Suicide Clutch? Harley Transmission, Harley Clutch & Harley Primary Discuss Suicide Clutch? in the Harley Tech & Harley How-to forums; So I hear about bikes having a suicide clutch. What does that mean?...

[BaggerDad]

So I hear about bikes having a suicide clutch.

What does that mean?

[48panshovel]

Kick start being a theft deterrent is right except for some of the older riders that dealt with them years ago or still do like me. The real bikers won't mess with anybody else's bike without asking anyway. It would be great if bikers didn't have to worry about some A$$hole running off with your bike or whatever you have strapped on it.

A suicide clutch operates like a clutch in a car or truck. Push it in it is disengaged let your foot off of it and it springs out engaging the clutch. The factory Harley foot clutches would stay disengaged when pushed in. This way when stopping one could down shift to first gear and then when completely stopped the clutch would be pushed in, stay disengaged with the tranny still in gear, and both feet could be put on the ground. A suicide clutch is so called because if a rider were at a stop and their foot slipped off the clutch the bike was going to go forward maybe in to the traffic they were stopping for or the vehicle in front of them. Ouch!