Zen & the Art of Manipulating the Rocker Clutch-Jockey Shift Configuration

[Kirkland Perry]

There is an old, as yet un-popularized sport, of riding an OHV Big Twin. There are two types of set ups; the jockey lid, and the rachet top. The jockey lid was (basically) a 1936-1952 tank shift lid on the transmission. This lid is used for the suicide clutch (though not exclusively). The suicide clutch pedal is from the early Servi-car and is a reversed duplicate of the right brake pedal. The pedal needs enough slack (adjusted from the clutch lever rod) so that it bounces, or it's hard on the clutch push rod and clutch push rod bearing. The suicide clutch operates like an automobile clutch pedal. You let out the clutch and you're going to move forward real fast. In the words of Bill Kennedy (eldest brother of Pat and Mike)..." You pack an ol' lady on back that has big feet, and she can easily knock the shift lever into gear at a traffic light... and then you'll be moving real quick to correct the problem". If you didn't know, a jockey shift is a lever (there's even a pre-40's Harley part number for one) connected to the "jockey lid" '37-51, (but will fit on a '37-78 transmission) [34804-36; and now replicated by Tedd this year]. In '51, the shifter lever (on the lid) changed to a 5/16"-24 threaded hole (available AM) and allows the lever to be secured with one bolt, and no modifications. The jockey lids and rachet tops used a couple of different drums until '72; but with the same shift pattern (dictated by grooves cut into the drum); until a '73-78 (FX) (cast) shift cam was introduced. I don't know if an FX shift cam will work in a jockey top, if not, then your shift pattern for ALL DRUMS will be: back for first, up for neutral, up for second; third; fourth. (You know which gear it's in by the position of the stick; a neutral can be found between every gear.) I may not have all my dates correct, but the re-popped parts are out there. The Jockey lid is the safest for a suicide setup because a neutral can be found between every gear, albiet, it is merely setting the "selector" steel ball between locator notches, and not a neutral position you want to rely on if you're attempting to start the machine.
The next style of jockey shift is the rachet top. If you use the (34019-73) FX (available AM) CAST SHIFT CAM in the lid, the shift pattern will be: forward for first; back for neutral; back for second; third; fourth. Only one neutral. The '59-'64 rachet top (available AM) has a neutral indicator switch boss, that holds a sending unit to a dash light. The lamp is in the middle of a three-light dash. You can see when you're in neutral. The rachet top is a selector that finds the gear before you do. Two opposing spring loaded prawls become the focal-release-point, that unleash the built up torque, via the foot clutch. The rpm; throttle; spring-prawls and foot clutch operate in harmony; and create a sport completely separate from any other Harley-Davidson "ride". You experience unweighting and torque release through curves at relatively slow speeds (akin to ocean surfing-on asphalt), something that you won't feel with the traditional hand clutch and foot shift. (It's a bolted changeover. No OEM parts are harmed or destroyed in the process.) The shifting mechanism in a rachet top is so fast, that your hand is only on the lever ball for an instant. Most people won't even see you shift. The Saturn-ball [34010-36] is the only way to go (it has a long history). Your fingers catch on the ring. Gas feed on a real Harley, as stock, is through the handlebars to a Linkert. You turn the gas on...it stays on, until you turn it off. Early cruise-control.
Leaving our place is a downhill section. When the transmission is cold, sometimes, I use a slightly more than half-way position on the rocker clutch, along with the motors slow matching rpm, to speed-shift between second and third. The slow-turn of the gears and shafts pull the transmission into third like butter. Just a real nice way to wake up in the morning. There's no other motorcycle experience like it. The machine becomes an extension of your mind. Have you ever seen that poster of a rider standing on his (Corbin Gentry) saddle? You know the one...on his Indian...out in the mesa-desert...arms out ...at about 45 miles an hour? The feeling's not exactly like that, but close.
About the jockey shift, '64 Bob told me,"Aw man.. it doesn't look right on a swing arm..(grumble)... but it'll look OK on a rigid frame..." Then I said, "It wouldn't look as good on a '64 (even though the frames are the same) because your headlight is under a cowling. It "fits" my '59 because the headlight is separate". And he didn't say anything else about it.

[HJahn]

Jockey Shift

It's been many years since I had a jockey shift on the lid of a 49 Big Twin. But I remember it well. You could feel the vibration thru it, almost like the motor was winding up so you had the "feel" of when to shift. Other than that, however, I found it inconvenient and not as handy as the tank shift with the gate.

I never had a true suicide clutch, but when I got my first Big Twin chopper together in 1971 I had one anyway. I put the footclutch back together wrong and it wouldn't stay in the heel-down position and I didn't know that it should. A couple times at stop signs I lost my balance and my foot slipped off the clutch when the bike was in gear and I went thru the stop sign. Luckily with no bad results. I soon fixed the clutch so it stayed heel down.

The term "suicide" clutch is aptly named and I wouldn't recommend one to anybody.

BYW: I often see the term used today "suicide shift." I just figure they got their clutch and shift backwards. Just like "suicide clutch" is often used for ANY footclutch and not just the dangerous Servi-Car type.

[k.perry]

Yep. I prefer a rocker clutch, a rachet lid and a neutral light on the dash. Suicide is just too hard to ride.

[HJahn]

Suicide Baby

Originally posted by k.perry
Yep. I prefer a rocker clutch, a rachet lid and a neutral light on the dash. Suicide is just too hard to ride.

Hard to ride -- and dangerous if you ask me.

I never had a ratchet lid. Only the old drum style. It definitely felt cooler than the standard tankshift, but I went back to stock in 1974 and that was that. Never had a chopper again....

My kid brother, who learned to ride on one of my old 45s that I left at home after moving out, had a little custom with his pals -- and this was on a hand-clutch, foot-shift bikes no less.

When they came to stop lights they would purposely keep their left foot up on the foot board as if riding a suicide clutch. I guess that was supposed to be cool or something. I don't know if they invented that or if it was widespread. I was long gone by then....

One thing I did with my foot clutch was always keep the clutch "up" when making a fast U-turn on the road when possible. That way there was no chance of taking my foot off at the wrong moment.

I still prefer the dead throttle set-up and can't stand the spring return throttle. The toe shift puts a mark on your boot too.

HJ

[k.perry]

I keep the trans. in neutral at traffic lights and always let the machine lean to the right. The only hairy part of riding a rocker clutch is making left turns (U-turns) in the middle of the street. I put the lever up to neutral and make sure I have enough forward speed to complete half of the turn. The pedal is (toe-down) engaged, but in neutral..I'm coasting...and then after I pass the apex of the U-turn, I shift forward into first gear and engage about three-quarters of the clutch (toe-down) and the motor pulls me through. Having to release the pedal (toe-down) in the middle of a U-turn is where things can go wrong. It usually leaves you lurching through a U-turn and makes pedesterians run. At stop signs, I like to shift to neutral just before I stop (middle dash lamp is lit) and just balance the machine for two seconds, (aided by the 20 psi front and 24 psi rear, 5:10 X 16" fat tires) keeping my feet on the footboards. By the time I come to a complete stop, I've already shifted forward to first and when my inertia stops, I counter act by moving forward. It's a quick, split-second stop, and legal in Calif. The rachet lid is the spring loaded release for a whole lotta torque. When I go through curves and shift from second to third, or third to fourth, I feel it in my crotch just before my weight compresses the saddle's spring post. My back tire is now worn down some, to a point that I can control a little rear tire drift. I can feel the tire losing traction back there, and it's a fine line between being in control and maybe fishtailing, but at slow speed (under 30-50mph). I know it's wrong, but it feels so good to break the tire free a little, that I can't quit it....even though I 'm ashamed at how bald the tread on my (Cheng ShinŽ) is becoming.
I read somewhere that police used to tighten the shaft nut on their rocker clutches, so that they could leave the (tank shift) in gear and keep the clutch disengaged, then toe-down to move forward. I keep my OE rocker pedal loose, because it's a necessary part of the rachet top/ jockey shift concert.

[HJahn]

I never trusted the footclutch to stay in heel-down position. Not after those first hairy experiences when I had it assembled wrong so it acted like a suicide clutch. I always kept my foot on it. Mostly I put it in neutral if there was any waiting time.

Making a left hand U-turn is what I meant by keeping the foot-clutch up. In other words, I'd tried to always make a right-hand turn by crossing over into the other lane first. Since I was crossing lanes of traffic twice, I had to watch out for cars, but it was better than potentially flopping my bike down.

Foot-clutches reminds me of a friend of mine and something stupid he did many years ago. He had a'46 Harley 80-inch flathead parts bobber with a foot clutch. One "evening" he came home after a "few" beers and pulled up outside the front door. His wife and baby were long in bed. Before he turned off his motor ("shut down his mill"), he noticed this odd rattling noise.

Thinking there was something wrong with his bike, he got off and down on his hands and knees and listened. The odd rattling sound seemed to be coming from the primary cover (front chain guard). Then, all the sudden, while he was still kneeling there wondering if his bike was turning to junk, his machine suddenly lurched forward and crashed into the screen door of his house and was propelled inside the room where the baby was sleeping.

Of course what happened was that he stupidly left his bike in gear with the foot clutch in heel down (disengaged) position. Engine vibration from his running engine slowly moved the clutch into the engaged position and the bike took off right into the house! The noise was the disengaged outer clutch disk hitting the derby screws or something.

It goes to show those foot-clutches HAD to be set up properly to work right. That sort of thing couldn't happen with a hand clutch. Of course, having a few beers didn't help things either....

I think I'll post this story on my "stupid" thread. It would be nice if we could get some more life into this Forum.

[Dale V]

Sucide Shift

I personally ride a true suicide foot clutch and ratchet lid, I find that it seems that no one will ask you to ride your bike. You don't have to lock the ignition switch, because the electric start it use to have on it I removed it. You know why? because anyone can push a button. The motor is 95ci 10:1 compression and it is on a swing arm frame and it will wheel stand going from first to second, but with the inner primary belt drive, you only get twelve wheel stands and then it breakes.Yes left hand turns are a challenge and my personal favorite is, top of the hill, stop sign with a left turn does not get any better than that yahoo!!!!!!!!!!!! And my second most favorite is a sand filled parking lot and only all left hand turns all the way out!!!!!!!!!!What I have found it is a good deterrent to drinking excessive amounts of beer, believe you have to have a good balance or you look like you are drunk. So if you want to feel the real riding experience just like grand daddy did get you a suicide foot clutch and side step one time! Enjoy