Pillioning. Is it discussed enough?

[Maha]

While taking a beautiful corner 2-up last night, my foot scraped even though it was tucked in hard against the bike (exhaust).
This scared the bejesus out of me because:
a) I'm not historically a foot scraper on this bike (97 Katana, perhaps 10 scrapes in 13 years),
b) I often corner a lot deeper than this 1-up so wasn't prepared for the possibility of a scrape, and
c) it was somewhat disconcerting that I couldn't tuck my foot any further out of the way.

The guy from Motorcycle Doctors tells me the front and rear suspension is suitable for 2-up, although he wasn't very technical about this - he gave the rear a bounce.
Is it worth getting this checked and properly set up? Who would you suggest in Auckland?

I'm also looking at carving away some of the meat from the soles of my boots.
I'm not aiming to scrape the pegs 2-up, but one would have thought the peg should touch before the boot.

Any other ideas on this problem?

Foot wont touch down if your ride on the toe on the peg, only probable when you're on your heal. You really should tweak the suspension when adding that extra weight.

[GravelRashKid]

Foot wont touch down if your ride on the toe on the peg, only probable when you're on your heal. You really should tweak the suspension when adding that extra weight.

Ahh, good thinking. I normally ride with the peg about mid-foot, which is in position for shifting up on the left and the right foot sits under the brake pedal. I'll have a try at always moving the foot back to the ball or the toe when not shifting or braking.
And yes, I'll make the front and rear suspension one setting stiffer from whatever it is.

[Juniper]

Foot wont touch down if your ride on the toe on the peg, only probable when you're on your heal. You really should tweak the suspension when adding that extra weight.

Are you calling me fat?!?!

[Gremlin]

Ahh, good thinking. I normally ride with the peg about mid-foot, which is in position for shifting up on the left and the right foot sits under the brake pedal. I'll have a try at always moving the foot back to the ball or the toe when not shifting or braking.
And yes, I'll make the front and rear suspension one setting stiffer from whatever it is.

As Maha said, think about the position of your foot. Seen plenty of people say oooh, I got my boot down, but it's dangling from the peg... more likely to get it tucked under the peg if they're not careful.

It also depends on how smooth you are through the corner and how smooth the corner is. Throw the bike around and the corner is a little bumpy, and you're going to load the suspension more. Smooth corner and you're smooth, less taxing on the suspension. One setting may also not be enough. As a rough guide, you're looking to adjust preload, and have the bike's rear about the same height as it would be with only you on it. Unlikely on stock suspension (depending on weights) to get the full adjustment required, but it's certainly better than not doing anything at all.

[GravelRashKid]

Unlikely on stock suspension (depending on weights) to get the full adjustment required, but it's certainly better than not doing anything at all.

Thanks gents. What's the downside of setting the preload too stiff (such as leaving it stiff when riding 1-up)? Is this only for comfort (meh), or does affect how well the bike stays on the road?

[Gremlin]

Thanks gents. What's the downside of setting the preload too stiff (such as leaving it stiff when riding 1-up)? Is this only for comfort (meh), or does affect how well the bike stays on the road?

Well, think of the opposite of having it soft (ie, great for 1up, and bad for 2up). The bike would be set up too stiff for the load on board and not be able to utilise the suspension as much.

[Maha]

Ahh, good thinking. I normally ride with the peg about mid-foot, which is in position for shifting up on the left and the right foot sits under the brake pedal. I'll have a try at always moving the foot back to the ball or the toe when not shifting or braking.
And yes, I'll make the front and rear suspension one setting stiffer from whatever it is.

I shift my foot as a matter habit, not that I would ever get over far enough to toe the ground (hard cornering is sooooo 2007) though it has happened once or twice.

Are you calling me fat?!?!

No no no no no, that would mean no more Lemoncello for me

[Juniper]

I shift my foot as a matter habit, not that I would ever get over far enough to toe the ground (hard cornering is sooooo 2007) though it has happened once or twice.


No no no no no, that would mean no more Lemoncello for me

Please donate a Vodka just 1, I'll go broke otherwise!!

[GravelRashKid]

I shift my foot as a matter habit

That's a good habit I'll be developing from now on.

Another habit that would be great to develop, is not tensing up on those "oh crap" moments. As said tensing generally results in the "oh crap" moment becoming an "OH CRAP" moment.
I'm guessing the answer here is just putting in more hours on the road (and not being a pussy fair-weather-rider)

[Maha]

That's a good habit I'll be developing from now on.

Another habit that would be great to develop, is not tensing up on those "oh crap" moments. As said tensing generally results in the "oh crap" moment becoming an "OH CRAP" moment.
I'm guessing the answer here is just putting in more hours on the road (and not being a pussy fair-weather-rider)

I once had a front wheel wash (under slight braking) with Anne on the back, I just let everything go and let the bike do it's thing, braking even hard (the instinctive thing to do) would have resulted in a few scratches.
Learning not to panic and make the right decision is done in less than a second, increased heart rate closely follows, but by then the crisis is normally over.

[nzspokes]

Well, think of the opposite of having it soft (ie, great for 1up, and bad for 2up). The bike would be set up too stiff for the load on board and not be able to utilise the suspension as much.

To be fair I doubt many bikes of that age would be sprung to suit 2 up riding. All of my bikes have barely coped with just me being the weight of one and a half people. Ive re-sprung the Bandit and the Hornet, my 400 had a nifty air shock that I just put more pressure in.

I lift up on to the balls of my feet when leaned. My Hornet was a shocker for dragging before I did the springs as when it loaded up in the turn the whole bike dipped. Bandit did a bit to but higher rate springs and a rear shock that worked solved that.

[mossy1200]

Simplify and have no friends. No passenger required.

[Gremlin]

To be fair I doubt many bikes of that age would be sprung to suit 2 up riding.

Many new-ish bikes wouldn't cope properly 2up either. Hornet 900 suspension was from the budget bin and not that great for even 1up riding. As you found, it had a tendancy to drag pegs... don't do that any more after the rear shock was replaced.

[GravelRashKid]

It's quite a different feel to have the ball of the foot on the pegs. My centre of gravity is a fraction higher.
Kind of feels like I'm slightly more independant of the bike too. It's a little better if I clamp my ankles into the bike. It's using the leg muscles in a slightly different way than I have over the last 20 years riding.
The boots grip the peg, so I need to lift the foot as it won't slide.

More time in the saddle required to gain my smoothness back.

How would you establish if the rear shocks need replacing for 2up, and how much might that cost?

[Gremlin]

How would you establish if the rear shocks need replacing for 2up, and how much might that cost?

Technically, suspension should be serviced at 40-50k on the outside. Exact schedules depend on the gear, how it feels etc. I have Ohlins, and the service interval is 30k.

Cost? The world is your ocean, from having the current suspension serviced and tweaked (if possible), through to replacing the entire unit (and that ranges from cheap stuff through to expensive). Sort of up to you, your riding style/demand, budget, plus what the bike itself is worth. Cheapest is either servicing the existing or if another model's shock suits your bike, that was better OEM (may still need servicing). Complete replacement will have a lot of options, Hagon, WP, and probably the top end being Ohlins.

I wouldn't have thought you would want to spend too much (kinda like overcapitalising on a house) yet in my mind at least, I demand high performance from my suspension, so I spend the dollars. Depends how much you pillion, how bad it currently is etc. A lot of things to consider, and if you want the advice of KB, best to start a separate thread in the suitable sub-forum. Then you also need to think about whether the bike is a keeper or a stepping stone to something else (that could be more suitable for a pillion already).