Often, when riders think about upgrading their vehicle, they don’t give much attention to foot controllers. Generally, exhaust systems, tyres, and other components are upgraded. However, motorcycle foot controllers are one of the important contact points between the rider and the machine.
In this blog, we will discuss the most common mistakes riders make when installing the foot control.
1- Skipping The Manual
Shoving back the manual as if it were some extra information can get you in trouble while riding. Motorcycle Foot Controls are not always plug-and-play. That is why not following instructions related to bolt sizes, torque requirements, and lever ratios can result in accidents and unsafe riding.
2- Wrong Positioning
If the positioning of your foot controllers is not right, then it can give you knee strain while riding.
Why it matters:
- The effect of fatigue is rapid. Bad ergonomics quickly pushes your body into unnatural positions. On long rides, that would mean sore joints, aching muscles and a loss of speed in their reaction.
- Lost shifts or sloppy braking: When your shifter is a few millimetres off-centre, it may produce a jerky gear change (or missed shift). Ineffective brake pedals will lower efficiency, and emergency stops will be less predictable.
- Corner safety hazards pegs that are set excessively low will reach the ground sooner than anticipated, creating an unsettling effect in the bike as it rounds the corner and chewing up your lean range. A recipe for disaster on a winding road, or even a track day.
3- Over-tightening or Under-tightening bolts
Either tighten just enough to stop the rattle, or tighten bolts until your wrist hurts. Both of the approaches are dangerous. One can crack aluminium cracking points, and another can loosen over time.
Why does it matter?
- Striped bolts: once the threads are ruined, you can’t just tighten them. Sometimes you require replacing entire brackets or rearsets.
- Loose Hardware: When a lever or peg shakes, it can throw off your posture and cause a crash risk.
- Metal fatigue: Bolts that are not tightened are vibrating. Even high-grade steel is compromised by that micro-movement, and in the long run, it develops cracks that are not noticeable until they break due to the strain.
3- The Danger of Ineffective Components.
It may seem like an excellent idea to save money by cutting on foot controls, but in the real world, it is a dice throw with your safety and comfort. Poor machining, cheap alloys and components which do not fit can lead to more gremlins than a solution. What may appear to be a deal at the register may be a nightmare on the highway, courtesy of sloppy shifting, to out-of-the-blue failures, long before you had anticipated them.
Why it’s a problem:
- Poor materials: The materials that are used are weak in nature; they bend, crack or snap when subjected to normal riding.
- Sloppy tolerances: This is due to poor machining; rough threads, inconsistent surfaces and bolts that cannot fit.
- Poor fitment: Control mismatch seldom fits well, and stresses brackets and bolts.
- Ergonomic Strain: With improper positioning, there will be ankle pains, knee fatigue and delayed responses.
4- Skipping Safety Checks
Nailing it all down is not the end of the job. This is the last phase in the safety check, and many riders lose the ball. Ignorance of it may make it a hazardous ride on a clean installation. Precision is everything when it comes to foot controls, and unless a proper test of the linkage, spring, or pivot connections is done, the first indicator of a problem will be on the road when it is too late.
Why it’s a problem:
- Failure of the brakes: When you are most in need of a brake, a loose brake lever or linkage can cost you the stopping power.
- Gear lock-ups: Because the shift rod is not connected or even well held in place, you can end up stuck in a single gear during the ride.
- Lost problems: No test will detect the existence of latent problems, such as sticky pivots or poorly functioning return springs.
5- Forgetting Adjustment After Instalment
One of the biggest errors is to think that they are ready to ride after the installation, since foot controls may require some fine-tuning after the initial ride. What seemed like a good lever in the garage might seem funny when you have your boots on and the bike is accelerating.
Why it matters:
- Missed gears are a result of misaligned shifters.
- A low brake lever angle puts a strain on your foot when braking hard.
The Importance of Foot Controls
Foot controls are not pegs and levers that the feet are resting on. They are the only connection between you and your machine, making you ride every mile.
Riding posture: The proper set-up will have you comfortable during short commutes and pain-free during long tours.
Control accuracy: Properly fitted controls give a smooth shift and sharp braking.
Safety: The controls are to be perfect in the reaction time when it counts in seconds.
Consider foot controls as the invisible part of your ride. Make them wrong and you can have the strongest engine in the world to no help.
Aliwheels: Your reliable provider of foot controls.
How you install your part is of the same importance as the quality of your parts. This is where Aliwheels fits in, a marketplace that is designed with riders in mind who do not want to take a chance on safety or performance.
It all depends on Aliwheels:
- Authenticity: ride-tested foot controls, which are correct the first time.
- Variety: Selection of replacements for stocks for high-performance rearsets.
- Reliability: All products are purchased from certified suppliers.
- Convenience: browse, compare and place an order without the inconveniences of more than one shop.
Conclusion
Foot controls may not seem very complex, but they determine the level of comfort and safety of your ride. Minor errors, such as improper placement or loose nuts, may become huge road accidents. Cutting corners means more than passing on safety inspections or installing inexpensive components, because, as well as putting your control and trust into question, you’re putting your life in danger.
Get it right, and you will feel the difference every time you put on the shift or brakes. And when you want parts that will fit, last and work, Aliwheels has you covered. It is not only that you are preventing errors, but you are actually moving in the right direction by having the proper installation as well as the correct gear that can get you on top of the rides to come.
