Hitting Pegs On Ground, Good Or Bad?

Grimfaith

Grimfaith

Wannabie Member
Hey all!

I've been ridding for about a year now but I've found that I scrape pegs more often than I used to in corners; I ride an FZ-07 in case your wondering. Although today I managed to do it again going about 60 around a corner, it scared the hell out of me and I almost plummeted off the cliff. In fact I took a detour through some bushes and almost got bucked off forwards(Had half the bush stuck to my bike). I've read that hitting pegs is bad and usually means your ridding technique is horrible, is that true? I do feel like I need more training, because I obviously keep hitting the limits of the bike. I'm definitely dramatized over almost high siding and I'm scared to death of leaning over that far again.

Whats your take on it?
 
So, you're clearly comfortable with your bike.

Scraping your pegs means you're reaching the maximum lean angle for your bike. Check your manual for the maximum wear amount of your hero blobs (things under your pegs), as wear em down too far, you've lost your warning.

So that leaves two things. You're counter-weighting your bike. This is you remain upright relative to your bike in a bend, your bike is leaning more than you. Try leaning over the inside handlebar.

Also, and possibly more importantly. Are you going too quick for the bend? Physics dictates the angles and grip levels. Pegs down and "knee down" are warnings of approaching the max angles because for any given bend there's a terminal speed and a critical lean limit.

If you're not leaning away from the bike, (and possibly if you are) then consider this: if it was a blind bend, and the bend had tall sokud walls both sides, could you stop comfortably in the distance you can see to be clear?

Not saying any of these are the answer, but they're certainly things you should consider in a bend.

Nutshell. If you're scaring yourself, you're riding on your limit. Keep something in reserve for when the unexpected happens.

If you want to push it and explore absolute limits. Book a track day.
 
Lurch said:
So, you're clearly comfortable with your bike.

Scraping your pegs means you're reaching the maximum lean angle for your bike. Check your manual for the maximum wear amount of your hero blobs (things under your pegs), as wear em down too far, you've lost your warning.

So that leaves two things. You're counter-weighting your bike. This is you remain upright relative to your bike in a bend, your bike is leaning more than you. Try leaning over the inside handlebar.

Also, and possibly more importantly. Are you going too quick for the bend? Physics dictates the angles and grip levels. Pegs down and "knee down" are warnings of approaching the max angles because for any given bend there's a terminal speed and a critical lean limit.

If you're not leaning away from the bike, (and possibly if you are) then consider this: if it was a blind bend, and the bend had tall sokud walls both sides, could you stop comfortably in the distance you can see to be clear?

Not saying any of these are the answer, but they're certainly things you should consider in a bend.

Nutshell. If you're scaring yourself, you're riding on your limit. Keep something in reserve for when the unexpected happens.

If you want to push it and explore absolute limits. Book a track day.
Click to expand...


I think that's the main issue, the bikes leaning over more than I am. I actually would of made the turn perfectly but hitting it made me lose my concentration, which caused me to get target fixation. So I'm figuring the way I lean isn't correct. I definitely used up all of my tire though, don't have any unmarked tire.
 
Your knee and elbow should touch the pavement before the pegs scrape. Pegs are gonna start to hook or flick your feet off

Change your riding position.


As lurch said, Wanna show off or push the limits, Go for a track day. Public roads kill man
 
Yes hitting the pegs and scraping is bad given you're on a naked bike with fairly high pegs; given I ride a Harley and will go out and canyon carve with guys on sportsbikes and keep pace with them, a few things come to mind.


Is your suspension set up for your weight? Having soft suspension will compound the problem as it will compress under braking and limit your lean angle more. On my track bike I have often had issue due to my suspension being incorrectly adjusted and have scraped a whole in my bellman.

Are you 'getting off' the bike enough? Even leaning into the corner a small amount will allow you to make the corner a little easier as you have moved the centre of gravity closer to the corner.

Are you counter steering? Are you looking through the corner adequately? Are you using proper throttle control techniques?


Many of these things will come with time riding, and while yes going out to a track day will teach you a lot about how to ride fast, I can almost guarantee that no public road will be as smooth as a track.

Best bet is too watch 'Twist of the Wrist. VOL. 2'
 
Have you still got the extensions under your pegs? I used to ride a 600 Honda Hornet and would regularly scrape my pegs. It is standard on a naked bike as these have a shorter wheel base. Its not necesarily bad and if you still have the extensions on, you still got plenty of lean left. Also check your tire for Chicken Strips, if they're all gone, then you're close to the limit. On naked bikes though, you will start having additional body parts scrape on the street before you are at the limits of the tire, the exhaust is usually an issue.

I would definetely recommend a track day to get to know your bike a bit better. This will also help you adapt your riding style accoridngly in a safe environment. Start pracicing a Hanging-off. This will allow you to keep your bike more upright at the same speeds, thus not scratching the ground with any body parts.

Ride safe!
/Altim
 
I was reading an article just recently on "chicken strips" on the outside of tyres. The opinion was that, if you are wearing the tyre right to its edge (on road conditions), you are pushing the boundaries, considering the risks of pot holes / grit gravel / etc, and wont be long before you are finding the bike sliding away beneath you (down the road). Full lean is for the track only, due to controlled conditions / ground surface.

Perhaps a good thing to do is position a Camera on the inside of a bend, then record yourself riding round it in both directions (where you know the peg might touch the ground). Then watch back this footage to observe your posture/position, plus see where you might change your technique??
 
I am kind of opposite of the op. I have a tendancy to take it real easy. I have been trying to learn to ride better and actually did put a camera in a an s turn and watched it back. I saw that I look like a grandpa riding. Haha. I did notice that i wasnt moving my body at all. Leaning in towards the inside bar has helped with that. But i am still learning.
I may do a track day some time to explore the performance limits.
As to the OP I tend to agree that if your pushing it that much, you may consider backing off just a touch. I am having plenty of fun riding, but i do my best to leave myself room for error. Other peoples errors as well as my own
 
No Problem, a Friend of mine has the Yamaha MT07, everytime when we ride he hitting the ground in nearly every corner with the pegs.
There are Extensions on it, they brake away anyways if you push your bike to hard:)
 
I dont know if you've ever been on a supersport, but something really valuable that I learned from riding one on the street was that body position is really important when cornering, and can become a potentially life-saving technique if you ride in the rain. You can lean your body off the bike into a turn and keep the bike more upright, but still make the turn, because of the weight shift. Now, I say that's nice in the rain because you want to keep your bike as upright as possible in the wet (bigger contact patches). A good way to 'trick' your body into practicing good body position is to just try to touch the inside mirror with your head. Your body will follow your head and you'll fall into a more suitable body position for cornering
 
Scraping pegs is an awesome feeling.
First time I did it, i got scared too, after that, I was chasing to do it more and more.

Right one was completely ground down, left only just started.
That was on my bandit, which was a lot of fun.

I have a harley now and anything up to 30 degrees is fine, anything more and I hit the pegs lol :D:D:D
 
Man, I can never get used to that feeling. I scrapped my foot a few times and that still scares me. Lol.

Just be safe and be mindful of how fast you are entering the curve.
 
Doesn't really matter imo

Your position should mean your knee it out and should be knee down similar to when your pegs scrape.

Don't forget an FZ 07 being a naked has lower set pegs for comfort meaning they are easier to scrape whereas a supersport they are set higher giving a more aggressive angle making them harder to scrape.

Keep your concentration, and make sure to keep your line in the corners.

I agree with Lurch's point if you can't stop in the distance you can see then its dangerous - however lets be honest thats boring as fuck as in the UK at least means riding at 30 everywhere.

Basically don't scare yourself. it seem to me like your upright when your bike is not, it should be the other way, ie your body of the bike and angled into the corner, (keep your head upright) - this way your bike is more upright, still makes the corner - this means there is more tire on the road = more traction = more speed, and as someone else said can be safer in the wet
 
Doesn't mean riding at 30 everywhere! Should be able to see more than 30m in most cases. All about the observation. @Shifty will tell ya!
 
As exciting as it may be I’d suggest following the advice of many of the other posters, save the peg scrapping for a track ride and not on the open road. Roads have hazards and unpredictable conditions such as developing pot holes, debris, etc. ... . Road hazards are bad enough on their own. Hit one with your peg and you’re looking at a real bad day. Counter-steering may give you more control on tighter turns, with the ability to see your line as you take it.

- Wuf
 
Completed my first track day yesterday, without incident thankfully.

Even after reading on the forums here, and watching youtube tips, all about body position and 'hanging off', it's not something that I was comfortable trying/learning on the road.

However, the track day was an amazing buzz, and the single most important takeaway for me was that now I can corner far more effectively and safely.

The pin on the bottom of one footpeg hit the ground once, and that scared me as it's never happened before. I told my instructor and he then drilled into me how important it is to get your body leaned out.

The pictures posted by @EDcase tell it perfectly.

At first I was even slower on the bends while trying this technique, but as it becomes more comfortable and my confidence grew, my enjoyment and grin increased significantly.

Good luck!

WP_20170730_12_42_49_Rich.jpg WP_20170730_12_33_29_Rich.jpg
 
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