metratech footpegs

[GED 01]

Heating and then bending an alloy casting? I don't think so. A drop plate will be sorted shortly, it will just look crap.

 

BTW it's good to know I'm not the only person who requires these ergos for a sweet change

 

im on holiday this week ,so i nipped into work [engineering] for advice and they were not very sold on the idea of heating the gear lever and bending it 50>100 mm ,and im not going to risk it so the original pegs stay on,the footrests i bought for £260 stay in a box in my garage collecting dust ,a complete waste of money,anybody considering purchasing these items in the future please contact me first,although they are of good quality ,and genuinley male the bike more comfy,they do have limitations.ie if like me you ride with your foot slightly down,then i fear you may have problems both me and john have had,

 

i feel it would be expected of metratech to look into this problem, and warn potential purchasers of this problem and advise them as such ,,

[GED 01]

this problem has been playing on my mind ,i dont in fact never give up ,despite what advice ive been given ,so i decided to throw caution to the wind,and dug out my coleman camp stove

 

 

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and ive bent the gearlever if you look carefully ive managed about 42mm i could have got more but decided to wait until tomorrow when i will refit them again and see what best suits,ive also got the option of cutting 10mm out of the gear lever where it fouls the porkchop,so fingers crossed

[John in Leeds]

this problem has been playing on my mind ,i dont in fact never give up ,despite what advice ive been given ,so i decided to throw caution to the wind,and dug out my coleman camp stove

 

Fair play to you mate.

 

Is it essential to use a COLEMAN camp stove?

 

I think I still have one in the camping cupboard

 

40mm would sort it for me. (Not only in this area)

[BrianG]

Nice work on the heat-bend process!!

 

I wonder if one could do the same with the stock unit??

[GED 01]

Nice work on the heat-bend process!!

 

I wonder if one could do the same with the stock unit??

i dont think so i tried to bend the end nearest the toe rubber and because of the material that was machined out it started to kink and buckle so anything other than solid alu i dont think it would work,but then again you could try

[GED 01]

Fair play to you mate.

 

Is it essential to use a COLEMAN camp stove?

 

I think I still have one in the camping cupboard

 

40mm would sort it for me. (Not only in this area)

it was paraffin and not petrol so it works out cheaper to run,[u are from yorkshire]

[Fred C. Dobbs]

Interesting post.

 

I just mounted one of John's kits to by Ballabio last week, and have had no problems whatsoever with gear changing, up or down. In fact, the gear changes seem crisper and more positive, perhaps due to the longer shift lever. I too started out with the shift lever mounted as low as it possibly could be, and found that the lever came in contact with the pork chop before completly engaging first gear. I adusted the lever up about one quarter inch and that solved that little problem.

 

Due to the forward nature of the modified controls the foot is more horizonal on the peg, rather than toe-down as on the stock rearsets. I wear a size 10 lug soled Sidi boot, and have had no problems with unexpected gear changes, even when riding with my insteps directly on the pegs. Although I mostly ride more on the balls of my feet. That's one of the real advantages of the relocated controls--there's plenty of room to move about without cramping the knees.

 

John has designed, and produces, an excellent product and in my dealings with him, proved first rate. I'd guess most of his customers are pretty happy with his service and product. Though from your experience, it is obvious the peg relocation kit won't fit all riders, under all circumstaces. I am sure John will work hard to help your sort it all out.

 

Good Luck!

[Ryland3210]

Interesting post.

 

I just mounted one of John's kits to by Ballabio last week, and have had no problems whatsoever with gear changing, up or down. In fact, the gear changes seem crisper and more positive, perhaps due to the longer shift lever. I too started out with the shift lever mounted as low as it possibly could be, and found that the lever came in contact with the pork chop before completly engaging first gear. I adusted the lever up about one quarter inch and that solved that little problem.

 

Due to the forward nature of the modified controls the foot is more horizonal on the peg, rather than toe-down as on the stock rearsets. I wear a size 10 lug soled Sidi boot, and have had no problems with unexpected gear changes, even when riding with my insteps directly on the pegs. Although I mostly ride more on the balls of my feet. That's one of the real advantages of the relocated controls--there's plenty of room to move about without cramping the knees.

 

John has designed, and produces, an excellent product and in my dealings with him, proved first rate. I'd guess most of his customers are pretty happy with his service and product. Though from your experience, it is obvious the peg relocation kit won't fit all riders, under all circumstaces. I am sure John will work hard to help your sort it all out.

 

Good Luck!

 

I really appreciate the kind comments and the caution about adjusting the lever high enough to avoid interference with the pork chop.

 

Not having heard back from Gerard on my email message to him, it didn't occur to me until tonight to check back in with the forum. Since my last post, I have already taken one of the levers to a very skilled welding and fabrication house. They have been supplying welded assemblies to me for many years, for hydraulic systems running as high as 10,000 psi.

 

The best place to do the bending from the ergonomic standpoint would be at the middle of the bend where it is tangent to the pork chop. However, the cross section is a bit thicker there, so it might be tricky.

 

The tooling cost is very high for this casting. There is only one tool. I'm concerned that if I change it, the majority of customers might be unhappy with the result. I have asked the welding/machine shop to consider either bending or cutting out a trapezoidal or triangular section, rewelding it, and then polishing it back for good appearance. Once I have a modified lever (I have specified 2 inches, per Gerard's request), I will try it on my Cafe Sport to see if the lever can then be adjusted high enough for the riders of average inseam. If it is, then the alternative of making a permanent change in the tooling can be compared to providing custom modified levers to those who prefer them.

 

Heaven only knows what these costs will be, but I should know within the next week or two. After selling them all this time, I have only just now paid back the original tooling costs. The challenge is that the small number of units sold for this small market, makes it difficult to provide this kit at a reasonable price. All of my purchased parts and fabrication costs have gone up, while I have held the price constant. I've also absorbed the added cost of some enhancements I've made along the way. However, I do enjoy the project, and appreciate the positive responce and recognition.

 

I've a lot of catching up to do since my trip to Austria, so I may not be heard from very often, but rest assured I'll be working diligently as I described above.

 

Cheers, John

[Ryland3210]

Nice work on the heat-bend process!!

 

I wonder if one could do the same with the stock unit??

 

I believe the stock unit is pressure die cast. As such, it is likely to have porosity, which can cause interesting and thrilling mini explosions when heated, as the bubbles build pressure and explode out. In addition, the die casting process freezes the alloy very quickly, resulting in little ductility, but high yield strength. Heating it enough to bend will soften the metal.

[Ryland3210]

Ryland, reversing the shift pattern is easy.... http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?...l=reverse+shift

 

I cut my teeth on a Norton as well, and have converted every street motorcycle I've had since, to the GP pattern.

 

Note that in this pic I have adjusted the shift lever to the lowest point possible, short of fouling on the porkchop. Even with stock foot-peg location I find this almost insufficient.

 

Hi Brian,

 

Thanks for the tip on reversing the pattern.

 

I've had no problem with the lever position. I did as thorough an ergonomic study as I could before designing the lever. I have a 31 inch inseam, which I used as a basis. I figured that would work for everyone, given the adjustment range, but I guess there are always exceptions. I also took notice of the existing lever orientation, assuming MG had it optimized, but once again, I guess there are always exceptions.

[GED 01]

101% success finally did it ,got them how i wanted them,the initial bend of 40mm at the or near the mounting point of the gearchange lever equated to nearer 90mm at the toe almost the 4 inches i was after,

the picture below show the bike in neutral also the distance between peg and lever,although its not the most accurate measurment

and the last picture shows my foot on the pegs how i ride with metratech pegs fitted as mentioned the foot is more horizontal than with the standard setup,and if u can imajine moving the lever up 3inches how it used to catch my foot and cause problems

 

 

 

[GED 01]

forgot to add i have taken the bike for a test run and after getting the adjustment correct the bike changes gear perfect,if not better,lever doesnt foul my foot nor the pork chop.and i no longer have to lift my leg up and down to change,just praying that it stops rainingin time for tomorrow,and im off to devils bridge

[John in Leeds]

im off to devils bridge

 

What time? Give me some idea and hopefully I'll see you there.