Suicide Shifters & Foot Clutches 

Interesting. In the 1970s I had a Harley Davidson Electra Glide Police Special with the foot clutch and tank shifter. I managed fine. I could never get the shifter gate adjusted for all gears. I converted it to a ratchet top transmission so I didn't need to search for gears. Later I chopped the bike and ran a jockey shifter. I still kept the heel toe friction plate clutch, chromed of course. When I chopped it I severely reduced the wiring so I eliminated the ignition switch and only had an ignition toggle switch. Nobody else could ride it, nobody was going to steal it.

As far as I can figure out, a "suicide clutch" is simply one with no means of stopping the clutch plates engaging when you took your foot off the clutch pedal. This is completely normal on manual-shift automobiles (a.k.a. "cars" in Australasia) and not considered at all suicidal, but it does makes life a lot more interesting on a foot-clutch mo'sickle and as-such is normally restricted to devices created by your more hard-core type of chopper builder. As a rider of a stock '44 Indian Chief, on the other hand, I am glad for the adjustable friction washer that allows you to avoid suicide because you can then take your foot off the clutch pedal when stationary with the bike in gear! To really get up the noses of Harley chopper/bobber riders who so proudly have a so-called "suicide clutch" and "jockey shift" set-up installed on bikes running a Big Twin four-speed transmission, it becomes very pertinent for pre-1954 Indian owners to point out that "Synchro-mesh is for pansies, a Real Man rides with a "crash'n'burn" non-synchro transmission!" (a.k.a."Gearbox" in Australasia). Follow-up video needed for yuppies to guide them through "synchro" vs. "non-synchro"?

I had a bike i madeup a handshifter with a clutch handle attached to it i took a while to get used to no fear of dead

I disagree with your comment on the Indian four (I've owned two and a Henderson 4). The foot clutch of the four and Henderson is not a suicidal clutch at all. As your vid demonstrated the clutch has a safety lock out in the event of the need for a quick stop and a foot plant. Is it a true safety clutch -probly not. Is it suicidal, nope. Just my opinion.

Nice!🤘

these days they are also removing the front brake just for looks with foot clutch and jockey shifter, now to me that is a true suicide machine.

Nice vid. Loving the pop culture references... I used to have an S4R Monster Testastretta too! Authorities standardised the positions of shift and clutch levers due to accidents when people would swap from one type of bike to another.

Age and weakness has precluded my ability to up,shift my 2007 stteet. Glide. I had hand clutch with shifter arm attachment mounted.. To me, it,is awkward as He'll. if. I really don't like it at all . If there Was any. Alternative I would not have done it. I rode tank shift harley In the past but were a piece of cake compared to this..i have a side car Mounted to my bike. Without it I would have fallen over. It is going to tak❤e a lot of time to get proficient with this new shifter. I am 85 I don.t lknow if have the time to do so.

I would have thought that the suicide shifter would have been called that because you have to take a hand off the bars to change gears. Eh, whatever... I've never ridden a clutch like that Edit: oh hell yeah, a model K!

The Suicide shift term refers to a scoot with a foot clutch ,a shifter handle right off the tranny and no front brake on the scoot. Stopping on a hill made taking off suicidal.

Hi, another excellent video, always amusing, a fine arse and no buggering about😂😂😂

First of your videos I've seen. I won't be watching any more.

The whole term suicide clutch is a load of shit, imo I have a 48 & 56 pan both foot clutch (not rocker) drop the clutch and they’ll just stall and not move more than a foot my shovel is the same, I like the term but myth busted 😂😂

Good video. I get so tired of misinformed crap calling them suicide shifters. There's no such thing and to call it that shows your ignorance. Hopefully this video will inform those.