Hi, I've got 49004-00A and a forward controls on my fatboy'15. When I lean my bike I scratch with guards not with pegs, is it normal? One buddy'o'mine said that this can lead to an accident, cause scratching with guards takes the bike's weight off the front wheel. Is it true? Should I take off the guards? Thanks

 

I wouldn't think this would be an issue under normal circumstances, but may occur with aggressive riding, road conditions or modification of the motorcycle in question. The guards are designed to prevent engine damage in the event of a tip-over. I had the same guard on my Heritage SofTail, and never touched the engine guard while riding. But I did scrape the footboards on occasion. You just have to be aware of your surroundings, and ride accordingly.

 

This is extremely dangerous. Engine guards don't fold up, so every single pound of downforce your engine guard exerts against the pavement when it touches is a pound of downforce that is no longer keeping your tires on the pavement.

I would suggest slowing down until you can have an experienced rider ride behind you and give you some advice regarding your body posture.

Really, seriously, dragging an engine guard is a crash waiting to happen.

 

Another aspect of scraping in turns is how the rider reacts to it. Lots of riders crash in turns because when they scrape they freak out & stand the bike up & then take the turn too wide & end up leaving the road or heading into oncoming traffic.

 

+1. OP, your post made me cringe. I'd suggest getting rid of the guard if you ride that aggressively, and perhaps consider a different bike, (Dyna), with better lean angles.

 

This is just a rare case I'm not scratching every corner but sometimes...

 

I would listen to your buddy.Bike wasn't designed for aggressive cornering.Go out and get a crotch rocket and carve the corners with it.

 

Thanks for the picture. When the wide rear tire goes to it's corner, it raises the rear of the bike more than a skinny tire would. Rear up, front down, guard touches. I'd just do it at night when in a group.

 

If your dragging your engine guard and haven't wrecked go buy a lottery ticket, right after you take the guard off.

 

Dragging boards is fine, dragging crash bars is not.