suicide shifter
#41
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I too used to ride a Jockey shift back in the 70's and early 80's.
I had it on a Flathead 80, 47 Knuckle, and a 80 80" On the 80 I traded for an older Tranny with a jockey top....
The old Jockey tops where great because you had a neutral between every gear, no searching for a neutral, if ya got in trouble ya just tapped your shifter forwards or back and you where safe....
As mentioned abouve, a jockey without a front brake sucked....Ran a lot of stop signs on hills....
The clean handelbars really looked good without a clutch or break lever....
And shifting quick was not a problem....I could keep up with the group....Even got 3rd gear rubber a few times....
Wheelies where easier, two hands on the bars, rev it up and pop the foot clutch....
Ahhhh...the good old days.
I had it on a Flathead 80, 47 Knuckle, and a 80 80" On the 80 I traded for an older Tranny with a jockey top....
The old Jockey tops where great because you had a neutral between every gear, no searching for a neutral, if ya got in trouble ya just tapped your shifter forwards or back and you where safe....
As mentioned abouve, a jockey without a front brake sucked....Ran a lot of stop signs on hills....
The clean handelbars really looked good without a clutch or break lever....
And shifting quick was not a problem....I could keep up with the group....Even got 3rd gear rubber a few times....
Wheelies where easier, two hands on the bars, rev it up and pop the foot clutch....
Ahhhh...the good old days.
#42
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Personally, I like suicide shifts. So, I say go for it. You may want to check out ball-bearing lock up clutch kits though. I've heard it'll allow you to essentially ignore the clutch. Once you back off the throttle, you can shift, then you get back on the throttle. You can find them in Drag Specialties books and such.
#44
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Just checking here - my understanding is that the shifter is a jockey and the clutch is suicide. So there is not really a suicide shifter. Suicide clutch started with the old rocker clutch pedal, when you would saw off the heel pad and remove the spring, so they would operate like a car clutch - push down and spring return to engage. The suicide part comes in because on a hill, you cant have a foot on the rear brake and clutch at the same time (no foot on the ground). Especially a problem running a chopper spool hub w/no front brake. Does anyone have different info on that?
I think that Wikipedia definition on the first page is wrong. I have a 1946, with a tank shift/foot clutch, and as far as I know, that isn't a suicide - stock HD set-ups were not.
I think that Wikipedia definition on the first page is wrong. I have a 1946, with a tank shift/foot clutch, and as far as I know, that isn't a suicide - stock HD set-ups were not.
Last edited by jupiter2; 01-02-2011 at 03:57 PM.
#45
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The two that I have had, the clutch was on the throttle grip side. No front brake. one was fabricated by a buddy and had a pineapple grenade on top. Looked killer. The other was a torque wrench. I think they got a bad name early on, like anything else if you take the time to get used to it a "suicide shifter" or " jockey shift can be a sweet thing!
#47
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You guys don't match your engine rpm to your gears when you downshift?
You LIKE the feeling of taking your hand off the bars to shift through a corner or a turn? Damn, you guys are goooood!
i believe in the back of Backstreet Chopper i saw a new product thing on a new shift dog for jockey's and suicides. it puts neutral at the bottom, so that in a "quick" situation, you just bang it all the way down to the bottom and don't have to hunt back up for neutral.
In a real world "quick" situation you don't give a crap about where neutral is, you want to know where FIRST gear is!
Sorry for preaching guys, I just don't get why you would want to screw up a perfectly efficient system (footshift/handclutch) just for the look or the fun of it.
Flame away…
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#48
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i believe in the back of Backstreet Chopper i saw a new product thing on a new shift dog for jockey's and suicides. it puts neutral at the bottom, so that in a "quick" situation, you just bang it all the way down to the bottom and don't have to hunt back up for neutral.
sounds like a really good idea to me. so much so that it made me kinda consider it.
sounds like a really good idea to me. so much so that it made me kinda consider it.
Baker makes a "N1" setup. Nuetral at the bottom. i have it in my Ultra and love it. Takes a little adjusting to it. Used to taking off all the way down...
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#49
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Just checking here - my understanding is that the shifter is a jockey and the clutch is suicide. So there is not really a suicide shifter. Suicide clutch started with the old rocker clutch pedal, when you would saw off the heel pad and remove the spring, so they would operate like a car clutch - push down and spring return to engage. The suicide part comes in because on a hill, you cant have a foot on the rear brake and clutch at the same time (no foot on the ground). Especially a problem running a chopper spool hub w/no front brake. Does anyone have different info on that?
I think that Wikipedia definition on the first page is wrong. I have a 1946, with a tank shift/foot clutch, and as far as I know, that isn't a suicide - stock HD set-ups were not.
I think that Wikipedia definition on the first page is wrong. I have a 1946, with a tank shift/foot clutch, and as far as I know, that isn't a suicide - stock HD set-ups were not.
Nothing like riding down a potholed, dirt road on a rigid frame, springer front end with a suicide clutch. Every time you rolled over a hole your foot would lift off the clutch and you would goose the throttle slightly. It was real stop and go driving. ;-)
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