| Author | Message | ||
     Angelwild327 |
Hi everyone, I'm Angela, new XB9SX owner, and pretty new rider in general. This board is GREAT!! My question/dilemma is this-- I am a shorty, 5'2 n' change..and since I'm not a terribly experienced rider, I need to be comfortable and confident, right now. I want to know if anyone knows how or has any ideas how to make a heel/toe shifter for the 9SX. I have elevated my steel toe army boots, to accomodate me in being flat footed on the bike, but of course the shifter is going to be a bit of an issue. I am going to raise the shift lever to a better position, but I thought that if there was a way to make a heel/toe shifter it'd be even easier for me to make this work out. When I'm a much better rider, none of this will be a problem, but for now, well..let's just say, I don't want to see my bike on it's side ever again. I appreciate any help you guys can come up with! THANKS Angela | ||
| Perry |
I am amazed that a 5'2" person can flat-foot an SX. You must have a 35 inch inseam, or four inch soles on your boots  If you still have the stock SX seat, you could change it out for one of the other seats and gain some footing by lowering the bike instead of raising your boots - then you'd avoid the problem. | ||
| Tpoppa |
You should look for a standard or a low seat from an XB9s. They will fit your SX and lower the riding position by a few inches. The standard seat can be found pretty cheap on ebay. | ||
| Rich |
I plan on making a heel/toe for my 12S, one of these days. Basically, I'll make a new lever, with a toe peg where it is now, and another, maybe 2 inches in front of where the linkage connects. Then, I'll make it "GP" shift, and there it is. Push down to shift up or down. I'll have to move my foot off the peg to downshift, but it shouldn't be a problem. Right now I can shift it when I have my AFO on, but not without pain. I already made heel/toe shifters for my other Buell(RS) and my Hayabusa. (Message edited by Rich on November 23, 2005) | ||
| Angelwild327 |
Cool Rich!! Without having much knowledge about bikes, that's what I thought the plan would be. I have two people who've suggested putting the heel shifter underneath and right behind the foot peg..which makes sense too, but I would think it would be easier to do both levers in front..what do I know..lol. I found someone who can actually make all the necessary parts and put it all together.. all I want to do is ride all damn day, whatever works!..never thought my height would be so much of an issue in my world.. | ||
| Rubberdown |
I had a heel toe shifter on a big BMW Luxury cruiser. If I rode with the feet on the passenger pegs I could shift GP style. I think that you would be better off just getting a lower seat for your City X. Enjoy. | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Back in the day, most Italian motorcycles were set up for heel and toe shifting. The Italians didn't like to get the toes of their custom made shoes scuffed when shifting. It worked like this: the shift lever pivoted on the foot peg, and a vertical arm went forward to the gear box. To shift up, one pressed down on the front part of the lever under the toe. To shift down, one pressed down with ones heel on the rear part of the lever. Or maybe it was the other way around: it's been a few years. Looked sort of like this if I remember correctly:  Naturally no self respecting Italian of the sixties would be seen on his Mondial or Moto Rumi wearing army boots  | ||
| Angelwild327 |
Rubberdown..thanks, but I got the low seat, and even had it cut down some. Trust me I took all the traditional routes first, to work on the height. I called all over the country for advice; I try to be really resourceful and get as much info as possible. There are no easy and simple routes that I can think of anymore..and I really wracked a lot of brains..they're still all reeling from my constant badgering..lol | ||
| Angelwild327 |
Gentleman... WOW..you sure are the artist and boy do you have a flair for Italian shoes from the 60's..I can just imagine them, nice white shoes, with a powder blue pair of pants..lol nice work... I like the concept too, that is similar to what my two people have suggested..maybe not the pivot part though. Thanks for the input!!! | ||
| Sparky |
I'm going to suggest something that I've never seen before but have always wondered why it's never been tried. Simply cut off the toe piece and replace it with a sideways U-shaped piece that the toe of your boot fits into. It could be made from a half inch slice of aluminum channel that is slightly larger than your boot toe thickness. This piece can be welded onto the shift lever, and the arms sticking out can be covered with rubber tubing. Upshifting or downshifting would be accomplished by placing your toe into the sideways U and pressing up or down. Problem solved! | ||
| Angelwild327 |
Sparky I think I can visualize your idea, but throw in a drawing if you have the capability... after all you ARE the rocket scientist..(grin).. Seriously, if you saw my boots, simple steel toe jump boots have now become these big goth monsters.. and honestly, I'm not sure there's a sideways U that's big enough..lol Up until now, I have been shifting with the lip of my boot, on the up shift that is, and with this added height I can't get my foot underneath. Raising the shift lever, however, makes it difficult to get my foot on top of the peg to downshift..so a heel toe I think would do the job properly. | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Let's see what these clodhoppers look like, Angela. Might give us a little better idea of the problem. | ||
| Cataract2 |
Angel, I would recommend you not use steel toed boots for riding. The reason for this is, should you get into a crash, the steel toe part of the boot could get bent cutting off blood to your toes. Not a good situation. I would recommend going out and finding some good tough leather riding boots. BTW, welcome to the board from another fellow Florida XB9SX rider. | ||
| Alexfiggy |
im 5'6 and im on my tip toes when i ride my xb9sx but its fun to ride...  | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Angela, did you know you can lower the entire bike to a seat height of 28.6" or so with the low suspension set up in conjunction with the low seat? It is the system that is used on the XB12Scg. Sometimes you can find someone that has a low model, and wants to exchange the parts for someone who has the standard set up. Might let you get rid of your goth footgear:-), so you could ride, (and walk), more comfortably, and more importantly, perhaps just a bit more stylishly. | ||
| Angelwild327 |
G-Jon, I'll get a picture, but don't laugh..please. PS...are you trying to say my big stompers aren't stylish???? lol..j/k I got an email about the scg suspension today, and I'm going to look into it..the person told me, if I understand correctly, that only the front forks need to be changed out, and the rear stays the same. I will check it out! THanks Cataract, Yes, I'm aware of the dangers of steel toes.. well aware. I've been wearing steel toes for a long long time, and I feel far safer with them than without, I will take my chances. Thank you for the kind warning though... health care workers are so sweet! HUGS Alex, If I was a more experienced rider, I'm sure being on my toes wouldn't make a bit of difference, but for now, I have to get flat and build my skills and confidence. (Message edited by angelwild327 on November 24, 2005) | ||
| Cataract2 |
Angel, actually, I'm a construction worker. Least you know about the dangers of steel toes, just was making certain you do. How's the riding down there BTW? Met any other Buell riders there? (Message edited by cataract2 on November 24, 2005) | ||
| Angelwild327 |
Cataract, Yes, I know the dangers, and I'm going to ditch the steel toes for riding..you guys are right, I like my toes..I'll save them for other activities.. grin... Riding down here is um..challenging..people drive like lunatics..but I've been driving down here for 10 years, and I'm one of those people that study patterns..After I knew I would be riding a bike, I watched even more closely..especially the way people behave around bikers, so although it scares me, at least I have some sense of the reactions of these whackos here. I read a lot about watching people's body language while you're riding..and that makes a lot of sense. Buell riders..yes, they are here, but I'll be darned if I see them out and about much. Billy at Pompano HD is starting a BRAG club, so that'll be a great asset. I live right by the ocean so I see bikes all day every day, and in 10 years, I've seen TWO Buellers out and about...we must just not cross paths. | ||
| Alexfiggy |
i live in miami use the force and my jedi mind tricks. speed is life use it to get away from bad drivers. look for open road. mined the guy in front and to the rear.traffic jams suck use other cars for protection.  and pack a gun lol | ||
| Cataract2 |
Cool to hear about the BRAG club starting there. I'm working on getting one started up here. | ||
| Sparky |
Angela, after I thought about it a little, the sideways U shifter could be made even simpler. Rather than hacking off the stock shift peg, an aluminum angle piece about a half inch wide can be welded to the backside of the stock shifter arm to become an upper shift peg.  | ||
| Fresnobuell |
I can tell you that the conversion to drop the height will run you right around $1,000 (unless you can get the labor done yourself). My CityX had that drop in its future, until the original buyer ordered a Long. Which worked fine for me! I too am surprised that you can flatfoot, as I am a hair under 5-9 and still have to get on my toes. Okay i will admit I have short legs, but still....Good luck | ||
| Buellin_ri |
How about an air shifter?  |
