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1) Motorcycle Riding Tip of the Week

2) Site Status... Ideas... Survey

3) Recent Forum Posts

4) Forwarding this Tip and Signing Up

Motorcycle Riding Tip of the Week
Highway Pegs -- A Time and a Place

I have an issue that's a mix of safety and image.

One of the current fads among both cruising and touring riders seems to have become the obligatory set of highway pegs -- a forward roost for the rider's feet, allowing even the least athletic among us to sprawl on his bike, resembling a comatose daddy watching WWF Wrassling, waiting for one of the kiddies to fetch him another brew.

I've put in enough 12-hour days in the saddle to know the knees' needs, and sympathize with the occasional requisite stretch. What I can't fathom, however, is keeping one's feet glued to the highway pegs whenever the bike's rolling. What I typically see when the light turns red is a hideously unskilled rider skimming the pavement with both outrigger legs, paddling to a stop like a goose landing.

Then, a wobbly departure as both boots shoot to the highway pegs, with the left foot alternating between forward control perch and highway peg perch for each successive shift of the tranny.

This isn't riding; this is posturing, plain and simple.

It's that immature DaySturgis residue that's all about "Look at me!" "I'm on my mo'cycle and I'm really cool."

Get a clue.

And get your feet back somewhere vaguely near your footbrake and shift lever at least until you're clear of traffic.

Pete Tamblyn (MotoSwami)
Senior Contributor
MotorcycleMentor.com™

MotorcycleMentor.com™ Site Status

We are developing a survey to find out what topics and information you would like to see. Stay tuned.

Also, if you have ideas or questions... don't hesitate to contact me.

david@motorcyclementor.com

Thanks,
David Mixson
MotorcycleMentor.com™

Recent MotorcycleMentor.com™ Forum Posts

Deciding which oil (and interval) to use for your motorcycle is always a lively topic for discussion... "Mike, what oil changing interval did 'all your research' reveal... for your motorcycle? I run AMSOIL synthetic oil in my Honda VFR Interceptor. I need to change it, but I assumed I would have to remove all the plastic. Sounds like this was NOT necessary for your Triumph Sprint. Right?" "David, I doubt you need to remove anything. The oil plug and filter are usually at the bottom of the fairing opening. It should be very easy to access. What interval should you change your oil? Well... that question is almost as bad as, should I use dino or synthetic oil? There are some guys that just use dino oil and change every 2 or 3 thousand miles. That's a little too often of me. Others use synthetic and go 10 thousand miles. Mine runs on synthetic and I changed mine at 5 thousand. I may change this fill a little sooner since I'm using the Purolator filter and not a Triumph filter... I ran AMSOIL in my Honda Sabre. The cruiser guys seem to like AMSOIL more than the ST guys. Not sure why... Mobil and Shell synthetic seem to be popular choices with the ST group." "Mike states (correctly): " Mobil and Shell synthetic seem to be popular choices with the ST group." I'm guessing the reason the ST group likes these two choices is because they tend to read Motorcycle Consumer News, which rated these two oils quite highly after an extensive set of tests aimed at whether you actually get anything for your extra bucks when you buy a bike-specific oil (eg. Yamalube). MCN couldn't justify the additional cost, with the caveat IIRC that the rider avoid the lower viscosity oils (10W30) containing additives for increasing fuel economy in automobiles. 10W-40 and up (20W-50 for example)would be safe. They also concluded that synthetic's additional cost gives you greater mileage between changes; pay twice as much -- run it twice as long. That seems like a convenience factor for a guy who rides only one bike and likes to limit his total annual changes. A bike junkie like myself, who can't seem to get by with less than, um, several... might consider non-synthetic oil if he's only going to ride a particular bike a short distance each season, warranting a single change/year. My bikes all get non-synthetic Shell Rotella 15W-40 (yes, that's a diesel-rated lubricant) except for the high-mileage WeeStrom which gets Shell's synthetic version." To read the full forum post, click here: http://www.motorcyclementor.com/members/forum/openthread.cfm?forum=1&ThreadID=34

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