Bike Setup For My One Legged Buddy???

Jim Z.

Member
Nov 10, 2001
37
0
Greetings from Vail Colorado........

Here's the situation..........

My neighbor is a World-Class skier....with one leg, that deperately wants to get into the world of dirt bikes. I have no doubts that he can do this, but we need help with finding the right ride and modifying it to work with his disability.

I started in this forum because we're leaning towards a four-stroke, and because of the success I've had in this forum helping me out with my problems in the past.

Now the questions are as followed.......

What can you guys/gals tell me about the Rev-Loc clutch? (My buddy is missing his left leg and can't shift)

Any suggestions on a bike that would be great for a beginner, yet leave him room to grow? Oh yeah, and we need an electric start.

If the Rev-Loc idea fails, any suggestions on how to weld up a bracket/linkage to move shifting to the right side? And even further, if the shift lever is located on the right side, what would we do with the brake lever?


Any suggestions or comments would greatly be appreciated.

Jim Z.
 

Ol'89r

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jan 27, 2000
6,961
45
Jim Z. said:
If the Rev-Loc idea fails, any suggestions on how to weld up a bracket/linkage to move shifting to the right side? And even further, if the shift lever is located on the right side, what would we do with the brake lever?
Jim Z.

Hi Jim.

The Rev-Loc is a great idea. You can also move the shifter to the right side. It takes a little inovative design and machining but, can be done depending on what bike you decide on.

We used to do this to our flattrack bikes by extending the shift shaft on the right side and welding a machined boss on the right side cover. The boss supported the shaft and also had a seal in it. Extend the brake lever and run it a little lower than stock. This will leave room to get his foot on the shifter and the brake.

As far as a bike goes, pick a color. Most all of them are pretty good. A CRF250X is an electric start and a good bike for a beginner. Also, look into the KTM's. Many good choices there.

Good luck. :cool:
 

jmics19067

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jan 22, 2002
2,097
0
If you decide to use the Rev Loc and a right side shifter :cool:
I would probably also go with a left side hand brake for the rear.Fairly easy to accomplish if the bike you are looking at has a rear disc.

the only bikes I can think of off the top of my head would be like a TTR125 good fun little bike but kinda small,no rear disc and I am not sure if the Rev Loc is available for it the other thing would be a WR250f plenty of power potential ,easily obtained, for when his skills get better but it is kinda tall.
 

DEANSFASTWAY

LIFETIME SPONSOR
May 16, 2002
1,192
0
Get him something with Electric start. There care a few companies selling Hand shifter kits for use on ATVS,maybe something could be fabbed up.. REVLOC clutches are good in CRF 250Xs (also Estart also has a kickstand) You can use a Magura HYD clutch unit and runa brake line to the rear disc .Huisky and Rokon used to make Autotrans bikes but not anymore. Good luck
 

xsnrg

Member
Jul 20, 2004
728
0
If he's missing his left leg, the most important thing is to get him to be able to shift either by hand or on the right side. If you go by hand, it would be best if he did not have to take his hand off of the handlebar to do it, which would be pretty tough. I would think that moving the shift lever to the right side somehow would be best...which would mean that you'd want to install the revloc in order to be able to eliminate the right side rear brake pedal with a left hand rear brake lever in place of the clutch lever. Make sense?
 

Patman

Pantless Wonder
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Dec 26, 1999
19,774
0
Contact AJ at Service Honda, I'm pretty sure he did a setup for a one legged rider on a bike not too long ago. The other thing to consider is there are several really fast riders that ride stock bikes with an artificial limb.
 

Detonator

Member
Jul 7, 2003
241
0
I'd second the benefits of lower seat height. MX'ers tend to be around 39', while woods bikes are more commonly at 36'.

I'd also be inclined to look at a 450 4 stroke just for breadth of roll-on power and fewer shifts. Between the larger motor and the slip of the Rev-Loc, I would imagine there'd be less occasion to do panic shifts. E-start is a must, and the auxiliary hand-brake for the rear is a definite. If shift kits exist, they're worth a look, but an adapted right side shifter would be enough.

I see nothing preventing your friend from enjoying off-road riding, especially since we've come into an era of E start, auto clutches, and hand brakes. I'd like to see more adapted rides out there...it would be good for the sport.
 

nikki

Moto Junkie
Apr 21, 2000
5,802
1
Yep, AJ at Service Honda did a CR250 for a guy missing his left leg - auto clutch, moved the shifter to the right, and moved the rear brake to where your clutch lever would normally be. AJ would be a good guy to talk to if you needed specifics.
 

Jim Z.

Member
Nov 10, 2001
37
0
I'll try talking to AJ at service honda. Sounds like we might be able to make this work. My friend is around 5'9 tall and his arms are the size of my legs. Can anybody give me any more info on electric shift kits???

Thanks for all the replies, it really helps us out.

Jim Z.
 

zio

Mr. Atlas
Jul 28, 2000
2,291
0
Here's something I thought of that may help if he has a wooden leg- remember the heel & toe shifters on the old Trail 90's? Might be easier to press forward to downshift like normal, and press the back lever to upshift (not having to get that wooden foot underneath the shifter).

I'm going to guess he'll ride with the wooden leg. Otherwise, he'd tip over to the left a lot. If it were me, I'd go CRF450X or 450 EX/C, Revloc, and modded shifter with front & rear tips.
 

zio

Mr. Atlas
Jul 28, 2000
2,291
0
Oh, and I didn't see a direct response to your question about the Revloc. It allows riding the bike without using the clutch... the Revloc does the clutching for you. It does not, however, do the shifting.

Starting & stopping without using the clutch are one advantage, and the other is being able to ride without shifting as much, because the Revloc applies the perfect amount of clutch at all times, preventing stalling. In essence, with lots of low end torque, a rider can stay in 2nd or 3rd gear almost all the time, shifting only when absolutely necessary (super steep hill, fast fire road, etc.).
 

xsnrg

Member
Jul 20, 2004
728
0
MrLuckey, did you do a websearch on shift kits to find Kliktronic's website, or do you have some experience with them? I saw some dual sport bikes on their website that were fitted up with them, but most were streetbikes, and I saw no strictly MX or trailbikes. Do you know of anyone that's used them for that? I'm wondering how they'd hold up to being submerged in a creek or water hole.
 
Top Bottom