Up until the foot shifter was added to the V-twin, somewhere around the mid-fifties, the shifting was done by a gate shift. A hand unit, located on the left side of the tank. The clutch was a rocker-type foot unit, with a frictioned over-center that would hold the clutch in when you took your foot off it and placed it on the ground.

When 'bobbing' and 'chopping' came along, which most times meant scrapping the double tanks for a smaller, or Sportster tank, there went the tank shifter.

Not to worry. Enter American ingenuity. The tank shifter would be welded to the shifter tab atop the 3 speed, and used as the gear shifter. The rocker unit you see above the footboard would be replaced by a brake-styled foot pedal, and then a chain would connect that to the clutch arm you see just above the exhaust pipe coming out over the primary.

The clutch arm has its own springback action coming from the clutch springs. So, all you had to do was push forward on the pedal, and the clutch would disengage. Tricky at a stoplight, as it only afforded you one foot to balance your ride. Unless you pushed the clutch in; felt for neutral with the jockey; then coasted to the stoplight, leaving you in neutral. Fine for a level surface. If you were on a hill, getting started again tested your mettle.

The chains that connected the clutch peddle to the clutch rod came from wherever you could find them. Those that had ol' ladies with them lap dogs, and crap sized chains are where the suicide clutch stems from.

You pull up to a stop light, pushing the clutch in with your left boot, brake until you stop, then lean the bike to the right, supporting it with your right leg. Remember, you're still in first gear if you've shifted down to stop. Sometimes, if you have the type chain I've described, it would snap a link under the clutch spring pressure, and rocket you out into the cross traffic. Thus the “suicide” clutch.