Suicide Shifter- Please explain
 

Will some of you who know motorcycles please explain what a "suicide shifter" is. I know airplanes but know nothing about motorcycles. Thank you.

Im not really sure, ive just seen it on those chopper shows on disc. channel, but i think its "suicide" because you take your hand off the bars, kick the clutch, and shift with your hand. i dunno, im just guessing. i actually have no idea how to ride a motorcycle, so i dont know why im even trying to answer your question.

A suicide clutch is a left-foot pedal clutch that allows the builder to use a leverless handlebar design. It also makes it a royal pain in the ass to turn left from a dead stop, or to stop on an incline with your right foot on the uphill side. The suicide shifter also includes a hand shifter in addition to the suicide clutch.

Extra info: a rocker clutch pedal is one that can be clicked into place and has to be rocked back with the foot to re-engage the clutch.

Yeah on my dads knucklehead he put the shifter behind the seat which is a suicide style, plus he has the foot clutch but it can't be clicked into place. And those two reasons are the only thing preventing me from riding his bike. But it does prevent people from trying to steal it :)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but the shifter behind the seat is called a jockey shift (you look like your whipping your horse when shifting).

My best friend used to own a '69 (i think) Sportster that had the foot controls switched... it just didn't feel right riding that bike.

One of those OCC bikes actually had the clutch on the end of the suicide shifter. I guess it's a syle thing, but I don't think I'd like riding one.

It's been pretty well explained here. "Suicide" anything on a bike is a term used for a control what requires you to move a hand off the bars or a foot away from the foot brake. It is, in essence, something to make a motorcycle even more difficult and less safe. That said, I dig em simply for the cool factor.

THGL - Your friend may just have had a Brit reimport. Brit bikes have a reversed control system, from the American perspective, though I think they've come round. They also had such fun things as Lucas electrics, which meant positive grounds and other such fun things. They were truly a work of madcap art, though I don't know if I would cause Lucas, the inventor of darkness, a genius as usually follows the term "madcap".

Still, I'd love to own an old Norton or Trumpy. The new Triumphs ain't all bad neither. The Rocket is downright scary.

actually moonduck the old harleys were backwards from todays bikes. I believe they made them like that into the 70's

I've heard that the term originated in san fransisco in the mid to late 60's. guys with "Frisco" style bikes would have no front brake, and a jockey shifter setup with the shifter behind the rider's left leg as described. in order to stop on frisco's notorious inclines the rider would have to roll into the flat of the intersection, in way of the traffic. thus it's called suicide.

however, i've also heard that this term was around before this time period,in different parts of the country, although i'm not sure how it came about.

That is what it means around here from what I remember. It's high up on the cool factor...as long as you don't tip over to your left while stopped at a red light.

i wouldnt call a bike with a jockey shifter and a rocker clutch a suicide setup, you can set the clutch and take your foot off at a stop

suicide/jockey/ whatever shift with a handle and foot clutch is overrated anyways.


its all about high pegs and kickshifters

Maverick, I'm a dumbass. My Dad's '50 panhead is set up that way. It's just been in pieces so long I didn't remeber it until you said something.

Frame's in my garage right now, poor old neglected thing...