Suicide shifter

Suicide shifter is a nick-name for a hand-shifter mounted onto a motorcycle. The name is commonly thought to be derived from the fact that to operate one, a rider must perform the risky maneuver of removing one hand from the handlebars while shifting. In truth, the reason that it is called a "Suicide" shift is because if one were to accidentally lift his/her foot off of the clutch (which is actuated by a foot pedal) to prevent the motorcycle from falling over while stopped, the motorcycle could move forward rapidly and send the rider into traffic. It was quite common for older motorcycles to be run without front brakes as well which makes the situation even more dangerous if one's clutch foot should slip off while at a stop. Suicide shifters are not usually sold as an aftermarket part, but instead, have to be fabricated for the target vehicle. Please see Jockey shifter for a more in-depth explanation.

Types of shifters

Clutchless Suicide Shifter - This is where the shifter is a regular knob and involves the semi-complex task of two-handed shifting. One hand is used to press the clutch lever on the handlebars and the second hand is used to shift gears. A poorly designed motorcycle will have the clutch and a clutchless shifter on the same side making shifting during operation extremely dangerous or even impossible.

Clutched Suicide Shifter - This shifter has a clutch lever on it allowing one-handed shifting. This shifter is preferred since greater steering control is retained during shifting.

Usage

Suicide shifters were common on mid-20th century Harley-Davidson motorcycles but are considered obsolete and are not found on modern motorcycles. Some custom motorcycle makers will fabricate a suicide shifter when creating a retro design.

Trikes based on cars (usually the Volkswagen Type 1) usually keeps the original shifter.