Hi.
There are alternatives available if you have the will to ride: Many cruisers can be set up with floorboards and rocker-shifters - you can upshift with your heel and downshift with the ball of your foot, so you don't need a lot of strength to lift your toes to upshift.
There are also racing kits available to reverse the gearbox, so you upshift by stepping on the lever, and upshift by pushing it up. Since upshifting is less "critical" in most cases, this could be an alternative for you.
Further, IIRC, there are kits for some bikes to modify them with a hand shifter.
And finally, there are some new models that have automatic shifters. The 2006 Yamaha FJR-1300 comes to mind. It had an automatic clutch and electronic shifter - you should shift with the foot lever or with a switch under your left thumb.
That said, I wouldn't recommend the FJR 1300 as a starter bike...
|