Rear Brake Pedal Adjustment?

[streetPol]

I have noticed that my right foot seems to almost ride the rear brake pedal when I place it on the peg such that the brake pedal is right below front of my foot. I have taken to scooting my foot back on the peg to avoid riding the pedal or feeling like I am. I don't like this as my foot needs to be scooting back over the pedal in order to apply pressure to use the brake. Am I unique in this situation?

Have other people adjusted (or thought about it) the rear brake pedal so that is lower and more out of the way for riding but can be easily accessed by pressing down your foot a little further?

[onelifeliveit]

You are not alone. Ive felt the same way. But I have brushed it off as one of the things that I have to get used to coz im coming back to motorcycles after 8 years.

I wished the pedal was a touch lower

[Thirdway]

Originally Posted by streetPol

I have noticed that my right foot seems to almost ride the rear brake pedal when I place it on the peg such that the brake pedal is right below front of my foot. I have taken to scooting my foot back on the peg to avoid riding the pedal or feeling like I am. I don't like this as my foot needs to be scooting back over the pedal in order to apply pressure to use the brake. Am I unique in this situation?

Thats the way you should be riding your bike. When riding normally the ball of your foot needs to be on the peg. Using the ball of the foot allows for better weighting in turns, more leaverage to counter steer, your legs are used as a suspension component and your feet dont touch down on bends (I have seen one guy get his foot trapped under the peg during a turn and it was not pretty).

If you ride with your instep on the peg you are doing it wrong !!!

[spiki-spikester]

Originally Posted by Thirdway

If you ride with your instep on the peg you are doing it wrong !!!

Sorry, I disagree - it is just a different technique.

For long distances and most road riding / commuting, it is better to ride with the peg up against the front edge of your heel with your foot angled slightly outwards away from the pedal.

I sense a debate coming on

[Thirdway]

Originally Posted by spiki-spikester

Sorry, I disagree - it is just a different technique.

For long distances and most road riding / commuting, it is better to ride with the peg up against the front edge of your heel with your foot angled slightly outwards away from the pedal.

I sense a debate coming on

There is no debate.........thats a bad way to ride, its not a technique. The only time your foot should be in that position is during slow speed turns or when you need to cover the back brake and really you should be using the front brake for 99% of the time.

Riding that way makes you sit on the bike like a pudding. You have far more control with your ball of the foot on the pegs. Thats why modern bikes have folding pegs and brake pedals in that position.

[spiki-spikester]

All I'm going to say is this:

1. you aren't supposed to sit like a pudding, but support yourself with your core muscles & if necessary your legs;

2. it is the way the police are taught to ride in the UK & the way I have been shown to ride by police instructors teaching advanced riding;

3. it is a less tiring way to ride and allows quicker reactions for gear changes and use of the rear brake. It also facilitiates better slow speed control;

4. it is not a sports technique (so is not "cool" ), but most commuting & road riding doesn't require sports techniques;

5. there are lots of ways to ride & lots of debates (if you want them) over all sorts of aspects of how to ride. If I have to choose between someone's opinion of "bad" on the internet & a variety of instructors I know who all have admirable ability, then I know what my choice is going to be.

[Thirdway]

I ride with two Police instructors........thats instructors with the Police force and one IAM instructor. All of them ride with the balls of the feet on the pegs. The instructor that took us on the Honda Mac course also commented on how both of us had the right position on the pegs.

It's not cool, its just sensible.

I did a quick search around the internet incase I was losing my marbles (cos it can happen). Every thread on every forum........balls on the foot rests. I tried looking to see if it was specifically mentioned in any training and failed.......except for the MSF course which advocates the covering of the rear brake pedal and gear lever at all times.........and four finger braking.

I used to ride with my feet on the insteps particularly on rubber pegs as they were so slippy (usually with oil). When I got back on modern sports bikes about 12 years ago, the technology of the bikes had moved on a long way, which meant the grip available allowed the bike to be leant over much further, consequently as my skill increased it was not long before my feet contacted road and knocked my foot off the pegs. My mate who was following noticed what happened and corrected what I was doing as I had never been shown to position my feet that way. I felt a right novice and it was worse in a way because I ride off road on mountainbikes and the foot is always in the 'ball' position on the pedals for power and better balance.

You say the Police are teaching 'instep riding' techniques which suprises me, is that information current ? When Im next out with the lads from the force I will have to ask how they were taught.

I find riding with balls of feet on the pegs far more comfortable on modern sports bikes (yep, the ST is a sportsbike). I only use the back brake during slow speed turns. Up to normal turns I shift and brake before entry (rarely use the back for riding at speed). Pegs are serrated so you can get a proper grip with the sole of the foot. Its the pegs that go down first on a modern bike which is why there is a little peg underneath so you know where your at.........if your foot is hanging off to the side it is further out and lower down, at 60mph it will rip your foot off the peg.

Just had a look at Police motorcycle roadcraft 1996 and it does indeed state "feet on insteps" so that solves that mystery, except the guys I ride with don't use that position. So there you go, you were correct.

Aha except that the photograph in the advanced riding book clearly shows the rider with the balls of the feet on the footpegs. There are a couple of police riders in various pictures that also use that position.

[spiki-spikester]

OK. So I think the answer to the original question is:

If you want to ride with your instep on the peg, then move your toes slightly to the right so they don't cover the rear brake while riding; or

If you want to, you can ride with the balls of your feet on the pegs.

Either way, it's generally better to try to correct yourself than regard these things as needing mechanical correction

Form your own view as to which approach suits you best. Although in reality you'll probably use both methods at different times, according to what you need to do.

[Thirdway]

Originally Posted by spiki-spikester

OK. So I think the answer to the original question is:

If you want to ride with your instep on the peg, then move your toes slightly to the right so they don't cover the rear brake while riding; or

If you want to, you can ride with the balls of your feet on the pegs.

Either way, it's generally better to try to correct yourself than regard these things as needing mechanical correction

Form your own view as to which approach suits you best. Although in reality you'll probably use both methods at different times, according to what you need to do.

Have you tried the balls of the feet technique? I found that it took a few rides to get used to and I would find it difficult to ride any other way now Im used to the control it gives.

I notice that sometimes race bike riders use the instep on the opposite peg before a turn, probably to increase leaverage when counter steering very hard (apparently it is not unknown for some riders to counter steer so hard that they bend the handle bars).

[spiki-spikester]

Originally Posted by Thirdway

Have you tried the balls of the feet technique?

Yes. I used to use it quite a bit on the Sprint. For the riding I am doing at the moment (mostly commuting) I prefer not to.

I think when track riders press down on the outside peg for corners it is also to increase feel for grip - at least that's what Nick Ienatsch suggests in "Sport Riding Techniques". Not really practiced that too much, but it was useful when I tried it on a track. I think it also gives more body stability if you are going to hang off - although I haven't got to the sort of lean angles where I can tell