Bonneville America Forums Forums General Motorcycle Forums Other Bikes Foot Controls on old Bonnies

I was looking at some old bonnie pics and to my surprise noticed that the controls (foot brake, shifter) on them are reversed. Anyone ride both styles? How do you adapt?

Does anyone know when the old Triumph started making the controls the way we have them now.

1975 Was the year Triumph/Norton switched. I drove a '73 Norton on-off exclusively from about 1979-2002 with brake/shift on the "proper" side (left/right respectively). Initially I found myself downshifting when trying to rear brake quite a bit when I bought my '77 Bonneville. Overall, the transition was relatively easy, just a lot of cussing involved.

Regards,

Tom

Well, young fella, all real motorcycles have right foot shift (but my old Cushman motorscooter had a left foot clutch and a left side hand shifter, like the old Harleys).

All Brit bikes and other European bikes had right foot shift from the early '70's on back.

When the Japanese invasion happened in the late '60's, most of them came in with (ugh) left foot shift. As they became more popular, the US Dept. of Transportation decided that controls must be standardized, and since there were more Jap bikes on the road.......

I ride both old and new shift pattern bikes, as do several other good fellows on this site. You just need to concentrate on what you're doing.

I ride old and new all the time. You just get used to it.
Believe me when I say "I know at all times where the brake is on my turbo Hayabusa".
Mad`

My '61 Sportster had the controls reversed. Just took a little time getting used to it. Think I had a more difficult time getting used to the forward controls/floorboards on my America!

It might be company dependent or a 1975 model released in 1974. The 1974 Norton Commando MK II released in the states had a right hand shift and left hand break. It was the last with that setup. The first left hand shift Commando was released in the states in 1975. Based on Mr. Chadwick's page a few right-hand Triumph models could still be obtained from the factory in 1975.

Missing real Ouzo,

Tom

Here's a beutiful example of a Euro-released (tank and gators) Trident:


I always loved the US Model Cherokee Red and Opal While Bonnie for 1974:

Yes I had one. It was strange somehow I never really thought about it much. I could jump on my Bonnie ride it get off and go straight over to a Jap bike no problem. I can never remember ever hitting the incorrect control on either bike. I suppose it’s like riding an automatic car and then getting into a manual you just do it.

Brit bikes and Sportsters all had the shifter in the right untill the DOT ruled that everyone had to match the jap bikes in '75. They could have just as well ruled the other way around and cost japan.inc a fortune in unneeded design costs (teach them to do everything backward) but it was a matter of who owns the most politicians.
Adapting is easy. There were very few electric start bikes made with the proper shifter location, so you just have to remember to shift with the tired/sore leg.
There was a certain logic behind the right side shifters. Because vertually all bikes of any consequence had all the more fragile stuff such as timing cases and oil pumps on the right side, experienced riders made an effort to put the bike down on the left when a crash was unavoidable. Since it is easier to get home with a damaged rear brake pedal than a ruined shifter, the old layout makes sense.

i have a 70 bsa with the original controls. I just get on and the feet know. i've had the bike since 78.

cat

I see your BSA has the brake drum and back sprocket in one. Had this on my Bonnie in the 70’s bit of a problem with my one when the sprocket needed to be replaced as it was all in one. I had to have the old sprocket machined off and a new one welded on as I could not find the original at that time.

Back in the day had an old Bonne and a little Kawasaki 125 enduro. It was only through the grace of God and great engineering that either of the bikes or me survived.

HD used to rivet the sprocket to the drum. I managed to sheer all 14 rivets on my old Ironhead twice, both times while passing some arse on a riki racer.

roadwasher:

i just replaced my rear sprocket and chain. the detachable wheel is great for tire service but stinks when you need a sprocket.

the whole drum thing comes off and there's a number of spacers and axel bits. didn't have to weld my sprocket on. it came off pretty easy but i was missing 1 bolt out of the 10 or 12. lock tightened it all back up, added a new tire, and away i went. runs pretty smooth. great old bike... with some modern add ons: boyer lectrics, pod resister for the rectifier, oil filter, new carbs and some other things i can't recall.

cat