Cruiser bike with forward foot pegs. How do they deal with bumps in the road?

[GreyGhost]

GG a lot depends on your riding style too, if you just have to go through the twisties with your hair on fire you are going to want to be up on the bars, whereas my riding style is more like swinging in a hammock through the twisties. Each to his/her own style.

Agree but you cant miss every obstacle even when cruising slowly. Debris/pothole/animal can deliver a hit that maxes your suspension. In that scenario I prefer to use my legs for more suspension and stability than my spine and hope for the best.

 

[monkeyfarm]

This is my body position as my Marauder is stock. In the daytime, I can use my arms and thighs to hop up above my seat if I notice a baby-sized pothole or a section where they've removed a couple of layers or asphalt. Anything less severe and the suspension + seat handles it fine. At night?... A hope and a prayer. I've come home a little worse for wear after taking the Gardiner into the city (on more than one occasion, I can't seem to learn my lesson).

 

[Torren]

A free-body diagram (first year university mech eng stuff) suggests that this would involve pushing hard with both feet and pulling hard with both arms, with forces involved (particularly on the arms) considerably higher than those involved with just straightening your legs if the pegs are below your centre of gravity, which is IMO where they should be.

Not trying to argue that forward controls dosent make it harder to come up off the seat, I'm just trying to point out that it's far from difficult unless you have a physical handicap.

Can you stand up and stretch your legs? not a chance, but getting up long enough to ride over road hazards is no issue.

 

[MagnAndy]

I have ridden various generations of the Honda Magna (83 V45 / 84 V45 / 84 V65 / 87 V45 / 94 V45 - all 750cc-1100cc) as daily GTA drivers and I LOVE the mod to forward controls and a rider's backrest. I am nearly 70 and I can still raise my phat old ass off the Mustang seat on my '94 Magna if needed, and when I get surprised by a suddenly materializing black hole, the shot to the back is nothing to worry about. Brian P is correct that his Free-Body Diagram (I'm a Civil/Mech P.Eng. so understand all that) predicts that raising off the seat with the pegs under your hips is easier - but years of cruiser-FC riding experience shows it isn't an issue.

Would I advise off-roading a Magna with FC's ? Nope, but then I don't do that. Haven't since my old Beezer-250cc days in the 60's when "we" roamed the ravines and Bluffs in Scarborough on our motorcycles.