pegs grounding out

Please share your secrets! What mods have you made to your TRX?

Moderators: trixynut, Mincehead, dicky, phuk72, Jak, Kevtrx849

Post Reply
the trxtor
TRX-Enthusiast
Posts: 19
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2008 8:02 pm
Location: belfast

pegs grounding out

Post by the trxtor » Mon Jul 20, 2009 10:28 pm

After fitting R1 front forks Ive found that the foot pegs ground out very easily. Whats the best way to raise the rear ride height? Dogbones anygood for this and if so what length is should they be??

User avatar
trixynut
Site Sponsor
Posts: 2572
Joined: Fri Sep 22, 2006 3:48 pm
Location: Leicester, England

Re: pegs grounding out

Post by trixynut » Mon Jul 20, 2009 11:23 pm

YZF dogbones will raise the rear but with the steeper head angle created by the shorter R1 forks already,and then the jacked up rear, handling might get a bit interesting.

You could remove the hero blobs from the underside of your pegs, if they are the standard ones.

Otherwise rearsets or jack-up plates to raise the pegs.

User avatar
Beau
TRX-Enthusiast
Posts: 72
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 11:23 am

Re: pegs grounding out

Post by Beau » Tue Jul 21, 2009 12:16 am

So let me understand this correctly.... you've lowered the ride height at the front to the point where you're grinding pegs too easily and you want to fix it by raising the ride height at the rear?

Your swingarm angle will be atrocious. Not to mention what you'll be doing to the rake and trail measurements.

One of the beauties of the TRX was always it's geometry. It stuns me how many people are determined to destroy the thing that made the bike a standout in the first place. Sure it's suspension wasn't the greatest, but fitting the correct springs front and rear and a set of emulators is the cheapest and best value mod you can make and will make the bike outhandle the ability of 99% of riders.

Many people start making massive changes before they've even bothered to put the correct springs in their bike... just nuts if you ask me.

I understand making small adjustments, but some of the things I read on here are simply stunning.

By the way... mine's going in to a suspension specialist next week to be resprung to suit me and have the emulators adjusted for better damping control. The shock is also being serviced and resprung.

After that I'm anticipating a small lift of the forks through the triples but other than that I can't see any changes coming.... except to the motor.

User avatar
Mincehead
TRX-Enthusiast
Posts: 6345
Joined: Sun Jan 25, 2009 1:40 pm
Location: West Sussex
Contact:

Re: pegs grounding out

Post by Mincehead » Tue Jul 21, 2009 12:56 am

Hi Beau,many of us wish to not only improve our TRX`s handling and suspension specification but to also increase their bikes overall appearence.
R1 forks,if set up correctly certainly give much improved handling characteristics and for definate look much nicer than the standard TRX fitment. :wink:
I think you`ll find there`s plenty here who have carried out the conversion that can definately test the handling improvements achieved to their limits.
If ride height really becomes an issue,a stepped top yoke will bring the geometry back to the original TRX specification.
I`m considering a stepped top yoke for my own R1 fork conversion and you need to remember that the lighter front wheel will also help in cutting down some of the gyroscopic effects that the heavier standard TRX wheel imposes.
I do agree with you however that a properly set-up/modified pair of TRX forks will also bring the performance up to a level that Yamaha really should have made sure they left the factory with in the first place. :wink:
LOUD PIPES SAVE LIVES

User avatar
phuk72
Site Sponsor / Administrator
Posts: 3522
Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2005 1:47 pm

Re: pegs grounding out

Post by phuk72 » Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:13 am

OK - a few issues here

First, let's dispell the myth about TRX standard suspension. It's wasn't that bad when new. Problem is that they weren't as good as sportbikes of the time and so were universally panned by pretty much every journalist outside Australia (who had the good sense to vote it bike of the year - twice IIRC?) Then, a few owners picked up bikes a few years old, didn't bother changing the fork oil and bitched about crap handling, citing old magazine reviews! And the same thing happended with the brakes - yeah, blue spots are better but .....

Chances are that most TRXs (including some of those on here) have never had the fork oil changed. A decent set of springs and oil WILL make the front end fairly compliant. You can go further with a revalve but then you are getting to a position where it is probably cheaper to source a new front end.

BUT, remember that any front end you buy (be it YZF whatever) chances are that this will need new fork oil and forks as well - c'mon own up, who did this when they bought USD forks?

From experience I can tell you that rebuilding the standard forks and the standard shock makes one hell of a difference and chances are it will handle well enough for most - especially if you spend all of your time on the road. BUT, you will see gains by adding USD forks and a new rear shock (as longs as they are properly serviced / suited to your weight).

FWIW, I completely agree with Beau. Dropping the front and then wanting to sort ground clearance by jacking up the rear is not the answer.

I'm not saying that the TRX doesn't benefit from raising the rear or dropping the front but .....

trxtor - you need to look at why your pegs are going down. Is it purely due to the shorther front end? Quick answer is rearsets / jack up plates but the suspension may be too soft / you may be too fat :wink:

have you set up your suspension? search on here and set up your sag (it's a useful way of establishing if you need new springs)
Image

User avatar
Stu99
Site Sponsor
Posts: 774
Joined: Wed Jul 08, 2009 12:23 am
Location: Melbourne Vic

Re: pegs grounding out

Post by Stu99 » Tue Jul 21, 2009 1:55 pm

trxtor, have you had your R1 forks re-sprung and re-valved? If not they will be too soft if you simply bolt them straight to the TRX. Do you have too much static sag?
Also ride height is not that much different. Fork length from top of fork to axle centre is TRX 795mm and R1 745mm. Now depending on how much fork you had through the top yoke, factory standard 18.5mm to 40mm or more as some people run, as well as how you space your R1 top yoke the difference can be as little as 5mm. If you are running a 120/70 front tyre instead of he TRX 120/60 then it is almost nil. Problems are more likely to be fork spring rate and valving.
Here is (briefly) what I learned by talking to several different suspension tuners before doing my own R1 front end mod.
>R1 forks will be too soft if not re-sprung and re-valved to suit a TRX application.
>This is not just deemed by rider weight alone.
>It is due to the difference in engine characteristics, swing arm leverage and shock action between a R1 and a TRX. The R1 spends much more of its time under engine load trying to pull the front end of the road. Swing arm and rear shock action play a part here too as does total bike weight and bike weight bias. Hence, the R1 can run a softer sprung fork than a TRX and not feel too soft.
>R1 forks must be re-sprung and re-valved to suit the TRX weight/weight bias and geometry as well as rider weight for optimum performance.
I put my R1 forks on for mock up measures, as they come off the R1, and they were soft as all hell. Went through the process as above and all is good.(And I'm a solid lad :D).
By the way, this info is based on R1 forks of the 1998/2001 production.

Hope this helps.
stu
It must be true, I read it on the internet.

User avatar
idl1975
TRX-Enthusiast
Posts: 749
Joined: Wed Feb 21, 2007 9:19 am
Location: Surrey

Re: pegs grounding out

Post by idl1975 » Tue Jul 21, 2009 5:28 pm

Too much rebound damping on the rear shock and a couple of corners could have pegs dragging as well. As said, OP could just try angle-grinding the feelers off the pegs, or alternatively a set of rearsets. If the exhaust goes down, then worry about the geometry. :)

I even have a set of rearsets (needing a new gearbox shaft clamp from M&P) going spare handily enough... :lol:

Don't know about rebuilding to OEM specs being the answer though. I had mine from new and hated the front end. I rebuilt my Maxton'd forks (c. 1998 vintage!) to Yamaha spec, and lo, the shite front end I had forgotten about in 1998 returned with a vengeance.


phuk72 wrote:OK - a few issues here

First, let's dispell the myth about TRX standard suspension. It's wasn't that bad when new. Problem is that they weren't as good as sportbikes of the time and so were universally panned by pretty much every journalist outside Australia (who had the good sense to vote it bike of the year - twice IIRC?) Then, a few owners picked up bikes a few years old, didn't bother changing the fork oil and bitched about crap handling, citing old magazine reviews! And the same thing happended with the brakes - yeah, blue spots are better but .....

Chances are that most TRXs (including some of those on here) have never had the fork oil changed. A decent set of springs and oil WILL make the front end fairly compliant. You can go further with a revalve but then you are getting to a position where it is probably cheaper to source a new front end.

BUT, remember that any front end you buy (be it YZF whatever) chances are that this will need new fork oil and forks as well - c'mon own up, who did this when they bought USD forks?

From experience I can tell you that rebuilding the standard forks and the standard shock makes one hell of a difference and chances are it will handle well enough for most - especially if you spend all of your time on the road. BUT, you will see gains by adding USD forks and a new rear shock (as longs as they are properly serviced / suited to your weight).

FWIW, I completely agree with Beau. Dropping the front and then wanting to sort ground clearance by jacking up the rear is not the answer.

I'm not saying that the TRX doesn't benefit from raising the rear or dropping the front but .....

trxtor - you need to look at why your pegs are going down. Is it purely due to the shorther front end? Quick answer is rearsets / jack up plates but the suspension may be too soft / you may be too fat :wink:

have you set up your suspension? search on here and set up your sag (it's a useful way of establishing if you need new springs)
-----

'04 Aprilia Tuono Fighter
'00 Scooby Sport Wagon

'76 TY250.

User avatar
phuk72
Site Sponsor / Administrator
Posts: 3522
Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2005 1:47 pm

Re: pegs grounding out

Post by phuk72 » Tue Jul 21, 2009 5:49 pm

idl1975 wrote: Don't know about rebuilding to OEM specs being the answer though. I had mine from new and hated the front end. I rebuilt my Maxton'd forks (c. 1998 vintage!) to Yamaha spec, and lo, the shite front end I had forgotten about in 1998 returned with a vengeance.

sorry - should have made myself clear. When I talk about rebuilding I mean doing it properly - revalve / new springs etc.

You will see gains though from just springs and oil though
Image

the trxtor
TRX-Enthusiast
Posts: 19
Joined: Wed Oct 15, 2008 8:02 pm
Location: belfast

Re: pegs grounding out

Post by the trxtor » Tue Jul 21, 2009 9:29 pm

Maybe I should have said that yes Ive had the r1 forks rebuild to suit my weight and the trxtor. Also had the rear shock set up by an ohlins trained technican. Ive standard rearsets with shorter pegs and myself and 2 mates all find that the pegs touch down easily. The bike is used for track days only so maybe that is the problem. Thanks for your input anyway guys

User avatar
phuk72
Site Sponsor / Administrator
Posts: 3522
Joined: Thu Jan 06, 2005 1:47 pm

Re: pegs grounding out

Post by phuk72 » Tue Jul 21, 2009 10:07 pm

the trxtor wrote:Maybe I should have said that yes Ive had the r1 forks rebuild to suit my weight and the trxtor. Also had the rear shock set up by an ohlins trained technican. Ive standard rearsets with shorter pegs and myself and 2 mates all find that the pegs touch down easily. The bike is used for track days only so maybe that is the problem. Thanks for your input anyway guys
you'll be wanting rearsets then

ground clearance for road use is ok with standard footpegs but get on a track and you'll find they go down very easily (followed by the bellypan and then exhaust :wink: )

oh, and of course the alternator cover :lol:
Image

User avatar
Beau
TRX-Enthusiast
Posts: 72
Joined: Tue Jun 02, 2009 11:23 am

Re: pegs grounding out

Post by Beau » Fri Jul 24, 2009 1:46 am

I've managed to start grinding the oil pump cover on mine.... hopefully fitting the correct springs will fix it.

Post Reply