optimum foot placement on pegs?

[shraz]

I keep trying to test and find my favorite position but it changes all the time.

How do you guys place your foot on the footpeg on freeway, street, and twisties?

I used to do the pengiun style \ / but now I am getting used to more aggressive near the toes. It's harder to shift in a turn tho

[darkie]

That could depend on a lot of things such as type of bike, overall rider height, size of foot, riding style, relative agressiveness and a number of other similar factors.

You may notice that some (not all) racers hook their outside heel on the peg rather than putting the balls of their feet on it like they do for the inside peg.

I would suppose your guiding factors would be comfort and control.

For me and the bike I currently ride, I usually keep the balls of my feet on the pegs for track riding and even for some street riding. If I am going down a freeway I usually hook my heels on the pegs for more comfort.

[Eldritch]

Originally posted by shraz
I keep trying to test and find my favorite position but it changes all the time.

How do you guys place your foot on the footpeg on freeway, street, and twisties?

I used to do the pengiun style \ / but now I am getting used to more aggressive near the toes. It's harder to shift in a turn tho

There is nothing wrong with that. My left foot changes position often while I ride. If I am anticipating a lot of gear changes I usually leave the footpeg up against the inside heel of my boot with my foot out next to the shift lever so it's pretty easy to pivot my foot in and down or up to change gears. Areas that require a lot fo gear changes like that aren't the sort of places I have to worry about dragging my foot because it is sticking out a little. Once you hit a good stretch of cuts where you can maintain gears pretty well (Lucas Valley Road, etc.), I usually get the balls of my feet on both pegs.

[shraz]

ya I noticed that motogp champions have their left foot different than the right one

[kxmike]

For casual street and freeway riding I just rest the arch of my foot on the pegs. But if I'm leaning the bike at all...I have to be up on my toes (have size 13 feet). When I'm riding real aggresive, I'll put my arch on the outside peg (for leverage) and I'll sometimes twist my inside foot almost 90 degrees so my heel is almost flat against the heal gaurd (for a more "locked in"feel).

[chrono-X]

shifting in a turn? that's insane dude....last time i did that, my rear tire lost it and i felt the seat try to buck me off....so glad i was riding a 250.

as for position, whatever Kxmike said. Streets, just a comfortable position, on the twisties, scoot the ass back, tuck more, balls of foot on pegs, keep the left foot light for shifting.

[grandmastershake]

i change my foot posistion all the time.

squidly hooligan riding~ balls of the feet

twisty riding~ balls of feet, never ever just resting on the arch. nothing like leaning into a left hander and having your foor hit the ground and push your foot into the shifter for a very unexpected and unwanted upshift.

cruising~ arch of foot

freeway~ arch of foot.

[greener]

Do the balls of the foot go on the pegs when you know you might get squirrelly, and want to be ready to get your butt/weight off the seat?

Right now I ride so sedate I can leave my butt on the seat, but I have been trying to habituate myself to putting some weight on the outside peg during a turn, in case I start slipping around, or go for a deep lean.

Am I doing right?

What are some real world scenerios where foot position and weight placement needs real attention?

I don't want to learn the hard way!

[afm199]

I usually put my feet on the passenger pegs, it looks cooler and is more restful. You can reach down with your hand and shift gears.

[wackyiraqi]

You guys have pegs to rest your feet? Where can I buy some of those?

[kxmike]

Originally posted by greener
Do the balls of the foot go on the pegs when you know you might get squirrelly, and want to be ready to get your butt/weight off the seat?

Right now I ride so sedate I can leave my butt on the seat, but I have been trying to habituate myself to putting some weight on the outside peg during a turn, in case I start slipping around, or go for a deep lean.

Am I doing right?

What are some real world scenerios where foot position and weight placement needs real attention?

I don't want to learn the hard way!

The only reason to put the balls of your feet on the pegs is for ground clearance when leaning. (otherwise your toes may scrape the ground).
As far as weighing the outside peg...some people say yes, some say no. For dirt bikes it's a absolute yes, but I've found that on street bikes the only time I weight the outside peg is to control a slide or help stand the bike up quickly if needed...the rest of the time I'm actually weighting the inside a little.

[Eldritch]

Originally posted by chronoxdragoon
shifting in a turn? that's insane dude....last time i did that, my rear tire lost it and i felt the seat try to buck me off....so glad i was riding a 250.

as for position, whatever Kxmike said. Streets, just a comfortable position, on the twisties, scoot the ass back, tuck more, balls of foot on pegs, keep the left foot light for shifting.

It's not insane. Once you know your bike well enough, you can use knowledge of the speed you are going and your throttle control to shift gears smoothly through a turn without comprimising your balance or control in any way. This technique can be used to make sure you are managing your RPM's and the associated powerband to maximum efficiency when rolling through backroads that you know well. Trust me, I do it all the time. ;)

[DachWuff]

I'm kinda new but so far i've had my feet with the left foot resting on the arch so i can easily slip it under or over my shifter, and the right on the ball of the foot cus if I rest my arch then i'm slightly depressing the rear brake, not enough to create friction, but it makes the light stay on. And if i'm coming up to some of the horrid rail row tracks, or craters they call pot holes i can slip my left foot up to the ball and rise up the seat a lil fairly easily.

[DaveToo]

Originally posted by kxmike
The only reason to put the balls of your feet on the pegs is for ground clearance when leaning. (otherwise your toes may scrape the ground). ...snip...

Not IMO. Unless I'm just cruising in the flatlands on a good road with no traffic, I ride with the peg a little bit in front of the balls of my feet, almost like grabbing it with my toes. For one thing it lets me unweight my butt from the seat in a hurry if I get surprised by a pothole or other bump in the road, and my ankle can flex and absorb more of the bump and keep my legs from getting jostled as much.