Amputee riding questions

[ryan]

Hello,
I have a few motorcycle related questions for riding with an above the knee amputation on my left leg. Is there anyone out there with my condition? I have questions about riding with the prosthesis.

For now I have chosen to put together an 1969 FLH sidecar bike, with reverse. I know I may have to adapt the clutch to my hand shifter which had been discussed before I had the amputation. I still have not decided how to go about it yet, but it should not be that bad. Is there anything else that may need to be done to the bike beside the clutch?

Thank you,
Ryan

[jorrow]

Ryan, I have a 1965 with sidecar and 3+reverse. Do you have your foot clutch setup all complete? I would suggest running a 22 tooth compensating sprocket, in order to pull the rig. Are you using a frame mounted shifter? If so, both the shifter and the reverse tranny is a whole learning experience.

[jorrow]

Sorry did not study your post, you are making the shifter your clutch. I'm sure there is someone here with information you need to complete your rig. Jeff

[tator]

I did a BMW for a friend of mine that had his leg amputated above the knee and I built a tank shifter and put it on the right hand side of the tank and it worked out quite well for him. I kept the hand clutch the way it was. It basically was a cross shaft that went under the tank with a rod and a couple of small heim joints and hooked to the shifter pedal. It was actually pretty fun to ride because you could ratchet up and down the gears.

[ryan]

Thanks for your replies. Since I have reverse in my transmission, it does not have a ratchet top, the frame mounted hand shifter is gated to hold the transmission in gear. Putting the shifter on the right side would make things a whole lot safer and easier than using a clutch lever on the shifter. Trying to take off while turning a sidecar outfit with one arm kind of worries me.
I do not know how awkward it would be to have a left hand throttle and a right hand clutch??? I kind of want to stay away from the stiff site throttle, but I am going to have to sacrifice something one way or the other.

The bike does have the adjustable trees and a 22 tooth sprocket.

[ryan]

Jeff,
Yes, the bike has a complete foot clutch setup. I will have to change the clutch arm lever if going with a hand shift of some kind.

That got me thinking, maybe I am thinking about this all wrong and should move the foot clutch to the right side, rear brake to the left side handlebar and the front brake to the rt side handlebar?

[tator]

I did not mean to say that you need to move the clutch or the throttle to opposite sides, and you can gate your shifter so you did not have to hold on to it when you turn. You could also make a reverse lock out so you would not have to worry about putting it in reverse or it coming out of reverse while backing up. You use a hand clutch on the left hand side with a mouse trap set up.

[ryan]

Tator,
I know you did not reply to move the throttle to the left side, I should have been more clear on my response. That was just another thought on how to go about this puzzle. I fully understood what you stated.
The taking off while turning with one arm is if a hand clutch is mounted to my hand shifter. The reverse is also gated with a double gate shift patter Rn123

[aumick10]

Ryan,
After riding many sidecars, I know how difficult it can be to ride with one hand while turning corners.
There are air and electric shift kits available for shifting gears from the handlebars. Combined with a mouse trap for the clutch, I think you would find this easier to ride.
I have used air shift on drag bikes to shift up the gears. I am not sure exactly what is available now, but it is not hard to make something to work.
Aumick10

[ryan]

I know an electric shifter will work with a ratchet top, but not sure that it would work without a ratchet top. I am worried it may hurt the transmission without the protection of how the ratchet top works.

[Rubone]

It isn't terribly simple, but a ratchet top can be modified to run a 3&R gearbox. But why not operate a foot clutch pedal with the prosthetic? It has been done before. A simple in/out pedal on a sidecar rig is fine, the rocker pedal isn't needed.

[ryan]

I thought about using a servi-car clutch, but my amputation is above my knee and I cannot rotate my fake leg to get my foot parallel with the bike to set on the clutch pedal correctly. That does not rule out some type of platform to rest the foot on.
I also have to be able to operate the bike without my take leg. The reason being is my stump still shrinks and my leg loses seal and my leg comes off. This can happen at any time, even when it gets hot causing me to sweat. Again, that does not mean I cannot adapt a foot clutch to be used with and without my leg on, which may be the ticket.

Maybe I should run the clutch and brake on the same pedal like a garden tractor. Lol, just kidding.

All of these are very good ideas and are getting me to think out of the box.

[aumick10]

It would be difficult to adapt an electric shifter to a non ratchet top shifter.

It looks like a late 76-78 ratchet top with a 3 speed/reverse shifter cam may fit on your box. Never having done it, I am not sure if it would actually work.
A ratchet top would also likely interfere with the inner primary cover, unless you are using an electric start primary.

Mick

[Peter Cooke]

I know zero about this model H-D but if your brakes are juice type what about one of those setups where the rear brake pedal operates both the front & rear brake together? Then you could have a right side hand clutch and keep your tank shift on the left.

[AFJ]

I thought about using a servi-car clutch, but my amputation is above my knee and I cannot rotate my fake leg to get my foot parallel with the bike to set on the clutch pedal correctly. That does not rule out some type of platform to rest the foot on.
I also have to be able to operate the bike without my take leg. The reason being is my stump still shrinks and my leg loses seal and my leg comes off. This can happen at any time, even when it gets hot causing me to sweat. Again, that does not mean I cannot adapt a foot clutch to be used with and without my leg on, which may be the ticket.

The famous British sidecar driver, Harold Taylor, who won Gold Medals in several International Six Days Trials in the late 1940's had a left leg amputation, above the knee, and walked with 2 crutches. His Vincent Black Shadow sidecar outfit had only one control alteration, the left side rear brake pedal was moved to the right side and fitted so that he could operate it and the right side foot shift lever without one interfering with the brake pedal.
I have a couple of old bikes that have the original set-up of controls with a right hand throttle, right hand front brake, and right hand gearshift lever (3 speed on one bike, 4 speed on the other) I have no problem handling front brake, throttle and gearshift with the right hand as the throttle on both bikes has a friction adjustment so the throttle will hold a fixed position.
Also, I remember the WLC 45 Harley made for the Canadian Army had an auxiliary hand clutch lever in addition to the foot clutch. Originally this was on the right handlebar as the throttle was on the left handlebar with the front brake lever and the foot clutch on the left foot. But near the end of WW2 the hand clutch lever was put over to the left handlebar and the throttle to the right handlebar. (All the other Canadian army bikes were British designs.)
Perhaps just a left hand clutch lever on the left handlebar and moving the hand shift lever to the right side of the tank would work.

AFJ