I have a pre Rushmore bike and I recently noticed that Harley Davidson no longer puts the heel shifter on the newer models. I know it can be easily added but I always upshift with my heel. I find it's smoother, easier, and the toes of my boots don't get scuffed up. Besides me, who else uses the rear shift lever?
Heel Toe Shifter is Gone
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BDMastiff
21 - 40 of 77 Posts
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55 Posts
I spent many years riding in a suit and dress boots. One of the benefits of going to HD was I could stop ruining good dress boots.
What’s your method of removing these?
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10,077 Posts
Cut my teeth on dirt bikes as a kid, raced for many years into my thirties, then moved into jap and euro street bikes, and back-and-forth to Harleys in between. Never could get use to a heal shifter; never felt right not clicking up. It’s the first thing I take off.
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160 Posts
The human foot is not designed to lift in the manner that you use to up shift with the front lever. What else do you do that requires that motion? Those who don’t like the heel shifter just haven’t trained themselves to use it. Once you get it to muscle memory you’ll never go back. Plus you’ll hit neutral everytime because you’ll have the leverage to finesse it right in. Plus, saves you from scuffing the toes of your boots.
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25 Posts
I think the heel shifter is the absolute best bang for the buck upgrade. For literally $50, bucks you can EASILY install this in 15 minutes. I think it increases the type of footware you can wear and not have to discomfort from shifts. Granted it does limit how far back you can move your foot on the floor boards, but I wear 10.5 shoes and never had an issue.
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56 Posts
I commute to work with dress shoes on. The heal shifter is a must because the toe shifter scuffs the top of the shoe.
This right here is the reason I ordered a heel shifter after the second ride...
At 6'8", riding with my feet on the floorboards has my ankle already bent "upwards" a fair amount, so I can't easily rock my toe up to shift - end up having to lift my entire leg.
Lifting a heel is much easier on the ankles.
Trained????? I am untrainable, if you don't believe me just ask my wife!!!!🤣🤣
But you are right on one account it is easier to find neutral.
But neutral is over rated anyway !!!!!.........
OK maybe its not.......
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4,795 Posts
Respectfully, this is particularly silly.The human foot is not designed to lift in the manner that you use to up shift with the front lever. What else do you do that requires that motion? Those who don’t like the heel shifter just haven’t trained themselves to use it. Once you get it to muscle memory you’ll never go back. Plus you’ll hit neutral everytime because you’ll have the leverage to finesse it right in. Plus, saves you from scuffing the toes of your boots.
I have no issue with articulating my ankle, and I think it's more work to lift up your entire leg (however slightly) to use the heel shifter. Much easier just to blip my ankle with my heel resting on the board than to use the heel shifter.
Plus I firmly believe that the heel shifter contributes to shifter shaft/spline problems because without thinking about it much, the pressure riders use with the heel shifter is greater.
That's my opinion, and I'm stickin with it.
As I always say - I could be wrong tho.
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160 Posts
I understand. Friend of mine just lost his shift shaft last week. He doesn’t have a heel shifter. Never lost one, myself.Respectfully, this is particularly silly.
I have no issue with articulating my ankle, and I think it's more work to lift up your entire leg (however slightly) to use the heel shifter. Much easier just to blip my ankle with my heel resting on the board than to use the heel shifter.
Plus I firmly believe that the heel shifter contributes to shifter shaft/spline problems because without thinking about it much, the pressure riders use with the heel shifter is greater.
That's my opinion, and I'm stickin with it.
As I always say - I could be wrong tho.
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747 Posts
I like the heal shift lever and would not be without one on a bike with floorboards. I don't put any more pressure on the heel shifter than is necessary and never had a problem with bent shift forks because of horseing the upshift (it's called muscle memory) and simple maintenace checks ( which should be done, just like checking tire pressure) will assure a shift lever never falls off. They are easy to learn.....
Ditto
I used a heel shifter for many years and 10's of thousands of miles. One day I decided I would rather have the room on the boards. Loved being able to move my foot around on the board in more positions and using just the toe shift and never went back. I've worked on motorcycles for quite a while and noticed that all the bikes I repaired with the dreaded shifter spline issues had the heel shifter. I have never seen the issue on a bike that the rider used toe shift only. It doesn't mean that just because one has a heel shifter that they will have the issue, it just means that it could increase the possibility because some aren't careful putting the weight of their leg on the heel shifter when shifting. I get people dispute this claim because they like using it. There are aftermarket solutions that help eleviate the spline issues from happening either way. Each person likes what they like so that's all it is. We tend to justify things based on our own opinion and not consider the possibility that there are other ways to look at it. Heel shifting just isn't that important to some whether it causes issues or not.The human foot is not designed to lift in the manner that you use to up shift with the front lever. What else do you do that requires that motion? Those who don’t like the heel shifter just haven’t trained themselves to use it. Once you get it to muscle memory you’ll never go back. Plus you’ll hit neutral everytime because you’ll have the leverage to finesse it right in. Plus, saves you from scuffing the toes of your boots.
I use it religiously. I was surprised when I bought my '22 that they weren't included
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