Mousetrap conversion

[King]

Hi All
I had an accident a few months ago precipitated by my foot slipping off the clutch pedal on my 51 Pan which indicates that perhaps my balance is not what it used to be. Several of my club bros suggested that I should convert to foot shift/hand clutch which I am in the reluctant process of doing. My question is would a "mousetrap eliminator" work in my application. It sure would save a fair bit of hassle.
King

[RUBONE]

If the clutch pedal of your '51 is adjusted properly, if your foot slips off nothing happens!
Robbie

[alwaysamopar]

Is it a rocker clutch or a suicide clutch?

[PanPal]

The mousetrap eliminator should work, but it takes more effort to pull it in than one using a mousetrap. The mousetrap is a mechanical advantage.

[Tejaspan]

Hey King, I've run a mousetrap on mine since the 80s. It may be a little bit more to start pulling it in but if it's adjusted correctly it's like a compound bow, it has a break-over point. You wouldn't have a problem setting it up on your 51.

[panhead_kicker]

King,
If you decide to run the eliminator, you will want to run a shovel clutch pack and springs. The shovel springs are less difficult to compress, and the clutch pack has more discs. Pan clutch springs make the eliminator a tough way to go!

[Sir_Rat]

You can easily run the mouse trap eliminator and also have a super easy pull clutch lever (2 finger easy) if you switch to the Barnett Scorpion clutch setup. Its kinda pricey......$500 to $600 I think ..depending on where you get it. I paid $500 for the one in my Frankenstein, (Closed primary, belt drive, elec start). It made the bike feel like a new bike. No more clutch drag, I no longer have to try and find nuetral before the bike comes to a complete stop. In fact I can sit at a light while the motors running and shift all the way up and all the way down through all the gears and nuetral. I have absolutley no "Clunk" at all any more. Its so smooth shifting now it literally felt like a whole new bike. Even feels faster. Best $500 I ever spent on a bike. I'm going to run one on the '37 UL I'm puting together. All you do is assemble and then press their clutch hub assembly into your clutch basket and then put the clutch and primary back together and ride!!

[Bosheff]

Mousetrap or no mousetrap, it should not take a conscious effort to pull the lever in. If yer not runnin a mouse trap, make sure yer using the -68 springs in the pressure plate assembly. If you are runnin a mousetrap, proper adjustment is critical. An often overlooked detail in the mousetrap are the two Torrington bearings the bellcrank shaft rotates inside of. There is a grease zerk for lubin these bearings, but often they are dried up or full of crud and old hardened grease. Servicing these bearings makes a night and day difference. Don't over adjust the 3 adjustment nuts on the inner hub studs. I only tighten them down to the point that the clutch won't slip. If the clutch doesn't slip when kickstarting, it usually won't slip going down the road. As mentioned before, a mousertrap is an over center device. The manual is at best difficult to understand when it comes to adjusting a mousetrap. Spend a little time figuring out the principle of how they work. All else must be up to snuff if the clutch is expected to work properly. The only non stock item I use is a plastic hub retainer, and the old style Barnett aluminum wet/dry plates. A mousetrap is a thing of beauty. You will never be without a clutch if ya run a trap....bosheff

[steve_wood]

Bosheff:

You said it man. When I adjusted my mousetrap and clutch, I followed the manual (ha !) carefully and ended up with something that just didn't seem right. So then I used my intuition and adjusted everything to make sure that the clutch engaged and disengaged with the right amount of effort and that seemed to work just fine.

A perfect example of how pan riders must be intimately familiar with their sled.

And one of the reasons why maintaining and riding one of these kritters is so rewarding.

[doug_heisel]

Bosheff:

You said it man. When I adjusted my mousetrap and clutch, I followed the manual (ha !) carefully and ended up with something that just didn't seem right. So then I used my intuition and adjusted everything to make sure that the clutch engaged and disengaged with the right amount of effort and that seemed to work just fine.

A perfect example of how pan riders must be intimately familiar with their sled.

And one of the reasons why maintaining and riding one of these kritters is so rewarding.

Yeah I just finished putting my clutch back together and adjusting my trap according to the manual it wouldn't latch in the lock position I took it off fiddled with it locking it un locking it and put it back on adjusted it according to common sense and it works great I can probably hold the clutch all day long with my pinky finger

[King]

Thanks to all for the informative replies. I think I will shop about for a mousetrap first and if I don't find one go with the eliminator and a new clutch springs/pack set-up.

As a cautionary tale I will relate what led up to this. On our club's annual Freeze Your-Butt ride the Sunday after Thanksgiving, I was attempting to do a U-Turn on a wet dirt road. This involved going up a short slope then entering the road to complete the turn. As I went up the slippery slope with the clutch fully engaged the bike and I slipped to the left causing me to put my left foot down and inadvertently twist up the wick. I shot the 30 or so feet across the road and impacted a mud bank flipping me into the ditch. Result was a dislocated left shoulder and multiple rotator cuff tears in both shoulders but thankfully no damage to the Pan. So in a similar situation I recommend getting off the bike and pushing it.

Thanks again,
King

[Panhead Ed]

Youll like the Clutch Booster "mousetrap" , once you get familiar with it you can dial it to your likeing and can make your lever oh so sweet "effortless" to squeeze , carfull with your fingers while you get to know how it works .... follow the manual for the correct measurements and youll be fine .
youll need to change the trans. lid to a ratchet style as well.........

[doug_heisel]

I've heard another benefit to a mousetrap is if your clutch cable breaks you can reach down and trip the trap by hand and still get to where you're going.

[Panacea]

Wow King, sounds like a painful misshap. Hope the shoulders heal up. I had the right rotator fixed in 02, takes about a year to get back to normal...Mike

[steinauge]

It used to be pretty common to see a handshift lever on a mousetrap.The idea was if the clutch cable broke you just used the lever.-Hadnt thought of that in years.I dont care for them but a properly adjusted mousetrap is about as close to a zero effort clutch pull as you can get!