So,, speaking about old bikes,, anybody ever ride a..

[cowpuc]

Sitting here yappin with Tippy and she says,,, you probably have rode just about everything in your life aint cha,, to which I replied - not even close.. First to pop into my mind, aint never been rode a tank shift/foot clutch motorcycle..

Trying to imagine what coming to a stop sign, on an incline,, balancing on what foot while operating the clutch with the other would be like???

That being so,, gotta ask,, anyone care to share what its REALLY like???

[Flyinfool]

I think I would be so confused......

 

I have heard of such a thing but never saw one in real life.

So is it left foot clutch?

Right foot rear brake?

right hand throttle and front brake?

left hand shifter on tank?

 

So coming to a stop on gravel you would be braking with the right foot and clutching with the left foot and balancing ?????

I guess you would have to shift into neutral before you were stopped so you could plan to land on your left foot. then after your stopped shift weight to right foot so you can use the clutch to get going.

 

Just my poor little frozen brain babbling on here. I have no clue what I am talking about.

Edited April 4, 2014 by Flyinfool

[cowpuc]

I think I would be so confused......

 

I have heard of such a thing but never saw one in real life.

So is it left foot clutch?

Right foot rear brake?

right hand throttle and front brake?

left hand shifter on tank?

 

So coming to a stop on gravel you would be braking with the right foot and clutching with the left foot and balancing ?????

I guess you would have to shift into neutral before you were stopped so you could plan to land on your left foot. then after your stopped shift weight to right foot so you can use the clutch to get going.

 

Just my poor little frozen brain babbling on here. I have no clue what I am talking about.

 

Yeaaaaa,, thats exactly why I wondered if anyone had and experiences with one,, its confusing just thinking about it aint it Jeff!!

Now toss this into that mass confusion.. Most of those bikes had a right side twist grip throttle BUT they also had a left side twist grip spark advance and an oil pump on the tank that you had to pump every so often to move oil thru the engine (literally was the engines oil supply - every push on the pump shot oil out onto the ground after going thru the engine - called a total loss system)..

So,, indeed,, Right hand - throttle - front brake, Left hand - spark advance - shift on the tank with it - pump oil thru the engine.

Left foot trap door/suicide clutch, right foot rear brake..

 

Sounds like a BLAST just getting to go down the road dont it!!

[Mobile]

Hello, I owned and rode a 1947HD EL 61cu" for many years it had the foot clutch and tank shift .when you depressed the front pedal it engaged the clutch and with the rear pedal it disengaged the clutch it was a system that I never had any problems with , but if the bolt in the center of the two pedals was not in the tighter mode it could vibrate and the bike would jump forward if you had you foot off the clutch,these bikes had manual spark advance and a carb that was like "a stovepipe with a wet sponge in it " it had the knuckle head top end , no rear suspension , but a spring seat with a buddy spring if you had a passenger it had a springer frontend but after a few years I put on a hydraulic front end of one of the other HD's that I had I've been riding since 1956 at the start the bikes where mostly British my first one was a 53 Triumph Thunderbird 650 at the age of 16, I still ride and now ride a 2000RSV but many types have come and gone over the years, I was able to shift as fast or faster than many of the guys who had hand clutches and foot shifts and that used to piss them off. Hope this info will help you . ".Mobile "

PS: the clutch was kind of spring loaded and as you pressed heal or toe you could lean to control your shifts such as riding the clutch at times . . Mobile

[cowpuc]

Hello, I owned and rode a 1947HD EL 61cu" for many years it had the foot clutch and tank shift .when you depressed the front pedal it engaged the clutch and with the rear pedal it disengaged the clutch it was a system that I never had any problems with , but if the bolt in the center of the two pedals was not in the tighter mode it could vibrate and the bike would jump forward if you had you foot off the clutch,these bikes had manual spark advance and a carb that was like "a stovepipe with a wet sponge in it " it had the knuckle head top end , no rear suspension , but a spring seat with a buddy spring if you had a passenger it had a springer frontend but after a few years I put on a hydraulic front end of one of the other HD's that I had I've been riding since 1956 at the start the bikes where mostly British my first one was a 53 Triumph Thunderbird 650 at the age of 16, I still ride and now ride a 2000RSV but many types have come and gone over the years, I was able to shift as fast or faster than many of the guys who had hand clutches and foot shifts and that used to piss them off. Hope this info will help you . ".Mobile "

PS: the clutch was kind of spring loaded and as you pressed heal or toe you could lean to control your shifts such as riding the clutch at times . . Mobile

 

Now THATS what I am talking about Mobile!!

THAT IS AN AMAZING STORY!!!

 

If you happen to have any old bike pictures you would be willing to share I would LOVE to see them!! Also,, if you think of any other experiences you wanted to share I would LOVE to hear about em.. Congrats on a lifetime of motorcycling history!!

 

Pleasure was mine Mobile!!

Puc

[Peder_y2k]

Yes, what MOBILE said:cool10:. I first learned to ride a '48 Harley at 11y.o. on a rutted Alberta prairie road. Couldn't stop for but a second as the skeeters would catch up and eat me alive. Shove the left foot clutch pedal forward to go, step on the rear to disengage, and slip the left side tank lever into gear positions. Rear brake pedal on right. I think it also had a thumb throttle, but it was long ago and don't remember well. Furthered my learning on a '56 Triumph Bonneville 650 with gear selector on right pedal, rear brake on left. The brain has a way to make adjustments.

-Pete, in Tacoma WA USA

[Sylvester]

The police departments liked the foot clutch for the ability to get off the bike quickly. I had a 62 Duo Glide w/foot clutch and tank shift that was bought at a police auction. They kept that jockey shift into the late 60's and maybe later.

 

[The Tooch]

What Peder_y2k said......

 

I rode my 1st Brit bike 2 years ago.....over 40 years of ridding....I'm on my friend's, "Blood, Sweat & Tears" fully restored by him 1967 Norton Commando and it looks like a million dollars........he insists I take it for a ride.

 

And the shifter is my right foot? Oh, the front brake is still my right hand. What? The back brake is my left foot? The clutch is still my left hand....and you ride on the wrong side of the road......I can do this!?......

 

Turns out I had two left feet but the bike was fine......I went down the driveway turned around on the road came back up........never left 1st gear perfect! Not a scratch!

[cecdoo]

Had an old P-11 Norton, 1up and 3 down on rite side. When you nailed it in first it slid you so far back in the seat it was everything you could do to get your weight front to push down for 2nd gear. Thing was pretty peppy in its day.

 

Craig

[Dragonslayer]

I think I would be so confused......

 

I have heard of such a thing but never saw one in real life.

So is it left foot clutch?

Right foot rear brake?

right hand throttle and front brake?

left hand shifter on tank?

 

So coming to a stop on gravel you would be braking with the right foot and clutching with the left foot and balancing ?????

I guess you would have to shift into neutral before you were stopped so you could plan to land on your left foot. then after your stopped shift weight to right foot so you can use the clutch to get going.

 

Just my poor little frozen brain babbling on here. I have no clue what I am talking about.

You know there is usually practical reasons why some designs fall by the wayside and new designs and technologies emergence.... Machine evolution if you will..

[Dragonslayer]

Hey Puc,

 

Are you planning on going to the International Rally in Gunthersville, Alabama this summer.

 

If so I think it would be great to take a ride down to Leeds, Alabama and visit the Barber Museum and Race track. I would love to tour that with you. I've been there before and this would be right down your alley.

 

http://barbermuseum.org/

[syscrusher]

Hey Puc,

 

Are you planning on going to the International Rally in Gunthersville, Alabama this summer.

 

If so I think it would be great to take a ride down to Leeds, Alabama and visit the Barber Museum and Race track. I would love to tour that with you. I've been there before and this would be right down your alley.

 

http://barbermuseum.org/

 

 

The Barber Museum is definitely a great place to go.

 

I read that to accommodate police who wanted to be able to shoot at the crooks they were chasing while laying on the throttle some of the throttles on early Indians were on the left side. So you would advance the spark with your right hand, brake with right foot and hand, shift with right hand, twist throttle with left hand, clutch/declutch with left foot.

 

Of course there is this very interesting article about old control systems for motorcycles that says the whole "riding and shooting" thing is all a myth:

 

http://occhiolungo.wordpress.com/2010/05/02/riding-an-early-bike-1-myths-about-indians-and-guns/

[Huggy]

Had a Harley with the suicide shifter in the seventies!!! It was a blast, don't remember it being any big deal to operate. Come to think of it don't remember a lot about the seventies!!!