Footpeg scraping freak-outs

[mtnairlover]

Um...I'm going for looks dont'chya know...lol.

Money will be ok...even though I'm also moving in a couple of months...everything has been portioned out as far as budget is concerned. This'll be my bday present to me.

But muchos thanks and hugs sweetie, for the offer.

[TFOGGuys]

+1 on body positioning. I used to have that issue pretty much every time I went to Second Creek and ran clockwise, but only in my first session, and only in turn one. After freaking myself out a few times, I'd get my ass off the seat, get my upper body down, and my weight forward on the front wheel, and I was less slow and not dragging anything. This was on my old VFR, which has similar ergos to your bike (except maybe lower bars).

[IT WASN'T ME!]

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.

I raced a Honda 750, Yamaha RD400, Honda 400 Hawk and a Suzuki GS 550 in the 70's. They all had folding pegs set low and forward. I hung way off the inside of the bike and when the pegs started dragging I could feel the peg lifting up under my boot. This never caused me to loose traction and they always folded up as lean angles increased. However, if I pushed it too hard and ground my pipe, I would go for a little slide.

[Sortarican]

..... I used to have that issue pretty much every time I went to Second Creek ...

Wait.....Jim rides motorcycles?!?!?!?!


Who knew?

I raced a Honda 750, Yamaha RD400, Honda 400 Hawk and a Suzuki GS 550 in the 70's. ....when the pegs started dragging I could feel the peg lifting up under my boot. ....

I think the daytona had a different peg position than the the RD350 (and the R5 350 I had).
I never owned one and the one or two I've borrowed were modified and I've never dragged peg on one.
I caught peg once on Dana's Hawk (at 10mph in a rising switchback) and it did stay stable.

I guess it really depends on the model bike and how much weight (no dig intended Cathy) you have planted on the peg in question.
If you're standing on the pegs and not distributing your weight evenly across the seat,bars, and pegs it'll pogo.
But I've unloaded the rear suspension via the peg on a couple bikes with folding pegs hence my belief that that's what Cathy was experiencing.

[mtnairlover]

I raced a Honda 750, Yamaha RD400, Honda 400 Hawk and a Suzuki GS 550 in the 70's. They all had folding pegs set low and forward. I hung way off the inside of the bike and when the pegs started dragging I could feel the peg lifting up under my boot. This never caused me to loose traction and they always folded up as lean angles increased. However, if I pushed it too hard and ground my pipe, I would go for a little slide.

So, this goes to my other mechanical/physics type of question...how much does rider size (weight) come in to play where these extreme angles and speed are concerned?

Oh and thanks to everyone else and the input. Like I said before, I kinda feel strange leaning way over my tank, cuz of how my bike is built. One thing I noticed though, several years ago, when I started riding with a more aggressive posture on my bike, then the control improved and the bike's agility seemed to improve as well. So, I will continue to lay on/hug my tank, kiss mirrors and hang way off in an effort to completely enjoy the ride...damn if that doesn't make me a tad hot under the collar...

[TFOGGuys]

Wait.....Jim rides motorcycles?!?!?!?!


Who knew?

At night, and on Sundays..... btw, Jeff ?

[Sortarican]

So, this goes to my other mechanical/physics type of question...how much does rider size (weight) come in to play where these extreme angles and speed are concerned?

I've noticed the faster riders always have an effortless look about them.
Well balanced and no unneccesary physical exersion.

That's something I've been trying to work on. (And still am.)
I have a tendency to have my weight on the bars (bad) or pegs instead of staying neuteral and balanced.
Besides being smoother and faster a more balanced position is much less tiring.

At night, and on Sundays..... btw, Jeff ?

Nuthin but luv brother.

[IT WASN'T ME!]

So, this goes to my other mechanical/physics type of question...how much does rider size (weight) come in to play where these extreme angles and speed are concerned?

Oh and thanks to everyone else and the input. Like I said before, I kinda feel strange leaning way over my tank, cuz of how my bike is built. One thing I noticed though, several years ago, when I started riding with a more aggressive posture on my bike, then the control improved and the bike's agility seemed to improve as well. So, I will continue to lay on/hug my tank, kiss mirrors and hang way off in an effort to completely enjoy the ride...damn if that doesn't make me a tad hot under the collar...

When racing, or just riding hard I have never had a lot of weight on the pegs or bars when laid over. Most of my weight is on the back of my thigh across the seat. When riding hard, my butt isn't even on the seat while cornering. I keep my head centered behind the steering head, or a little toward the inside of the corner, and like others have said, stay low over the tank.

[mtnairlover]

I guess it really depends on the model bike and how much weight (no dig intended Cathy) you have planted on the peg in question.
If you're standing on the pegs and not distributing your weight evenly across the seat,bars, and pegs it'll pogo.
But I've unloaded the rear suspension via the peg on a couple bikes with folding pegs hence my belief that that's what Cathy was experiencing.

Meh, no dig taken. That's why I queried. I really wanted to cover all possibilities and that's one thing that also enters my mind, gotta cover that idea, too.

Anyhoo, I plan on testing the theories...carefully. One thing that I'd like to work on is trying to be more effortless as I ride, mostly in the turns. Riding in a straight line doesn't take much. I will typically hug the tank with my legs. Can't do that too much in the turn when trying to hang off, but getting lower to the tank is what I'll practice. So, we'll see what happens.

Thanks for all the thoughts here guys. It has helped tremendously.

[dragos13]

Meh, no dig taken. That's why I queried. I really wanted to cover all possibilities and that's one thing that also enters my mind, gotta cover that idea, too.

Anyhoo, I plan on testing the theories...carefully. One thing that I'd like to work on is trying to be more effortless as I ride, mostly in the turns. Riding in a straight line doesn't take much. I will typically hug the tank with my legs. Can't do that too much in the turn when trying to hang off, but getting lower to the tank is what I'll practice. So, we'll see what happens.

Thanks for all the thoughts here guys. It has helped tremendously.

First, how does your bike feel in the turns? Do you have to use input from your arms to keep it going through the turn?

If the geometry isn't set up right, sometimes you will fight with the bike when turning. If the front ride height is too high, you will have to keep constant input on the inside bars to keep the bike from running wide. On the opposite end, with the front too low, your bike will dive into the corners and pretty much want to keep turning tighter and tighter until its laying on its side.

So, if the bike feels like it drives wide or dives in too tight, you might want to start making geometry adjustments. Imagine if you were mid corner, somehow the throttle is set from chopping closed, do you think you could let go of the bars and the bike would remain on the same constant radius at which it is at? Or would it run wide off the track or dive into the inside curb?

[mtnairlover]

First, how does your bike feel in the turns? Do you have to use input from your arms to keep it going through the turn?

So, someone told me I look stiff in those pix. I took a look and here's my thoughts on those pix and the track...

I'm more nervous on the track. I don't know why, but I am. So, I'm always thinking about the next turn and how to set up properly and how much am I leaning into the turn. When I'm in the canyons, I just glide...I mean I don't think a whole lot, I just fall into the turns almost effortlessly. I've been so comfortable in the turns in the canyons, that I can take my hand off the handlebar and wave to on-coming riders...doesn't matter if I'm leaning right or leaning left and hanging off. I'm that comfortable.

Now, the tighter the turn...like 15mph turns...you won't catch me waving.

Anyway, it isn't a struggle to ride my bike. I don't fight it and the more I relax my upper body, the easier it is to fall into the turn. Sometimes, I've noticed that I'm gripping too hard before I enter a turn and I have to tell myself to loosen up. That does not happen as often on the track, because I'm more aware of technique and so I'm more nervous and then I stiffen up.

Anyway, I've noticed that there's an advanced rider course and I do know I can take more classes. I will look into that, but I'm not sure how doing something like that will work into my budget at the moment. It's not something I've planned for...so, I'll more than likely work on technique at IMI and will have friends take as many pix as possible, so I can work on improving.