I don’t scrape often, but I’ve have done it one both sides of my stock ride height 2006 883C.

I actually was taking a right turn at an intersection on my way to work and hit a pothole that broke the exhaust heat shield bracket (i.e. hose clamp).

I now have V&H Shortshots… if I’m dragging them, that means it’s on it’s side!


The KEY thing to remember is that the tires have plenty of grip at that point, so the last thing you want to do is panic and jerk the bars to get it more upright… that can be a natural reaction, but one that could cause bad things to happen.

- Jerm

 

I've scraped the pipes a couple oftimes. Only scraped the pegs once.Neither was a big deal. The worst scrape was my toe. Like an idiot, I went into a tight left turn, and hadmy foot under the shifter anticipating a shift as I excellerated out of the turn. Drug my boot. That scared that crap outta me!!

I'm wondering...how do you scrape the kickstand (on a new bike) before you scrape the pegs?

 

So far only time I scraped was doing the Motormans exercises ....

dang ****** ...
I remember you posting a "minor" problem. How fast were you going ? Just wondering ... dat sure is alotta snapped bones. What kind of gear were you wearing ?

 

You'd need some more details to make sense of that. The pegs are designed to roll up and not stick. I've got both a 1200C and a 1200L and the kickstand and exhaust will always hit before the pegs unless I'm hanging out in the 'scrape zone' for an extended period of time, going down hard, or going down at an odd angle. But if any of that is happening, concern for my pegs sticking is the least of my worries.

That said....in regards to your original question, the turning ability of the Sportster is better than your old Roadstar. Greater lean angles are possible with a Sportster as opposed to a Roadstar.

Most of the discussion here surrounds getting the bike into some big angle leans. In almost all the cases the same holds true - parts on the bike will scrape pavement before you lose traction.

A thought to ponder is why you are scraping in the first place. If you are just testing the bike, putting it through its paces and such, that's one thing. But often you end up scraping because you get into a tight situation and have to make a decision.

Here's the scenario: You get into a turn and realize you are going too fast or not set up properly. You've got two options:
1.Lean harder, accelerate and push through.
2.Attempt to slow down; either right the bike and hard brake to reduce speed and then resume turn or try to reduce speed by either chopping the throttle or braking while still in your lean.

Option one is mentally counter-intuitive but likely has the greater chance of successfully making it through upright. Option two will result in upsetting the balance of the bike and you'll likely fall into the turn or you’ll push a lot of weight on the front wheel and it will push out from under you.

Parting thought: For normal riding where you find yourself accidentally scraping the exhaust or kickstand you can adjust your lean angle and probably be fine. A little is ok. Just don’t intentionally push the envelope.

 

******...I didn't realize you took a big spill like that last year. Decreasing radius turns screw with all of us riders, I can only wonder what non-bike riding engineer thought it up..the man ouuta be beat!

Anyway, Looks like you're find and dandy now [sm=icon_cheers.gif]

 

It is rare that I don't scrape one side (if not both) almost every time I take my bike out. It's not that I ride fast, because I generally don't, but I am very comfortable with my bike and we know each other's limits. My pipes always scrape first ont he right side, but they are lower than the stock pipes. That sound scares the crap out of me, and only once has it actually pitched the bike to the side. That happened in a parking garage and the floor was sloped - which is something that you really have to watch with aftermarket pipes.

I ride Angeles Crest Highway North of Glendale, which is world famous for bikers (especially rice rockets) and you're guranteed to scrape up there. There's about 150 miles of intense mountain roads and corners up there and it's a blast to ride. If you ever find yourself in or near LA, check it out. It's the 2 Freeway North of Glendale.

 

I've scraped the 'curb feelers' on my Nightster twice. Both times on the right side. I was playing around with the bike later, leaning it over in the driveway and noticed they are designed to scrape just before the bolts on the frame do. Wow, those dumb things do have a purpose other than snagging my pants!!!

 

bensonjv said, "Here's the scenario: You get into a turn and realize you are going too fast or not set up properly. You've got two options:
1. Lean harder, accelerate and push through.
2. Attempt to slow down; either right the bike and hard brake to reduce speed and then resume turn or try to reduce speed by either chopping the throttle or braking while still in your lean."

Trail braking is important. My bike has plenty of lean angle. I try to live by simple rules, one being that I try not to scrape anything. Ireckon if I had wanted to get out there and drag a knee I'd have bought a Buell.

 

I would generally agree with that and don't "try" to scrape anything, but it usually ends up happening anyway. I'm not a speed junky; quite the opposite in fact. With that said, I dooccasionally practice the things taught in the MSF course (wish I would have had that when I was a teenager) and the Ride Like a Pro series.

One comment you made could be misunderstood by beginners and that's the braking while turning. It's a tricky subject and something that you have to be very careful with, which is why all of the classes teach you not to brake in real corners. Braking during a low speed tight turn such as a parking lot is a different story, which is where the trail braking is essential. I just didn't want some of our new riders braking at 55MPH through an increasing radius turn and locking up one of their brakes and posting a week from now how they got busted up and their bike is in the shop.

 

Good point. It's a racingtechnique with limited application for street riding. I'm not suggesting that beginners should try it. It is a nice option to have if you've found yourself, "too hot" going into a curve.