Amen to that!
Forward controls
I had part of this in another thread but it's kind of buried because of the title.
As an early B- day present( 4/5 ) I got a set of Scootmods 4"forward controls.
What they sell is a kit to move your existing controls forward at a much lower cost then buying a complete forward control set which is what I wanted because I wanted to use the mini floorboards that were given to me through the broke bikers thread and the fact that I don't have the kind of money most sets cost.
These are very good quality especially at the price. I can be a little picky so I'll put in my .02 here and move on. there were a couple fit problems that I had to do some very minor filing on and the only reason I bring it up is because I had it all together and had to take the brake side all apart and fie and put back together. they were so tight the spring would not return the brake pedal but after fixing the two areas causing the problem it works great. Also the opposite is true of the part the pedal goes on, it is slightly too small and the pedal has a very slight wiggle it didn't have before but not noticeable riding.
So all total about 2 hours of work time and they are done.
The video link they sent did not work but they also mentioned that there is an excellent install video by a guy named Bob in Mesa, well we all know who that is, our very own Bobolto from the forum here and yes it was a great video and very helpful to watch first. the only thing I did different besides the fixs was that I did not remove the pipes, I just took off the whole brake bracket and it worked great that way and was easier IMHO to get at the cotter pin in back and one less big step to have to do. I HAVE 4'' HIS EXTENSIONS ARE 6'' AND ALSO HIS ARE ON AN AERO so I don't know if that makes a difference or not.
I road it to work and ready to ride back home and they work great. My feet adjust to where they are right away and they feel great.
Now I need to get out on a long ride and check them out!
Any questions I'll be happy to answer if you are interested in doing this. I am 5 8 1/2" tall with a 32" inseam and these seem to be the perfect change for me.
As an early B- day present( 4/5 ) I got a set of Scootmods 4"forward controls.
What they sell is a kit to move your existing controls forward at a much lower cost then buying a complete forward control set which is what I wanted because I wanted to use the mini floorboards that were given to me through the broke bikers thread and the fact that I don't have the kind of money most sets cost.
These are very good quality especially at the price. I can be a little picky so I'll put in my .02 here and move on. there were a couple fit problems that I had to do some very minor filing on and the only reason I bring it up is because I had it all together and had to take the brake side all apart and fie and put back together. they were so tight the spring would not return the brake pedal but after fixing the two areas causing the problem it works great. Also the opposite is true of the part the pedal goes on, it is slightly too small and the pedal has a very slight wiggle it didn't have before but not noticeable riding.
So all total about 2 hours of work time and they are done.
The video link they sent did not work but they also mentioned that there is an excellent install video by a guy named Bob in Mesa, well we all know who that is, our very own Bobolto from the forum here and yes it was a great video and very helpful to watch first. the only thing I did different besides the fixs was that I did not remove the pipes, I just took off the whole brake bracket and it worked great that way and was easier IMHO to get at the cotter pin in back and one less big step to have to do. I HAVE 4'' HIS EXTENSIONS ARE 6'' AND ALSO HIS ARE ON AN AERO so I don't know if that makes a difference or not.
I road it to work and ready to ride back home and they work great. My feet adjust to where they are right away and they feel great.
Now I need to get out on a long ride and check them out!
Any questions I'll be happy to answer if you are interested in doing this. I am 5 8 1/2" tall with a 32" inseam and these seem to be the perfect change for me.
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BTW, I know I need pictures. Too late and dark out. Tomorrow or Saturday I'll try and make some time to take some pictures. Gotta do the tax thing this weekend.
I'll get some close ups when I can, I know I got them right everything was just ever so slightly off, the stud the brake lever goes on was equally as off the other way so slightly loose. So the parts would have fit each other the way they were made.
The part that goes on the large pin fit very snug and the hole that the pin goes through to connect to the rod that actuates the brake was real tight also so the two together made it so tight the spring couldn't pull it back but some slight filing in the back part of big hole and ream the small one made everything move good and smooth. It was about the thickness of the paint so maybe they cut them to size before they painted those parts? But like you said it all works now so alls good!ok, if you are sure then forget the pics. maybe the 4" controls are a different design than the 6" controls.
Hope you like them and they help with your back etc....
you got them installed, so congrats!
As far as the inseam it's closer to 32 1/2" and with my boots 1" heals it makes it closer to 33 1/2" so right on the edge and with my back problems I need my legs stretched out a bit not in a chair seating position which pinches my nerves and couses severe pain in my leg so therefore the mini boards and extensions for relaxed foot placement and legs streached out enough to not pinch.When i heard your inseam was only 32" i was wondering why you needed forward controls, Scootmods even states that they are for people with inseams over 32".
That said, i am also surprised that you had any fit issues installing the kit.
I installed the 6" Scootmods and did not need any mods for it to fit.
If you have time take some close up pics of the installation, particularly the brake side linkage and where you had to grind/file surfaces to fit.
Wondering if you have the linkage installed correctly.
I'll have to look when I go back out but pretty sure its mounted behind also.on mine, the scootmods "swivel link" that connects the brake pedal to the "swing arm" (where the pedal used to mount)
mounted on the inside of the brake pedal then went straight back to the "swing arm". At first, it didnt look like it would mount that way but after things were snugged down it lined up perfectly.
do you have that swivel link on the inside of the brake pedal?
again without seeing the design of the 4" (vs the 6") it may be a mute point.
slight scare
A short update.
I went back out to check the location of the linkage and it is indeed behind like I thought, good thing it is. Everything was good when I left for work, having been a Journeyman Maint Mech I know to double and triple check things because peoples lives were at risk with the types of machines I repaired.
The nut for said linkage was gone!
Coming from the back there was no way for the linkage to come out and all worked great on the way home so I dindnt notice it then. I looked all over where I worked on it just in case but not there anywhere then traced my ride to the house and back out of the driveway, nothing. Looked for a metric but to fit, nothing. Now I was upset that I have to make a 50 mile round trip for a but today in my van to be safe but as I went out this morning walking Thunder then doing my pull ups looked over at my inversion table and said, " that looks like the size I need". Took it off and sure enough it is and its a locking but like the one on the controls was supposed to be and I had just enough room to get a lock washer on it and I used blue lock tight also. Its on there now and isn't coming off.
This had nothing to do with the other problem, completely unrelated. The only thing I can think is because I had that one on and off a couple times to get the rest working properly that the nylon locking part came out and I only snuged it up so the little vibration of the short ride loostened it up and off it went somewhere. All is good now and I can replace the one I took off the inversion table with a 1/4" but and bolt and it will be good to go.
The moral of the story, don't trust used lock nuts an make sure they are tight. That was the only one I didn't go back and retighten because it looked good and was a locking but. Never assume!
A short update.
I went back out to check the location of the linkage and it is indeed behind like I thought, good thing it is. Everything was good when I left for work, having been a Journeyman Maint Mech I know to double and triple check things because peoples lives were at risk with the types of machines I repaired.
The nut for said linkage was gone!
Coming from the back there was no way for the linkage to come out and all worked great on the way home so I dindnt notice it then. I looked all over where I worked on it just in case but not there anywhere then traced my ride to the house and back out of the driveway, nothing. Looked for a metric but to fit, nothing. Now I was upset that I have to make a 50 mile round trip for a but today in my van to be safe but as I went out this morning walking Thunder then doing my pull ups looked over at my inversion table and said, " that looks like the size I need". Took it off and sure enough it is and its a locking but like the one on the controls was supposed to be and I had just enough room to get a lock washer on it and I used blue lock tight also. Its on there now and isn't coming off.
This had nothing to do with the other problem, completely unrelated. The only thing I can think is because I had that one on and off a couple times to get the rest working properly that the nylon locking part came out and I only snuged it up so the little vibration of the short ride loostened it up and off it went somewhere. All is good now and I can replace the one I took off the inversion table with a 1/4" but and bolt and it will be good to go.
The moral of the story, don't trust used lock nuts an make sure they are tight. That was the only one I didn't go back and retighten because it looked good and was a locking but. Never assume!
Yes, that part I got, thanks. noticed it while i was tightening it on install.There are flat spots on the "Ball" side of the linkage end that can be held with a small wrench while you tighten the nut on. Get it good and tight without the Ball turning, you wont damage the "Ball" on the joint.
just want to make sure you know that.
And that was the one that was missing when I got home.
One thing I noticed too that's not such a big deal but off a bit nevertheless is the stop bar for the brake return stop bolt is off by half a bolt, the head of the bolt only hits on the edge of it? no possible way of changing the except to find someone to weld a larger nut on top of the bolt head. it works, just concerned it may eventually bend the bolt, because it's such a small bolt, and cause it to go past the stop. Or put something bigger over the post so more of the bolt hits it?
That was my thought, that's why I searched for a long time the place i installed it to see if somehow I had a brain """"" and missed it but couldn't find it anywhere.i cant imagine that Nylock Nut coming off even if you only had it on by 5 threads and not all the way on during the 1st install... hmmmmm
Especially such a short drive without much vibration it's very hard to imagine it coming off.
Pray I'm not loosing it in my old age!
Yes I did adjust everything to a comfortable position then adjusted the brake light switch. As I was doing that I checked and it hits the same at any height, maybe slightly more touching at all the way up but still no where near centered and I could never ride that way. The way I have it my toe can just rest lightly on it or easily slide over for a quick brake if it was all the way up it would add time to get my foot on it and any time saved in emergency braking is worth it!Didnt notice that on my install and my bike isnt home right now to look at.
Not sure if you adjusted the height of the brake pedal if that would help that.
After the install did you make any adjustments to the brake Pedal height *and* adjust the brake light
adjuster so the brake light comes on almost immediately while beginning to press the brake pedal? you checked all that right?
Ah, good idea, I'll check around to see if I can find a bolt like that. That would be the easiest solution!Just get a bolt with a slightly larger diameter head on it for the brake stop bolt. just make sure its at least stainless steel, or chrome better yet.
in fact i may have done that too later myself, i seem to have a vague memory of doing that. keep in mind that I had also reformed my brake pedal to fit with my
foot and floorboards, then had it re-chromed afterwords and other things i was doing to my bike, so there was a lot going on back then.
That's how you learn! don't worry about time just pay attention to what you're doing you'll get better as you go!I installed the ScootMods 6" extensions on my 99 VLX. I also have back and left hip problems and the extension was a must so I could ride. I spent about 3-4 hours installing mine. It took a bit of tinkering as it was the first time I'd ever worked on a motorcycle.
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Very true, I learned that one starting to play guitar 11 years ago, never thought I'd be able to do it as good as I do now, not that I'm that good now just a lot better than back then!!Like they say, "Sucking at something is the first step at being good at something".
From what I've been seeing here is it depends more on your inseam than height, if you are propotionatly taller than me I'd go with the 6 in hers. The 4's are perfect for me but wouldn't want them any closer or much longer at all but if my legs were 2" longer the 6's would feel great.
I posted pics of the forward controls in the what did you do to your bike today section yesterday so if interested the pics are there, just takes too much time I don't have to upload pics probably because i leave them the large size but they look better that way. Plus Gaskets arrived and i'm off to in stall my pipes now!
I bought a new stainless bolt and some nuts a large flat washer and lock washer for the brake stop bolt. Installed it and am glad I went with the large flat washer, thats all that touches the stop bar even with 1/8 in rubber hose over it. I'll try and get a pic latter but instead of just the lock nut I put the washer at the top with a lock washer and nut to hold it there then the lock nut at the bottom as normal to keep it from moving. I got about 1/2 inch longer bolt to make sue all the threads went through the bottom and that it would be long enough to get the extra down position of the pedal I wanted. Worked out great now my foot sits just right on the floorboard and all I have to to is push my toe down to get the brake to work, makes for quick easy braking without having to move my foot out then back onto the pedal. I had to adjust the brake light as far as the threads allow to make it work right so everything came out just right. I guess most people must put the brake pedal up pretty far because that is the only way the bolt would hit the stopbar on the forward controls. I think the only way to change that design would be to put flat stock instead of round and make it wider to accept the bolt hitting at any position (hint Scootmods).
1 - 18 of 31 Posts
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