Dragging floor boards/Ride like a pro
Road Master
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 762
Likes: 435
From: NE Oklahoma
Bikes need to be ridden, and floorboards on my RK are considered a wear item to me. They are an easily replaceable part and a good indicator of how far over the bike is really leaning, before the really expensive parts start to drag.
There is much more to safely and effectively riding a big bike than highway cruising. Its best to find out what a rider and motorcycles capabilities are in a controlled environment, and thats what Paladinos courses teach. Figure 8s & cone-weaving may not seem important in the real world, but the skills and confidence they hone absolutely are useful on the mean streets & highways. Even dumping ones bike on a course is good practice for how to safely pick it back up without having to do it in traffic or in a crowded parking lot.
Its too bad that more riders dont take courses like his, or their local equivalent. There are a lot of poor riding skills on display in the Harley riding community, to the point that they have become a joke or meme. Dragging feet down the road, being afraid to lean the bike, more investment in looking cool than being proficient, cruising in the White Zone(oblivious to ones surroundings) They do nothing to dispel the prejudices that all Harley riders are drunken buffoons who like to dress up like pirates & act tough.
Never stop learning or sharpening skills that will have a positive effect on someday saving your ***.
There is much more to safely and effectively riding a big bike than highway cruising. Its best to find out what a rider and motorcycles capabilities are in a controlled environment, and thats what Paladinos courses teach. Figure 8s & cone-weaving may not seem important in the real world, but the skills and confidence they hone absolutely are useful on the mean streets & highways. Even dumping ones bike on a course is good practice for how to safely pick it back up without having to do it in traffic or in a crowded parking lot.
Its too bad that more riders dont take courses like his, or their local equivalent. There are a lot of poor riding skills on display in the Harley riding community, to the point that they have become a joke or meme. Dragging feet down the road, being afraid to lean the bike, more investment in looking cool than being proficient, cruising in the White Zone(oblivious to ones surroundings) They do nothing to dispel the prejudices that all Harley riders are drunken buffoons who like to dress up like pirates & act tough.
Never stop learning or sharpening skills that will have a positive effect on someday saving your ***.
I'll second that. Practical slow-speed skills will diminish without constantly getting a refresh through consistent, good practice. Everyone is different and skill levels vary as well no matter "how long" a person has been riding. I attended a "refresher course" back in April for this very reason. Just when you think "Oh, I got this" is when you realize you can't make a U-Turn in a tight spot without duck-walking that 900 pound beast. One bad knee makes it a tough proposition. Skills fade without practice. Blasting down the highway at 75 MPH takes no skill. Just my 
Thread Starter
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Novice
Joined: Jan 2021
Posts: 24
Likes: 8
From: Port Aransas
Oh I'm a long ways from showing off. As a new rider bought the course and took the class to keep from looking like a a duffas in a parking lot or making a u turn. While they will never replace heads up and learning to read drivers on the road I do feel the break and escape drills could be valuable.
Wanted to drag floorboards to know how far I could lean it. Jerry insinuates that it will translate to cornering at speed. Since your counter balancing at slow speed vs leaning at speed I doubt it. But I have underestimated the subconscious and muscle memory before.
Dragging floorboard on the heritage was not a drastic feeling and instant feedback through feel. When I drug the bracket on the Road Glide it was drastic and almost dropped it. There was no warning in sound or feel. Was concerning when I looked at brackets and saw I had been dragging them and wasn't aware of it.
Wanted to drag floorboards to know how far I could lean it. Jerry insinuates that it will translate to cornering at speed. Since your counter balancing at slow speed vs leaning at speed I doubt it. But I have underestimated the subconscious and muscle memory before.
Dragging floorboard on the heritage was not a drastic feeling and instant feedback through feel. When I drug the bracket on the Road Glide it was drastic and almost dropped it. There was no warning in sound or feel. Was concerning when I looked at brackets and saw I had been dragging them and wasn't aware of it.
Tourer
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 377
Likes: 313
From: Middle TN
I'll second that. Practical slow-speed skills will diminish without constantly getting a refresh through consistent, good practice. Everyone is different and skill levels vary as well no matter "how long" a person has been riding. I attended a "refresher course" back in April for this very reason. Just when you think "Oh, I got this" is when you realize you can't make a U-Turn in a tight spot without duck-walking that 900 pound beast. One bad knee makes it a tough proposition. Skills fade without practice. Blasting down the highway at 75 MPH takes no skill. Just my The bike laid over on the crash bars, but I was able to pick it up and restart the engine easily. No harm done but some lost pride and small scratches on the ends of the crash bars. Rotating the bars forward and practicing low speed turns in an empty lot a few miles from home helped to regain confidence and to wake up rusty skills.
Never stop learning!
Tourer
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 283
Likes: 44
From:
I don't have suggestions for curb feelers.
I do feel the course is a good investment to learn low-speed riding maneuvers. I think the best way to perfect the skill is to ride, ride, and ride. The courses show you how. Practice on your bike shows you how on your bike. Learn your bike in turns and the drag doesn't matter and isn't needed for safe tight turns.
Practically every time I ride, I find and use opportunities to maintain low-speed maneuver proficiency - parking lots, my driveway, and etc.
I do feel the course is a good investment to learn low-speed riding maneuvers. I think the best way to perfect the skill is to ride, ride, and ride. The courses show you how. Practice on your bike shows you how on your bike. Learn your bike in turns and the drag doesn't matter and isn't needed for safe tight turns.
Practically every time I ride, I find and use opportunities to maintain low-speed maneuver proficiency - parking lots, my driveway, and etc.
Road Captain
Joined: May 2021
Posts: 504
Likes: 271
From: Anywhere, USA
Just started riding about a year ago on a 2012 Heritage classic. Bought the Ride like a pro course and practiced quite a bit. Damn near wore the floor boards out almost doing the motor officer drills at will. Bought a 2021 RGS in April and spent less time in parking lot and more on road but kept practicing occasionally and trying to drag floor boards. Occasionally would here a little noise but no feel on floor board. Took the course in Springdale Aransas last month, after one of the demos where they drug the heck out of the floor boards I was determined to do the same. Drug pretty hard but no feel on the floor board. Couple days latter looked underneath and saw that the floorboard mount bracket on both sides were burred up and obviously beveled for that purpose. Is there any way of attaching something somewhere to give you a warning when your approaching the limit or lowering floor boards so they drag first to give you a heads up?
I am to the point I will try not to duck walk my bike out of any situation. In a parking spot facing a wall, open parking space next to me. Lock that steering and around I go!
GET THESE, and you can trim them (assuming you have guards already). They disappear once they are on. I am proud to say I have tested them and they work!
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 3,443
Likes: 2,457
These guys you saw riding circles could probably ride circles around you! Lol
Road Master
Joined: Oct 2011
Posts: 755
Likes: 32
From: Delaware
My floorboards have wear / sacrificial pegs underneath the floor boards, do yours not have those? If not, is there a threaded hole? Drag specialties sells them, they're like $8 for a pair. They're specifically there to be the lowest thing that hits in a lean so you know you're getting close and so you don't drag your floor board mounts or bottom of your primary.
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Joe Kucinski
Road Master
Joined: Sep 2021
Posts: 759
Likes: 936
From: Under the affluence of incahol.
A lot of the Jap sport bikes have "feelers" that screw into a threaded hole in the bottom of the footpeg and stick down a half to three quarters of an inch or so with a rounded end on them. Should be easy enough to mount on footboards too. Or you can jest let your toe of your boot hang down a bit.
+1 on watch out for poorly prepared parking lots when practicing that "Ride like a Pro" type stuff. Worst injury I ever had from a bike was a busted shoulder blade from going around the witches' hats at about 10mph on a course held in a K-Mart parking lot, where they failed to remove all the fine gravel before the course. Ouch. Was on a fancy Honda VTR1000 sportbike too so was cranked over when it went down. Scratched the end of the footpeg and handlebar and that's all. Sent me to hospital and after six weeks of lying on the couch in agony, I got to start rehab.
+1 on watch out for poorly prepared parking lots when practicing that "Ride like a Pro" type stuff. Worst injury I ever had from a bike was a busted shoulder blade from going around the witches' hats at about 10mph on a course held in a K-Mart parking lot, where they failed to remove all the fine gravel before the course. Ouch. Was on a fancy Honda VTR1000 sportbike too so was cranked over when it went down. Scratched the end of the footpeg and handlebar and that's all. Sent me to hospital and after six weeks of lying on the couch in agony, I got to start rehab.
Last edited by PeterB; Oct 2, 2021 at 09:30 PM.
Road Master
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 1,027
Likes: 163
From: Grapevine Texas
Big supporter of the training that Jerry and Robert and others do out there. I have been riding since 06, a dyna, then a sgs in 17 now a RGL. 950 some pounds and I'm 5'7". Sorry, I thought I knew how to ride, I didn't know jack $%#^ about riding. Just because you can start a bike, put it in gear, and roll, and come to a stop, congrats that's half the battle, the easy part, it's maneuvering that bike when %#^$ goes wrong or trying to evade some obstacle or do a u turn that really proves your riding skills. I took an advanced class this last spring, was a real eye opener. I could brake well and not skid, I could slowly keep the big going forward without falling but yeah a turn from a stop, a U turn, the intersection, forget it. I've been practicing ever since and I've gotten much better and much more confident in my skills. Fact I just got back from a motorcycle trip, 3500 miles to Sturgis and one of the riders broke down. I whipped two slow speed U turns like it was nothing, I didn't think about it, because the other rider needed help and I was doing what I trained. They even commented, wow, when you learn to do that. The floor board mounts are going to grind before the boards do on your RGS same as my Limited. Yeah, that sound is a badge of honor, knowing you can do it in a controlled environment but I don't do it to showboat, because I don't typically take it that far into the lean. If you are worried about banging up your bike you can try this place out. Not real cheap, but worth every penny. Price tag before negotiations was 35k on my bike so a couple hundy was a no brainer.
https://motorcycledropguards.com/
https://motorcycledropguards.com/