Suicide clutch and handlebar cable

[kell]

You guys that have used suicide clutches know how clumsy they are in city traffic. Well I saw that bike in The Horse with a suicide clutch and a second cable to the handlebar, and that got me thinking.
Had a mousetrap eliminator in a box under my workbench. If I could just machine the present tranny clutch lever to accept a second cable I would have a hand clutch in addition to the suicide pedal.
Did it, took it out today, works great. I keep hearing the theme song from M*A*S*H, "Suicide is Painless..."

[suicideshovel65]

Kell mate, how do you shift when you are using your left hand to work the clutch? It sounds like a great setup, but I'm still trying to picture how you work it?

Another idea I saw on a Paul Yaffe bike, was the clutch lever actually on the hand-shift lever. You reached down and squeezed the clutch lever whilst working the shift lever.
Not too stable in slow traffic without both hands on the bars, but an interesting take on it all I thought.
Cheers,

S.

[kell]

The hand lever is redundant, useful not for shifting but for the kind of riding where you're gonna have to stay in first anyway, and ride the clutch -- like happens in heavy traffic sometimes. Or for pulling out from a stop, if you have somebody on the back of the bike that's going to lean left just as you're letting out the clutch. Try explaining it wasn't your fault you killed the bike, you had to take your foot off the clutch to keep the bike from falling over. NOT! To top it all off you have to kick start the bike with the hot Polish waitress you just met standing there looking on.
So push-in-the-foot-clutch-shift-into-first-grab-the-hand-lever-put-foot-down. Pull away like a reg'lar safety-conscious motor sickle rider. Sounds complicated but some people will do anything (like me).

Regarding the Yaffe setup you mentioned, a guy where I work did the same thing, put a clutch lever on his shifter, but I haven't seen it yet. I'll report back if it's interesting.
At least I'm not the only guy that does crazy stuff with a clutch.

[suicideshovel65]

d'oh - I gotcha. Nice idea.
I wonder if something couldn't be done with the left side twist grip as a redundant clutch - where it's always engaged as the default position, but the grip could be twisted to disengage when required...would neaten up that left bar somewhat, and still be trick...

[Fast Ed 53]

Kell,This idea sounds like it works great!!,just another groove cut in the arm? I assume when you push in the foot clutch the hand lever comes in with it. Great idea, this site pays off every day!!! Fast Ed

[dirtydistrict]

Suicide, it has been done somewhere in the US on a chopper project; the result was that twisting that clutch grip was a bodybuilder contest

[Sidecar]

Kell,

I'm assuming that you moved the brake lever to the right side and put the clutch lever in it's place ( on the handlebars) ??

I asked a local shop about putting a clutch lever on the bars for the same purpose that you described. The owner told me that it's no problem, you just have to buy the kit to do it. I have no idea what the kit is though.

I haven't been able to talk myself into putting a hand clutch on the bike. I want to keep it foot clutch only.

[kell]

Yes the brake lever is on the right, clutch on the left. For the extra hand clutch lever and cable just use a regular mousetrap eliminator kit. You won't use the short tranny clutch lever that comes with it though, since you are most likely using a longer one for the foot control and you need to keep that. You have to connect the mousetrap eliminator cable to the tranny clutch lever somehow, that's all. To determine the point at which to connect the cable end, measure the mousetrap eliminator tranny lever's length. Connect at the corresponding point on your tranny lever. Drill a hole and slot similar to the one on the moustrap kit. I have a homemade clutch lever that's more like a flat bar than a round rod, so my solution is a little different. Anybody that wants to do this will have to figure out the best way to machine their rod to receive the cable ball end, without weakening it too much.
DirtyD methinks you are most likely right about the twist grip challenge. The present governor of California could probably deal with it. I used to get tendonitis in my left forearm just from pulling that clutch lever all the time, and sometimes in cold weather it just killed me. Part of the reason I switched to jockey shift.

[Sidecar]

"You have to connect the mousetrap eliminator cable to the tranny clutch lever somehow, that's all."

There is additional hardware on my foot clutch that is not used for anything. I would imagine that this is the connection point. I was going to take it off, but I decided to replace the whole thing with a parkerized unit because mine is chrome. [I'm trying to keep the chrome off my bike] I havent gotten around to ordering the new one yet.

[suicideshovel65]

How about running the twist-grip cable to the mousetrap itself?
My clutch cable currently runs all the way from the lever directly into the kicker cover - no tranny clutch arms or anything.
Hmmm might be an interesting test to try, seeing as I have just bought a mousetrap to install on the bike anyway.
Cheers,

S.

[haggis]

Great ideas guys,,,
think the twist grip would work with a mouse trap properly set up...(.should be able to work the lever with one finger if all is well.) one thing is with the twist or lever action..will you be dragging the foot clutch parts (Rod and pedal) too with the clutch release arm? Haggis

[kell]

The suicide clutch pedal doesn't cause any drag on the hand pull, it just bobs down or up along with it. They work in unison. Gives an interesting new feel to using the clutch. And it has been coming in darn handy in the New York City traffic.

[Sidecar]

Kell,

I can see why you wanted that hand clutch if you're ridding in New York traffic !!!!!!
Scares me just thinkin about it !!!!!!
Hell, I don't even ride in Pittsburgh traffic and it ain't nowhere near as bad as NY.......
Keep them eyes open !!!!

[Guest]

I've been riding my jock-top suicide-hand clutch for 34 years. It's just a mouse trap with a bracket to accept a shifter peg. I designed it because being an all year rider, I got tired of falling down in the snow (I lived in Wyoming). It came in real handy at stop signs on a hill when I visited Frisco. Of course you have to use the foot clutch to shift. The Hand clutch is for that take-off and starts on hard to manage surfaces. I am spoiled now, I use it at all starts and stops. I'm not sure if I could deal with a straight up suicide anymore, but then again Im too old for that shit anymore (over 50).

[Sidecar]

Damn. You guys have now got me wondering about putting a clutch cable in the twist grip for emergency purposes only. This may turn into a winter project......