B4 Peg Height

[Vidrazor]

Is it just me, or are the standard pegs on the B4 kinda low? Every time I go riding with some friends in twisties, the front tip of my foot touches ground in steep turns. While I don't don't how far I'm physically hanging off the bike, I'm certainly hanging off, head, shoulders, ass. I still scrape with my foot. It scares the shit out of me. More than once I've gone wide into the oncoming lane because of it. Been lucky like that. So far.

Has anyone else experienced this?

[erik]

With the standard suspension, they're a bit low. Do you have the balls of your feet on the pegs or is the peg under the arch of your foot?

[PitterB4]

Yeah - when riding aggressively, move your foot back so the peg is under the ball of your foot, not the arch or resting on the heel of your boot.  That's one of the first things they teach beginners at track days.  Obviously, you have to slide the left foot up to shift but then slide it right back.  Admittedly, that's a pain on the B4 because of all the shifting you have to do to keep the revs up. 

I didn't ride my B4 much with the stock suspension - put on a 2G B12 shortly after getting it.  I don't recall ever having that problem.

[Wudy]

I've had this too (only the once so far though, haven't got to really enjoy her on some good roads yet. Lives her life as a commuter at the mo!).

I assuming a 'jack up' kit would help? (One from baditmania (UK) here), though not sure whether they would make the handling much better as well?

[Vidrazor]

Yeah, the balls of my feet are on the pegs. Hell, it almost feels sometimes like my TOES are practically on the pegs! It almost feels like if I push 'em back any further, they'll slip out the back! The outside front of my shoes (and sometimes that pegs simultaneously as well) scrape before anything else. Freaks me out.

[tomacGTi]

My present setup is:

-Yoyodyne fixed  offset footpegs (had to modifiy to fit)

-07 GSXR 750 rear shock (317 length, stock is 305 I think)

-10mm shorter dogbones (25mm raise)

-Forks 3mm down in the clamps

All total, I think the rear is up 2" or something like that (never took before and after numbers). The last time I was at the track, the only time I decked my toes out was a really, reallydeep LH turn. I didn't have much more to give and my puck was firmly on the deck.

I absolutely do not touch down on the street now with this setup, it was originally done to get the Bt016s to turn in faster (slower than PPs). The much higher rear is stable and neutral as well, not twitchy to me anyway.

[Chris H]

The much higher rear is stable and neutral as well, not twitchy to me anyway.

Have to agree that lifting the rear, i went gxsr400 sp shock and 180mm dogs, is the way to go. The B4 runs much better and no peg grinding.

[Vidrazor]

Hmmm, interesting. I didn't think of rear height adjustment. Would adjusting the existing rear shock make any difference? I'm not sure if I want to invest much more into the B4, being as not only am I out of work right now, but the old bugger's getting long-in-the-tooth for me. I got it back in '05 and I've put 40k on it, and hopefully next season I'll finally have something along the lines of an SV650.

But I need to do SOMETHING for now. So if I can do anything with the existing hardware, that would be great. Thanks.

[tomacGTi]

The new-to-me shock was obtained via EBay for around $40 to the door. You can buy new links here for $18.50 plus shipping or make your own with some steel bar from Home Depot. You'll need to space the links out to clear the spring with some washers.

http://www.burkhartcycle.com/Site/extras/linktable.htm

The issue then is the front end is lacking and the better handling rear will expose that big time. You can get away with a spring chop to bring the rate up and take up the space with a PVC spacer (free mod) and some thicker oil; 15-20 wt for about $10.

You can do this without emulators but it will ride harsh over sharp-edged bumps with the thicker oil but you'll have less dive. The emulators round out the package for sure, another one to look at are the Ricor Intiminators which are an alternative that just requires an oil change and nothing else.

These changes will transform the bike. It won't have the outright oomph of alot of bikes but you'll be right there when it gets twisty. Still cheaper than a new bike!

[erik]

Putting the rear shock on the maximum preload setting will help a tiny bit, but it might not be noticeable since it'd only result in a very small height increase. Increasing the front end preload would also give you a little more clearance, but really the preload, front and back, should be set to give about 30% laden sag.
Shorter dog bones on the back would help, even with the standard shock. That might be a cheap option, if you're happy enough with how the standard shock is performing. A gsxr1100 (or 750 also, I think?) rear shock plus some stiffer fork springs (from www.sonicsprings.com) isn't that expensive.

[Vidrazor]

Well, I may consider swapping the shock if I can find something suitable online. Doesn't jacking up the rear affect seat height? Thanks.

[tomacGTi]

It does raise the seat height as well. Unless you're a complete dwarf with no legs, it should pose no issue.

I have a 32 inseam and I can still get both feet very comfortably on the ground.

[PitterB4]

Looks like Vid found a creative solution to his handling problems!     Sorry, man.  Good luck to you.

[Vidrazor]

Yeah, that's it, it was the pegs!  Hey, I got a lot of mileage out that sucker, 40,000 miles. Time to move on.