This site is great - so glad I found it

[Tabi0718]

I just got an 06 Rebel and I think I'm in love. It feels as if the bike was made for me. However, often people say that I will want to "upgrade" to a bigger bike. I just don't see why. I know a few other women who ride bigger bikes and although they are able to ride them, they have trouble parking and just holding the thing up. The Rebel is the perfect size and weight for me.

The only problem I'm having is with the shifter. I have trouble getting my toes under there and find myself struggling a bit. I have heard of a heel toe shifter, but haven't been able to find one made for the Rebel. Any suggestions?

[GearJammer]

Welcome aboard, Tabi & congrats on your new Reb! :wink:

Up-grading or not is always a personal call & the points you made are valid. Larger, heavier bikes can present problems when trying to move them around while on foot or astride them while parking, etc. I've dropped the 450 Rebel after rolling it into the shop.....it started leaning in the opposite direction & there was no way I could keep it from falling, so just kinda followed it down while trying to soften the drop, LOL! The obvious plus of up-grading to something larger is usually more rider comfort & more power. But the 250 Reb, weighing in at around 310 lbs., was a breeze to jockey around in just about any situation.

Not aware of any heel-toe shifters being offerred specifically for the 250 Reb, but many have simply re-positioned the existing shifter for the same reason that you've mentioned. Just follow the shifting linkage to it's "ratcheting point", loosen the bolt, remove linkage from knurled ratchet, re-position shifter to where you want it, re-install on ratchet & re-tighten.

Edit: I never had to do this on the 250, and if memory serves correctly, there's an extension from the where the ratchet attaches to the gearbox & goes forward to the actual shift pedal. If the re-positioning is done at the end of this extension rather than at the ratcheting point, someone please chime in as I no longer have the 250 Reb to check it out. Thanx........

[Tabi0718]

Thanks for your input and advise. I will consider moving the shifter.

Happy Holidays


Welcome aboard, Tabi & congrats on your new Reb! :wink:

Up-grading or not is always a personal call & the points you made are valid. Larger, heavier bikes can present problems when trying to move them around while on foot or astride them while parking, etc. I've dropped the 450 Rebel after rolling it into the shop.....it started leaning in the opposite direction & there was no way I could keep it from falling, so just kinda followed it down while trying to soften the drop, LOL! The obvious plus of up-grading to something larger is usually more rider comfort & more power. But the 250 Reb, weighing in at around 310 lbs., was a breeze to jockey around in just about any situation.

Not aware of any heel-toe shifters being offerred specifically for the 250 Reb, but many have simply re-positioned the existing shifter for the same reason that you've mentioned. Just follow the shifting linkage to it's "ratcheting point", loosen the bolt, remove linkage from knurled ratchet, re-position shifter to where you want it, re-install on ratchet & re-tighten.

Edit: I never had to do this on the 250, and if memory serves correctly, there's an extension from the where the ratchet attaches to the gearbox & goes forward to the actual shift pedal. If the re-positioning is done at the end of this extension rather than at the ratcheting point, someone please chime in as I no longer have the 250 Reb to check it out. Thanx........

[HotShott]

Link to a thread on the other Rebel forum:

http://www.rebel250.com/rebelforum/viewtopic.php?t=6450&highlight=shifter

It gets way more technical than it needs to be. And to be honest, these guys loose me about the 3rd post in. But if you go by the images, you'll be fine. It's super easy.

[Chopper Rick]

Welcome to are ever growing party.

Chopper Rick

[b4v4]

Whoo Hoo! Another Rebel lover. Tabi, I say if the shoe fits, wear it. I've ridden larger bikes all my life (My current is an 1100 Honda) But I bought my Rebel a few months ago for my 18 year old daughter to ride with me. I must say, she and I both love riding the Rebel. We're both shorter people, so it just fits. If you're not used to a larger bike running at 4000 rpms at 100 mph, and if you don't have to do 70 mph sustained, the higher-revving motor doesn't bother a bit. And Honda reliability is second to none. Welcome aboard!

[teesee]

I got a set of floorboards from Jack's and it made a world of difference in the foot position. It lowered the foot position and gave plenty of room to get to the shifter. I wouldn't ride without my floorboards. Thank's again Jack.

[Tabi0718]

I got a set of floorboards from Jack's and it made a world of difference in the foot position. It lowered the foot position and gave plenty of room to get to the shifter. I wouldn't ride without my floorboards. Thank's again Jack.

I saw somewhere that installing floorboards lowers the position of your foot enough to be comfortable for shifting more easily. Do you think that is better or easier than moving the shifter?

[teesee]

YES It is a lot easier to install the floorboards. And not only do they lower your foot position and making shifting more easy they are also MUCH more comfortable on your feet and legs than the foot pegs. Like I said, I would not ride my rebel again without them. I love them.

[jsonder]

Cheapskates just rotate the shifter one notch. I'm sure that it is also less work than installing floorboards.

caveat: I still try to stand up in sand and muck, so I really am a foot-peg person.