I was watching the special features on the movie Hell Ride, and they did a little segment on the indian bikes used in the film. It was pretty interesting as I never knew they were so tough to drive!

anyone have experience with them? I mean how the clutch and throttle and everything is different compared to operating other bikes

I used to work at "British USA" in Houston, Texas (I'm an old friend of Cliff Holland's) and we had an early '40's Indian Chief Bonneville Special on consignment, I never worked up the nerve to try to ride it, from memory:

Left hand throttle (with no return spring)
Right hand shift (HANDSHIFT)
Left foot clutch
Manual timing advance (possibly on the right hand grip)

I just pushed it when I needed it moved.

My BMW is handshift, but it is "normal" other than that (except for the crazy kickstarter lever).

Unclviny

It's no harder than going from a left-shift world to a britbike.

Well, except if you forget to adjust the advance - OUCH.

Worse still are the old bicycle-based vintage bikes with the manual oil pump!

My dad had a 36 Indian Chief. Same thing. Left hand throttle, right hand iggy, left foot clutch (rocker, no spring) and right hand shift. He passed away in 07. I have the bike now. He bought it in 39.
I don't ride it much, but for me, it takes a moment to think about what I'm doing

so were other old bikes operated in a similar fashion?

Older HDs had the left-hand throttle and slap shifter with foot clutch, not sure about the advance on the right twist-grip.

I don't know of any Harley's that had left hand throttles.
I do know that what everyone calls a suicide shift was never offered stock from the factory.
A suicide shift is a clutch peddle with a spring on it. All Harley and Indian clutches were rockers. You'd push in th eclutch and it would stay there untill you pressed the bottom peddle to engage it again.

The foot clutch with the spring is called a mousetrap or rat trap.

The slap-shifter on HD was original from WAY back in the olden days, early years.

My local machinist collects HDs and Corvettes; he's got at least one from every decade starting from the 30s, and I believe that one has a left-hand throttle.

grandpaul wrote:The foot clutch with the spring is called a mousetrap or rat trap.

The slap-shifter on HD was original from WAY back in the olden days, early years.

My local machinist collects HDs and Corvettes; he's got at least one from every decade starting from the 30s, and I believe that one has a left-hand throttle.

They didn't make Corvettes until the 50s.

I was referring to the HDs.

Guess i should have clarified.

Covettes don't have rat traps, either.

grandpaul wrote:I was referring to the HDs.

Guess i should have clarified.

Covettes don't have rat traps, either.

I've seen some that needed one.

A bunch of my friends are Indian riders and if you are used to them apparently you can ride them after beer and pizza.
I've never cared to change my habits that much so I've not bought one. Shortly I'll be working on the electrical system of one and I hope the owner does not convert me, I have enough problems.

The early Velocette LE ("Whispering Coppers") had a right-side hand shifter and it wasn't a cosntant mesh gearbox like most bikes. You had to double clutch and blip the throttle on downshifts. Since it was also a RH twistgrip throttle, downshifts were always interesting.

I rode a friend's LE a bit, in the late 1950's, but decided it was too much of a hassle to get one of my own.

Somebody had an LE for sale in SF last year, I don't remember a lot of takers.