Toe Drag...what am I doing wrong?

[PizzaMonster]

So am I getting carried away with the "balls of the feet on the pegs" thing?

I find that lately when I am just cruising down the highway my left heel is getting pushed up and down by the swingarm as it moves across road bumps..  I am wearing size 10 Alpinestars.  I don't really think that would make me the biggest foot on the board  .

Have I overdone my foot placement or is this a normal thing for a Monster?

[VeryMetal]

You definitely shouldn't be getting contact with the swing arm. Right or wrong I tend to tuck in a little round corners point my toes in to the bike if I know I'm going down low and move my feet back on the pegs a little although I tend to cover the rear brake with my right foot because it can be helpful stabilizing the bike at 'scary' angles haha. But just with my toes.

[OT]

So am I getting carried away with the "balls of the feet on the pegs" thing?

I find that lately when I am just cruising down the highway my left heel is getting pushed up and down by the swingarm as it moves across road bumps..  I am wearing size 10 Alpinestars.  I don't really think that would make me the biggest foot on the board  .

Have I overdone my foot placement or is this a normal thing for a Monster?

Are you keeping your knees/inner thighs against the fuel tank (i.e, don't fan out your legs like cruiser riders do) while riding?...doing this should keep your heels off the SA unless your ankles/feet are twisted out 45 degrees from normal or you're 7' tall.

[Jarvicious]

Few things

A: so GP shifting is basically like putting a reverse shift lever on your bike, only without buying extra gadgetry? 

B: I know Monsters have a bit more ground clearance than most sport bikes, does anyone have any problems grinding the pegs on turns?  A buddy of mine has a GSXR and says that he knows he's cornered far enough when his inner peg drags a bit.  Having had the same toe drag issues as Lance and at the same time having little room left on the edges of my tires, I find it really hard to believe that ANYONE would take their bike that low.  He's never laid any bike of his down and is a pretty competent rider, just wondering if there's that big of a difference. 

C: Maybe it's just the uber noob in me, but I get a little uncomfortable shifting my feet/ass around on a set of quick twisties.  I do have a tendency to WANT to ride on the balls of my feet, but get kind of discombobulated when I switch from ball to heel and back. 

Mini threadjack?? Surry

[Monstermash]

So am I getting carried away with the "balls of the feet on the pegs" thing?

I find that lately when I am just cruising down the highway my left heel is getting pushed up and down by the swingarm as it moves across road bumps..  I am wearing size 10 Alpinestars.  I don't really think that would make me the biggest foot on the board  .

Have I overdone my foot placement or is this a normal thing for a Monster?

No, I have the same thing happen to me on the S2R1K. It's a product of being up on the balls of your feet and keeping them tucked in.

I like to go out and ride some twisty roads, but nothing really crazy. Just trying to become a better rider and keep those dreaded chicken strips off my tires  .

Don't worry, I have chicken strips too. Mine are just well done! 

[somegirl]

B: I know Monsters have a bit more ground clearance than most sport bikes, does anyone have any problems grinding the pegs on turns?  A buddy of mine has a GSXR and says that he knows he's cornered far enough when his inner peg drags a bit.  Having had the same toe drag issues as Lance and at the same time having little room left on the edges of my tires, I find it really hard to believe that ANYONE would take their bike that low.  He's never laid any bike of his down and is a pretty competent rider, just wondering if there's that big of a difference. 

Actually, Monsters have a bit less ground clearance than most sport bikes.  It'll depend on the specific Monster.
Mine will scrape the sidestand nub on the left, and the rear brake lever on the right, not the pegs.

You can see in this picture how the sidestand nub is the closest on my bike.

[Ducatista]

+1 on what msincredible said.  Monsters generally have less ground clearance.  The rearsets are lower than most sportbikes and certainly, if you have low mounts, those will drag pretty easily.  I know mine are pretty scuffed up. 

And yes, GP shift is just a reverse shift pattern.  Whether you get a direct shift lever, some other kind of rearset, or just flip the spline so it is going up, it all has the same effect, although it will have a different feel for each one.

[meano_lover]

+2 balls of your feet.  i have the same problem (size 14 feet- i'm 6'5 250lbs) with dragging the footpegs sometimes. although for me it's usually the outside of my boot. rearsets will help with ground clearance. it just sounds to me that you want the chicken strips gone for the "cool" factor and not the "experience" factor. riding fast enough to get rid of the strips is sometimes rediculously fast for public highways. do you live in an area where there is a road track? that's a good way to learn some corners (and get rid of those strips, haha)

[psycledelic]

Regarding gear selection, I flipped my street bike to GP shift.  Being in a gear too high will never hurt (on the street), since you don't lose all power when you're in the low and midrange of your powerband.  Being in a gear too low can be fixed on corner exit (with a bit of practice) or by just not accelerating as much.  I think having GP shift is more ergonomically sound.  It's just my preference, though.

Yea, reversing my shift pattern solved a lot of my cornering problems.  One of which was riding with my toe below the lever.  It does, however, stir up a new set of problems until you get used to it.  It took me about a week. 

[truckinduc]

what compound tires are those monstermash? Im gonna get some pilot power race takeoffs when my bike is done.

[mossimo]

Don't know if it has been mentioned yet but be sure to roll on the throttle through the turn.

Increasing the throttle will help settle your suspension and increase ride height as you go through the turn giving you that little extra clearance.  Remember from MSF; Slow, look, roll, and press. 

[NuTTs]

I always thought, and friends were convinced, that it was my foot position on my ex-Rs that caused my toes to drag. Especially the right one. I had the 50mm termis on and that pushed my foot out further. Well, I don't have that problem on my 749 with stock or SSR rear sets. Not on the old GSXR either. The GS.. well it just scrapes the footpegs as it's an Adventure sport bike.

I recently rode a friends Z750, no toe drag. An R1, no toe drag. Bimota DB7 & Tesi 3D on race track - no toe drag.

For me, it's the Monster footpegs being too low or awkwardly positioned.

[truckinduc]

i raised my pegs an inch and half, but i still drag them, or i did

[NuTTs]

I wish I did have rearsets on mine, could have had a lot more fun..



I'd get toe drag just after this lean angle.. swiftly followed by a possible low side if the suspension was playing silly buggers at the same time.

[TCK!]

I try to rest the sole of my boot against the bike with the outside of my foot on the peg with the ball of my foot position inline with the peg.