Pages: 1
Posted by: timscherer
ATTENTION!!!! – NO FINGERS – NEED HELP – NEED IDEAS – 400EX
Need Help – I have a friend that experienced an unfortunate accident that injured his left hand at his place of employment. Because of this accident he is unable to use his clutch on his quad (Honda 400ex). I am hoping for some input or recommendations to help him get back on his quad to do what he enjoys the most and that MX Racing and Trail riding.
He is an experienced MX Racer, and is open for suggestions so he can use his clutch and front brakes. Most importantly, he is looking for ideas on how to hold onto the quad with his left hand (only thumb and pointer finger functional). Any one with suggestions on a velcro strap etc. would be appreciated as well.
Currently at this time he has these ideas listed below:
1) Moving clutch on right side of handlebars to replace the front brakes.
2) Sending front brake lines to the rear master cylinder using the brake pedal to activate the front and back.
3) Need ideas on larger master cylinder to accommodate front and back brakes?
4) Need ideas on strap for left hand?
I appreciate you reading this post and looking forward to reading your ideas to help my friend get back on his quad.
Thanks
Tim
Posted by: timscherer
Thanks for all the ideas, I really appreciate the time and input you guys are providing.
Thanks again.
Tim
Posted by: whatwasthat
Tim, the company that reconranger mentioned is called RevLoc . revloc.com`` Price is kinda steepe though..around $1000 or so
Posted by: RacinJason
As far as strapping himself to the quad he should be sure that it is in a fashion that will release him under extreme pressure(wreck)...kinda like bindings on ski boots...a simple strap of velcro in two X's(does that make any sense?)
I'd set the clutch next to the master cyl(will take some fitment)use a perch and lever from a bike with cable operated front brakes for you clutch.
Posted by: Bing
what dasandbomb said..
get a polaris auto,,,,,or any auto belt drive...
really
being a former mx rider(your friend),,,,,,he could probrably appreciate a V force even.
Posted by: reconranger
There is an autoclutch available for the 400. I can't remember the name of the company, but they advertise in the magazines frequently. One of the magazines reviewed it for the Z400 recently, as I recall. This would make a clutch lever on the left side unnecessary. The right side of the bars could be left as is. As I recall, the autoclutch is rather expensive however.
Posted by: DaSandBomb
Tim, tell your friend to get a polaris!!
kc
Posted by: WISTECH
You know they make some pretty powerful servos nowadays for model cars and battlebots. I bet you could get one that would be variable instead of an instant on soleniod. Heck I bet some company like futaba or airtronics would hook you up as a publicity stunt.
Posted by: BearDown
Check out this thread. Look at the pic of the Handle Bars maybe you can do something like that to the quad, as for the relocation of the lever I have no clue how to do that nor any ideas.
http://www.hotboat.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=33689
Posted by: Diablo
Quote
Originally posted by: RacinJason
As far as strapping himself to the quad he should be sure that it is in a fashion that will release him under extreme pressure(wreck)...
I was getting ready to post the same thing, You definitely want to make sure that he can release his arm in case he gets in a wreck, one can only imagine the damage it would cause to have your arm strapped to a rolling quad! Hope he figures out a way to get back on the track!
Posted by: NLWarrior01
That's a really cool idea texas!! Is he able to roll the clutch out, or does it just dump like a normal solenoid?
Posted by: scaboy
Quote
Originally posted by: wchp
What I ended up doing after that was using contact cement and attaching a wide strip of the hook part of the velcro arond the grip. I then sewed the loop portion of the Velcro onto a riding glove. Its pretty hard to pull your hand off, but a strong deliberate motion did allow me to release my hand and this made me feel a lot more comfortabe in the event that I might be involved in an accident.
=======================================================================
wchp
GREAT IDEA! with the velcro riding glove. I now trully believe "neccesity IS the mother of invention"
Posted by: 2strokedude
whoever said auto cluch i know the sight,its albaactionsports.com,or something like that but i know its alba...but it was $$$$$$$
Posted by: 2strokedude
ya it was in the z 400 thing
Posted by: 2strokedude
sorry i did this so much but on that sight did you see that shee,it was black and duned out looked real cool
Posted by: TexasPsycho
i ahev a friend that lost three of his fingers on his left hand and could not work a clutch lever. he rigged up an electric silinoid to pull the clutch. he has a button mounted on his handle bar that he just pushes. it works great but i don't know how it would work for racing. i will try to draw it up or even better take a picture of it if he is back in town.
Posted by: TexasPsycho
he came up with some way to ease off the clutch. thats the main reason i don't think it would work to good for racing but it seems to work good on the trails, he was to cheap to buy an automatic! i know the switch on the handle bars is just a momentary connect and i'm not sure if he kept it on the quad but the sileniod was just one for a door popper on a car, like the ones you use when you shave the handles. i wired these up for him but it was just popping the clutch really fast so he came up with something to slow it down some. as sone as i can get in touch with him i will either post some pics or at least try to get a drawing up of it. i don't know how hard it would be for a 4 wheeler but i used to own an old bennelli that had the throttle on the left side and the clutch on the right. it was wierd as h#@@ to ride but if he can work a throttle with his left hand that might be another way to rig it up?
Posted by: TexasPsycho
i wonder if there is anyway to rig up another thumb throttle but use it as a clutch lever? i missed the part about strapping his hand to the 4 wheeler. if the company he was working for was at fault or even if they wasn't they should cover the cost for a prostedic hand. my mother lost two fingers in a press when she was working and the company insurance paid for prostedic finges that looked very real. she couldn't bend them but it did help her hold on to stuff. if he works both brakes with the foot lever he will need some type of porportioing valve so the front brakes will grab harder than the back to keep the back from locking up if he has to stop fast.
Posted by: wchp
In a beer brewing accident (seriously) A glass fermenting jar severed all of the tendons in my left wrist resulting in partial use of thumb and pinky and ring fingers. Both my ATV's are auto but my aging GPZ-550 Bike is not. I picked up a cam device that attaches to the end of the clutch lever and then the cable then attaches to that. It makes pullling the clutch a feater weight job. I dont know how much mobility he has in his index finger, but it might be worth a try. Now after 8 years three surgueries I have enough strength to use my clutch with out this device and have since removed it. It is sitting on a shelf in my basement, and if you/he thinks this might be worth a try, I would be glad to ship it to you N/C. I know how frustrating it can be, and If he feels he would like to try using just his index he is more than welcome to try it.
As for the holding on thing. I had originaly strapped my hand on before riding. This proved a mistake one day, at a standstill, when i dropped the bike and had to go with it. Would not even want to think about it had it been a moving situation. What I ended up doing after that was using contact cement and attaching a wide strip of the hook part of the velcro arond the grip. I then sewed the loop portion of the Velcro onto a riding glove. Its pretty hard to pull your hand off, but a strong deliberate motion did allow me to release my hand and this made me feel a lot more comfortabe in the event that I might be involved in an accident.
email me at wchp at javanet dot com if you would like to sent it out
Posted by: wchp
Tim,
Still haven't heard from you if you want the clutch assist shipped out NC for him to try.
Found the unit this evening and it's a O'Neal "Easy-Clutch" ( http://www.moto-race.com/catalogo/producto.asp?Linid=43&Fabid=9&Prdid=1288 )
Let me know if its something he's willing to try.
