Heel/Toe Shifter

[barney fife]

Anyone put one on their Valk.   A buddy of mine is thinking of trying it cause that is what he is used to.

[rogueleader_92]

never had/wanted one myself but arn't they hard on the gearbox?

[barney fife]

Haven't heard that before.

[Jess from VA]

A properly fitted and working heel toe shifter is just as good as any standard toe shifter, and no harder on the gearbox at all. 

What's hard on a gear box is poor shifting technique by a poor rider, regardless of the shifter type. 

[bscrive]

I have had a heel-toe shifter on my bike for two years now.  I love it and it is not hard on the gearbox at all.  You just have to make sure that you don't do lazy shifts, or stomp on it.
I have the Kuryakyn shifter which I had powder coated black.

[ledany]

Sorry it's upside down 


I have this now on my bike, first time ever and I love it. After all these years using bike boots as rarely as possible, my left foot is painful because of the gear shifter on the foot. Since I have this heel/toe shifter, my foot is as bad BUT not getting worse (I hope) AND my nice shoes are not worn out anymore.

Before :


The only difference I see is that finding neutral may not be as simple as before, it's not a big deal though.

After :


The only difference I see is that neutral may be a little difficult to down shift (sometimes) but it's not a big deal. Of course, shifting is not as quick as before but with the Valk, does it really matter ? 

[barney fife]

Thanks for posting up the pics and info.  My buddy was thinking they might make one for the Valk.  He will probably get it.

[Jess from VA]

My lifetime experience with heel toe shifters is.... those of us that have always used them can't live without them.  And those that have been toe shifting their whole riding life, can often never get used to them. Many have tried them later in life, and then gone back to a toe only shifter.

My other observation is that those of us with shorter legs like them more than those with longer legs.  A heel toe lets me sit back in the seat pocket at all times, with my legs straight down on the controls (when not on the hwy pegs).  Toe down on heel toe shifter is easily reached, but for me to do toe up shifting, I have to slide forward in the seat just a bit (or fish with my leg/foot for it).  I hate toe up shifting.  Longer legs just naturally go farther forward on the controls, and are more pretzeled up on a center control bike like the Valk.  Longer legs are also the guys who stick on forward controls.

[Bill Havins]

Jess, I think you make good points about longer legs.  Can't argue with what you've said because I don't have long legs.

Personally, I don't care for heel/toe shift levers.  My Moto Guzzi EV had one and, despite putting 30K miles on it, I didn't care for it.  I could make it shift easily, but I just didn't like the combination of the h/t shift lever and the floorboards.  But that's purely personal preference from someone who has been riding on the highways for about 45 years.

One particularly important issue about h/t shift levers is maintenance.  Make sure you keep the pivot nicely lubed - if it gets dry shifting can get "clumsy" and infuriating.  And, depending on the type, the pivot bushing may need replacement from time-to-time despite adequate lubrication.  Then there is the need to adjust the tension on the pivot so side-to-side movement is enough (reduced friction) but not so much as to cause binding (too much free play).

All of the above is based on my experience with Moto Guzzi shift levers; it may have no bearing on the aftermarket units for the Valkyrie.

Bill

[Law Dawg]

Thanks for all the posts on this subject..In 2003 I bought a 2003 Honda VTX 1800R, it had a Heel Toe shifter..I started young riding and always had a toe shifter..It took alittle while to get use to the Heel Toe shifter on my VTX but it didn't take and I love it....Even on the OEM Heel Toe shifter I needed to keep the pivot oiled, it dried on the road and I could not heel shift, easy remedy...In 2010 I got a Kawasaki Vulcan Voyager, still have it, it also has a Heel Toe shifter and I love it, no issues and I have 50,000 miles on it...

bscrive, can you post a pic of your shifter from Kuryakyn? I want just the shifter, it states it's Part number is 4039....It also states they sell "replacement shift fork bushings" and "replacement shift arm kits", I'm notg sure what these are, if I get this shifter, do I need any of these replacement parts?

I love the Heel Toe shifter and it would be a big comfort improvement for me when I ride the Big Black Valk.....

[bscrive]

Hey Law Dawg,

Here is the one I have.




You need to buy the unit.  Just buying the shifter will do you no good.  You take off your peg mount and put this one on.

[sleepngbear]

I've never really wanted a H/T shifter, but the seating position is a little different on the Valk than any other bike I've owned, and I've seen the Kury set up now, too. Now you guys have me more curious than ever. My buddy had one on his older Valkyrie (with floorboards), and the few times I rode it, it really took a lot less getting used to than I thought. Getting GAS bad again (Guitar Acquisition Syndrome, for you non-musos). 

[2014ValkyrieNS]

I have size 13 feet. Any issues with this heel/toe shifter and big feet. I'm barely able to shift up with the original shifter.

[Jess from VA]

The issue with big feet is not so much the shifter but the floorboards, if you have them.  They have to be made smaller/shorter than for most other bikes because of the valve covers (1500 or 1800).  Doing all your shifting from the top of the heel and toe pegs is easier with big feet than having to dig under the toe peg (IMHO), but your feet will not fit on a board (or a peg for that matter) between the front and rear heel/toe pegs.  My 8 1/2s do not fully fit between my Rattlebars shifter either (they will physically just barely fit, but it is too tight with near contact both ends of the shifter).  So your shifter foot has to sit a bit crooked on the board (or peg), with your toe outboard of the toe shift peg. This works just fine and is completely comfortable, but when you go into a hard left (shifter side) lean, at the point of dragging, your left foot off he board (or peg) edge can also drag and get yanked off the board backward (and that can be a real knee twister at speed). 

Some guys use a heel toe shifter on pegs.  I don't, and maybe it is better with big feet.  I'm not sure it is or not.

[Bill Havins]

[snip]....but your feet will not fit on a board (or a peg for that matter) between the front and rear [contact surfaces on the shifter].....So your shifter foot has to sit a bit crooked on the board (or peg), with your toe outboard of the toe shift peg.....[snip]

I found this to be very uncomfortable on my Moto Guzzi EV when doing runs of longer than 100 miles at a time.  I began to look for somewhere to "park" my size 10 and, after a while, would begin to experience pain in my right inner thigh because I had to hold my foot in a turned-in or turned-out position if I wanted my whole foot on the floorboard.

"Everything's a compromise."

Bill

[bscrive]

I have the kuryakin mini boards on my bike with the kuryakin heel-toe shifter . I wear size 11 shoes without any issues. You can also get an extender for the back of the shifter for bigger feet

[2014ValkyrieNS]

I have size 13 feet. Any issues with this heel/toe shifter and big feet. I'm barely able to shift up with the original shifter.

I'm very sorry, I should have been more specific with my question. I was referring to the heal/toe shifter mentioned above, that works with the OEM foot pegs. Will my big size 13s have any issues with that setup?

[bscrive]

I have size 13 feet. Any issues with this heel/toe shifter and big feet. I'm barely able to shift up with the original shifter.

I'm very sorry, I should have been more specific with my question. I was referring to the heal/toe shifter mentioned above, that works with the OEM foot pegs. Will my big size 13s have any issues with that setup?

If you get the extender for the heel toe shifter I don't think you will have problems with using it with the oem pegs.

[2014ValkyrieNS]

Thank you Sir!