Riding a Commando with one foot

Status
Not open for further replies.
maylar

maylar

VIP MEMBER
Joined
May 13, 2007
Messages
4,213
Country flag
I know a long time Commando owner who has recently had his right foot amputated ("below the knee"). His bike is a right shift, not a MKIII. Does anyone know of a rider who has successfully managed to shift a Brit bike with a prosthesis? Or perhaps converted the foot shift to a hand shift on the handlebars?

The Norton represents 47 years of his life and he is absolutely unwilling to replace it with a left shift machine. He will ride it again, come hell or high water.
 
3 Electric actuator buttons next to clutch, pull in clutch lever and servo moves gear lever depending on if either up or down button pressed. 3rd button is into N from first, ie half movement of lever and hope for best.

A commercial version

Disabled Motorcycle Riders (Max Electric Gear Selector Kit)

Electric gear selector kit ,enables handle bar mounted button operated gear selection kit for physically disabled motorcycle & trike riders.
disabledmotorcycleriders.com
 
Was a recent thread on converting right to left shift where several setups were posted allowing stock right side shifter to be operated from the left side foot, using lever, rose joints, linkage rods etc. I'd think it could also be achieved with cables and turning point pivots etc to lift/drop the stock shifter lever from a remote location on bike. There are also old school 'suicide' shifters using a simple tall lever direct off the shifter shaft, vertically up to easy hand reach. Push forward for up. Backward for down etc. Could be the way to go here. Only issue I see is right hand might be busy on throttle, could it be done with left or maybe use a throttle holder of some kind.
 
Tornado said:
Was a recent thread on converting right to left shift where several setups were posted allowing stock right side shifter to be operated from the left side foot, using lever, rose joints, linkage rods etc. I'd think it could also be achieved with cables and turning point pivots etc to lift/drop the stock shifter lever from a remote location on bike. There are also old school 'suicide' shifters using a simple tall lever direct off the shifter shaft, vertically up to easy hand reach. Push forward for up. Backward for down etc. Could be the way to go here. Only issue I see is right hand might be busy on throttle, could it be done with left or maybe use a throttle holder of some kind.
Click to expand...
Wow, just stoppped for a coffee and started chatting with a chap who siad his first bike was an 850 commando that had a suicide shifter on it from a previous amputee owner. It ran under and up the left side. I asked how he managed clutch and he said it was too bad to just match revs. But thinking of this, why not just move clutch lever to suicide lever like old vintage cars had? Seems like a great solution.
 
Had a friend year’s ago that wes a left leg below the knee. He rode a 900 kaw with just raising the shift lever. He would hook his replacement foot under it and lift with his leg. Funny story he was parked in the handycap spot and when he came out a cop was writing him a ticket till he beat on his leg.
 
Triton Thrasher said:
Some people have just welded an extension onto the gear pedal, up to where they can reach it with their right hand
Click to expand...
Yep I have seen this done in a most basic way by a bloke with a pre unit triumph
All he had was a bit of steel conduit tube jubilee clipped on the gear lever facing upwards
 
baz said:
Yep I have seen this done in a most basic way by a bloke with a pre unit triumph
All he had was a bit of steel conduit tube jubilee clipped on the gear lever facing upwards
Click to expand...
The good old days of back garden engineering!
 
Or, you could get something like this and weld it onto the stock shift lever, and it would fold out of the way for the kicker. Get it rechromed after to look nice.

Riding a Commando with one foot


www.harley-davidson.com

Folding Heel Shifter - 33876-07 | Harley-Davidson USA

Give your left foot a little extra room. Folding Heel Shifter permits the rider to move the rear shift peg out of the way when on the open road, while retaining heel/toe shift functionality around town.
www.harley-davidson.com www.harley-davidson.com
 
As I was reading this thread the picture below popped up in random media !

Converting to left shift by trying to replicate the MK3 set up does appear difficult, but making an external linkage, as shown, isn’t too difficult.

Once that’s done, if he can satisfactorily operate the rear brake with his prosthetic, he could simply make a right hand brake lever set up. If not, a modern thumb operated lever and conversion to disc might be an option.

Riding a Commando with one foot
 
bill said:
Had a friend year’s ago that wes a left leg below the knee. He rode a 900 kaw with just raising the shift lever. He would hook his replacement foot under it and lift with his leg. Funny story he was parked in the handycap spot and when he came out a cop was writing him a ticket till he beat on his leg.
Click to expand...
It's amazing how resilient some people are
I had an Irish mate that had an xs650 yam
He lost his right foot in a bike crash and has a prosphetic one
When I saw him back riding the Yamaha again I asked him how he was getting on with the back brake?
He turned to me and said in his strong Irish accent "to be honest the back brake was never up to much before the accident so I don't bother with it"
He really was a character ,he became my neighbour for a while and he extended the forks on the yam without raking it
He was only 5ft and couldn't get his feet down properly
He used to bump up the kerb to get the bike in his garden,he'd lose his footing and fall over
I used to hear the crash and go out and stand it up for him !! :rolleyes: :D :D :D :D
 
Off at a bit of a tangent, sorry, when I was top speed racing a dozen years ago, one of the lads only had a left arm, the right was off above the elbow, and use of his left leg, the right was a bit mangled. I saw him sat down one day working on his Busa, fitting a chain to it. On his own. His race bike was left hand clutch, left hand throttle rotating forwards, left hand brake, push button up/down shifter. He was still able to run over 230mph.

Just to say, there are ways if you are prepared to make adjustments. I fully understand why he wants to retain the Norton. He may have to change his mind if he’s unable to modify it, and if he wants to stay riding change to something that he can ’simply’ fit a Pingel electric shifter
 
  • Like
Reactions: baz
New story same guy. He was out on a dirt bike in the woods with 2 unknown guys behind him when the leg got pulled off ond flew through the air with the boot still on it. The 2 behind him about crap them self. Another prank he would pull is to turn the foot backwards and go walking through the mall( shopping center).
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top