Scraping shoes

[NDORFN]

It's not your feet that are the problem, its your head and your body. They need to be positioned correctly to minimize the lean of the bike. If not you are going to be scraping more than your boot one day....

If you hang off the bike properly you will not get anywhere near scraping your boot at any sane road going speed. The knee down video posted here explains if very well. "It's like you are looking around the side of a door."

That's exactly the conclusion I've come to. I'm definately going to get some steel capped boots, but my main focus is going to be on riding properly with the bike more upright and a better body position as in the vids. Cheers Maki!

[Mschvs]

What a very helpful response from Maki ... loving it!

[LaytonNZ]

I know the feeling! I came off in a pair of work boots and i wrecked my ancle from haveing no ancle support!

[hayd3n]

get some proper riding boots
waterproof and ankle support and toe sliders

[mynameis]

Wait till your get your tits down.

[Kwaka14]

DONT get steel cap boots, get some proper motorcycle boots. I have seen some pretty ugly pics of feet after steelcaps have been torn through the top of the foot in a motorcycle accident.

[Taz]

I've had my knee down before. It's doing it without scuffing my jeans that's hard.

I'm thinking "yeah right" in a tui way also.

[sharky]

Work boots are for work.
Motorcycle boots are for motorcycling.

I put the ball of my foot on the peg and and rotate it outwards slightly also, to ensure that my toe sliders scrape before the pegs. I find it helps as a guage as to your lean angle similarly as dragging your knee does. I far prefer to be dragging knees and toes before scraping parts of the bike to avoid levering the bike off the ground.

[smoky]

yeah, I should put up a pic of my work boots I was wearing when I came off! I always wear boots now! Ripped through the leather down to the steel cap......

That's exactly the conclusion I've come to. I'm definately going to get some steel capped boots,

Never, ever, ever wear steel cap boots on a bike - just my advice. Get normal boots, or riding boots

A front impact, or even landing from a high side, can force the boot to bend to such a degree the steel cap can cut the end of your foot off

Years ago we were cruising along a road when out of the blue this dude in a car pulls across the road turning off in front of us, no indication, nothing. The guy in front of me on a Triumph couldn't stop - T boned the car. He broke his collar bone, broke his leg, and lost the end of both his feet when the steel caps bent in half and chopped them off.
I've never worn steelcaps on a bike again

[smoky]

A couple of times recently I've been leaning around a corner and scraped the tip of my shoe on the road. ... so any ideas why I'm rubbing shoe off before I'm hitting the pegs?

Two things to think about pehaps;

Yes pull your foot back, drop your shoulder into the corner - all about body position - you don't need to be getting your knee down.

The second thing to think about is the bike set up - is it set up for you, how good is the rear shock?
I have a Bandit, I seem to always be touching my boot, pulling my foot back only meant the foot peg got road rash, I ended up having to climb off the side of the bike all the time to avoid touch down. But I'm a big fatty, and don't like killing my legs muscles riding like that all day - so I up spec'd the bandits suspension to ohlins - no more touch down, I can stay in the seat and just shift my weight a bit, pull my foot back, and nothing is touching the road anymore.

[Chrislost]

A couple of times recently I've been leaning around a corner and scraped the tip of my shoe on the road. I presume when people talk about 'scraping pegs' that they're refering to the thier foot pegs... so any ideas why I'm rubbing shoe off before I'm hitting the pegs? Is the bike I'm riding ('09 EX250) just not dimensioned right for hard leaning? Do experienced riders position thier feet differently when leaning hard so's to raise thier toes out of the way? Or do I just have big feet?

you will stop scraping stuff if you lean your head off...
just beware on-coming traffic...

[1wheel riot]

lift your feet so your nely on your toes

[Ooky]

The second thing to think about is the bike set up - is it set up for you, how good is the rear shock?
I have a Bandit, I seem to always be touching my boot, pulling my foot back only meant the foot peg got road rash, I ended up having to climb off the side of the bike all the time to avoid touch down. But I'm a big fatty, and don't like killing my legs muscles riding like that all day - so I up spec'd the bandits suspension to ohlins - no more touch down, I can stay in the seat and just shift my weight a bit, pull my foot back, and nothing is touching the road anymore.

can't agree more had a play with the RS's suspension over winter and now she turns even better! can't wait to get shaun or RT to do it properly one day

[Leyton]

Meh, getting your knee down is over-rated maintaining preasure with the balls of your feet on the oposing peg during cornering plus a little hang off (Looking around the door) as described in that youtube vid and you do not have to lean hard at all..

Anyhow, do it on roads you know and curves you can see completely around... if the back comes out from that position if you have not mastered the basic art of your body weight on the lowest center of mass on the bike a high side is all too much closer than you realise.

Or save it for the track...

Your knee is a good indicator of your lean angle(scrape scrape), not really as a weight distribution aid hehe, its putting it on the wrong side of the bike anyways!

Oh and definately get some riding boots with toe sliders, or atleast some propper riding boots!, If it was not for the toe sliders on my boots I might have had more then just a fractured rib from my tiny fall.