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Also, I think heel + toe shifter may not be comfortable for all shoe/feet sizes. Some may have larger feet and hence they have to keep their feet on the shifter as someone said. Else, with a smaller feet, you'll have to anyway move the feet to and fro.

I also think a toe shifter is softer on gear change mechanism than when people hit the lever with their heels. But this is just a guess.

Though yes, All my shoes (and my toe) have a black mark. Can't prevent it especially if you drive in/after the rains.

[Sinner666]

I think for the sports bikes, it came about as the pegs were placed far too back and would have amounted to a lot of dexterity from the rider to operate the heel shifter. Manufacturers on the guise of making their vehicles sportier just caught on to this.

Practicality just goes for a toss when they think sporty. Remember the Old CBZ and the 'peg fold in kick start' procedure?

[hellmet]

I just went and checked Unicorn, Trigger and Yamaha SZ-RR at their respective showrooms a little while ago, and I was happy to see that all of them had the toe+heel shifters in place. Wonder why the websites show otherwise.

Offtopic: Also, looks like the economic downturn has hit Honda too, the Unicorn is available within a week's notice

[badri]

Originally Posted by Sheel

BTW, Race bikes have 1 down & rest upshift pattern, unlike street bikes or RR (race replica) bikes.

I think most race bikes ( at least in motogp) have a reverse pattern. One up and rest down.

Check this video..from 30 sec onwards

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5DILIDC-T4

Mods, I'm not sure why the post has come out skewed ( the video on the left corner). I tried editing but it didn't work..

[car.lover]

Originally Posted by hellmet

I just went and checked Unicorn, Trigger and Yamaha SZ-RR at their respective showrooms a little while ago, and I was happy to see that all of them had the toe+heel shifters in place. Wonder why the websites show otherwise.

Offtopic: Also, looks like the economic downturn has hit Honda too, the Unicorn is available within a week's notice

Interesting topic.

Any idea what do cruisers have? Aquila, HD Dyna? They have a very different riding position

[Sheel]

Originally Posted by Sheel

Race bikes should have heel shifters as well, no? BTW, Race bikes have 1 down & rest upshift pattern, unlike street bikes or RR (race replica) bikes.

Originally Posted by badri

I think most race bikes ( at least in motogp) have a reverse pattern. One up and rest down.

Check this video..from 30 sec onwards

I meant otherwise & I even pictured myself doing reverse of what I do. But...wrote other wise

It is pretty evident to any one watching a Moto GP or a WSBK Race. Maybe, need to proof read better, prior to submitting my post :|

[kaushal21fb]

Interesting Topic. IMHO and this is why they require the toe shifter:

If you look at the anatomy of your foot the toe per say has more movement, feel and control, as compared to the heel. Try dribbling a tennis ball with your heel, or if you drive a car then try depressing the clutch with your heel, put the car into gear and release. You'll know what I mean.

This is the main reason all the pedals in all vehicles (except bikes with heel shifters) are designed for toe action. Also heel shifter in a bike means constantly shifting your foot back and forth for going up and down the gears. This translates to milliseconds lost in every gear change. So if you're in a race then a thousand (approx. maybe) gear changes will translate to the race being won or lost.

Also in street riding if you want to absolutely rip on a bike, then the momentary time taken/lost in gear changes mean the engine losing marginal momentum, thus making your progress slower by taking more time to build up speed. Therefore the bikes with absolute sporty intent (duke, R15 etc.) the heel shifter does not have a need or a purpose. The heel shifter is more for commuter oriented riding instead. And yes it does not spoil your shoes. But with right technique and shoes it hardly makes a difference.

[snowmane]

Originally Posted by hellmet

I'm currently on the lookout for a new ride, and I couldn't help but notice that all manufacturers seem to be very eager in using single peg gear shifters.

What is the single best advantage of using such a shifter from the user point of view? I believe it only helps cut steel costs for the manufacturer.

In my experience with a friend's Hunk with a single peg shifter, I have to move my foot under or over the shift lever for every shift, which is not only more time consuming and cumbersome than the normal gear shifter, it also totally ruins shoes. Also, trying to down shift with chappals on (which I use for short distances) is pure nightmare for the left foot.

I can understand if they want their top-end models to have a sporty feel but premium-commuter bikes like the Extreme/Hunk, Unicorn having single peg shifters sounds weird. The Suzuki GS150R is the only premium-commuter with a regular shift lever (last I checked) but the bike is too boring and the service is a ? right now.

I do not think they might be saving costs by just having the front part of the shifter because then all low end bikes would have had a single toe shifter but usually they have the regular one.

As for the dual one, I find it very uncomfortable on the Pulsars which have the toe and heel type of shifters because they are too small for my show size, every gear shift is uncomfortable.

Whereas the same on my Karizma is much better with the single shift.

Besides, I think it is just the getting used to part when it comes to gear shifting.

Although I also feel that the heel shift is very crude since many people just kick it down, so I am not sure how it will affect, but the single shift seems to be much much smoother.

[djoel99]

I had this issue with my Hunk, As many time when i try to down shift my shoe less gets stuck in this gear shifter.

i had small accident due to this.

[Roomy]

There is the tendency for the foot to get stuck during a gearshift if you are wearing a big bulky shoe,not otherwise. Practicality wise, i prefer the toe shifter and it looks much more sleeker than sliding your foot to and fro for every change.
There are rare occassions i curse the single level shifter such as when I absolutely need to have my shoes shining like the mirror when i go for important meetings. But hell, I'd live with that!

[piyush350]

Just my 2 cents here after reading all the comments.

Please read the reviews keeping in mind that I have spent 10 years on a RD and 15 on an enfield with gear change on the right side, clocking miles commuting and intercity travels.
I have also toured on my Jawa, Karishma and HH Passion.

I have never had any issues with single pegs ( RD does have a longer peg that most moderns I must admit).

Single pegs are a safer method of engaging gears (keeping in mind riders are wearing leathers or boots which have heels, chances are while normal riding one may accidently hit the toe shifter.)

I can understand the issue with one user saying once he puts the shoe in mud and then back on, because of the single shifter the mud is back on top of the shoe.
Well, one has to adapt the driving style. I never put my left leg down on my RD unless its an emergency and vice versa on an enfield.

PS. On the Enfield I did use the peg only to downshift, to upshift I used the little lever to come up to the desired gear (This technique needs some bonding between the bike and a rider)

If I am riding with an expensive shoe and do not want to mark it I always wear a spare sock on top of the shoe (some of my friends use a bandana/handkerchief/wristband) so the rubber from the peg marks the shoe.

I hope this post helps answers most doubts and issues about single pegs.

PS I request all riders not to ride with chappals even if its a trip to a corner shop. Please don't be lazy, I've seen numerous fingers on the road.

Thanks
Piyush

[ashis89]

Originally Posted by car.lover

Interesting topic.

Any idea what do cruisers have? Aquila, HD Dyna? They have a very different riding position

I had a chance to ride my cousiin's Aquila. It has a toe-heel shifter(like the Avenger).
Coming to the topic, I have been using toe-shifting in all the bikes that I have ridden till date. Apart from soiling my shoes,sandals a bit, I haven't faced any problem till date.

Sometime back I was commuting 60+ kms daily in B'lore and my pair of formals are absolutely fine. May be it has got something to do with a smooth shifting gears and ones which require a lot of pressure. But then my last 4 bikes have been Bajajs which are not famous for smooth gear boxes.

[vijaycool]

I almost had 2 accidents just because of the heel lever grabbing the pant especially Denims when my leg want to rest the ground and you loose balance. After those incident whenever I drive splendor I lean check everytime whether the lever grabbing the pant. Never had issues with my pulsar.

[Ricci]

I dislike heel-toe shifters. They make me uncomfortable, it's probably because the heel as it is has less tactile feel, and I wear army boots which makes it worse ; and all my bikes have been toe only shifters. Some bikes like GS150, feel worse because the heel-toe angle is such that it is constantly in contact with the sole. Shifting with the toe imparts more mechanical feel, and probably better for the gearbox.

On sportbikes, the heel part is unnecessary, it is extra weight and sporty applications always try to shed every gram they can.

[a4anurag]

A single peg shifter gives the rider more feel of riding involving himself more.

A danger I see is these sport shoes have a long lace that could get entangled into the shifter and may cause an accident under emergency. I have witnessed two accidents because of this issue.

I still vouch for the single peg shifter to be used on all bikes except the commuter oriented ones.

Cheers,
Anurag.