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Cruiser bike with forward foot pegs. How do they deal with bumps in the road?
- Thread starter aks2010
- Start date
TK4
Well-known member
You take the shot straight up your spine.
Much easier with a big bum as a cushion. Otherwise…right up the spine.
Never thought about that before. So I guess everyone who rides a hardtail with forward controls has compressed vertebrae?
A supersport rider can get his butt off the seat easier than a cruiser rider.
Even without forward controls I hate cruisers for this reason. It is really hard to get up on your feet and if you do manage to pull your butt up, you are unstable as you are hanging from the handlebars. Some people obviously love them. I am firmly in the dislike camp. Now, if you add highway pegs to give you another option while having something to stand on underneath you, that is probably the best of both worlds.
The problem is, there is a world of difference between cruisers.
Cruiser I owned:
Cruiser I test drove:
Cruiser picture I grabbed off the web with feet in wrong position on the pegs:
I had no problems with bumps or railroad tracks on the Indian. What was weird for me was putting my foot down at stops.
In a slow race on the old Magna, you'd be standing on the pegs, and I imagine you could do that on the Harley as well.
Cruiser I owned:
Cruiser I test drove:
Cruiser picture I grabbed off the web with feet in wrong position on the pegs:
I had no problems with bumps or railroad tracks on the Indian. What was weird for me was putting my foot down at stops.
In a slow race on the old Magna, you'd be standing on the pegs, and I imagine you could do that on the Harley as well.
Mad Mike
Well-known member
There is no issue getting up on the pegs or boards on a standard setup. Add apes or hwy peg controls and you're out of luck.
Standard suspension setup is as soft as a Lincoln Town car, so chances are a rabbi on the pillion could still perform a circumcision as you crossed the tracks.
Standard suspension setup is as soft as a Lincoln Town car, so chances are a rabbi on the pillion could still perform a circumcision as you crossed the tracks.
A free-body diagram (first year university mech eng stuff) suggests that this would involve pushing hard with both feet and pulling hard with both arms, with forces involved (particularly on the arms) considerably higher than those involved with just straightening your legs if the pegs are below your centre of gravity, which is IMO where they should be.
Forward controls and apes on two of my bikes. My legs are only a little beyond 90deg with fwd controls so maybe I'm not having to pull as hard as some but I've had both bikes off-road (one atv trail, one railroad bed) and am able to make small adjustments as needed while keeping myself just a couple inches off of the seat. If more control is needed for a real corner then sit down and take it in the ass.
Even before cruisers if I was committed to leaning into a cornered and was surprised by an unavoidable pothole I would usually ride it out, just with better suspension.
Even before cruisers if I was committed to leaning into a cornered and was surprised by an unavoidable pothole I would usually ride it out, just with better suspension.
... problem being, the bikes typically with forward footpegs are also a lot of the time, the same bikes with the least suspension travel and the worst suspension components!
Mad Mike
Well-known member
Ridden a lot of cruisers, it's just as easy as a standard, just a bit different.
On a standard it's all legs, on a cruiser your arms and core pull the rider forward sharing the work with your legs - for some this might be easier.
I have put FC's and pullback risers on 3 generations of Honda Magna's and on none of them could I stand on the pegs worth a damn! But over thousands of klicks I have never had an issue with my feet coming off the pegs when riding through bumps or pot holes. It is a non-issue even for a shorty like me.
I think much of the issue is familiarity/experience. I have always had my feet under me so having them too far forward feels very strange. Nobody will ever convince me that FC is better (clear downsides, no upside other than look imo) but I have no problem with other people that decide differently. For me, conventional controls and highway pegs seem like the best of both worlds.
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