Would You Be Interested In A Heel-Toe Shifter for your ST1300 ?

Yarz

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Location
western PA
Would you be interested in a heel-toe shifter?

Searching the forum for farkling clues for my new-to-me ST, I ran across an old thread about a heel-toe shifter that Doug had fabricated by Norm Wilding (Mid Missouri Motorcycle Customs).

The old thread mentioned Norm had kits available. So I called him. Great conversation but disappointing answer. He has no kits, and only made two – maybe three. Apparently expensive overhead to set up the CNC machines because he never made more than one at a time. Over the years he has received other inquiries, but everyone received the same response from him -- “No.”

While I was on the phone with him, and he was thinking out loud, he wondered how many he could fabricate and sell to make it "affordable". Knowing the market interest in the product will help him determine if it is something he would undertake. Thus, here's the question: Would you be interested in a heel-toe shifter? (And, what year is your ST1300?)

Below is a photo of what he fabricated for Doug years ago, but no guarantees future ones would look like this.

1692107715831.png
 
I once had a Cossack Ural with sidecar. It had a heel-toe shifter (coupled to a hand shifting stick too, but that is irrelevant) - The shifter was a platform with a vertical strip of metal underneath - rather like the heel shifter on your photo. This made it uncomfortable to get your toe under to change up. (One bike I had changed down when you lifted the lever up - can't remember whether or not it was this one - and I don't want to think abaout it, because it might awaken forgotten instinctive behaviour. Oh tish, now I've done it.....)

Anyway, the point was that even though I had a perfectly good heel-toe arrangement - it didn't feel right changing gear with my heel, and I never used it (except to try it of course). I preferred the more uncomfortable up-click.
 
I had a heel-toe shifter in my GL1000 that I like a lot but it was part of a floorboards kit. The ergos on that bike were slightly more foot-forward than the ST so I don't know if I'd be comfortable with a shifter only on the ST. I bet that's going to be some pricey kit.

As far as a double toe shifter– yeah no. But it's a choice for those who want it.
 
Firstly, let's assume for this Reply, that I'm addressing people who still have normal range of motion in their left ankle and left foot, and are using stock ST pegs.
NO!
I've never felt the desire to use a heel-toe shifter, and would never consider installing one on any bike I will ever own.
(Yeah, I know... I'm the same guy who said the same thing about mounting a Car Tire on a motorcycle, but that's different. I don't have to use my hands or my feet to make the rear tire do it's tiring job. It just works, without me, and I don't have to think about it, other than checking the air pressure regularly.)
As usual, I'm cool with ST owners doing what makes them feel good with their bikes, but since you DID ask... I mean, I imagine some people might want to install ape-hanger handlebars and then a sissy bar out back, but that doesn't mean it's a good idea, and I promise not to publicly opine on your judgement if you DO mount ape bars and a 4ft Peter Fonda sissy bar. But I'll be thinking about it, and how ridiculous it looks, in my mind.
Then again, I wouldn't want to see rhinestones or big silver conchos outlining your saddle, or a pink plastic basket affixed below your headlight, or Texas longhorn steer horns coming out of your front cowl, or your panniers covered in tiger-skin patterned shag carpet, either.
Guess I'm just set in my ways.
 
My very first bike was a 1962 Kawasaki 125 2 stroke 4-speed trans. It had a heel/toe shifter, but I never used it because it had a rotary shift pattern. You could cycle from 4th to neutral to 1st.

As long as I have reasonable ankle health, I still don't think I'd use a heel/toe shifter.

I do like the idea of a double toe shifter because I don't like reaching under the shifter while leaned over meaning my foot, rather than the foot peg would be the first thing to scrape.
 
ddemair said:
I do like the idea of a double toe shifter because I don't like reaching under the shifter while leaned over meaning my foot, rather than the foot peg would be the first thing to scrape.
Click to expand...
I can see it now... MotoGP shift pattern on the ST1300. ;)
 
I like it on my VStar but wouldn't try it with pegs. With the floorboard at least mine you move your foot back a bit and your foot clears the toe shifter. It seems also that without the board you'd have to pivot the ball of foot on the peg. Not always a good place to be.
 
The toe part would have to be very adjustable. My BIL wore size 6 1/2 shoes while my son wears a 15. Motorcycle riders wear all kinds of foot ware from flip-flops to heavy duty, clunky looking off road boots.

I would hate to have a get off/crash with my toe between 2 shifter pegs.

I had a heel-toe shifter on my old Moto Guzzi. It also had floor boards.
 
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Larry Fine said:
What do you see bad about the idea?
Click to expand...
Ron said:
I would hate to have a get off/crash with my toe between 2 shifter pegs.
Click to expand...
This. And that if you drop or crash it behooves you to then fall on the right side.

And just having to either thread your foot into the two bits or having more play then you'd have with a standard lever. There would be more play with my street shoes than with my "travel" boots. Those who wear the same shoe/boot when riding wouldn't have that problem.

I didn't say it was bad just that there's no real upside for me. LOL
 
I had a H/T shifter on my Valkyrie.. really liked it once you get used to it. You never put your toe under the shifter again and you can pop it with your heel to up shift quickly..

But, never thought the ST needed it. Doug did one due to health reasons and that's a different scenario vs addresses a bike weakness.

It's going to be tough to address a very low need for a bike that is no longer in production... your market is decreasing so recouping the development costs may not be possible.
 
And while it goes without saying, I'll say it anyway (you knew I would)... there's a big difference between a heel - toe shifter with floorboards, and with more standard footpegs.
 
Removed earlier post:
For a friend of mine, I tested for him a GW trike with a heel/toe shifter and was intuitive enough, but not something in which I have an interest. As for the other type shifter, it looks like an interesting idea, but I think the company is now not in existence- last FB post was back in 2020 I believe.

EDIT: I just looked up Indie-Crew.com which is the website for the up/down shifter in the video above- on IG it shows the price as low as $119 for sport bikes, which isn’t bad and it is apparently adjustable to accommodate different shoe sizes, but their website to purchase is not functional.
 
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Maybe ask @Mellow to turn this into a poll?

I'm not interested btw.

However, should this get off the ground I'd recommend substituting a button head cap screw for the hex head used as the pivot bolt. Better to have a smooth, rounded bolt head rubbing against the side of your boot than that hex head.

Better yet, countersink the hole in the lever and use a flathead screw.
 
I had the heel-toe shifter on my GL1800, which was a compliment to the floorboards.

I never wished to have the same on the ST13, especially with foot pegs. For me, there is never any fatigue with the minimal shifting movement.
 
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