B
ballisticexchris
Guest
What a darn expensive and labor intensive ride it was yesterday!! Today I just finished up spending almost 4 hours removing, repairing and replacing parts. Just a simple tip over on these huge adventure bikes are no joke!! This reminded me of what I went through when racing desert many years ago!!
I'm posting this in hopes to help someone whom might want to think twice before going with aftermarket "comfort items". I installed all this stuff with just 19 miles on the bike (I'm now at just over 3200 miles). My reasoning was after sitting on a few bikes with these pegs they felt good. The shifter was nothing more than expensive bling. I figured I could adjust it to my boot size and the spinning/folding shifter tip was pretty darn cool.
To start with I had to use a hacksaw to cut off the bent footpeg pin. After that I ended up installing all my brand new OEM "take off" pegs and shifter. WOW WOW WOW!! What a difference!! Yamaha did it right!! All that money spent on fancy pegs and shifter was pretty much a waste of money. The OEM pegs while not as big, are much more comfortable and the shifter is precise and sized perfect for my boot. As an added bonus I can now get my kickstand down and plant a foot on the ground without getting hung up on those huge pegs. The way Yamaha designed these parts is very clever. The shifter is designed to bend so it can be bent back in a mishap. The pegs are aluminum so the pin will bend first then the peg will break. This saves the bike from expensive frame damage. And hopefully prevent me fabricating and welding on new footpeg tabs. I plan on buying another OEM shifter and keep it in my tool pack for a spare. I already have spare footpeg pins. I doubt if I will modify the shifter with a folding tip.
The not so fancy OEM parts have a much better feel to them. The modified 250.00 BMW Saurkraut shifter is a piece of junk. Very sloppy fit. The Delrin bushing is already worn out at 3000 miles. I'm not so pissed off it bent and was damaged as much as I am of the poor quality and wear after only a few thousand miles. It was literally like night and day difference between the Wundercrap and OEM Yamaha shifter. The stock one fits on the "bolt shaft" with almost zero play. The 200.00 USA made IMS pegs are so strong that you can do frame damage. I was lucky to be able to bend back the peg mounting tabs without breaking them off the frame. And the IMS pegs also hit the frame when folded. I had to cut through the spring and some of the peg just to get the pin off. Another thing I noticed is since they are platform style you have to almost lift your foot off the peg to shift or brake. I did not notice this until I rode with the stock pegs. With the Yamaha pegs it's a more natural transition to the brakes and shifter. I'm sure it will be more of a challenge when standing. But in reality I'll be planted in the saddle 90% of the time. The stock pegs being narrower force you get your feet in tight like a dirt bike when standing.
I'm guilty as charged for raving how good these parts were when I first got them. Off highway tip overs on a 600+ lb bike is the true test of how parts really perform.
Fancy vs not so fancy:
The AltRider skid plate actually did its job.
A few whacks with the hammer and good as new!!
The AltRider products are fantastic!! I can't say enough good about them. I'm so very happy I opted for the upper crash bars. This tip over would have bent the radiator. It slammed down right on the bottom crash bar and upper crash bar mount. Nothing more than a scratch on the bars!! The bike cleaned up really nice.
Overall I'm really happy with this bike. Just beware of going "aftermarket crazy" until you give some of the stock stuff a chance.
I'm posting this in hopes to help someone whom might want to think twice before going with aftermarket "comfort items". I installed all this stuff with just 19 miles on the bike (I'm now at just over 3200 miles). My reasoning was after sitting on a few bikes with these pegs they felt good. The shifter was nothing more than expensive bling. I figured I could adjust it to my boot size and the spinning/folding shifter tip was pretty darn cool.
To start with I had to use a hacksaw to cut off the bent footpeg pin. After that I ended up installing all my brand new OEM "take off" pegs and shifter. WOW WOW WOW!! What a difference!! Yamaha did it right!! All that money spent on fancy pegs and shifter was pretty much a waste of money. The OEM pegs while not as big, are much more comfortable and the shifter is precise and sized perfect for my boot. As an added bonus I can now get my kickstand down and plant a foot on the ground without getting hung up on those huge pegs. The way Yamaha designed these parts is very clever. The shifter is designed to bend so it can be bent back in a mishap. The pegs are aluminum so the pin will bend first then the peg will break. This saves the bike from expensive frame damage. And hopefully prevent me fabricating and welding on new footpeg tabs. I plan on buying another OEM shifter and keep it in my tool pack for a spare. I already have spare footpeg pins. I doubt if I will modify the shifter with a folding tip.
The not so fancy OEM parts have a much better feel to them. The modified 250.00 BMW Saurkraut shifter is a piece of junk. Very sloppy fit. The Delrin bushing is already worn out at 3000 miles. I'm not so pissed off it bent and was damaged as much as I am of the poor quality and wear after only a few thousand miles. It was literally like night and day difference between the Wundercrap and OEM Yamaha shifter. The stock one fits on the "bolt shaft" with almost zero play. The 200.00 USA made IMS pegs are so strong that you can do frame damage. I was lucky to be able to bend back the peg mounting tabs without breaking them off the frame. And the IMS pegs also hit the frame when folded. I had to cut through the spring and some of the peg just to get the pin off. Another thing I noticed is since they are platform style you have to almost lift your foot off the peg to shift or brake. I did not notice this until I rode with the stock pegs. With the Yamaha pegs it's a more natural transition to the brakes and shifter. I'm sure it will be more of a challenge when standing. But in reality I'll be planted in the saddle 90% of the time. The stock pegs being narrower force you get your feet in tight like a dirt bike when standing.
I'm guilty as charged for raving how good these parts were when I first got them. Off highway tip overs on a 600+ lb bike is the true test of how parts really perform.
Fancy vs not so fancy:
The AltRider skid plate actually did its job.
A few whacks with the hammer and good as new!!
The AltRider products are fantastic!! I can't say enough good about them. I'm so very happy I opted for the upper crash bars. This tip over would have bent the radiator. It slammed down right on the bottom crash bar and upper crash bar mount. Nothing more than a scratch on the bars!! The bike cleaned up really nice.
Overall I'm really happy with this bike. Just beware of going "aftermarket crazy" until you give some of the stock stuff a chance.
