Has anyone ever put a jockey shift on thier XS11?

[Sojourner]

Ok, so I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. After all, I haven't even BOUGHT the bike yet.

My dream bike is a Honest Charlie rip-off. I've always wanted to mount an old Ford Flathead 8 in a motorcycle frame. If only I could figure out a way to mount the clutch pedal on the left (where the shifter normally is on a bike) and could somehow manage to mount a 4sp tranny with a big Big Daddy Roth-style stick on the right (throttle on left). Why? Ever heard a Flathead? It would also be a pain in the ass to steal. That and how freaking cool would it be to do something like this....

"Hey man, that is wild! What kind of bike is it?" (him/her)
"It's a Ford." (me)

Apart from winning the lottery, the custom Flathead bike will never happen. So anyway, back to the Yamaha XS11. Has anyone ever mounted a jockey shift on their bike? And the clutch- what did you do with it? Looking to get some ideas so I can get the honey-do list in my head straight. Only have so much time to get the bike up and running before Spring. My Bday is also in Spring, and parts for the bike are high on the list (or wood to build a halfpipe ).


Thanks in advance.

[lee_dutcher]

i had the same idea with the jockie/suicide shifter....kinda like the jeese james hardknock bobbers......for acually puting one on there sould'nt be to hard but again its got to be made so that there is enough fulcrum to pull/push the shifter down without trying to beat the hell out of the shifter and tranny......as for the the foward clutch control i would have no advise on where to start wth except for maybe buy a set of foward controlds....and from there i dont know....good luck with the buy and if u do decide to build post picks...oh appoligize on the crappy spelling

[CatatonicBug]

I am in no way condoning the idea of a suicide shifter. However, these bikes CAN be shifted without a clutch. There is no clutch safety switch, and they actually up-shift quite easily without the clutch. Of course, there is the whole idea that you'd be wearing the tranny unnecessarily. I'm sure there are others with more constructive advice though.

[crazy steve]

I am in no way condoning the idea of a suicide shifter.

There you have it; the real name for a Jockey shift......

'78E original owner

[Sojourner]

I've got to get the bike home and take some measurements. Rather than a little stick (like a jockey whip), I was wanting to do more of a hotrod tall shifter. I thought a Rat Fink statue as the knob or something? Also considered using an epoxy filled PBR can, but I'm getting ahead of myself.

You got it Lee, I was figuring on running the clutch to something like a forward control. Now to get the bike home and sketch on up.

As for the "suicide" comment, you have an extremely valid point. With the clutch on a floorboard though, I don't see how it's that different from riding one handed. Now that's not the smartest thig to do either, but how many of us are guilty of it?

[randy]

Go with Rat Fink. "Big Daddy" forever!

[joceiphus]

If you have a long shift arm. When you shift it will put a **** ton of torque on the shifter shaft. It would be a good idea to put some kind of offset or something there. Or have a short shift arm.
I personally would avoid putting the clutch on the shift arm itself. A lot of people do it, but there's all kinds of bad that could happen.

Good luck

[lee_dutcher]

if i where to put suicide ****er on my bike i would refer to a car ****ing system.....not to complex but easy to adjust an repair if somthing goes wrong......or you can figure out how mount and air ****er........then have the ****er have the buttons on it to shift up and down thats a easyer way to do it but probibly cost you some coin...

[crazy steve]

..As for the "suicide" comment, you have an extremely valid point. With the clutch on a floorboard though, I don't see how it's that different from riding one handed. Now that's not the smartest thig to do either, but how many of us are guilty of it?

The difference is if you need to upshift/downshift in an emergency maneuver, taking your hand off the bars is the last thing you want to do.

That's why they're called suicide shifters. They disappeared off production bikes, what, 60 years ago?

'78E original owner

[Sojourner]

Same thing I was thinking Joe- leverage increases proportionaly as the length of the fulcrum increases. That's why you never see any 2" long breaker bars.

I was going to fab a loop (long oval) that the shifter went through and mount it to a long arm secured under the tank. That way the stick can only travel so far in either direction and it provides some left/right stability.

Had a bit of a head-slap moment when I read about mounting the clutch to the stick. Believe it or not I hadn't even thought of it. Aside from some cable sponge from the routing, what are the other problems? Stick-mounted clutch seems like an easy fix, but I'm still liking the idea of mounting a clutch pedal to what could be effectively called running boards. Haha- maybe I should be buying a Goldwing?!

[fredintoon]

- - - Has anyone ever mounted a jockey shift on their bike? And the clutch- what did you do with it? Looking to get some ideas so I can get the honey-do list in my head straight. - - - -

Hi Sojourner,
I get confused switching between my XS11 (stock controls) and my BSA (Britstyle left brake/right shifter) to the extent of locking the back wheel instead of shifting or crunching the gears instead of slowing down so just remember what you are riding, eh?
There are folks who modify bike controls so they can still ride despite having a physical handicap. You can't foot shift too well with a prosthetic foot, for instance.
Do a net search for variations on "handicapped bike rider"
to see how they coped and to find the specialists who make those controls.

[Guy_b_g]

Biggest problem with a suicide shifter isn't stopping, you can stop just fine without downshifting as long as you have all of your brakes, the problem is that one foot has to be on the clutch once you are stopped, until you get the bike into neutral, and again starting out once you shift into first. 90% of the time this is no big deal, but when you stop on a side grade where the low side is the side opposite the clutch it can be a problem. Also for people who have trouble starting out on up or downhill grades, modulating between the clutch and brakes. A sloppy shift in a corner can get you into trouble too, since you are riding one handed. It may look cool, but is a step backward in functionality and safety for sure.

Mounting the clutch to the stick would be a step forward, allowing you to put both feet down at a stop.

[Guy_b_g]

Whatever you do, if you have a suicide shifter and a foot clutch, don't get rid of the front brakes, or you will have no way to stop your bike from rolling on a grade when you stop.

[joceiphus]

Mounting the clutch to the stick would be a step forward, allowing you to put both feet down at a stop.

Hard launches and panic stops with one hand on the bars. Sharp turns from take off, or trying to feather the clutch. Not easy stuff with the clutch on the lever.

There's absolutely nothing wrong with having a suicide shift and foot clutch on your bike. It looks cool. It's easy as pie, and more fun than a sack full of farts!

[Guy_b_g]

There's absolutely nothing wrong with having a suicide shift and foot clutch on your bike. It looks cool. It's easy as pie, and more fun than a sack full of farts!

They're different, they look cool to some people. And they are absolutely inferior to the standardized controls on a modern bike, (unless you have a disability requiring them). As Steve stated in an earlier post, that's why they disappeared.

Hard launches and panic stops with one hand on the bars. Sharp turns from take off, or trying to feather the clutch. Not easy stuff with the clutch on the lever.

All true, but at least you can put both feet down at a stop.

I don't recommend either one of them.

To each their own.