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dead man's clutch?? (Read 260 times)
Rocco
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dead man's clutch??
05/25/09 at 10:23:19
 
i saw a rat bike the other day and it had no clutch on the handle bars but a gear shifter from a car down below?

i heard an older guy say "they don't call it a dead man's clutch for nothing!"

is that really really old school? how does it work? i'm very intrigued by the whole thing!
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'95 bobber rat...i guess it's a "bat bike" haha flat black mostly, bare metal tank, header wrap, always a work in progress !
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dasch
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Re: dead man's clutch??
Reply #1 - 05/25/09 at 10:43:09
 
...it might have had a clutch lever on the gear shifter, or a foot powered one; a pedal like in a manual car replacing the gear shifter. You hit the clutch pedal and reach down and shift with your hand. That is old school, but it works just fine on nice, lazy roads.
I think they call it that because it's easier to die with only one hand on the handlebar  Wink
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marshall13
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Re: dead man's clutch??
Reply #2 - 05/25/09 at 10:50:15
 
Rocco wrote on 05/25/09 at 10:23:19:
i saw a rat bike the other day and it had no clutch on the handle bars but a gear shifter from a car down below?

i heard an older guy say "they don't call it a dead man's clutch for nothing!"

is that really really old school? how does it work? i'm very intrigued by the whole thing!

the earliest bikes with gears had hand shift, foot clutch... the clutches come in 2 varieties, "suicide", and "rocker"... the "suicide" variety is basically the same as your handclutch, it self applies the clutch from the de-clutch position(if your foot slips off at a light with the trans in first, the bike jumps... that's where the "suicide" comes from)... the "rocker" takes a deliberate action to make it clutch... think of a "toe-heel shifter" rig on a dresser with floorboards... pressure to the "toe" lever end de-clutches the bike. then one slowly applies pressure to the "heel" lever, and the clutch engages... the clutch and levers have a neutral mechanical advantage by design, so if you have the bike de-clutched, and your foot slips off the lever, the clutch remains de-clutched... no jump into the intersection.... in the early 70s the fed hiway safety boys, and DOT decided that americans were too lame to handle differences in shift configs, so every bike sold as new here had to have left foot shifting, left hand clutching(it also allows both hands to remain on the bars during a shift, and you to use both feet at a light for balance)... that rule only applies to OEM, not the owner, so you can change to foot clutch if you like... check out left side pics of old harleys, and you'll see the shifter up on the tank... "seat of the pants" shifters were just a simplification of the shift mechanism, eliminating a few moving parts, and a few pounds of weight... it offers no real advantage, and a few disadvantages....
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Savage Eddie
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Re: dead man's clutch??
Reply #3 - 05/25/09 at 10:59:22
 
My buddys doing a "suicide shifter" on his Honds rat. hope he takes some pics i can post

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Rocco
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Re: dead man's clutch??
Reply #4 - 05/25/09 at 11:17:04
 
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!  Shocked

makes sense, that's pretty freaking cool! i think i'd prefer both hands on the bars ! !

i heard u have to be crazy to ride a bike

u have to be insane to ride a bike in south fla

but a suicide shifter IN south fla??!! that dude was nuts ! hahaha
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'95 bobber rat...i guess it's a "bat bike" haha flat black mostly, bare metal tank, header wrap, always a work in progress !
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marshall13
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Re: dead man's clutch??
Reply #5 - 05/25/09 at 11:37:41
 
Rocco wrote on 05/25/09 at 11:17:04:
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH!  Shocked

makes sense, that's pretty freaking cool! i think i'd prefer both hands on the bars ! !

i heard u have to be crazy to ride a bike

u have to be insane to ride a bike in south fla

but a suicide shifter IN south fla??!! that dude was nuts ! hahaha

saw a suzi v-twin with a suicide shift and no front brake on craigs-list the other day(on a hill, this bike would have no brake available at a stop with the clutch "in").... i call those "posing conversions", as the only advantage to such a mod is how "cool" you look sitting on it at a bike night.... the extra mass of a hand shifter that has no positive stop for the shift handle WILL cause rapid wear on the internal shift mechanisms(forks, dogs, cams, etc).....
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Rocco
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Re: dead man's clutch??
Reply #6 - 05/25/09 at 12:44:55
 
i don't think i'd ditch the front brakes lol i like to look cool, but i like not eating trunks a little bit more!

and i agree, you are posing if it'll get u killed easier...i'm thinking the point behind riding is to stay alive to ride more! lol
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'95 bobber rat...i guess it's a "bat bike" haha flat black mostly, bare metal tank, header wrap, always a work in progress !
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marshall13
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Re: dead man's clutch??
Reply #7 - 05/25/09 at 13:03:11
 
Rocco wrote on 05/25/09 at 12:44:55:
i don't think i'd ditch the front brakes lol i like to look cool, but i like not eating trunks a little bit more!

and i agree, you are posing if it'll get u killed easier...i'm thinking the point behind riding is to stay alive to ride more! lol

i subscribe to the buckminster fuller theory of design... "form follows function".... that suzi i mentioned is in complete violation of that theory... a mechanical mod should increase functionality, or comfort.. one that does that, and also increases the bikes beauty( a very subjective measurement) is a great mod... reducing functionability for "style" is almost always a dopey move.... i know, this flies in the face of current "custom" trends, but which bike would you put more miles on... one that "fits like a glove" as far as comfort and function is concerned, or one that "looks rad!!", but is uncomfortable, and hard to control?  saturday nights on the beach "strip", the latter is most likely to be seen, but for the monday to friday commutes, the former is the ride of choice....
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Rocco
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Re: dead man's clutch??
Reply #8 - 05/25/09 at 14:04:29
 
hell yes! now, i'm going for "that's wicked!" and i can still ride her everyday safely ! !

stupidity is no longer cool!
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'95 bobber rat...i guess it's a "bat bike" haha flat black mostly, bare metal tank, header wrap, always a work in progress !
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Seth C.
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Re: dead man's clutch??
Reply #9 - 05/25/09 at 14:06:46
 
Dito, daily rider here so I can only mod so far before it get's into that "just not practicle" stage.
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Yonuh Adisi FSO
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Re: dead man's clutch??
Reply #10 - 05/25/09 at 14:58:32
 
Even though the FireLizard doesn't look like it would be good as a daily rider, and looks very impractical, I can still use it for one and zip around traffic without a problem. She still gets great mpg, and like I said, works fine as a daily rider.
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Check out Flight of Destiny http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H9130XC
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Demin
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Re: dead man's clutch??
Reply #11 - 05/25/09 at 15:30:12
 
stupidity is no longer cool!

It's not?!...darn! Huh Shocked Roll Eyes
Undecided
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Next project:finish '87 Savage custom/bobber/CHOP STYLE***DONE
finish '77 Yamaha XS650 bobber Bought another one
finish'79 Harley custom bobber(NEXT)
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marshall13
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Re: dead man's clutch??
Reply #12 - 05/25/09 at 17:33:01
 
Yonuh Adisi FSO wrote on 05/25/09 at 14:58:32:
Even though the FireLizard doesn't look like it would be good as a daily rider, and looks very impractical, I can still use it for one and zip around traffic without a problem. She still gets great mpg, and like I said, works fine as a daily rider.

she looks like a sweet ride.. a little slower steering than stock, but the longer wheelbase adds stability... you made design decisions that fit your ideal, and conditions.. your minidrum front brake would be a handicap in florida, potentially, but in new mexico it's a good solution... my critique of cusomization trends had nothing to do with any ride ive seen here, it was more meant for the "disco lights and transparent clutch covers" set.....lol
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Yonuh Adisi FSO
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Re: dead man's clutch??
Reply #13 - 05/25/09 at 17:47:15
 
marshall13 wrote on 05/25/09 at 17:33:01:
Yonuh Adisi FSO wrote on 05/25/09 at 14:58:32:
Even though the FireLizard doesn't look like it would be good as a daily rider, and looks very impractical, I can still use it for one and zip around traffic without a problem. She still gets great mpg, and like I said, works fine as a daily rider.

she looks like a sweet ride.. a little slower steering than stock, but the longer wheelbase adds stability... you made design decisions that fit your ideal, and conditions.. your minidrum front brake would be a handicap in florida, potentially, but in new mexico it's a good solution... my critique of cusomization trends had nothing to do with any ride ive seen here, it was more meant for the "disco lights and transparent clutch covers" set.....lol


I didn't think you were referring to any of the bikes here, I was just mentioning that you can make it look radical and still have the daily rider aspect as long as you keep in mind that it is a daily rider and not a trailer queen.  Wink Wink
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Check out Flight of Destiny http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00H9130XC
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Re: dead man's clutch??
Reply #14 - 05/28/09 at 12:33:19
 
I have seen a couple of custom rigs that have the clutch cable running to the inside of the left hand grip. The right twist is gas and left twist is clutch. I can se where it might be slightly quicker, but not for me.
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