What is heel to toe shifting and what is it for?
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Motorcycles have heel toe shifters. Heel is to shift up and toe is to shift down by pressing on the shifter with either the heel or the toe
In case you’re confused about how “shifting” or “gearing” works, there is basically a trade off between the “speed” an engine can operate and the “power” it puts out. (not correct physics terms, this is for laypeople).
In “low” gears, the engine works at low speeds, but with a lot of strength, in “high” gears an engine works at high speeds but with low strength.
So when a motor cycle is accelerating from a stop it needs a lot of strength to get going, so you start in a “low” gear, as you accelerate you slowly “shift” up to higher gears since now you want speed not strength.
Manual cars do the same thing with a clutch (to disengage the gears first) and then a shifter to change to a new gear. Automatic cars do this, well, automatically. Motorcycles use a the heel and toe shifter to accomplish the same thing.
Manual/standard transmissions have three pedals. Clutch, gas, brake.
Clutch disconnects the transmission from the engine so a gear can be changed, gas and brake are self explanatory enough.
Ideally when turning, things should be stable and smooth. Less jerky inputs, less stop/go, the better.
When shifting, especially during racing, it can be advantageous to be able to shift, blip the throttle to match RPM so the suspension maintains stability.(Rev matching is matching the speed of the engine to a transmission, so if 1000rpm in 1st goes 15mph, 800rpm in 2nd may go 15mph. Keeping in the overlap means a smoother gear shift).
While decelerating through a corner this would require 3 control inputs from the feet. Gas to rev match, brakes to control speed, and clutch to facilitate the gear change. Humans only have 2 feet. So the technique of left foot clutch, right toe brakes, right heel on the gas is Heel toe shifting. Mostly unnecessary in modern cars and daily driving. More necessary in older performance cars when trying to drive at higher levels.
[An image if it helps picture the maneuver.](https://content.artofmanliness.com/uploads/2018/02/Heel-Toe-Shift-1.jpg)
Heel to toe shifting is used on some motorcycles (especially Harley Davidson brands).
I have a Honda. It does not have H-T shifting. To downshift, I have to press down on the shifter. To upshift, I have to place my foot under the shifter and lift up. There is a lot of moving your foot around the shifter, but it quickly becomes second nature.
With a H-T setup, your foot sits more or less flat on a board that has a front and a back actuator. You press the back(?) to upshift, the front(?) to downshift – could be backwards, I have ridden one but never owned one, so it has been a while. The shifting motion changes from moving your foot around an actuator to rocking your foot front or back. Personal preference determines which you use.
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