Heal or Toe

Re: Heal or Toe

feeds@yuku.com (danbgt) — Fri, 12 Oct 2007 06:30:14 GMT

bamaTrider wrote:
I just added a heel/toe shifter to my Wing. Once a heel/toer...always a heel.toer.

Stan

That was one of the first things I added to the Dragon Trike.

On our ill fated ride down from PA on the Red Dragon, it took me about 500 miles to quit missing swifts by reaching back with my heel trying to hit the back of the shifter that wasn't there!!

-Dan

Re: Heal or Toe

feeds@yuku.com (bamaTrider) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 18:56:57 GMT

I just added a heel/toe shifter to my Wing. Once a heel/toer...always a heel.toer.

Stan

Re: Heal or Toe

feeds@yuku.com (fire fly medic) — Thu, 11 Oct 2007 09:36:18 GMT

floor boards and heel shifts, i do miss the heal shifter on my other bike you kind of get use to it after a while

Re: Heal or Toe

feeds@yuku.com (Fredrider) — Fri, 31 Aug 2007 11:51:31 GMT

Alain,

When I got my T it had foot pegs on it as well. I had tried to keep my right foot to the right of the brake pedal, but then I only had about 3/4" of peg left where my ballet slippers, I mean motorcycle boots, could rest. The fear of my foot falling of that little bit of peg at 70 mph was too much for me, so I ordered Cobra floorboards right away. My T has been a luxury boat every since.

Re: Heal or Toe

feeds@yuku.com (alepel) — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 19:18:51 GMT

Fred....I think you hit the nail right on the head about why I am finding it cumbersome to heel shift with foot pegs. Your description is right on. I guess this really makes a case for looking for floorboards this winter for next years riding season. I've already got it figured that floorboards will solve my issue with keeping my right toe off the foot brake and still having my right foot comfortably resting.

Ballet slippers.....now come on!!!!

Alain

Re: Heal or Toe

feeds@yuku.com (Fredrider) — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 05:59:21 GMT

Alain,

With floorboards it is just a matter of lifting the heel and sliding the toe back, then gently pressing down with the heel. The action may not be so smooth with foot pegs, since first you would have to get the ball of your left foot squarely on the foot peg and then press down with your left heel, otherwise if you did not use the foot peg to support the ball of your foot you would have to get accustomed to just where to press your heel down with not much of a reference frame....

Re: Heal or Toe

feeds@yuku.com (bamaTrider) — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 20:34:36 GMT

Practice makes perfect. I heel shift on my T, then toe shift on my Wing. I've never gotten them mixed up, but will add a heel shifter to the wing as soon as I can steal one off ebay.

You can always tell who toe shifts by looking at the top of their left boot.

Stan

Re: Heal or Toe

feeds@yuku.com (alepel) — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 15:18:00 GMT

alepel wrote:
Right now I cannot agree nor disagree about the heel/toe shifter. At this moment toe shifting seems natural. BUT there's that BUT. I'm going to Americade and I'll be riding the Tourer for a solid week. I'm going to really get acclimated to this bike and using the heel/toe shifter will be one of the things I try to do most. So I'll reserve my comments until I know more about what I am talking...

Re: Heal or Toe

feeds@yuku.com (mtn hiker biker) — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 11:57:54 GMT

it sounds like most like the heal up and toe down. when i got my shadow, i was so excited to have the heal shifter, it just came naturally. once in a while i'll try shifting up with the toe now, and that feels strange. a friend of mine (who drives a HD 1200 sportster) asked me just this past weekend about the heel shifter. i told him i couldn't imagine going back to toe up shifting all the time anymore.
craig (mountain hiker/biker)

Re: Heal or Toe

feeds@yuku.com (abikervotes) — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 11:04:59 GMT

I'm in Fred's camp of thinking: up with heel, down with toe

Re: Heal or Toe

feeds@yuku.com (Fredrider) — Tue, 15 May 2007 11:17:13 GMT

Alain,

Raising my heel and sliding my foot backwards to shift is how my leg gets exercise while I am riding.

I am sure it feels more natural sliding your foot backwards on flat floorboards than on a relatively small, mostly round footpeg. I do not know whether I would be toe-shifting or heel-shifting if I had footpegs on my T. I do toe-shift when riding my Nighthawk. There is no other choice...

Re: Heal or Toe

feeds@yuku.com (alepel) — Tue, 15 May 2007 07:23:22 GMT

Right now I cannot agree nor disagree about the heel/toe shifter. At this moment toe shifting seems natural. BUT there's that BUT. I'm going to Americade and I'll be riding the Tourer for a solid week. I'm going to really get acclimated to this bike and using the heel/toe shifter will be one of the things I try to do most. So I'll reserve my comments until I know more about what I am talking about.

alepel

Re: Heal or Toe

feeds@yuku.com (bamaTrider) — Mon, 14 May 2007 22:00:28 GMT

The heel/toe shifter has helped me a lot. I was having trouble getting complete engagement of 2nd gear from 1st gear just using my toe. I have a size 9 and the shifter of the T has a longer throw than my 750 Ace had. When Fred told me what he was doing to correct this, I decided that I was going to keep practicing shifting with my heel until it became second nature to me. When I bought the Wing last fall, I kept trying to heel shift it for a while and had to get used to toe shifting all over...

Re: Heal or Toe

feeds@yuku.com (NC tourer) — Mon, 14 May 2007 20:01:10 GMT

Alain, I'm a 10 too. I understand what you mean about the drawing the foot back and forth. I had to do the same thing. Took me a while to notice I did it on my first T that had pegs. The adjustment seems less now with boards, but the distance between the heal/toe and my shoe size hasn't changed. lol

Re: Heal or Toe

feeds@yuku.com (alepel) — Mon, 14 May 2007 19:55:58 GMT

I just lift my heel onto the back shifter lever letting the weight of my foot gently preload the shifter,

Fred....are you not actually drawing your foot back. I'm a size 10 boot and I find that to use toe and heel I am moving my foot forward and back. Maybe what I am experiencing is the pivot point of the sole of my boot on the foot peg. I would imagine that anyone riding with foot rests are actually sliding their foot forward and back with the detent that the...

Re: Heal or Toe

feeds@yuku.com (NC tourer) — Mon, 14 May 2007 19:55:23 GMT

Alain, I have to agree with Fred. When I got my first T, the heal/toe was very uncomfortable for me. I had to focus on my shifting, and ended up downshifting a few times while meaning to upshift. Tached that motor right up, and gave me a little wake up. Fred gave me some advise one time. He said, it takes approx. 3000 miles to get almost fluent with a new bike. I believe that is very much true! After I put about 13,000 miles in 7 months, I became almost dependent on that heal/toe shifter! I...

Re: Heal or Toe

feeds@yuku.com (Fredrider) — Mon, 14 May 2007 16:26:32 GMT

Alain,

I am not sure whether it is because of the footpegs or not, but it feels very natural to me to use the heel shifter when upshifting. I just lift my heel onto the back shifter lever letting the weight of my foot gently preload the shifter, then when the engine speed matches the road speed I snug in the clutch lever about a 1/4" and the transmission shifts smartly into the next gear without me actually having to push down with my foot. It is a whole more precise than...

Re: Heal or Toe

feeds@yuku.com (alepel) — Mon, 14 May 2007 07:24:45 GMT

I took Friday afternoon off from work to ride my bike and get it inspected. I purposefully picked an inspections station that was far from my home just to get a long ride in. I tried using the heel shifter more but it still felt unnatural. I'm wondering if I feel this way because I am still using foot pegs instead of foot rests? Just a thought.

alepel

Re: Heal or Toe

feeds@yuku.com (NC tourer) — Sat, 12 May 2007 20:29:32 GMT

Dang, you drive like me Dawg.. I try to use the clutch on those last 2, but catch myself not most of the time. I'm a heal/toe guy. I don't miss using just the toe to shift. It did take me a bit to get used to, but love the heal/toe.

Re: Heal or Toe

feeds@yuku.com (West Tn Dawg) — Sat, 12 May 2007 17:52:35 GMT

Heal up andf Toe down!!!!! No clutch from 3rd to 5th! I just rest my heal lightly on the shifter and give the throttle a flick. Shifts in slick as a whistle!

Rick

Heal or Toe

feeds@yuku.com (Danowapa) — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 23:44:50 GMT

Just curious how riders prefer to use the shifter on their T and how it relates to pegs or boards.