A little more leg room

I needed to find a way to eliminate the stock mechanical brake light pull switch, as I did not want to have to run it with my new billet footpeg/heal guard brackets I will be making.

So I came up with a novel idea to adapt a regular car type hydraulic brake light switch using a custom made billet adapter manifold, that I attached rear brake master cylinder reservoir using a double length banjo bolt, and it is basically the same with as the banjo end of the brake line.

So I just Installed a banjo washer then the brake line banjo fitting, followed by another banjo washer, my new brake light switch manifold, then the outer banjo washer and torqued the banjo bolt to the factory specs.

I had to cut off the stock brake light switch connector and solder new leads on so that I could install the billet connectors that connect to the terminals on the brake light switch, and now the wires going to the new switch run down the fluid supply hose to the master cylinder and are pretty much hidden from view now.

The new switch works great, and I have used this very same type of brake light switch before on a lot of my bikes to replace the stock mechanical brake light pull switches, and they work great and never need adjusting, and I'ver never had one go bad.



While I was cleaning things up in preparation for my new billet footpeg brackets, I decided to modify the stock footpeg/heal guard brackets by cutting off the rear section on each bracket, then sanding, reshaping and repainting them with semi-gloss black paint.

I did this so that the master cylinder would be more exposed, as I thought it would look better smoothed out and polished and not partially covered like it was by the stock bracket. You can see the custom manifold for the new brake light switch pointing up vertically from the top of the master cylinder.

So I completely smoothed out the master cylinder and polished it, and it looks great against the black paint. I really like the looks of the modified brackets, and it gives me a good idea on just who much better my new billet brackets will look on the bike.

The next phase of this project will be machining up the new billet footpeg brackets.







Another couple things I've done to my bike was strip the black paint off of each my rims, leaving the center of the rims black, and replacing all of the bolts for the brake calipers and the lower leg pinch bolts with polished S/S SHCS.

Thanks for the tip on the 180 degree rotation of the peg mounts for more leg space. I still need to fine tune the adjustment on the linkage arm but it's not clear to me how to. The service manual says to loosen the lock nut for adjustments but my 2007 doesn't seam to have lock nuts on the ends of the linkage arm. Just ball joints with hex shaped stem end. Lock like it might be a lock nut but it wont twist. I'm afraid to break it if I apply more force. How did you adjust yours?
Thanks in advance.
Erik

Eyabusa said:

I still need to fine tune the adjustment on the linkage arm but it's not clear to me how to. The service manual says to loosen the lock nut for adjustments but my 2007 doesn't seam to have lock nuts on the ends of the linkage arm. Just ball joints with hex shaped stem end. Lock like it might be a lock nut but it wont twist.
Erik

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They'll loosen....one is left hand thread, it was the lower one on mine, but they may not always assemble 'em that way, since that shaft would be easily reversed.

Anyone consider cutting and rewelding the shifter itself to shorten it up?
I'd like to paint mine black anyhow, so may just do that, since It wouldn't be that noticeable. I like the pegs MUCH better reversed, and I'm NOT putting them back!

How much difference can you tell in braking with the steel braided lines ?

dmerc said:

They'll loosen....one is left hand thread, it was the lower one on mine, but they may not always assemble 'em that way, since that shaft would be easily reversed.

Anyone consider cutting and rewelding the shifter itself to shorten it up?
I'd like to paint mine black anyhow, so may just do that, since It wouldn't be that noticeable. I like the pegs MUCH better reversed, and I'm NOT putting them back!

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The shift linkage rod cannot be installed reversed, as to do so would mean that the ball joints would also have to be installed reversed by the factory, as they are permantly attached to each of the linkage arms, so I don't think that thats something that would be likely to happen.

El Bandito said:

The shift linkage rod cannot be installed reversed, as to do so would mean that the ball joints would also have to be installed reversed by the factory, as they are permantly attached to each of the linkage arms, so I don't think that thats something that would be likely to happen.

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I had to run out and pop one of the boots off, by golly, you're right!

Well in that case, the LH is always on the bottom!

I love the new peg position, so changed my shifter. I cut the weld at the original location, then drilled a hole 1 1/4" forward, drove the pin back in, then welded on the backside.

MUCH easier to shift now, with a slightly shorter throw. Required pressure wasn't affected much, surprisingly.



and, chopped off.

that would resolve the one issue i had with moving the pegs as suggested above. i put mine back to stock, but this is the best solution to someone who intends to perform this peg movement change.

good idea, pictures tell the story.

Has anyone tried swapping the pegs side to side?? If they were rotated as per instructons in this thread, then swapped side to side, it should not only lower the pegs but move them rearwards as well, thereby creating the room to not need to mod othe bits like the shift lever.

Dink

Dink.1170 said:

Has anyone tried swapping the pegs side to side?? If they were rotated as per instructons in this thread, then swapped side to side, it should not only lower the pegs but move them rearwards as well, thereby creating the room to not need to mod othe bits like the shift lever.

Dink

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I had already looked at that but due to the locating lugs on each footpeg mount, new slots would have to be milled into each bracket to accept the locating lugs.

I'm lovin' my pegs! It's nice that they are moved forward/down.....last thing I'd wanna' do is move them farther back.

The shortened shifter requires more pressure than I originally thought. I expected it to be easier when warmed up, and moving. It's still fine, and actually makes it feel ....what's the word......positive, precise? But, at first, it does feel weird/different. My knees are loving it!

El Bandito said:

I am 6' 2" tall, and even though my knees fit within the cutout's on the sides of the gas tank, I felt I would like to have a little less bend in my legs. I had tried raising the seat up, but it made my knees barely fit within the cutouts on the sides of the gas tank, and I did not like how much higher on the bike I sat.

So I discovered that you can rotate the footpeg mounts (items 6-7) in the picture around 180 degrees, which lowers the foot pegs 1 1/2", while also moving them forward about 1", and this has made a big improvement for me as in my riding position and comfort, as the top of my thighs were almost parallel to the ground when I was sitting on the bike, and now their at about a 10 degrees angle down.

I went out riding in some twisties yesterday and a pretty good clip, and the pegs did not touch, but I am going to take it out today on some tighter corners and see what happens, but so far so good, and as of right now, I won't be changing it back.

When you rotate the peg mount, you will also have to remove the pivot pin (item 11) for the foot peg, and rotate the foot peg back around 180 degrees also, so the the rubber is back on top.

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I am definitely going to try this. I tried to increase room by removing the rubber pad and weight. Some increase in room but the rise on the end of the peg made it a bit difficult to just put your foot on the peg. I had to consciously think of moving it in. I may try grinding some of that rise off to make it more flat. Has anyone had success in doing that before I go ahead?

My new boots have great grip so I won't be missing the rubber. No noticeable increase in vibrations thru the foot without them either....but then, it is a Bandit.

MrH said:

Buell XB Lightning footpegs installed on '08 Bandit this past week. Lowers a little over an inch and slightly more rearset. Fits my size 12 feet perfectly, and heel guard on Yoshimura prevents contact with the midpipe.

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Now, if I could just figure out how to get Buell pegs without going near a harley dealer.

dmerc said:

I'm lovin' my pegs! It's nice that they are moved forward/down.....last thing I'd wanna' do is move them farther back.

The shortened shifter requires more pressure than I originally thought. I expected it to be easier when warmed up, and moving. It's still fine, and actually makes it feel ....what's the word......positive, precise? But, at first, it does feel weird/different. My knees are loving it!

Click to expand...

After a few thousand sMiles, you will be just fine with the shifting. Just preload when shifting. I cut mine about 1 inch back after rotating the footpegs. Felt the difference in my knees first few blocks leaving town about 5 thousand mile back.

El Bandito,

I know you started this thread about 18 months ago. Just wanted to say thanks. I just lowered my pegs this afternoon and that small adjustment is going to pay off big. I don't yet feel a need to adjust my shifter. The shifter and left side peg, while closer to each other, are now about equal height so the angle I need isn't so extreme to upshift.

I know I'm bringing up an old thread, sorry. What exactly are you moving 180 degrees? I'm kinda new to all the mods and I'm just not seeing it. The whole mount or just the peg? I have a Bandit 600 but it should be the same. Thanks
I just found it, I'll give it a shot tomorrow. This is a great site, lots of stuff to learn.
Sherry

Sherry,
Welcome. The process requires turning the bracket upside down, removing the footpeg and rotating it also so the rubberside it back on top. Not a hard job at all. Then you will need to adjust your brake pedal linkage and shift linkage to get them where you feel comfortable with. With my size 12 feet, I ended up cutting about 1" off the foot shifter, drilling a hole, threading it and putting a bolt with a nut backup. Then grinding it smooth.

Hi. I know this is an old thread but seemed an appropriate place for the question. I was thinking about buying these adjustable pegs on ebay in order to avoid the shifter adjustment when flipping the stock pegs. Wondered if anyone had tried them or something similar and how they worked.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Black-Suzuk...dit|Submodel:1250&hash=item460b14a31b&vxp=mtr



1 Pair (2 pcs)
- Turns your stock footrests (rearsets) into adjustable footrests
- Inexpensive option compared to aftermarket adjustable rearsets
- When mounted on the motorcycle adjustments can be made in seconds
- Place more weight towards the front or rear of the bike based on positioning
- Shorten or lengthen your leg room based on positioning
- Provides extra grip over stock footpegs
- Retains your stock folding footpeg mechanism
- Allows for 12 different mounting positions (moves in a 360 degree circular motion)
- Based on rider and motorcycle, not all positions are optimal
- Interlocking teeth design to ensure secure positioning
- This Model is 25mm extension

Looks pretty neat. I would wonder about the strength of the unit for the amount of standing I do on rough roads or just to give the rear end a rest.

Looks like a great idea, would like to hear thoughts on them after the install.

Looks pretty nice , actually looks stronger than some of the shaved and modded buell pegs a lot of people run with no issues .
Knee pain is really limiting my riding right now , having a partial knee replacement in June hopefully after recovery , I'll sure hope to be able to ride in comfort again . I would hate to have to do something horrid like trade the Bandit in on a cruiser !!

I asked a friend who is a machinist and motorcycle mechanic. He though they were probably not robust (to put it politely), the lack of any rubber was an issue, and that the right peg could unscrew when stood on. He tends to be right most of the time, so I'm going to pass on them and look for another design.

In the video, there appear to be pins to ensure they don't rotate when tightened. Would be good to get MetrickMetals opinion.

I just found these on E-Bay.
Several different lengths available.
https://www.ebay.com/i/291680385977?chn=ps&dispItem=1

I just had help of a friend and we turned the pegs 180*..adjust brake and shifter and the improvement is immediate. My old knees were stressed before but now I think i can ride it a bit more comfortably. Thanks