Footpeg scraping freak-outs

[mtnairlover]

So, I've been having footpeg scraping freak-outs. Not fun and not necessarily a good thing considering the bike I have. Yes, I know...I could slow down and not treat my bike like it was a real sport bike...grrr...barring that, what I finally found after several months of Internet research was a set of adjustable (rotating) footpeg mounts for my bike. Found them here...http://www.twistedthrottle.com/trade...view/4690/545/
...what I need to order will not just be the mounts, but the pegs and the displacement arms. The arms come in different lengths. I think what's best for me will be the shortest displacement of 23mm. In my mind, any displacement set up and back just a tad will/should help.

Here's a thought/question, though:

On the various occasions that I have scraped footpeg, I have noticed movement with my bike...meaning, as I'm leaning over and the footpeg scrapes, the bike seems to get displaced on the road and scootches away from me. Now, I have two different scenarios that might fit the reason why it does that, so here goes and please share your thoughts, barring giving me a hard time for riding like I do...

Reason 1: The location of my footpeg on the bike is placed too much in the middle of the bike, so that when it leans over that far, it will always tend to displace the bike on the road...make it lose its footing.

Reason 2: Since I'm using sport touring tires, leaning over that far is gonna displace the bike, because those tires aren't meant to work in that position, so the bike gets displaced.

(What's your opinion?)

The last time I scraped footpeg, I actually got a knee down, so I was pretty much off the bike with my knee way out...and on a track. The knee touched just about the same time that the peg scraped and then my bike moved on the track away from me...just enough to freak me out, pop me back upright and slow down...freaking me out enough to crawl back to the pit.

Yes, I know I need to ride differently and maybe think about borrowing or renting a real sport bike for the track. I just want to feel comfortable again on the road and know that when/if the peg scrapes again, the bike won't become displaced...I really hate those freak-outs. My thought is that by moving the peg up and back just a bit, the problem will be alleviated. I won't get over far enough when riding on the road when I do change the position of the pegs, so I won't have to worry about it anymore. Possibly, the only time I might scrape on the road ever again, might be on those tight switchbacks like on Berthoud Pass.

So, please offer up your opinions and advice. Has anyone ever put adjustable pegs on their bike, rather than rearsets?

[Tipys]

Well the bike probly isnt getting displaced at all just feels that way. Tires are ok cause they are sport touring doesnt matter how you use them they are just a harder compound. I would for sure get the pegs moved.

This was my end result for dragging peg, knee, then ass, and stomach.

[dragos13]

There are usually two reasons you are scraping your footpeg. One would be making the bike lean more then it should have to. Get your body off and over then use your outside arm to try and push the bike upright. The farther you hang off and lower your center of gravity, the more upright the bike can remain thru the corner.

Since you said you are leaning off good, then the next issue is just poor placement of stock rearsets. Stock rearsets are too low and forward for track riding. I would look into an aftermarket set of rearsets if you are going to continue riding the bike like this. You can also hack off the end of your current rearset. Alot of times they have the little slider knob on the bottom. That tends to break off after the first couple drags but if not remove those for sure.

Post up track pics if you have any and we can look at your body position and angle.

[Sean]

There are usually two reasons you are scraping your footpeg. One would be making the bike lean more then it should have to. Get your body off and over then use your outside arm to try and push the bike upright. The farther you hang off and lower your center of gravity, the more upright the bike can remain thru the corner.

+1

[OUTLAWD]

On my bike, I know there are quite a few people who wear down the little peg feelers. I've only touched mine down a few times, the latest was at IMI, it upset the bike and unloaded the suspension, or so it felt.

Another solution may be to raise the rear a bit (1 inch-ish) if your inseam can afford it. This way the pegs will effectively be higher off the ground. Also, this sometimes helps the steering geometry of our slower turning bikes.

[mtnairlover]

Yes, I removed the peg curb-feelers. And like I said, I'm gonna replace the pegs with adjustable pegs...not rearsets, since they are more expensive, but just adjustable pegs (mounts with displacement arms).

Here's some pics...

[Devaclis]

I used to scrape the pegs on my Hawk but I never did on the CBR. Having a buddy behind me I discovered that I was indeed leaning the bike too far while my body position was horrid. A little work and some miles later I was able to keep the bike more upright and get my body position right.

[mtnairlover]

The body position idea makes sense to me. I've had a couple of people offer up some good advice out at IMI. The last time out, Yusuke had said my position is improving...so I'm guessing that if I get more off the bike while on the track, I'll alleviate the worry of scraping?

[dragos13]

The body position idea makes sense to me. I've had a couple of people offer up some good advice out at IMI. The last time out, Yusuke had said my position is improving...so I'm guessing that if I get more off the bike while on the track, I'll alleviate the worry of scraping?

+1

By looking at the pics, it seems like you are making the bike lean more then neccessary. I think you can solve your problem just by working on that, and save the money for now.

Here is what I try to explain to new riders that I'm instructing:

1. Keep your crotch area about 2 inches away from the tank. Being too close to the tank stops your ability to really slide your ass over. Which brings me to point 2
2. Slide your ass so that the edge of the seat is in the middle of your crack.
3. Drop your inside elbow towards the curb. You will see the fast AMA and GP guys actually dragging elbows.
4. Try and get your outside are STRAIGHT. It probably wont be completely straight but by doing so, you are pusing the bikemore upright while bringing your body down.
5. Lower "your" center gravity. Like they say "kiss the mirrow". You want your head as low as possible. At first it will feel wierd but more practice the better and more comfortable it feels.

Be careful on raising your rear end to solve this problem. That will drastically change the way your bike handles. If you want to raise the front and rear, you can however this raises your bikes center of gravity. Not really a good idea. If you do need to adjust geometry to help steering, then raising your rear will help the bike turn in quicker. However, to avoid peg dragging you would most likely be talking about a major rear end lift.

Here is a pic I stole from a local racer (thanks B-RAD) You can see he is actually getting his head lower then the windscreen. It may look insane, but he is the fastest guy on a 600cc in the MRA, so he must be doing something right

[dirkterrell]

Body positioning will definitely help you keep the bike more upright. I've had the VFR out to IMI a couple of times. The first time I was riding it reasonably hard and never dragged the pegs (even with the long feelers on them). The second time I was taking a class with Ricky Orlando after having broken my right collarbone about 6 weeks earlier. I couldn't get off the bike to the right like I wanted to (without feeling like someone was jabbing a knife into my shoulder) and I was dragging the peg in right turns. I wasn't riding nearly as hard as I had been earlier, so that's a clear indication that body positioning can make a big difference.

Learning to ride a more sport touring bike like ours fast will help you a lot when you do get on a supersport. You really learn to get the body positioning and throttle inputs down. I ride the VFR a lot and when I get on the light, flickable race bike, I feel very comfortable ratcheting it up. I'd bet Diego would agree after learning to ride the hell out of that Bandit of his.

Dirk

[mtnairlover]

+1

By looking at the pics, it seems like you are making the bike lean more then neccessary. I think you can solve your problem just by working on that, and save the money for now.

Here is a pic I stole from a local racer (thanks B-RAD) You can see he is actually getting his head lower then the windscreen. It may look insane, but he is the fastest guy on a 600cc in the MRA, so he must be doing something right

Yep, I loved watching that guy out at PPIR last October...what fun!

Thanks for the input. I will definitely use the advice. I've been working on "kissing the mirror" a lot. It's kind of different on my kind of bike, since I do think I'm over-exaggerating the position, but I do understand Dirk's POV...makes sense. I think I'm gonna enjoy working on this and will definitely enjoy this season.

[Repsol a095]

Cathy,

Would you just get off already!!!!!!

[mtnairlover]

Cathy,

Would you just get off already!!!!!!

Yes Sir!!!!

[IT WASN'T ME!]

Your footpegs fold up, right? If they fold up they shouldn't lever the tires off the ground. You need to ground something hard, like a pipe, or centerstand to unload your tires. I suspect that you are flinching when you feel a peg touch down. When I raced in the late 70's I would have to replace footpegs because they would get ground down so bad, yet never did this cause me to loose traction.

[mtnairlover]

I've asked myself that same question: "Am I flinching?" But, to be honest, the bike really does move on the pavement. This is why I've asked the question whether or not it's placement of the pegs on the bike. Yes, they do fold up, but again, the bike moves...so, I'm confused and want to hear a little more about the engineering/physics aspects of the bike itself as compared to other bikes.

Again though, I will be working on body placement, as well as purchasing the adjustable peg mounts.

And just in case I'm really just freakin out too much...I'll have to test that theory on the track one more time, I think...if I have the nerve/gut for it.

[drago52]

I ride a sport-touring bike as well (honda VFR800) and I have ground down both knees without dragging a peg. I do drag my boot sometimes, but that's most likely from poor foot position on the peg.

[Sean]

You are just to bad ass for your own good

And just in case I'm really just freakin out too much...I'll have to test that theory on the track one more time, I think...if I have the nerve/gut for it.

Let me know when, I'll come out with a camera and video camera. We can try new things every couple of laps to see what works or what needs adjusting (not that I know what I'm doing, but we can look at the film/photos)

[mtnairlover]

Yeah, I've seen your camera skillz...oh wait, we were talking track skillz...um, same thing...tee hee.

Ok, I'll get a hold of you next time I decide to take my ass out to IMI. Thanks, sweetie.

[Vehicle 1]

I'd bet Diego would agree after learning to ride the hell out of that Bandit of his.

Dirk

+1

Didn't read the whole thread...

I have gotten so far as to drag my engine guards on the Bandit, because my body position not optimizing leaning angle. The first time it was ok, the second time I crashed...lol

Now that I have been practicing body positioning, I rarely even drag my knee! I'm not a super fast rider, but still getting 42s and 43s at Pueblo. Just trying to show that you can keep the bike pretty straight and still go fast, or you can be dragging everywhere and be slow... looks cool on your pucks, but we all know what is going to happen if you increase the speed but neglect the positioning.

And of course I always think that I am hanging way more than the photographers make us believe

D.

[IT WASN'T ME!]

I've asked myself that same question: "Am I flinching?" But, to be honest, the bike really does move on the pavement. This is why I've asked the question whether or not it's placement of the pegs on the bike. Yes, they do fold up, but again, the bike moves...so, I'm confused and want to hear a little more about the engineering/physics aspects of the bike itself as compared to other bikes.

Again though, I will be working on body placement, as well as purchasing the adjustable peg mounts.

And just in case I'm really just freakin out too much...I'll have to test that theory on the track one more time, I think...if I have the nerve/gut for it.

If fold-up pegs are causing you to slide, I would take a long look at your tires. Your sport-touring tires are probably unsuitable for the track. I would be careful of hard compound tires especially on the front. In my exerience harder compound tires seem to grip well, but when they loose grip, they loose it all at once and there is no saving it. Have you considered the possibilty that your pegs are dragging because your tires are sliding rather than vice-versa?

[mtnairlover]

This particular review is why I keep buying the Avon Storm ST's:

The Storm ST is the first tire to include Avon’s new "Reactive Footprint" technology. This technology marries Avon’s unique variable belt density carcass with Lifetime Profile Engineering to produce a footprint which changes size and shape, depending on the bike’s lean angle, for the full life of the tire.

The result is a contact patch that grows as the bike leans, giving more grip in corners while minimizing wear rates when traveling in a straight line.

http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcyc...n-storm-st.htm

If the tire slips first, would I typically notice a sort of scratch mark on the tire itself? When I lost control a year ago around spring time, it was on a tire that was not a Storm. The tire slipped while I was in a right hand turn and I was not leaning too hard, nor was I going too fast. When I got home and looked at the tire, there was a scrape mark on the tire as if it had slipped.

Again, I'd like to know about mechanics/physics of bikes and differences of my bike's peg placement as compared to others. In the long-run though, it could just be me freaking out too much and fearing that the bike is losing control. One last idea and this one is a tad hard to admit to, but I am not your typical tiny woman...I'm kinda full-figured (for lack of a better description) and because I am, would my stance on the peg keep it from moving when it touches pavement? I realize that the momentum of the bike and weight of the bike would still be a factor, but it's a thought that has occurred to me.

Again, I just want to be more comfortable when riding. I was comfortable at one time and I want it back. I know it means changing a few things and if all else fails, I'll just stop acting like my bike can take all that I dish out.

[Sortarican]

I've riden with Cathy and have to say your body position isn't bad.
I think Casey hit it on the head with his technique advice and that you just need to get lower in your stance and you'll decrease your lean by a surprising amount.

As for stock peg position, they suck!
I've never seen a set of folding pegs that actually fold well at speed.
They're designed to fold if the bike falls over at low or no speed.

And the unbalanced feel you had was the pole vault effect.

I've done it tons of time on the old RD which have pegs (and stock pipes) way low compared to modern bikes.

If you do want to get the pegs back and up and moneys a problem look at making a set of brackets to relocate you stock rearsets.
I'd be happy to help fabricate something for you, might be ugly, but functional.

[mtnairlover]

Thanks Jeff, for confirming my suspicions. I'm gonna spend a few $$ for a new set-up on my bike, but won't spend the higher $$$ on rearsets. What I'm looking at doing is replacing the old peg with an adjustable mount, along with displacement arm and new peg. All of that will cost me around $140.00. The displacement arm comes in various lengths, but I'm thinking that even the shortest length of 23mm will be enough to move the peg out of the way of creating that pole vault effect. Here's a pic of what I'm talking about...

Twisted Throttle Website for more info.

[Sortarican]

Those should do the job.
Though if money is tight we can fabricate the same sort of thing for next to nothing, just wouldn't be as pretty.