Maximum Lean Angle

For the riders that have pushed their VFR's to the limit....what will drag first during maximum lean angles on both sides? Pegs, exhaust, boots? I'm just curious...as I have yet to take her to a max lean....I have scuffed my riding boots on both sides though so I know I am making progess! 491.gif Plus it taekes 42 miles to encounter one curved road around FL! Thanks,

your a$$ goofy.gif

JBY28, Jun 26 2006, 07:00 PMFor the riders that have pushed their VFR's to the limit....what will drag first during maximum lean angles on both sides? Pegs, exhaust, boots? I'm just curious...as I have yet to take her to a max lean....I have scuffed my riding boots on both sides though so I know I am making progess!  491.gif Plus it taekes 42 miles to encounter one curved road around FL! Thanks,

I've found that I run out of tire with my stock Z4's before I scrape anything. I have literally zero unused rubber on the back tire, and have never scraped anything, am I doing something wrong? I've come so close as to feel the back end start to slide out(lowside), and was able to fix it with a quick jab at the bars and a touch of gas. blink.gif

SEBSPEED, Jun 26 2006, 08:04 PMI've found that I run out of tire with my stock Z4's before I scrape anything. I have literally zero unused rubber on the back tire, and have never scraped anything, am I doing something wrong? I've come so close as to feel the back end start to slide out(lowside), and was able to fix it with a quick jab at the bars and a touch of gas.  blink.gif

I think it is because you are running Z4s, I hear they are crap.

You shouldn't be scraping boot or your feet are in the wrong position. I scrape peg without feelers, then center stand, then right header.

jeremy556, Jun 26 2006, 07:33 PMI think it is because you are running Z4s, I hear they are crap.

You shouldn't be scraping boot or your feet are in the wrong position. I scrape peg without feelers, then center stand, then right header.

I don't mind the compound so much as the profile, they're just more of a touring tire.

I really like the D220's I put on my F4i, I use the whole tire, but I get a bunch more lean out of them, and they're cheap! fing02.gif

The peg feelers hit first. Remove those and the pegs hit first.
Then the fairing lowers, and the header pipe.
If you get to that point, raise the rear a little.
You'll probably want some track days to fully remove the chicken strips. beer.gif

I drag my handle bars all the time... Okay well I did get the header down but never felt a thing.

I've hit my exhaust header without scraping the pegs (with the feelers off).

I think hitting the header is usually an indication of a suspension problem, bad line, bad form, etc.. it was in my case.

Don't forget the center stand, that is the one that scares me.

I havent dragged anything except knees and toes. I took the curb feelers off. No chicken strips in the rear and maybe 3-5mm in the front.

SEBSPEED, Jun 26 2006, 08:04 PMI've found that I run out of tire with my stock Z4's before I scrape anything. I have literally zero unused rubber on the back tire, and have never scraped anything, am I doing something wrong? I've come so close as to feel the back end start to slide out(lowside), and was able to fix it with a quick jab at the bars and a touch of gas.  blink.gif

I run pilot powers, worn edge to edge, front and rear. I've never scraped anything either. I think thats a good thing !!

Knees should be first to drag tongue.gif

About 1/8th inch or less chicken strips and rarely drag a peg. Usually when that happens, the rear tire starts to float out, but then again I am running bias plies. tongue.gif

Das Bone, Jun 26 2006, 09:34 PMKnees should be first to drag tongue.gif

Not if you don't have pucks ohmy.gif

jeremy556, Jun 26 2006, 09:53 PMNot if you don't have pucks  ohmy.gif

you can always tape some empty beer-cans instead. it's cheaper and alu makes more sparkles. tongue.gif

On the trip to the Texas Mac ride I put on some powers at Kevins house and found them easy to scrub to the edge, but I had like a smidge left at the edge on the left side of the rear, and about half an inch on the front. I found the pilot roads to be easy to scrub the rear to the edge but the front was really hard to get to the very edge. all in all I still rider faster than most the guys I ride with, save a few who are real barn burners. Kevin too, he has his all the way after ten minutes at the gap, and we all just chuckled about it! There is always sombody faster eh?

On our trip to OO-TA last week I obliterated the rear power on both sides and got the front down to almost 1/4 inch, and wasnt riding out of my comfort zone at all! Other than the side bags swinging a bit in hard wind gusts I was comfy riding on the edge of the rear. I dont get it cause Pilot Powers are rated at what 50 degree lean angle and yet I find it easier to get to the edge on the rear than the Pilot Roads?? They are awsome though, predictable, surefooted, nice feedback and boy do they feel good!

If your afraid to lean over a bike you should try some pilot powerd cause the fear melts away when you get that feeling of sure feedback!! They make me ride better! My buddy Dan too, he was riding more confident and leaning more than I have ever seen him, on the OOTA trip (utah) SOLD!

Thanks for the (serious) responses goofy.gif I always hit the toe protectors on my boots then again I wear a size 14 so who knows. You know what they say big feet big boots smile.gif

JBY28, Jun 26 2006, 05:00 PM 
For the riders that have pushed their VFR's to the limit....what will drag first during maximum lean angles on both sides? Pegs, exhaust, boots? 
 

On Mr.RC45 the exhaust limits clearance... it's been responsible for 2 near crashes... the
only cure is an titanium race exhaust system designed to give more clearance... not to
mention lighter and more power...

[image: user posted image]

im all the way to the edge on the rear and about 5 mm on the front (both sides), and havent drug (dragged?) anything except the outer edge of the boots...size 13 though...i think i may have hit a curb feeler once or twice too...not hard enough to notice, but they're some markings on it (my wife was checking up on me after she noticed the chicken strips were gone).

I have between 1/16" and 1/8" on the rear and a bit over 1/4" on the front of my Pirelli Stradas. It was the same with the Z-6's. I've ground the peg feelers down about half way, so the only way to get that last 1/8" off is to take the feelers off. I'm leaving the feelers because they remind me that my last name isn't Hayden and I have no business leaning farther on the street with two young children at home. I guess I could switch to Pilot Powers or BT-014's which seem to get to the edges really quick. I had already planned to try the Powers before getting the free front Pirelli deal.

HispanicSlammer, Jun 26 2006, 10:21 PMIf your afraid to lean over a bike you should try some pilot powerd cause the fear melts away when you get that feeling of sure feedback!!  They make me ride better!  My buddy Dan too, he was riding more confident and leaning more than I have ever seen him, on the OOTA trip (utah)  SOLD!

I agree, put a set on just before heading to the gap Thursday. I had the stockers on till then, and the warm up time is much faster on PP. My dad had also just put a set on his xx and on the dragon I got closer to the edge than him. Ya'll should know we only been ridin for about 3 months, so for me to get about 1/2 inch from the edge on both sides felt like and accomplishment. My dad did have to worn me to reposition my feet, he said my toes drug a couple times, but I didn't feel it, so had to slide the 13's up on the pegs a bit.

HispanicSlammer, Jun 26 2006, 09:21 PMIf your afraid to lean over a bike you should try some pilot powerd cause the fear melts away when you get that feeling of sure feedback!!  They make me ride better!  My buddy Dan too, he was riding more confident and leaning more than I have ever seen him, on the OOTA trip (utah)  SOLD!

With the big miles you rack up, it seems like you would go through the P. Powers awfully quick. How's the milage compared to the P. Roads?

tbzep, Jun 26 2006, 11:19 PMWith the big miles you rack up, it seems like you would go through the P. Powers awfully quick.  How's the milage compared to the P. Roads?

About 1/2 to 2/3 of the PRoad, but feels so much better when leaned over

On the Road, getting leaned over far, it just fealt like it wanted to give up and squirmed around back and forth losing a regaining traction. The Power just sticks all the way past what I am comfortable doing and then slides predictably past what I am able to do. I had 1 or 2 front slides that I am sure would have been low sides that were just pucker moments last time I was in the mountains.

My last pair of BT-20's had no strips and frayed a bit at the edges. I've never scraped anything but a peg in a sharp banked right hander as well as a left which consisquently broke off the peg feeler. I haven't scraped the headers at least I don't think I have...I have Proads now and they handle pretty nicely. I think it really depends on how the roads are banked whether or not you scrape anything. My Proads have no strips ethier and I haven't scrape anything, but then again I haven't been on any really twists with them except for a few nearly circular freeway on/off ramps.

I have my preload set to max, maybe that contributes to my lack of scarpeage.

Pegs, sans feelers, on both sides with Pirelli Diablo and SAG set track stiff.

I always thought the feelers were the length they are so that you don't scrape anything else. Seems from all these posts that that's just not the case. So my question is why on earth are the feelers SOOOOO long on the VFR? I've scraped the feelers a couple times and I know I wasn't leaned as far over as I used to ride on my little Suzuki GS500

So, do you wear the fronts faster on 16 front 18 rear combos, or am I doing something wrong?

If there is anything left for chickenstrips on the front, I would be surprised, but the back has a good half an inch. huh.gif

Still no dragging.

JBY28, Jun 26 2006, 06:22 PMThanks for the (serious) responses 

I don't know if you were refering to me or not, but I actually was being serious in an offhand way. laugh.gif

What I was getting at was that if you are shifting your body weight to the inside while cornering, this allows the bike to carry less lean angle meaning that you are much less likely to be dragging hard parts. This also means that you are essentially safer as you've got more tire patch in contact with the ground, i.e more traction...which is a good thing tongue.gif

Think of it this way: Two riders going around the same corner at the same speed etc.

One rider is sitting vertically in a "standard" riding position while the other has his weight shifted to the inside, i.e. "hanging off".

The rider that is hanging off will be carrying LESS lean angle than the other rider even though they are traveling at the same speed.

Hence, "your knees should drag first" goofy.gif

tbzep, Jun 26 2006, 07:19 PMWith the big miles you rack up, it seems like you would go through the P. Powers awfully quick.  How's the milage compared to the P. Roads?

The stock z4 metzler's were uninspiring & got tossed @ 6000 miles. the michelin pp's are starting to show fabric after yesterday's ride @ just a tic over 7000 miles.

i've run the pp rears to the edge on the left & about 1/4" on the right. no touchy feely anywhere.

i have to say that the pp's are far more confidence inspiring compared to the z4's. slipping the front and/or rear on tar strips has rarely caused more than a minor pucker & a "whoa!!!!"

I have touched the pegs down once (without feelers) making a sudden and unexpected move to the inside of another rider, but that was because I did not have time to shift my weight to the inside before making the turn. It was somewhat of an emergency maneuver. With the pegs in I touched them down several times on the Dragon, so I took them out as it was breaking my concentration.

However, when using proper riding form, (sliding off the seat just a bit and shifting my weight to the inside), nothing touches down......and I have zero chicken strips.

Pilot Powers..... fing02.gif

On my Gen 4, pegfeelers/pegs of course. I've also found that if you lean further and fold the peg up to the point where it's starting to crush your toes, you can scrape the plastic bellypan. This is RH side, I suspect that you'll dig the centrestand tang in if you try this in a left-hander... which is why my centrestand is hanging on the wall of my garage : )