To Floor it or not?

[Nubian]

I was thinking of putting floor boards on "Brutus", I wanted to do so for my passenger thinking it would be much more comfortable for her. Am I right? But while riding this morning I attempted to simulate the positioning of my feet as if they were on floor boards. I must say unless the boards place my feet in a more foward position it seems like it would be quite uncomfortable. Any members out there with boards?
Also as I have not received them yet, how far do they stick out and possibly affect cornering?

[natemoen]

I have floorboards. I love them, although I do miss being able to put my feet back at times since they end just a little forward of where the pegs would be.

Mine stick out maybe 1.5 inches from the sidecover on the engine. I have ground them in corners a couple times but the just fold upwards as you corner so its not a big deal (unless your toe happens to be in-between the engine and the board...). I can tell that whoever had the boards before me must have been a bit agressive in riding their style cause the front edge has a good bit of grinding on it.

[haywardguy929]

I think my next purchase will be highway pegs. I get cramps from time to time and I think it would really help. I haven't noticed them on other pictures pictures. I'm 6'3 not a giant, but it just seems like they would be nice. Any feedback good or bad about them?

[madmax-im]

I think my next purchase will be highway pegs. I get cramps from time to time and I think it would really help. I haven't noticed them on other pictures pictures. I'm 6'3 not a giant, but it just seems like they would be nice. Any feedback good or bad about them?

anything that extends your comfort and range is worthwhile and hwy pegs certainly fall into that category...Had a set on my Maxim and also on my Honda...in both cases they are used alot and help in a change of positions...also getting your legs into the wind helps cool you in the summertime. I love mine... Floor boards I have no experiences with but they look cool and prolly are comfortable to use.

[Nubian]

Ooops!

Ok the boards I am about to buy are for a Standard. However my Standard 81H uses a Special exhaust, different mounts I think. Will they fit without any adaptation? Do I have to swap them with a mount from a Standard, if I do will it be a direct bolt in or will I still have to fabricate something?

[natemoen]

Can't really say unless we see the boards. Mine mount to the front peg mount (rear engine mount) and the front lower engine mount. Both those spots are the same no matter the bike year or model.

[Jerry]

I have floorboards on the XJ.
Pros: Much more comfortable on long trips than the stock pegs.
Cons: Mounting kit I built lowers the boards so cornering clearance is reduced.

HPeg design has improved over the years. I have tried a set of Gold Wing 1500 pegs which have a wider oval profile than the stock XJ pegs and they are quite comfortable over long hauls, comparable to the boards.

Did 2,700 miles on the Concours when I went to Ohio Rally over Memorial day with lowered stock pegs and I was fine. These pegs are also a "flatter" design than stock XJ pegs.

You have options. One of them is floorboards, hard to find OEM units or adapt HD units. (I did the later.) Or try newer style footpegs. No loss of cornering clearance, can find hem cheap on eBay, not hard to fit.

If you are looking for a lowered position to get a better angle on the knees, which I was, boards are perhaps a bit better way to go as the HD units are adjustable for height and have a forward-back adjustment. My units are from Drag Specialties, list at about $125.00 these days.

http://www.dragspecialties.com/searc...chtype=product

Check the "bolt-on adjustable floorboards" in the above link.

The one issue I had with these is the clearance for the rear brake pedal on the right side of the bike. I ended up making an extended adapter for that side, moving the board outward just a bit so the bracket cleared the brake lever.

I experimented with the angle of the boards, ended up with a slight downward tilt at the front. This turned out to be the most comforatable configuration for me.

I like the boards and the lower foot position, but this is a matter of taste. I never did a lot of canyon carving on the XJ so the loss of clearance never bothered me. These boards will flip up but not as easily as a footpeg.

My $.02.

[Jerry]

I should mention a bit more on mounting...

These boards mount in the stock peg mount, and are a single-point mount design.

I bought a set of boads cheap on ebay as they did not have the mounting hardware with them. Drag Spcialties does not sell the mounting hardware separate from the floorboards, so I built my own mounts. They mimic the mounts shown in the photos of the product.

I do recall that the right-side mount, the part that fits in the footpeg bracket, is about 1/2 inch longer than the left-hand side. I do not know if the mounts that come with the boards will fit an XS or XJ 11's right side without some modification. When I was doing my research I saw these units mounted on several HD bikes and thought they would fit the XJ OK, but since I have never tired I cannot be certain. YMMV.

I have the "damper" vesion of these boards, which is a double-layer board with rubber isolation doughnuts between the 2 boards. This cuts vibration to the top board but does cost a little more in gound clearance.

Again, I like my boards and have put many thousands of miles on them. Combined with the lower position, forwad tilt, and better angle on the knees they make long distance travel much more comfortable.

[ManagerMike]

I think my next purchase will be highway pegs. I get cramps from time to time and I think it would really help. I haven't noticed them on other pictures pictures. I'm 6'3 not a giant, but it just seems like they would be nice. Any feedback good or bad about them?

As an thought starter, here is a pic of the highway peg setup I came up with;



Some flat stock, a vise, a torch, a hammer, and a drill, (a tape measure or a well calibrated thumb) and a mig welder, and I had a set of case guards to mount pegs to.

[MaximPhil]

Hi Nubian,
Did you see this thread?
http://www.xs11.com/forum/showthread...996#post387996

Phil

[Eveready1100]

Hi Nubian.
You're talking about fitting floorboards for the pillion pegs, aren't you?
If so, they should fit without too many problems unless they're really big. You've got an "H" with the upswept pipes and Special type brackets, so here's a pic of my Special with Vstar 1100 floorboards fitted to the pillion mounts. No problems with my boots getting impeded by the leading edge of the boards, plus my riders pegs are much further back than any US spec bikes.
They didn't come with brackets to mount them, so I fabbed up some out of a couple of box section offcuts I had laying around.
It's well worth the hassle as pillion comfort is paramount on any long trips and makes it much more enjoyable for both of you.

No problems with clearance either. It still hangs the exhaust shields first in the twisties