So, WHY would anyone want a clutch mechanism that is spring loaded and prone to release at any time? A buddy of mine describes these as "mousetraps" that are/were used by folks who couldn't operate the foot clutch normally. I'm thinking they were devised by mechanics and doctors who profited from all the broken parts, mechanical and human body, that were broken upon it's sudden engagement. Or...are you saying that if they operate in this manner, they are defective or maladjusted?

 

They weren't mousetraps. They were rocker clutch pedals. A mousetrap is a device that was used on the first factory Big Twin hand clutch to provide a mechanical advantage. It was not ever used on a foot clutch.

 

Getting a finger caught while adjusting a "mousetrap" is a good way to smash a digit up, but it's just uncomfortable, not fatal. Kind of like hitting your finger with a hammer. The spring clutch assist or booster (mousetrap) was needed when HD first went to a hand clutch. With the cables of the early '50s you needed forearms like Popeye to pull in the clutch without one. Lined cables, and mousetrap eliminators made them unneeded in the '60s. Now they're just funky. If you look at my rocker clutch pedal in the bottom photo you'll see it's in the forward "toe to go" position. This is the same as a hand clutch all the way out. If you could see the back side of the mechanism, you'd see a big nut that holds a fiber washer and a steel wave that adjust tension on the pedal. If the nut is losened or lost, the spring pulls the pedal to the back position which is the same as pulling a hand lever all the way in.

The current practice of using a hand shift on a modern bike is primarilyfor style in my opinion.

Mousetrap (on front left framerail)


Rocker clutch

 

Don't know if we will ever get them to understand. How long to polish the cases on the Knuck?

 

And as someone mentioned on a hill with no front brake priceless

 

Not that long. Several hours, maybe 3 or 4. NOt hard to do when the cases are apart. I have a glass beader and clean them really good. An electric wheel and the right compounds cut well. I have to touch up the shine every now and then. That's a couple of hours with a Dremel.

 

Understand??? The 64 thousand dollar question is... Can I install this setup on my 04 Heritage Softail? I've never really investigated the mechanism, but I've been enamored with the idea of owning one since I was in college in 1979 and an off duty cop got into a verbal altercation with a biker while driving down the boulevard in front of the college. When the biker finally had enough, he reached down to shift and leave the guy and the cop thought he was reaching for a gun and shot him off the bike!

 

Very nice!!

 

I like that. Nice bike

 

There are several companies selling bolt-on kits to give you a hand shift setup. As far as I know all of these use a suicide clutch pedal. If you're going to try a rocker, you'll have to do some fabricating, but it shouldn't be to tough. Start with a 45" pedal, it's designed to work with a cable.