The ease of heel/toe shifting with a Küryakyn Driver Floorboard Kit

Olaf Wolff
AllAboutBikes.com West Coast Editor

I’ve long recognized there was a place for floorboards and heel/toe shifting, that place being on cruisers, Harleys or metric. I have to admit though, I haven’t really seen myself as a floorboard kind of guy just yet, viewing it rather like playing doubles tennis, something I’ll do farther down the road when I can’t play singles competently any longer. 

But, after recently installing a Küryakyn Driver Floorboard Kit on a new Honda GLS 1800 I have to declare these floorboards look completely organic on the GoldWing, dare I say, this kit actually completes the entire package, right down to matching the OEM passenger boards.

The new Driver Floorboard Kit includes a built-in heel-toe shifter and a brake lever and all components sport a top-notch chrome finish that rivals the OEM chrome.  Küryakyn has been producing high-quality accessories for Harleys and metric cruisers for about 10 years, this new kit for the GLS 1800 is the latest addition to their line – and it’s a dandy. It took me longer to clear a spot in my garage, position my tool box and dial in a radio station then it took to complete the actual assembly.

For me, the toughest part of the installation was removing the rubber sleeve from the stock shift peg, and even that wasn’t a real test. A long flat-head screwdriver and a dab of dish-soap did the trick. In fact a flat and Phillips-head screwdriver and a 6mm hex key or driver is pretty much all that’s required.

Two 6mm OEM hex-head bolts on each side are all that separates the stock pegs from becoming floorboards. The supplied instructions are spot-on and really don’t need any updating. The point is this is a simple installation that creates a sizeable transformation to the way a GoldWing is ridden. The heel/toe shifter still lets me finesse through the gears, but now when I need to get on the gas aggressively, heel-stomping up through the gears feels really good.

Having said that there were a few things I had to spotlight on before motoring off, like the way my feet now make a connection with the bike. I carefully checked all my clearances with the shifter and brake pedal and how my feet fit into position. Once I was ready ride it took several focused shifts to adjust to the heel/toe thing. 

On the first ride I found myself reverting back to instinct, using only my toe to shift a number of times, but by the second ride it began to feel nearly as natural as traditional shifting. Also, the feel of the road is slightly different through floorboards; instead of only a couple inches of my foot making contact with the bike, now it’s my entire foot. It’s neither better nor worse, only different. 

There’s another point needs mentioning and the credit goes to a random GoldWing rider I talked with on the road. He was admiring the new floorboards and shifter setup, commenting that he only wished he could put then on his bike, but alas at 5’8” he was too short, and with floorboards he couldn’t put both feet solidly on the ground. There is clearly a height restriction worth considering before opting to make the switch.

Lastly, I also replaced the stock black side-stand with a Küryakyn Fish Kickstand. The new stand matches the rest of the chrome nicely and has a larger contact surface then the stock stand, the down-side is I have to fold up the floorboard each time to access the stand. It’s certainly not a deal-breaker, but it would be nice if they’d update the current stand originally designed for ’92-’00 GL1500s.

Küryakyn GLS-1800 Driver Floorboard Kit - $399.99

Küryakyn Fish Kickstand - $69.99