Grinding my boot soles - what am I doing wrong?

[Mr Skid]

I'm slightly confused; all the racing boots out there have toe sliders on the sides of the toe, and I'd assume the idea being that it would be the side of the boot that would first come into contact with the road.

I'm starting to find that I'm grinding away the sole of the boot, in the same position as most toe sliders, but underneath the sole rather than the side.

unfortunately I don't have any sort of toe sliders, so I need to stop doing it before I wreck my boots, but I'm trying to understand whether the reason I'm touching the sole of my boots, rather than the side is to do with my technique, or to do with the rearsets on my bike? They can't be *that* low on a CBR250 to be an issue?

If I keep my toes on the pegs then there is no scrapage, but if I have the ball of my foot on the peg then it will.

Does anyone have any advice or suggestions about whether I'm doing anything wrong? Should fit a metal cap to the side of my sole? Ride in supermotard boots and scrape the whole boot? Or stop acting like a squid before I fall off again?

[bluninja]

Try riding standing on the seat and it will make your boots last a lot longer

Why not just move your toes onto the peg when you go into a corner and go ball of foot on the straights? Solve all yer problems....If it scrapes on the straights you've got problems.

[SPORK]

Are your feet completely tucked in? That might cause a problem if they are hangin' over.... I dunno!?

[James Deuce]

I've got Size 13s and used to have exactly the same problm because I just climbed on and never moved my feet on the pegs. Like Bluninja says, move your feet as far back on the peg as you can and you'll find the sliders touch down instead of the sole.

[SPman]

I do the same thing, but its laziness. A hangover from when I used to use my toes as feelers off the pegs when cornering - back in the old days! Ive only ever ground the toe sliders on track days at Taupo.

[Two Smoker]

Just move your inside toe onto the peg when in the corner and the outside foot should be in its normal position (in the arch of your foot on the peg) and just switch for the opposite corner....

[FROSTY:Me]

Pap -Im having exactly the same problem but only when I dont have time to tuck my feet in.
Two stroker has it bang on. but I know its very hard to do when you're trying to take in so much information about a corner.
The toe slider on my left boot is totally knackered from taupo yesterday.
There are stick on toe sliders you can buy that might save your boots -or even the ol KK trick -duct tape a chunk of plastic on

[750Y]

lol, is your real name Ronald McDonald?
just kidding 8-).
changing your foot position will feel weird at first but after a while it will become natural.

[Coldkiwi]

the other thing you could be doing is having your feet pointing inwards which will tend to poke the sole out for a good scraping. Like the guys have said, pull your feet back so you're resting your weight on the balls/toes. I ride like this all the time despite it cramping the legs a little bit more simply because I get a lot more feel through my legs etc. and makes moving round on the bike so much easier (also helped by grippy soles on ya boots - worth checking)

[MD]

I know its cool dressing up in black leather but You shouldn't ride in high heels. Your pumps are for those 'other' special black leather occasions. Problem solved.

[2_SL0]

Stop doing a Fred Flinestone and pick your feet up off the ground.
Take no notice of me as Im aloooooooong way from dragging my feet.

[Mr Skid]

I know its cool dressing up in black leather but You shouldn't ride in high heels. Your pumps are for those 'other' special black leather occasions. Problem solved.

I stopped wearing black leather on the bike when I found out I couldn't get a tinted visor for my gimp mask.

By the looks of it I'll have to make sure I keep only my toes on the pegs. I was considering buying some boots with toe sliders as I find having something scraping on the ground gives a perverse sense of security, but I think I'll have to be leaning the bike a great deal more before it'll be the side of my boot scraping.

Thanks everybody for the advice.

[scroter]

just remember when you touch your pegs down dont try leaning anymore cause the bike will lift off the ground.

[Mr Skid]

just remember when you touch your pegs down dont try leaning anymore cause the bike will lift off the ground.

Funny you should mention that. Today I scraped my left peg without scraping my boot - When heading down Wellesley Street in Auckland CBD, there is a downhill left hand sweeper into Mayoral Drive. I think it must be a decreasing radius corner.

It made a nice scrapping noise that must have entertained/befuddled the pedestrians about the place.

I was hanging off like a monkey, yet I still didn't get my knee down. Which admittidly is somewhat of a good thing, seeing as how I don't have sliders.

But now I've got the problem of the scraping toe solved, I now have the non-scraping knee issue. Oh woe is me!