Suicide shift

A suicide shift is the early gear change layout used on many motorcycles until the 1950s, and still fitted to some custom choppers today. The clutch is operated by a foot pedal (the 'suicide clutch'), and gears are selected with a long hand lever mounted beside the fuel tank and linked directly to the gearbox.

The nickname comes from the risk: the rider must take a hand off the handlebar to shift, and with a foot clutch, stopping on a slope means balancing the bike with the other foot. Some foot clutches were not self-returning, so dropping the bike could leave it in gear.

Riders of vintage and custom bikes with this setup should practise in a safe area and consider a spring-loaded (rocker) clutch for safer stops.