride". That is the theory that lots of those schools and safety places believe, like MSF, when they teach you to not put it in neutral at a light.

[Powderman]

It was known as a "suicide shifter" because you had to use your foot for the clutch and hands for shifting and brake/throttle, leaving only one foot to balance the bike as mentioned. And always taking one hand off the bars to shift.

[gerhed]

The Indian foot clutch actually has a detent in the mechanism that will hold the clutch
disengaged even when you remove your foot.
However it is possible for the engine vibrations to slam the clutch closed without warning.
If the engine doesn't kill at this point you can find yourself in some difficulty !

[2wheels]

edit - I should have googled "Jockey shifter" before replying, C'est la vie   

I wonder if you could set something up that would work like this -
I am not the best at explaining with words so you may have to use your imagination a lot.

This would all be on the left handle bar.
Normal clutch lever but the operation is a wee bit different.  The first half of the pull is the clutch normal.  The second half of the pull would work the gear shifter.  (kind of like a tractor with a double clutch )

Now the extra hardware, still on the left handle bar.  a leaver like a toggle switch that your thumb can operate.  It has 3 position, up - middle and down.

When in the middle position,  pulling in the clutch lever all the way only operates the clutch.
When in the up position, pulling in the clutch lever all the way also pulls the shifter up.  During the second half of the pull
When in the down position, pulling in the clutch lever all the way also pulls the shifter down.  During the second half of the pull

The mechanism (all at the handlebar) would only be levers and ratchet mechanism.

I have never built anything like this and it would take some engineering ( deep thinking or heavy drinking) but it might work.

[Sdsbassist]

the 750 clutch setup is separate from the turn signal deal, right? If so, should be easy to take off and set up on some 7/8 tubing.

[stewonepot]

something similar has been done years ago look at a lamberetta scooter
cheers stew

[DustyRags]

I was just thinking about the Lambretta, and weren't the old Vespas like that too?

IIRC, the lever activates the clutch, and you twist the handle to shift it.

[Black 750K8]

I was just thinking about the Lambretta, and weren't the old Vespas like that too?

IIRC, the lever activates the clutch, and you twist the handle to shift it.

Yes that was the way my Vespa worked in high school don't remember the year of the bike but I had it in 66 so it was maybe a 56

[754]

Just use a dirtbike lever..Cleaner..easier..