softailhog
Active Member
I've owned a lot of bikes before I ever got one with heel shift. So I have always shifted with my toe. What's your preference and why?
As probably is the case with many of us, I started riding on bikes that did not have floorboards and therefore they did not have a heel/toe shifter. Even though I am now on my third floorboard type bike I have resisted changing my mentality on how I shift. I have tried it and it seems foreign to me. I ride with memory muscle reflex that was first developed 30 years ago and this did not seem like it was incorporating into my muscle memory very easily so I gave up on the heel shifting. Although the heel arm has always remained on all three bikes it does not get used.
If you have large feet it does tend to get in the way and take up some floorboard space.
I think that the heel/toe thing came from the old days when the Police, when chasing all the bad guys, could just slam their foot down and as with all police not have to think about it. therefore it just stayed with the full dressers, I've taken mine off, gets in the way on a long ride, I like to move my foot around.