Help converting foot shift to tank shift

45brit
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#16

Post by 45brit »

Cotten;

you are quite right about the clutch pedal damper not being designed to be used that way. I did say you shouldn't make a habit of it, but I have done it occasionally when nothing else would serve, and it beats hitting the car in front

same about finding neutral with the old style handshift, with the original set-up you always know where you are and can go straight to neutral which is a very useful feature



riding a bike with a hand-shift / positive stop is quite easy when you get used to it, but it is definitely not the preferred option. However if you just want to try it out, it is fairly easy to set up and isn't a huge cost.

It was done originally to keep a small but important business sector which wanted something the Motor Company wasn't going to supply any more, not because it was technically superior in some way, because it isn't.

it isn't any harder than riding a bike with a British-style handshift ie right-side lever and left-hand clutch. Either way you have to come to neutral in good time, or you have a problem.


It's also important that I had the front disc brake, not a drum, and could come to a controlled stop using the right hand only, so I did actually have the option to put my right foot down at any time whether I had found neutral or not. I could come to a stop with the pedal held back ( HEEL DOWN ) and find neutral while I was waiting.


I would really stick with my original comment, that if you have a positive stop transmission you are best off sticking with the foot shift and hand clutch; but if you are determined to try a hand shifter, a late-type police shifter will let you try it without making all kinds of expensive changes.

I quite enjoyed my shovelhead with the late police shifter, but I have never felt any particular urge to set another bike up that way; it was an interesting oddity but that's all.
45brit
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#17

Post by 45brit »

come to think of it, the present owner of that bike has got an auxiliary hand lever on the left handlebar. So he can hold the clutch out with his left hand, and either reach across the tank, or nudge the lever with his knee.

WD 45s supplied to riders used to British bikes often had auxiliary hand levers too
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futher question then

#18

Post by chopperzz »

so i'm a new 65 owner. electric start hand shift with rocker foot clutch.
it doesn't have the tank gate and has no positive stop when shifting. I'm sure it was a police bike with the police dash. but i'm confused by reading this thread.
it has a mount on the downtube....???
Guest

#19

Post by Guest »

you have a police bike with hand-shift type transmission.

The lever will be mounted on the frame tube, and it will have a small integral gate underneath the lever pivot, there will be no tank gate. The lever assembly will contain an small spring to guide you through the gate. There will be a spacer block behind the rocker pedal mounting plate, so that it clears the aluminium chaincase

the hand-shift style transmission was supplied for quite a long time, some ploice shovelheads have it. It is all as it should be.


the very last police handshifts have a special lever for use with the positive stop transmission, because the MoCo had stopped making the handshift top but still had police contracts to fulfill. Police Evos and Japanese police bikes don't have handshifters at all
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#20

Post by Cotten »

'65s were produced with the earlier tank-mounted shift gate, but do not let that stop the project!

....Cotten
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tank shift years

#21

Post by oklahoma »

On Panheads what year were tank shift models?
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#22

Post by Cotten »

Oklahoma asked:
"On Panheads what year were tank shift models?"

All of them.

Footshifts were another option after they were introduced somewhere around '52 or so.

Not many right side shifts as there were through the Knuckle era, however. I shall ask: Has anyone seen any OEM right-side gates for a Pan?

...Cotten
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Re: Help converting foot shift to tank shift

#23

Post by cruzin55+ »

How can I post a question on this topic?
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Re: Help converting foot shift to tank shift

#24

Post by cruzin55+ »

I don’t know if I’m doing this correctly but here it goes: I have a ‘59 Pan. Had her over 40 years and have ran a ratchet top tranny with suicide clutch until a couple years ago when I purchased a “heel-toe” clutch. I’ve ran 5 gal tanks. Recently got a pogo seat set up and with that on I can no longer reach my shifter as it was right under my left leg. My shifter was nothing more than a short bar mounted directly to the ratchet.
Picked up a police style hand shift package that mounts to the frame. When installed correctly I should have the shifter up by the left tank. It came with no instructions. I have everything figured out but how to attach the provided rod to the ratchet top.
If I knew how to provide a pic for clarification I would. Can any one assist in this problem?
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Re: Help converting foot shift to tank shift

#25

Post by RUBONE »

If you just have a "rod" on your ratchet it is most likely missing the stock arm that hangs down connected by three screws to the ratchet. Without it you have no attachment point for the rod. Item #34447-52 in the parts book and this picture.

https://www.hydra-glide.net/kb/parts/41 ... 54_066.php
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Re:

#26

Post by OneHandDuo »

45brit wrote: Mon Oct 15, 2007 7:22 pm
I have at one time or another ridden a bike with a 'suicide pedal' of the usual chopper type, and didn't like it at all, and a bike with a pedal set down near the footboard so that you pivoted your heel on the footboard like a car clutch. This was actually rather good on the open road, but very awkward in traffic.

the key point is that you can't take your foot off the pedal unless you are in neutral, or your engine is stopped. If you have a stock front drum, which I guess you do, this will make your life un-necessarily complicated.
I ride a stock Panhead with Tank-mounted shift and foot (rocker) pedal.
Don' t think you can take your foot off the rocker when in gear while waiting at an intersection, just because the rocker pedal is rocked back and will stay there. Yes, the rocker is springloaded to not engage unless you rock it forward. Keep your foot on to stay unengaged, or go to neutral and THEN, only THEN take your foot off.

I know the design should prevent that it engages unexpectedly. Don t trust it. I have been there, twice. No more near-death experience needed.
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Re: Help converting foot shift to tank shift

#27

Post by Andygears »

A small thing I've found with the rocker clutch. On mine, pieced together, I found the side of the rocker pedal pushes down past the inner surface edge of the footboard and jams there when engaged. That was a problem so I made a small angle bracket to stop the "engaged" location of the pedal just above the board. Roo dog posted some spacers to move the pedal assembly outward recently, these would likely work but once you're in high gear I think it would leave even less room to move your foot off the pedal to a more comfortable position.

I feel comfortable riding is safer riding, smooth fully disengaged cluth make easier shifts, free throttle cable makes better launches, well adjusted brakes and proper tune. Idiot drivers are enough to worry about without making allowances for something maladjusted.

Just my thoughts
Andygears
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