Foot pedals as a shifter & brake?

I did make the mistake of bringing a new idea onto a forum that is dedicated to doing the same boring idea over and over and over.. I suppose I should have asked opinions on rather I should put upside down clubman bars or clipped on my cb550.
 
Hey - I recognise that hardtail from CU.

Gear shift looks pretty neat. For what it's worth I don't think you are going to put any more stress on the shifters than a jockey shift would. Also, most cruisers with the heel / toe shifter don't have them spung to centre the shifter - they just use the detent spring from the gearbox so that should be OK too.

And you'd probably have to move the pedal a fair bit to effect a gear change so accidental shifts shouldn't happen (touch wood...haha...).

Keep it coming ;)
 
I agree, the detent would need to be perfectly calibrated or it would put pressure on the tranny detent.

The natural forces of your leg are the variable that could cause damage. With knees bent your leg will tend to extend which is not a rotation and won't change the force on the gear shift. Putting my foot on it I feel no possibility for accidental or missed shifts or even slight fork pressures
 
Unfortunately you do put weight on forwards controls. While riding you will at some point need to shift your weight forward to your feet and off your ass. Because the action needed to activate the shifter will be so minimal, I think at some point an unintended shift is inevitable.

This site may be full of boring old ideas, it's also those boring old ideas that have been proven time and again for over 100 years.

I'm all for new, and think you may be able to figure out a way to make this work (Teazer was headed in the right direction) but as it sits I see problems. Keep at it and find a way to make it work if you're dead set on it. I don't know of a single innovation in any field that was dead on perfect on the first go round.
 
Thanks for commenting with intent to be helpful.. I like criticism, I just prefer it be constructive..

I put a all of my weight and pushed on the pegs and they didn't rotate at all. The pivot is right in the centerline of my ankle so I have good control over it. Actually a little better control than a toe shifter since I don't have to switch from bottom to top. I typically use GP shift from years of racing, but the linkage wouldn't work.. Either shift pattern is second nature to me.

What problems do you see?

The problem I found is on the brake side when I do a natural toe down motion the rod is pushed instead of pulled. The 48" 3/8 brass rod flexes slightly. I can do a heel down motion and it pulls the with lots strength and no flex, but that motion isn't as natural as changing between shift patterns is. I will probably move my brake pedal heim joint to the top so it's pulling instead of pushing.
 
hillsy said:
Sometimes you have to sacrifice a bit of form for function ;D
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I hate to sacrifice, I prefer compromise. I think I'll start with a bend and if that flexes then I'll put in 2 heim joints on a pivot. But the arm definitely needs to move to the top.

Of course I won't be able to finely adjust if I put a bend in the rod
 
Get rid of the brass... Too soft for a linkage. Also, four feet long is too long. You'd need a damned 1/2" tube to keep it stiff. Need a linkage somewhere in the middle.

As far as the shifter side, how it behaves sitting on the workbench amd how it behaves on the street are often two very different things.
 
VonYinzer said:
, how it behaves sitting on the workbench amd how it behaves on the street are often two very different things.
Click to expand...
Plus one my wife was kool as shit untill we got married, but in the real world....not so much
 
They say, "A woman marries a man hoping he will change. A man marries a woman hoping she won't change."

Disappointment is inevitable for both. :-\
 
I think you'll get some premature wear on your trans but nothing too terrible and on a 2 stroke that needs pretty regular rebuilds it will be easy to monitor.

My only thought is you'd be better off with a 3 piece design, think something like putting a 1" tube down the center of that pedal horizontally so that when you have an o shit stop and all your weight is quickly transferred forward to the pegs to keep from sliding up the seat you have somewhere to put that weight and you don't end up stomping it up or down a gear.
 
My daily rider is a chopper/bobber with forward controls. I have ridden it for 5 years on many 600 mi days and I can tell you, you need to be able to flex and adjust pressure and position of your legs as you ride. I like the concept but I think you may find a need to be able to have a part of the tilting pedal available for you to push against without actuating either the braking action or shifting process.
 
What Sonic said is correct,and if you plan on riding aggressive you have to stiffen your legs to keep yourself in position. You may want to check the angle of the pedal to make sure it will allow it. I'm willing to sacrifice certain things for "Cool" but not when it comes to function.
 
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