Looking for more legroom on 93 VR

[syscrusher]

I've seen a few references to footboards and/or extended controls, etc. but most of these end in an old link to eBay or an offer to sell some long gone. Does anyone have any currently or know of details to fab whatever is required?

[Snaggletooth]

And hey again,

 

A lot of the issue with foot position depends on how long of legs you have. I'm about 6'2" with 36" inseam and I tried the floorboards and found them to not be suitable for me. They caused me some discomfort with the foot being forced up to a more parallel postion to the ground. I stuck with the pegs. Some adjusment there but not much.

 

Shorter riders seem quite happy with them.

 

Some riders have used these pegs to give some room to stretch out.

 

http://www.kuryakyn.com/products/460/longhorn-offset-dually-highway-pegs

 

These allow more room for the foot due to the lower fairing sticking out as far as it does on your model. The adjustments for position on the long horns is impressive over other styles.

 

I think a couple of guys here have floor boards for sale. Not sure if they are direct fit for your MKII bike. I'm sure they will pop in if they have something to offer that will work for you.

 

Yep, a set for an '86 MKII just sold from the classified ads here and the other set is for an '83 - '85 MKI.

 

Mike

Edited July 21, 2013 by Snaggletooth

[Snaggletooth]

Saw your post on the welcome thread to about info on your bike but I don't see it coming up. May have a couple things that will help you out.

 

What part of Omaha you in?

 

Mike

[syscrusher]

I'm in Maple Village area, NW of 90th and Maple.

 

Nice to know someone else in town has a VR.

 

For the footpegs, my knees just can't fold over so tightly for long. I'm not completely sure of the cause but my back feels injured and the front of my knee feels overstretched after buying the bike Thursday and riding it Friday and Saturday. Saturday morning I did strain to physically push my home-built trailer back into place on my sloped driveway. I could be feeling so beat-up because of that.

 

Thanks for the reply, what part of town are you in?

[Shorty]

I'm 6'-5" and I took the seat cover off and used an electric knife and cut out three inches on the back of the drivers seat. My knees were hitting the fairing when I sat upright. Another thing I did was to remove the Lowers, so now when I stretch out with the back of my lower leg on the foot pegs, my legs are under the fairing. It's so comfortable when I lean back on my backrest with my legs stretched out, cruise control on, nice music coming from my headset, that I have fallen to sleep twice with the rumble strip waking me up..... now that's comfortable. The attached shows where I removed some of the foam and how it looks without the lowers.

[chabicheka]

You could try this method, to stretch your legs...

 

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QE3XsZaL-zo]Laid back....Texting While Riding Motorcycle in India - YouTube[/ame]

 

 

[Snaggletooth]

For the footpegs, my knees just can't fold over so tightly for long. I'm not completely sure of the cause but my back feels injured and the front of my knee feels overstretched after buying the bike Thursday and riding it Friday and Saturday. Saturday morning I did strain to physically push my home-built trailer back into place on my sloped driveway. I could be feeling so beat-up because of that.

 

 

I was hoping to see some feedback from the guys that have the floorboards on their bikes. They do allow you room to slide your foot forward a bit. Moving around room always helps. Just wasn't for me. But it's only Sunday night. Buy a bike..... they will come.

 

You're going to see three common things done for rider comfort on these bikes.

 

#1 Backrest

 

#2 Seat modifcations. We even have a member here to do it. Great results.

You see references to "Butt Butler", that's the guy.

 

#3 Highway pegs.

 

Backrest is a huge improvement. Used to feel those day trips pretty hard. With the backrest, 300, 400 mile days are not painfull anymore.

 

 

Rick Butler (club name) does the seat mods and does it well. Caters mostly to the "I need to reach the ground" guys but he may know what to do for you.

 

I cheated a bit. I use a 3/4 shorn lambskin seat cover on mine. It's thick and raises me up a bit not to mention takes off the pressure points.

 

Highway pegs, yep, big help when mounted on the engine crash bars. I used a low end set (about $30.00) and clamped them on so they tipped in and up a bit. Good place to stretch out for a rest. I suggested the Long Horns, yep, pricey they are, as they are about the most versitaly ones out there.

 

I had some grumbles about comfort when I got mine in '07. Put over 30K miles on it since then. Couple improvements, few adjustments, found the sweet spot.

 

I'm over in the Ralston area for the time being. Soon to change. But I'm over in the Benson area all the time. On Maple couple times a week.

 

Take a look at my profile albums. Bike may look familiar.

 

I'm not the only one around the area. The others are like squirrels. Now you see them, now you don't. Good luck catching one.

 

Don't give up on the old girl yet. There is hope. Post a pic of the bike if you can. I'll know what I'm looking for. I'm sure we will cross paths soon.

 

Besides, these guys start barking if they don't see pics. You have noticed some of these guys are nuts right?

 

Mike

Edited July 22, 2013 by Snaggletooth

[Prairiehammer]

Mr. Brandon,

 

I am 6'4" with a 36 inch inseam (actually more like 37" plus with my normal riding boots) and I too feel your pain regarding legroom.

 

Like Shorty, I removed the "cantle" in the stock saddle and gained perhaps 1½" of knee room at the fairing. Also like Shorty I run with the lowers removed sometimes, but prefer to leave them installed on long trips for the protection from the elements. Conventional highway pegs on engine guards do give an alternate foot position, although for me the location is somewhat high. Shorty has the "Longhorns" from Kuryakyn on his Venture and as Mike stated they give a lot more adjustability.

 

And as Snaggletooth raised his butt via a sheepskin, I raised my butt higher with BeadRiders. But the biggest seat rise was accomplished with a Travelcade/Saddlemen Road Sofa seat. It alone is probably more than inch higher than the stock seat. And it has the much desired backrest. My particular Road Sofa has also had the Butt Butler mod done and I run the BeadRider beaded cover on top of it. Unfortunately, I lost the 1½" rearward relocation I attained with the modded stock seat when I installed the Road Sofa. I am contemplating reducing the size of the cantle on the Road Sofa as I did on the stock seat, but I am concerned about the integral back rest and interference with it as I attempt to move rearward.

 

One possibility: your stock seat may not be "stock" any longer. When I bought my '90, I could barely ride it the 250 miles home. It was extremely cramped. I discovered that the PO had removed a lot of foam, apparently to lower his butt and to reach the ground. Perhaps yours has been similarly modified ? I restored the lost seat height with various foam densities until it finally suited me.

 

Don't give up on your bike. It can be the most comfortable touring bike you have owned with a bit of customization.

[Condor]

My ... Depending on what size boot your wear will make or break the floorboard idea. There is about a 9" span between the front and rear peg. If you wear a bigger boot is ain't gonna work. Also your problem of bent knees isn't going to be solved. I hated the set up on my '93. Took the thing off and sold it.

 

One thing that will give you a bit more adjustability is to replace the shiftmechanismm with one off a 83-85 model. Unlike the MKII assembly they can actually moved around a bit.

 

The best thing you can do is add highway pegs with an off set mount that can be moved even farther out front. That way you can even rest your arch or the back of the heel out front on long rides. They make a big difference.

 

Another trick is to adjust the shift peg position so your toe points down a bit more instead of having to lift your toe to shift.

 

I did all these things to the '83 and 600+mile days were very comfortable on old basketball knees.

[syscrusher]

Condor, will the pegs from a MK1 fit on a MK2 and does the adjustment really move your foot forward more than the fixed position of the MK2? When I look at the bike there is a lot of room to move the pegs downward and forward using a different mounting plate.

 

I have an AirHawk pad that I may try but I actually have shortish legs for my height but my calves and hamstrings are both large which when my knee is bent greatly stretch the tendon at the front of my knee and puts a lot of pressure on the knee joint itself. Since I'm not yet used to the bike my legs feel shorter than they are when it comes to reaching the ground, especially if the ground is uneven. My driveway for instance, if the front wheel was not yet up on the sidewalk and the rear wheel still on the street that first section is steep enough that my legs wouldn't be long enough if I stalled there.

[Prairiehammer]

Condor, will the pegs from a MK1 fit on a MK2 and does the adjustment really move your foot forward more than the fixed position of the MK2? When I look at the bike there is a lot of room to move the pegs downward and forward using a different mounting plate.

 

Obviously, I am not Condor (though I play one on TV) but in answer to your question about the MKI vs. MKII foot pegs.

I own both and I actually compared (measured) the difference in foot peg placement in relation to a fixed point on the engine. My conclusion: there is no difference between the position of the fixed MKII peg and the position of the MKI peg when it is in the forward most position. In other words, there is no gain in forward placement of the MKI peg compared to the MKII peg. But, if you were looking for a more rearward peg position, then replacing the MKII peg with the MKI peg would offer that alternative.

[Condor]

Condor, will the pegs from a MK1 fit on a MK2 and does the adjustment really move your foot forward more than the fixed position of the MK2? When I look at the bike there is a lot of room to move the pegs downward and forward using a different mounting plate.

 

I have an AirHawk pad that I may try but I actually have shortish legs for my height but my calves and hamstrings are both large which when my knee is bent greatly stretch the tendon at the front of my knee and puts a lot of pressure on the knee joint itself. Since I'm not yet used to the bike my legs feel shorter than they are when it comes to reaching the ground, especially if the ground is uneven. My driveway for instance, if the front wheel was not yet up on the sidewalk and the rear wheel still on the street that first section is steep enough that my legs wouldn't be long enough if I stalled there.

 

In a situation like that mine wouldn't be long enough either... Don't stall....

The MKI shifter is a plug and play on a MKII. I guess it wouldn't make any difference according to Prairiehammer below, but I just liked that I could move the position to make it more comfortable. So I'm not going to run out and do a comparison, I'll take PH's word on it.

 

Obviously, I am not Condor (though I play one on TV) but in answer to your question about the MKI vs. MKII foot pegs.

I own both and I actually compared (measured) the difference in foot peg placement in relation to a fixed point on the engine. My conclusion: there is no difference between the position of the fixed MKII peg and the position of the MKI peg when it is in the forward most position. In other words, there is no gain in forward placement of the MKI peg compared to the MKII peg. But, if you were looking for a more rearward peg position, then replacing the MKII peg with the MKI peg would offer that alternative.

 

On TV Huh??