Suicide shifter
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A suicide shifter is hand-shifter mounted onto a motorcycle.
Suicide shifters are not a recent idea, but not very popular. The name comes from the fact that you have to drive the motorcycle with one hand while shifting which has a certain degree of danger involved. Suicide shifters are not usually sold as an aftermarket part, but instead, have to be fabricated for the target vehicle.
[edit] Types of Shifters
Clutchless Suicide Shifter - This is where the shifter is a regular knob and involves the semi-complex task of two-handed shifting. One hand is used to press the clutch lever on the handlebars and the second hand is used to shift gears. A poorly designed motorcycle will have the clutch and a clutchless shifter on the same side making shifting during operation extremely dangerous or even impossible.
Clutched Suicide Shifter - This shifter has a clutch lever on it allowing one-handed shifting. This shifter is preferred since greater steering control is retained during shifting.
[edit] Shifter How-to
It is very rare that to see a suicide shifter for sale as they have to be custom fabricated and attached to the vehicle. Remember, you will need a crossover rod and parallel lifter if your shifter is clutchless. Otherwise, you will have to double-wire the clutch, so the clutch can be engaged from two places on the vehicle.
