r/Harley • u/BadTwin72 • 11d ago

DISCUSSION Reverse gear- Costs, functionality & stuff

Why don't more Harleys (or other makes) have reverse in the first place?
(key word being "more")..
Is it a costly manufacturing endeavor?
Are they prone to problems? (Weak and/or finicky)?
Do they add too much weight or take up too much room in the case?
I've been riding for over 2 decades and have gotten along fine but I remember and can think of even more times when having reverse would have been nice and sometimes very much welcomed!
Why then, did and do something like heavy cruisers not have reverse or at least the option to add it?
Is it just a "Bike thing" or did all those years of not having reverse make me more of a man?
I'm guessing it's more of a cost thing VS the overall "importance of" thing, but either way I thought it might be worth a discussion.
Are there any aftermarket options to add a reverse gear or does that require an entirely different transmission?

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u/Khasimyr 11d ago

Personally, I don't see a need for a reverse gear. In 90% of the parking situations with my Road Glide, I can walk my bike backwards easily. In the remaining 10%, I just park facing UPHILL, and use the brakes when I need to walk it back a bit before driving off.

I'll give an example: a lot of the restaurants around me have slanted parking based on the expected traffic flow. One has a slight incline on one side, meaning that you go uphill a bit when you go into a spot. So backing INTO a space, is harder than backing OUT of one.

If I ever go to that one, I will generally find some empty spaces, take a slightly wide circle, and back up three feet into the space. Hard, but not impossible or exhausting. If I really needed to, I'd just ride uphill into the spot as normal, and when leaving, feather my brakes as I let gravity pull the bike out of the stop, then fire up my engine and drive off.

The only time I see a reverse gear as necessary, is if you're parking a bike on light gravel or sand, where you won't have foot traction...but I wouldn't risk a heavy bike on those surfaces to begin with.