Does anyone scrape when banking hard in a turn?
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 6,932
Likes: 4
From: 46th State, USA
Hell don't do that. Some dummy will still be determined to scrap something and then want to sue someone because it caused them to crash. I'm surprised it hasn't already happened.
Road Master
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 867
Likes: 17
From: Brentwood, TN
Talking to a ride trainer this week and he said the cops have to go around an 8 ft circle in training and some of them just lay them over on the boards and guards to do the circle. Do not know how much truth is in that. He did just shake his head at all the new officers trashing nearly new road kings in training. He said many have to be trailered back to home station they are in such bad shape.
Tourer
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 434
Likes: 0
From: DFW
It might happen regularly but it is not "normal".
I was regularly scraping my "boards" until a few months ago I made a right turn a little too hot, only to find my myself sliding laterally into the far lane (probably 8 feet sideways) before my diminishing speed allowed my tires to grip again, barely avoiding the middle median.
When I got home I found that the right header pipe was freshly scraped and that the bracket is severely ground down, much more so than the actual floorboards.
It's one thing to scrape a pot metal, 'collapsible' floorboard then eventually lean over too far and scrape the bracket but it is wholely another thing to scrape directly on the solid steel support bracket! I am concerned that guys are going down due to this design defect. Needless to say, I don't scrape the 'boards' anymore.
Be careful, guys!
Also, does anyone have a shot from directly behind a bike that has not ground down the bracket? It should show clearly that the bracket will hit before the floorboard.
Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 152
Likes: 0
From: Lake Villa Illinois
It amazes me that people do stuff like this. I could hang off the inside and take the same corner faster and not drag anything.
Conversely, I could shift my weight the other way and take this corner much slower and drag it so hard that it levers the tires off the ground. Whats the point?
Last edited by sl954; Mar 22, 2012 at 02:48 PM.
Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 155
Likes: 4
From: Kissimmee
You mean the curb scrubbers are really called floor boards? 
The problem with doing it intentionally is that your removing some weight from the tires. In severe cases, unloading the tires as posted above.
I usually use the floor boards to know i'm going too hard for the bikes ability, they let me know to back off and avoid a hospital stay, or morgue.
To each his own.
The problem with doing it intentionally is that your removing some weight from the tires. In severe cases, unloading the tires as posted above.
I usually use the floor boards to know i'm going too hard for the bikes ability, they let me know to back off and avoid a hospital stay, or morgue.
To each his own.
Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 178
Likes: 0
From: NE Florida
You realize if you slid off the seat to the inside of the turn, you would not have to lean the bike over this far?
It amazes me that people do stuff like this. I could hang off the inside and take the same corner faster and not drag anything.
Conversely, I could shift my weight the other way and take this corner much slower and drag it so hard that it levers the tires off the ground. Whats the point?
It amazes me that people do stuff like this. I could hang off the inside and take the same corner faster and not drag anything.
Conversely, I could shift my weight the other way and take this corner much slower and drag it so hard that it levers the tires off the ground. Whats the point?
I am right in my comfort zone. Draggin a knee is not fun to me, it's work. Too much concentration and you're right on the ragged edge. Not my cup of tea. I know how to drag a knee and I have done it. I just do not enjoy doing it. Yeah, I can do tight dragging circles one handed and side saddle, so what's your point? That is not the topic here, is it?
The pic was an illustration to show that a bike that scrapes soft parts FIRST is not dangerous. Conversely our Harley's hard parts all too often hit long before the boards do.
Not to get into a pissing contest but the wing just flat out-performs ALMOST every single harley on the market IN TWISTIES and that is without rider skill consideration.
Not to say the Harley is any slouch but each brand excels in different aspects.
Point is, hard parts should NOT be the first thing to drag. Period. Slow speed or high speed.
Last edited by DJFireUSA; Mar 22, 2012 at 03:00 PM.
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Cruiser
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 152
Likes: 0
From: Lake Villa Illinois
Point by point... I would have to lean the bike over that far because I would be going THAT MUCH FASTER.
I am right in my comfort zone. Draggin a knee is not fun to me, it's work. Too much concentration and you're right on the ragged edge. Not my cup of tea. I know how to drag a knee and I have done it. I just do not enjoy doing it. Yeah, I can do tight dragging circles one handed and side saddle, so what's your point? That is not the topic here, is it?
The pic was an illustration to show that a bike that scrapes soft parts FIRST is not dangerous. Conversely our Harley's hard parts all too often hit long before the boards do.
Not to get into a pissing contest but the wing just flat out-performs ALMOST every single harley on the market IN TWISTIES and that is without rider skill consideration.
Not to say the Harley is any slouch but each brand excels in different aspects.
Point is, hard parts should NOT be the first thing to drag. Period. Slow speed or high speed.
I am right in my comfort zone. Draggin a knee is not fun to me, it's work. Too much concentration and you're right on the ragged edge. Not my cup of tea. I know how to drag a knee and I have done it. I just do not enjoy doing it. Yeah, I can do tight dragging circles one handed and side saddle, so what's your point? That is not the topic here, is it?
The pic was an illustration to show that a bike that scrapes soft parts FIRST is not dangerous. Conversely our Harley's hard parts all too often hit long before the boards do.
Not to get into a pissing contest but the wing just flat out-performs ALMOST every single harley on the market IN TWISTIES and that is without rider skill consideration.
Not to say the Harley is any slouch but each brand excels in different aspects.
Point is, hard parts should NOT be the first thing to drag. Period. Slow speed or high speed.
Tourer
Joined: Feb 2012
Posts: 383
Likes: 4
From: Seattle
I've only put about 1600 miles on modern HD touring bikes, but one thing that strikes me as a contributor to scraping (other than body position) is the terrible fork dive. I don't see how anyone could ride one of these aggressively before fixing that. Just my observation