Cruiser/chopper style motorcycle foot position

[squirrel 0]

Quote

Quote

Quote

Quote

Quote

Quote

Point of order, however... a cafe racer is always going to out-corner a cruiser, all else being equal.

Well DUH!

Ah...so you *ADMIT* you were trying to skew the results in your favor!!

No just level the playing field, my bike is like 70bhp, against 145bhp, without corners i dont stand a chance in hell.

Short straights ands lots of corners please

i'll take a full order of straigts, hold the corners please.

________________________________
Where is Darwin when you need him?

[sundevil777 102]

Warning - thread resurrection and rant ahead...
Cruiser bikes wallow in a vast sea of lameness!

I want to get an air horn, so that I can blast it in the ear of those with super loud V-twins. It will also be handy for those playing rap-crap on their mobile boom boxes

Cruiser bikes suck suck suckity suck!

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[hypsin 0]

Wow, way to necro a thread, dude.

Here is whatcha need...

[hookitt 1]

Quote

never ridden a chopped / bobbed / ape hangered equiped bike, huh????



some people just don't get it....

we're loud for a reason...you hear us, which makes you look...so you SEE US!!!
beats the hell outta the bikes that are as quit as a sewing machine.....

I'm about to rib you a little, I mean nothing by it but it may not read that way. All in good fun with a bit of truth thrown in. :)

What is that reason? So people can hear you when you're in front of them? So people can hear you in the morning when you warm up your twin with chromed out straight pipes for 5 or 10 minutes, then rev it like a squid on a gixxer 600?

Loud pipes save lives.... There are no facts to back that up, only opinions. When I'm in my car I don't hear a bike until it's passing me. I see them long before that because I ride.

Exhaust points out the back (yes I know, that's obvious) so the sound is pointed back as well. It does not travel in all directions equally and people seldom look to see where that noise is if they even hear it at all.

My 1000 is pretty loud, my 600 is quiet. While riding my 1000, I've had people right next to me look directly at me then try to take my lane. My 1000 isn't quiet. It's annoying actually. People just don't see you unless you make yourself visible but we all know that black is much cooler looking. I'm putting the stock exhaust back on so cops won't hassle me for loud exhuast. There are 0 performance gains. 150 rear wheel horse power on the dyno with or without the slip on. (Yes I have a power commander).

Make yourself visible and/or don't ride where they can cut you off. Ride sensible, and I don't mean obey all speed laws, it means ride sensible for the traffic.

Loud sounds are normal, people don't look to see where that noise is coming from until the ass end of the bike is right next to the window.

Example: Bicycle riders ride up in the same areas I do sometimes. I can rev the hell out of my engine and they won't realize I'm there until I'm RIGHT there. (sound pointing back and all). A blip to my cheezy horn from way back and they get single file immediately. I've been behind harley riders doing the same thing with the same results.

Go ahead and put loud pipes on if you want to and shine them up real nice and revel in the sound of the throaty rumble. Just don't try to tell me you're doing it because "Loud pipes save lives", cuz I know better [;)

-----------
Regarding foot position, it's style, not function.

Race replica Sport bikes, are function not style, but it's at the opposite end of the spectrum.

Gold wings have a great seating position and they handle like a dream. They handle the way a bike should when asked too. Don't believe me? ==>Click this.
Finshed

K, back to the ape hangars.

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[hookitt 1]

Wow, I just noticed the date on this thread

Oh well, I might as well leave my rant up there!

My grammar sometimes resembles that of magnetic refrigerator poetry... Ghetto

[sundevil777 102]

Quote

Regarding foot position, it's style, not function.

Race replica Sport bikes, are function not style, but it's at the opposite end of the spectrum.

Gold wings have a great seating position and they handle like a dream. They handle the way a bike should when asked too. Don't believe me? ==>Click this.
Finshed

K, back to the ape hangars.

Resurrecting my old thread...

I just had a couple stock cruiser bikes in front of me on a cloverleaf 270 deg turn onramp. It was so pathetic how they were very close to grounding out. I am not real aggressive in turns as I like my tires to last, and I drive a 14 year old Honda minivan, but the cruiser bikes were still going much slower than I usually go around that curve.

A motorcycle that can't be fun in the twisties! It might as well be a trike!

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[AggieDave 6]

Quote

Resurrecting my old thread...

I just had a couple stock cruiser bikes in front of me on a cloverleaf 270 deg turn onramp. It was so pathetic how they were very close to grounding out. I am not real aggressive in turns as I like my tires to last, and I drive a 14 year old Honda minivan, but the cruiser bikes were still going much slower than I usually go around that curve.

A motorcycle that can't be fun in the twisties! It might as well be a trike!

It all depends on what you like and what you want. I ride a Honda ST1300 and have worn the corners off my boots and ground off the peg "nubs." You really don't get lower than that in a turn and keep the bike on the rubber side. However, I have a Vulcan 800 that if I turn too much I drag the kick stand or the pipes. The Vulcan is more comfortable for me if I'm riding on the highway, the sitting position and the arm position is much better (it has Z-bar hangers). The ST1300 is great in town and turning tight (I can u-turn in less than the width of a single lane of traffic).

Different tools for different jobs.

--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

[jumpwally 0]

You guys and your noise makers,,,its all about being seen and showin' off,,big deal, the only people impressed are the one with a credit score of 250.....

" try riding for 8 hours " see to me thats no big deal, its like the pilot that flys cross country with no turns till the pattern. The guy flying and having fun is the guy with 10,000 take off and landings.

Try riding in the mountians and sightseeing back counrty stuff. Its amazing.....yes i know diff fun for diff people,,,but undeniably,,one is to be cool or look cool and the other is to blend in with the surroundings and live the experience......

smile, be nice, enjoy life
FB # - 1083

[normiss 801]

You should see what's left of my floor boards.
I corner hard.
To me riding for 8 hours isn't usually a big deal either, but I have been across country on a number of bikes. I'll always prefer teh heavy bikes for long trips.
I chose my sled for comfort. The cruise control and stereo are quite nice as well.

I love all bikes and have for longer than most. I grew tired of losing half the value the minute I bought it.
So I stopped buying Jap bikes.

I also don't buy, build, or customize bike to impress anyone. Fuck you if you do or don't like my bike.
I like it very much thank you. Never placed any value on what someone in a mini van thinks of my sleds.

[skyrider 0]

Quote

It seems that the position of the footpegs/footboards for the cruiser style bikes is extremely far forward.

Doesn't that make it very difficult/impossible to stand up on the pegs? Doesn't it make controlling the bike more difficult if either of the wheels are sliding, whether intentionally during a powerslide, or unintentionally?

Highway pegs have been around for a long time, but previously they were a secondary peg location. Now a far forward position is the standard position for many bikes.

I put about 30K miles on the streets (plus a lot of dirt bike riding) of Phoenix long ago, and I remember it being very important to be able to put my weight on the pegs in case I had to (or wanted to ) run over a bump/obstacle, or even just a pothole. I would think trying to do that with the pegs so far forward would be more like doing a pull up with your arms than just standing up to put weight on the pegs.

Of course the ape-hanger handlebars that some choose for their cruiser bikes make control even more difficult, but I think the lack of control due to the handlebars is already acknowledged.

Perhaps I'm wrong, but it seems that the pursuit of style has gone wrong.

Foot boards are Harleys are very easy to stand up on, Pegs, not so much!

As for Apes it is obviosy you never road a bike that has them, they are not only easy to control, but easier on the body that low bars...If they weren't , then why are you sitting in the same position when you drive a car?

Even my wife runs Apes on her 1947 harley, which is also foot clutch hand shift, so many times has to be ridden one handed!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vHaSq2vqDXY

[skyrider 0]

Quote

Quote

Dude, it's all style, no function for choppers

Style (bad), and noise. Sometimes I wish I had a massive air horn that I could deploy to physically blow some bikers over. Not only are the bikes stupidly loud, but they blip the throttle needlessly just to enhance it.

I seem to have strayed a bit from my original post...

Actually, you went RIGHT where I firgured you were heading....No surprise at all..

As for Safe????Properly built choppers are just as safe as any motorcycle, probably safer than so fool laying down on his tank!

[skyrider 0]

Quote

Who said Sporty?
Those are as bad as those silly donor bikes that have you all hunched over the football..

Sporty's SUCK!

try spending a REAL ride on a big twin...maybe like 8 hours or more...THEN you will appreciate the forward controls, wide stance, solid heavy framed bike, comfortable arm positions...oh wait...you guys don't REALLY ride do you???

1+

[skyrider 0]

This thread reminds me of peoplel that have never swooped a fast parachute saying they can't understand why anyone would want to do that!

Just folks throwing out opinons on a subject they know nothing about!

(No I don't jump a small chute, 135, But I keep an open mind for the fact it looks like a blast)

[skyrider 0]

Quote

Warning - thread resurrection and rant ahead...
Cruiser bikes wallow in a vast sea of lameness!

I want to get an air horn, so that I can blast it in the ear of those with super loud V-twins. It will also be handy for those playing rap-crap on their mobile boom boxes

Cruiser bikes suck suck suckity suck!

As I said, I saw your intent right from the start, Just another ignorant fool, with no life....

[sundevil777 102]

Quote

Foot boards are Harleys are very easy to stand up on, Pegs, not so much!

Right...how in the world do people riding dirt bikes stand up on the pegs? If only they realized it was so much easier with floorboards.

Quote

As for Apes it is obviosy you never road a bike that has them, they are not only easy to control, but easier on the body that low bars...If they weren't , then why are you sitting in the same position when you drive a car?

Ape hangers result in less control. You may still find it easy to control, but it is less control than a normal set of bars.

If only the bikes actually made for long distance (touring bikes) had figured out that ape hanger bars were more comfortable, they would have an advantage on their competition. I still have connections with my friends at Honda R&D, I'll have to let them know how the next generation of bars for the Gold Wing should be.

A car's steering wheel isn't even in the same neighborhood ergonomically as ape hanger bars. Not even close. Even to the extent that people will hold a car's steering wheel at the 10 & 2 o'clock position (which still isn't nearly as high as ape hanger bars), people only usually do that for a short time, and then will rest their forearm/elbows on the armrests and hold the wheel down at the 4 and 8 o'clock position.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[sundevil777 102]

Quote

Quote

Quote

Dude, it's all style, no function for choppers

Style (bad), and noise. Sometimes I wish I had a massive air horn that I could deploy to physically blow some bikers over. Not only are the bikes stupidly loud, but they blip the throttle needlessly just to enhance it.

I seem to have strayed a bit from my original post...

Actually, you went RIGHT where I firgured you were heading....No surprise at all..

As for Safe????Properly built choppers are just as safe as any motorcycle, probably safer than so fool laying down on his tank!

Please, you like the style of choppers, but to claim that they are as safe...that may be like saying that driving a huge old station wagon is safer because you aren't tempted to drive aggressively, so maybe chopper riders are safer because they can't corner fast, so they just don't try, and that contributes to safety.

I agree that the cafe racer/laying down on the tank style does compromise safety, but it is obviously appropriate for racing, and of course it fits an image that some riders want. I would not want that. I would want an upright style, just like what used to be so common for performance bikes way back when the superbikes were originated back in the 70's, like the Honda 750, Kawasaki Z1 and many others had. Of course being over 6 feet tall makes it easy for a bike to be designed to sit up high and be comfortable with good cornering clearance. The racer style allows shorter people to fit, as does the cruiser style.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[sundevil777 102]

Quote

Quote

Warning - thread resurrection and rant ahead...
Cruiser bikes wallow in a vast sea of lameness!

I want to get an air horn, so that I can blast it in the ear of those with super loud V-twins. It will also be handy for those playing rap-crap on their mobile boom boxes

Cruiser bikes suck suck suckity suck!

As I said, I saw your intent right from the start, Just another ignorant fool, with no life....

I don't think I got into your pro-cruiser bike threads to call you an ignorant fool. I didn't even get in your thread to insult your choice of bike. I made my own thread, and didn't insult you directly. I insulted you indirectly, for instance when I commented on how funny the South Park chopper episode was.

I am not ignorant, I am not a fool, and I have a wonderful life.

People are sick and tired of being told that ordinary and decent people are fed up in this country with being sick and tired. I’m certainly not, and I’m sick and tired of being told that I am

[skyrider 0]

Quote

Quote

Foot boards are Harleys are very easy to stand up on, Pegs, not so much!

Right...how in the world do people riding dirt bikes stand up on the pegs? If only they realized it was so much easier with floorboards.

Quote

As for Apes it is obviosy you never road a bike that has them, they are not only easy to control, but easier on the body that low bars...If they weren't , then why are you sitting in the same position when you drive a car?

Ape hangers result in less control. You may still find it easy to control, but it is less control than a normal set of bars.

If only the bikes actually made for long distance (touring bikes) had figured out that ape hanger bars were more comfortable, they would have an advantage on their competition. I still have connections with my friends at Honda R&D, I'll have to let them know how the next generation of bars for the Gold Wing should be.

A car's steering wheel isn't even in the same neighborhood ergonomically as ape hanger bars. Not even close. Even to the extent that people will hold a car's steering wheel at the 10 & 2 o'clock position (which still isn't nearly as high as ape hanger bars), people only usually do that for a short time, and then will rest their forearm/elbows on the armrests and hold the wheel down at the 4 and 8 o'clock position.

You proved once again you knwo nothing about motorcycles, Many touring bikes are raising their bars, for addded comfort..

Pick a subject you actually knwo soemthing about, then try again!

[LongWayToFall 0]

Comfort and safety are 2 completely different things. If you want to look like this, be my guest:

http://www.cyclespot.com/forums/photopost/data/500/apes-717862.jpg

The proper place for foot pegs is under the rider, so they can weight the bike. The proper place for handle bars is directly in front, so you can get your weight forward in turns and under braking.
But who knows, maybe I am wrong, and next year all the latest race teams will discover harley's genius and we will see Rossi on a bike with no front brakes and a springer front end... hahaha

[normiss 801]

Comparing RACING bikes to street cruisers and long range riding positions????

We need to start giving elliptical and cross-braced canopies to students with a fresh A license.
They do perform better than those huge safe canopies we give them.
They respond better to toggle input.
Overall, a much better canopy.

[skyrider 0]

Quote

Comfort and safety are 2 completely different things. If you want to look like this, be my guest:

http://www.cyclespot.com/forums/photopost/data/500/apes-717862.jpg

The proper place for foot pegs is under the rider, so they can weight the bike. The proper place for handle bars is directly in front, so you can get your weight forward in turns and under braking.
But who knows, maybe I am wrong, and next year all the latest race teams will discover harley's genius and we will see Rossi on a bike with no front brakes and a springer front end... hahaha

Touring Bikes don't race...Travelers don't ride race bikes...try looking at the freeweays, NOT the bars and Taverns...you will see legs forward and high bars, MUCH more than you see squids trying to impress people with their fast cornering Made SKizls!

The No front brake thing is and always has been stupid to serious riders...so that little comment is even weaker than the non riding Op's rants!

You like laying on yoru balls to ride, More power to you, I know in my over one million miles of riding, it is not comfortable!

Why does anyone need a race bike for street riding? seems kind of stupid to me! Just an Opinion, But unlike the OP, I can back mine up!

[skyrider 0]

Quote

Comparing RACING bikes to street cruisers and long range riding positions????

We need to start giving elliptical and cross-braced canopies to students with a fresh A license.
They do perform better than those huge safe canopies we give them.
They respond better to toggle input.
Overall, a much better canopy.

another great post...

[LongWayToFall 0]

If your argument is safety, than that includes the ability to rapidly turn the bike, as well as stopping as quickly as possible. The no front brake is obviously not a smart thing, although I love easy rider and that machine is certainly bad ass!
For long distance riding, it is a compromise, you sacrifice some safety. To be quite honest though, the average sport rider is going to push it to the point of being unsafe much more often then your typical cruiser.
Eh, all of life is compromises. I dig getting down in the corners, and being uncomfortable as fuck is unfortunately part of the deal. 100,000 miles later and I still haven't wised up, maybe I need to get closer to your age and mileage to start thinking clearly...

[LongWayToFall 0]

That is a funny picture!
A better comparison to skydiving would be FF vs RW. RW=classic, old time, standard way of skydiving. FF=New, faster, "all the cool kids are doing it."

There are starter bikes for both sport and cruiser. Ninja 250 vs Honda Rebel or Buell (RIP) Blast for example.

A new rider on a big inch custom chopper is just as retarded as a 160hp super sport machine, so don't put those words in my mouth.

And FYI, yes racing has allot to do with cruisers. Lets look at the new Goldwing for example. New aluminum frame, fuel injected engine, cartridge forks, floating disc brakes. All of these things have come about because there was a need to develop better components, and it sure as shit wasn't some random guy on his way to work who got them first. It was the guys on TV, at the race track. Win on sunday, sell on monday. You may hate super sport bikes, but just like advanced canopies, the technology trickles down to you eventually.

[Squeak 17]

Quote

Touring Bikes don't race...Travelers don't ride race bikes...try looking at the freeweays, NOT the bars and Taverns...you will see legs forward and high bars, MUCH more than you see squids trying to impress people with their fast cornering Made SKizls!
!

Only in the USofA,

I have literally traveled all over the world and MOST long haul riders are riding Touring bike or Adventure touring bikes. Rarely do you see cruisers, But you do see a fair few Sport/tourers (XX Blackbirds etc..)

BMW GS1200s were by far the most common followed by similar styled Japanese copies. (Varadero, Transalp etc...)

You are not now, nor will you ever be, good enough to not die in this sport (Sparky)
My Life ROCKS!
How's yours doing?