Heal Toe Shifter

[CrazyHorse]

That's my problem too. There isn't enough room between the heel and toe for a size 10 to fit let alone a clodhopper.... And my clodhopper's bigger than your clodhopper.... Surgery on the back pedal my be the only way. Either that or go back to the original and sell the boards and shifter on Ebay. It's just that it looks cool....

 

I wear 13 also on my Harley Roadking I had trouble having my foot catch between the front and back shifter I ended up unscrewing the rear heal shifter part and removing it but I still use the back part of the bar extension for the heal shift works fine for me. So basically I'm still shifting heal toe style but am using the bar that extends back to up shift just without the peg part. Works fine for me. I don't know if thats an option for the Venture one or not.

[Sailor]

I like it. It is real easy to use now that I am used to it. Was on a bike with just a toe shifter recently and had a problem getting my big feet under the shifter. If I had another bike I would put the heel/toe shifter on it.

[bigbob]

Cut mine off the first week after I got the bike. Riding around town one day,I went to stop at a stop sign to find my shoe laces tangled on the heel end,just about went down, poped the clutch,turned on the gas took off. Thats when it got cut off.

Anybody want to buy an almost new heel end shifter reeeel cheeeap ?????

 

Ride safe: Bigbob

[V7Goose]

Well, I swore I was not gonna add anything else to this thread, but I just cannot help myself. As far as big feet go, I wear 13s, and I also always wear cowboy boots (they tend to be longer than other boots in same size), and I have absolutely NO problems fitting my big feet on the floor boards and moving them around with the stock heel/toe shifter. It is not a matter of space, it is all in what you want. If you don't want it, you will find lots of excuses why it is no good. If you do want it, you will adapt to whatever you have. I personally find it terribly uncomfortable to up-shift with the toe on floorboards. But that is just me. I get to enjoy what I want, just like everyone else gets to make their own choices!

Goose

[Midrsv]

I wear size 11.5 boots and I love the heel/toe shifter. I have tried shifting a few times as if I didn't have the heel part and found it too uncomfortable to lift the front shifter with my toe. With floor boards you don't have the peg to pivot your foot on. To me it feels very natural to lift my heel and upshift. When upshifing I just keep my foot on the floorboard with the heel adjacent to the rear peg and when the time comes to shift just raise my heel, pivot the foot about the ball of the foot and let the heel down. No problems. I have had my shoe lace catch on the front shift peg a few times. I've ridden my friends Gold Wings a few times and I hate the wing's shifter. To each his own...

 

DT

[Yammer Dan]

Was wondering about you, Skid and Frogman thought maybe you guys hit the powerball and were out shopping:rotf: Craig

 

 

If I could go shopping right now it would be for something "BLUE"

I did win 3 bucks on that Powerball ticket so they didn't get it all!! Had 3 numbers only needed 6.

[FROG MAN]

A friend of mines wife was one of the winners. I used to work on the communications in his patrol car years ago. I'm sure he remembers me but 12 million makes his memory very cloudy. I'm sure I'm non existent now.He quit his job this week. I hope he made sure his wife was still going to keep him and the 12 million not just the money.:rotf::rotf:

[Yammer Dan]

I am related to Jack Whittaker a little(385 Mill. winner) He is my brother-in-Laws 1st cousin. Didn't do me any good. Didn't even try. I'll just buy tickets.

[FROG MAN]

I think jack is broke now. wonder how that happened?

[Ferrantelli]

I have bikes with both, in my humble opinion:

Pegs only toe shifters.

Floor boards heal & toe shifters.

 

It is not natural and uncomfortable (and more so when wearing boots with heals) to up-shift with ones toes when on a floor board, the foot has to pivot off of the very end of the heal unlike with pegs were it pivots on the arch.

[Guest KitCarson]

Riding boots with laces are not good. Laces even if you double knot them and tuck them into your boot......or even if you blouse your pants and tuck them in like we did in the service....they simply sneak out and ambush you when you least expect it. I have one pair of riding boots with laces.....they also have a zipper up the side.......the laces are melted together at the top with a torch....they will never come loose again!!

 

What about instead of cutting the heel/toe shifter off.....what about putting a two inch section of metal in the middle....cut the thing and weld in a section.......grind the welds....would seem to me if you have big clodhoppers....just slip your foot back a bit and there it would be under you heel. If it worked......just have it re-chromed. I like a heel toe shifter on a touring bike.......I would figure out something to keep it.......next concern will be but.....this puts too much stress on the shifter....will cause the forks to mess up....I suppose it would if you stomp on it.....used normally I do not think it will hurt anything.

[spear]

Dosie doe,

Heel and toe,

Way to go,

Way to go.

[NewfoundlandVenture]

I've been wondering if I should try a heel/toe shifter, or if I could even find one. I just bought an '89 VR in March after riding my nighthawk for 20+ years. I've got a buddy with a V-star that has heel and toe, and it seems like it would be more convenient once you get use to it. Can I go heel/toe for my '89, & if so can anyone recommend a source? Do I need floorboards to make it comfortable, or are my existing pegs ok?

 

Now, if we could just get rid of the 3+ feet of snow still on the ground... maybe I could get out for a ride!

 

Thanks for any input.

[Condor]

Well, I swore I was not gonna add anything else to this thread, but I just cannot help myself. As far as big feet go, I wear 13s, and I also always wear cowboy boots (they tend to be longer than other boots in same size), and I have absolutely NO problems fitting my big feet on the floor boards and moving them around with the stock heel/toe shifter. It is not a matter of space, it is all in what you want. If you don't want it, you will find lots of excuses why it is no good. If you do want it, you will adapt to whatever you have. I personally find it terribly uncomfortable to up-shift with the toe on floorboards. But that is just me. I get to enjoy what I want, just like everyone else gets to make their own choices!

Goose

 

Goose, you're comparing apples to oranges. The positiioning of the foot and the spread of the heel toe are totally different on the 2ndGen. The foot forward and the extra 4 inches between the toe and heel make life a lot easier then the set up on a 1stGen, which positions the foot straight down, and the spread of the pedals is only about 10 inches.

[Eddy]

My Valkyrie and my RSV both have this shifter and I love it. I'd never used them before and now my shoes don't suffer the old ugly toe syndrome. Just what you like, I guess.

Eddie

[jbabin]

I have used the one on my 03 since day one. I would not want another bike without it.

[Sky Pilot]

Hi,

 

I've seen all the comments and I will echo them. I never had one before, but once I got used to it, I find I like it. The main reason I like it is that when I wear boots in the rain, it is not so clumsy to get under to shift with your toe, just click with your heel.

 

Ride safe

 

Sky Pilot

[Guest mmmouse]

I guess size does matter (at lease in this case).

[bmxndad]

Has anyone straightened out the toe end of the shifter, bringing it closer to the motor.

With my feet out on my new pegs, my foot hits the shifter.

If it was bent in it would eliminate the problem.

But I am worried about it being clumsy to shift if it is moved in too much.

Any thoughts?

[Reshired]

Anybody use the heal portion of the heal toe shifter? I tried playing with it but it feels to awkward shifting with my heal. Thinking of getting rid of it. Gets in the way.

 

Just read this thread and find it one of the most entertaining threads on the forum. I fall in the group that did not use it till I forced myself to use it. It took a while but I have no desire to go back to toe upshifting which requires about twice as much effort as the heal. My feet are 13-14 depending on which shoes I put on and have never felt crowded or that the floorboard is too small. I learned on my Heritage softail which has a smaller floorboard and a lot further back than my TD. I have more problems with the brake side on the Harley because being 6'3" I have to lift my whole foot to use the rear brake. My TD is further forward and just right.

[Reshired]

By the way I gave the Harley to my wife and she is an all toe shifter and so far I can not talk her into learning to use the heal, even though her new riding boots have a permanent mark on the toe.

[ArcsSparks]

On my C-50 I changed to pegs. Hated the floorboards, too small and ackward for my feet, plus I wanted forward controls but when I traded for RSTD there's plenty of room and good seating postion and after a little getting used to I LOVE THE HEEL/TOE

[treeman]

Love heel shift, Don't use toe at all.

[Steve S]

I keep my feet out on the road pegs most of the time. When I up-shift I just shift my foot back and stomp with my heel. Same with down shift, I let gravity help. (I'm lazy like that)

[MAINEAC]

I never use my heel shifter... I'd have to reach back too far to stomp it.. Would like to have the toe only shifter but I'm to cheap to spend 100+ bucks for it... I don't worry about skuffing my boots since I left the Marine Corps.

 

I'll probably hack the heel part off... I've been hoping someone bought a RSV with the toe shifter and wants to trade for a heel/toe..