I have a linelock on my '87 Buick Grand National for the front brakes only for burnout use so I know how they operate; in that application I have it wired into the horn button. I ran my jockey shifted bike without a front brake for a couple of months, and what I did was rig up a handbrake to the shift lever (it looked like a reverse lockout mechanism; it was pretty slick) that would actuate a cable and manually pull the brake linkage under the bike. I drove from Santa Monica to Dana Point on Pacific Coast Highway with all it hills, and I only used it when stopped on uphill grades-- brake to stop with right foot, squeeze brake handle on shifter with left hand to hold bike stationary on hill, right foot down, wait for light, drop bike into gear with left hand while still squeezing brake, then release as clutch pedal is released.

 

you can pretty much eliminate all these hill problems by just running a front brake. ive always used it on uphill takeoffs no matter what bike im riding. i just use my middle finger on the brake lever with the rest of the hand pulling the throttle. seems the most comfy for me.

 

baddest street car ever imo. my absolute favorite so i'm partial and you've got a beauty there!

 

A couple of ideas for shifter handles that come to mind is using a Hurst pistol grip shifter. Those look cool on anything. Or an old pistol itself. I like the shift rod that old skool has on his.

Could use a piece of large diameter re-bar bent like you want and on the shift handle end split it length wise, heat it with a torch and drive a rail road spike into so it forms around the end of the spike and weld it together on the back side with the top of the spike lip facing forward. This way it looks like the spike is splitting the re-bar. This would definitely give the one of a kind look for the shifter your looking for.

 

i got this big *** knife and the handle is brass knuckles and on the knuks it says "never surender" at some point i'm gonna pull that handle off and tap it and put it on my scooter.....i think that would look awesome

 

The knife handle would be badass.
I think that rebar idea would look really cool but may be too heavy.
My mechanic had an idea for a saw-off double barrel shotty handle.

 

Use a skull that the eyes light up when you shift, that's be cool.

 

I am thinking about doing the jockey shift thing as well. Is there any advantage or disadvantage in bringing the shift lever directly off the shifter shaft or mounting it to the center motor mount and add a linkage. I have seen this setup in some pics. It seems like the motor mount setup is more complicated and expensive.
BTW I am thinking about making my shift rod and handle out of an exotic hardwood of some sort. Not quite sure what yet but just an idea. Maybe a bent lamination to match the form of the bike.