When did jockey shifting come about?

[T. Cotten]

The handle under the seat is a clutch handle, which was stock on Js of the that era. The shifter is still intact on the tank.

So...

It was a jockey clutch and not a jockey shift!

"Jockey shift" seems like a post-War era term to me.
And I don't think the term "suicide clutch" came about until after the handlebar clutch was produced.

....Cotten

[exeric]

That auxiliary clutch handle was standard equipment for many teen, and twenties era motorcycles. Henderson had that up to 1928, and 1925 for H-D (I think). It was a practical feature because those bikes had no front brake, and the hand clutch allowed a stopped rider to have both feet on the ground to engage the clutch. or have one foot on the brake for hill holding. So, it was an auxiliary clutch, not a jockey clutch because those bikes primarily used a clutch pedal.

[Tom Lovejoy]

interesting, Herbert your comments were fun reading too.

[TechNoir]

Quite a lot of flat tank Nortons have low gear shift levers that could be described as jockey shifters so they were certainly not uncommon in the 1920's.

John

[RCamp]

No guys, they didn't change gears while climbing the hill.
Most were single speed gear boxes with extensions added to the shifter mechanism.
They were either in gear or out.

[HarleyCreation]

I would think Fifties at the latest, given Lanza's Quicksilver. That bike was built in '57, no?

What is Lanza's Quicksilver? See, if I was cool I would know that. Is there a photo?

It seems to me that in the (early/mid?) 1950s Enthusiast there's a photo of a stripped down chopperish looking drag bike. May have had a small tank. Not sure. A drag bike would shift gears. But did early drag guys reach down and jockey shift them?

[exeric]

Not sure. A drag bike would shift gears. But did early drag guys reach down and jockey shift them?

Those early drag guys would have used a "Speed-E-Shift". I don't know about Quicksilver, but I think the custom car scene, of the late '40s, thru '50s included motorcycles, and the Southern California Kustom Kulture was very innovative. Who knows who built the first chopper? Look at Cut-Down Js, and custom Power Plus Indians that go back to the 1920s. Nothing new under the sun.

[Chris Haynes]

https://www.google.com/search?q=dean+lanza+quicksilver&biw=1253&bih=646&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjFnoCgudHPAhUQ82MKHZqVBTwQ_AUIBigB&dpr=1#imgrc=fl-PYWBL5u52mM%3A

[D.A.Bagin]

So...



"Jockey shift" seems like a post-War era term to me.
And I don't think the term "suicide clutch" came about until after the handlebar clutch was produced.

....Cotten

My thoughts are that the only "Suicide" type clutch would be what is on Fours. A sprung car type that cannot be locked in place like a "Rocker" type. Foot off and you are gone.

[T. Cotten]

My thoughts are that the only "Suicide" type clutch would be what is on Fours. A sprung car type that cannot be locked in place like a "Rocker" type. Foot off and you are gone.

D.A.!

I think Servis had no friction damper, but I never rode one...

At any rate, the dampered rockers interfere with the feel for the clutch, at least for those that punish them, so the damper was often released anyway.
Once assemblies wore out, there was no 'sweet spot' where it free-wheeled into engagement, but still stuck safely when extremely disengaged. Thus the truly suicidal aspect was sitting at a stop with both feet on the ground, with the pedal ready to pop itself from vibration, and launching you into an intersection, or whatever.

It only took once to learn to get into neutral when coming to a stop, and never trust a damper.
(I always thought they were for fording streams...)

But I believe the origin of the vernacular "suicide clutch" was a combination of dealers pushing modern handclutches, and then the custom scene with simple pedals, when it could be spread by magazines to the next generation.

....Cotten