Heel and Toe Shifter Advantages

[Muskokan]

I very often don't downshift when slowing down to a stop, but stay in 4th and select the gear I want when I know what I need at the junction. That can mean pulling away in 2nd if still just moving or if the road is downhil, or sometimes selecting 3rd if the road suddenly opens up. I also particularly like stopping in 4th and then one clicking straight into 1st for the pull away. I'm glad you can't do that at 50mph.
My only recurring problem is revving out in 2nd or 3rd and then changing gear the wrong way (to a lower gear) because most bikes I ride are "toe up" for the next higher gear. The only way out of that is to slow the bike down enough to release the gear lever and starting again, because you can't quickly change 2 gears higher without "letting the clutch out" and screaming the engine. Anyone else do that?

When you refer to " I also particularly like stopping in 4th and then one clicking straight into 1st for the pull away.". Are you on a US spec Honda trail or a Asian CT 125. I understand that the shift patterns are opposite?

 

[m in sc]

that was the (a) reason for the auto clutch, not the heel toe shifter. we are talking about the heel-toe in this thread. And, had to do with basically copying the Italian stuff already for delivery vehicles . (lambretta, for example). `This is a motorcycle that can be driven by a soba restaurant with one hand while carrying soba noodles on the shoulder". (because of lack of a clutch lever)

the semi-auto transmissions were absolutely ground breaking at the time, but, again, has nothing to do with the heel toe shifter, and was used for deliveries everywhere in the world.

1949 honda model d. heel toe, not for delivering noodles.

 

[dmonkey]

The D-Type had a heel-toe shifter because you literally had to hold it in gear. Hold down the "toe" pedal for 1st, hold down the "heel" pedal for 2nd, release for neutral. That hurt reviews and sales of the "Dream" because it was exhausting for riders' feet. Honda carried over the pedal design to the Super Cub but changed the shift mechanism to be more user friendly. Lambretta didn't come out with a proper automatic (CVT) or a foot clutch mechanism until the 60s, the Lambrettas that Honda would have seen before designing the Super Cub were left hand clutch and twist grip gear select.

 

[m in sc]

many other bikes had heel toe shifters. 1952 harley, for example, early ducati singles, again, nothing to do with delivery models, and HD introduced it from aftermarket parts. But lambrettas were absolutely used for delivery duties in Europe, but the lack of a hands free transmission was an issue.

1950 ducati sport-60 single, RH heel toe.

 

[SneakyDingo]

I'm a maniac with my size US-12 shoes and an unrotated shifter, and I use the heel portion a lot. I really like that the upper portion of my left boot is lasting way longer than my previous one did. I like that I can comfortably ride it in anything. I think the only thing that could make it better is ready access to non-heel shifter options. If it broke, I'd replace it with the OEM part.

 

[MisterB]

I really like the heel-toe shifter, it seems appropriate for the size and style of the bike.
Nowadays we have the advantage of not only reading about future purchases but watching endless videos and reviews of them, there weren't any surprises when I got it and it's exactly what I expected.
I also have a Gold Wing and many riders like adding a heel-toe to them but it doesn't appeal to me. Just seems right on the Trail.
Hope you all are getting some solid Spring riding weather! Lots of rain here, but we have our dry days.

 

[oldskool]

BMW R-71 and the Urals have toe-heel shifters. Those are bikes made in the late 30s early 40s. They weren't delivering noodles. It helped with ease of operation with winter combat boots. Not too many wore sandals at Stalingrad.

 

[dmonkey]

Yes, many manual transmission bikes had the heel-toe shifter earlier. What Honda invented was the semi-automatic transmission that used, and at first required the heel-toe shifter to operate. When the transmission was iterated upon for the 3-speed in the Super Cub it no longer mechanically required the heel shifter, yet Honda kept it on the bike that was designed to Fujisawa's requirements for noodle delivery, where sandals were common footwear.

Another advantage to the heel shifter is that it's easier to slide your foot forward and back while keeping it on the peg for shifting. With just a toe shifter, many riders lift their foot from the peg to upshift, and you can watch the bike tilt as a result of how that upsets their balance. Easier to avoid with the heel shifter, unless you're lifting your whole foot to tap the heel pad with the ball of your foot.

 

[m in sc]

lol.

 

[JPMcGraw]

Im here to help represent team Toe/Toe

 

[stopper]

I hacked off the heel portion and never looked back. It was almost comically difficult for me to comfortably use it, either with my heel OR toe.

At 6' 5" and sporting clown feet, I don't think the geometry of the little donkey was ever designed to allow me to use the heel shifter. It felt like trying to kick a wall behind me while sitting on a toilet.
Maybe I could have done some yoga to work on my flexibility, but grabbing a dremel was a lot less work

 

[Cubtestdummy]

I like the heel toe arrangement. That said I'm a toe down one spline at the front . I don't have enough flexibility in my ankle to push all the way down then lift evenly for a smooth shift, I also tend to ride with the ball of my foot just in front of the peg which doesn't help the overall standard setup.

 

[Tanston]

I only have about 40 miles on my bike but so far the Heel shifter hasn't bothered me. That said I have yet to try standing up or riding offroad so maybe i'll sing a different tune when I get to that.

 

[m in sc]

i'll say this much as a plus for the heel toe, it makes the lever balanced weight wise, lot less likely to hit a big bump off road and have the lever shift down unexpectedly. was riding an OLD ts400 one time and that happened with a steel lever.