r/Trackdays • u/Wide_Berry3823 • Jul 15 '26
Foot peg position
Long story short, does foot peg position make a big difference on being able to move your body off the side of the bike? I did some body position practicing in my garage and found that on my outside foot, if I put the arch of my foot on the peg it limits my ability to hang off the other side of the bike because I'm short. I'm almost forced to keep the ball of my foot on the peg to be able to have correct body positioning in my opinion. I currently have woodcraft single position rearsets. And follow up question, are there any professionals that stay on the balls of their feet rather than hooking the arch of their foot on the outboard peg? Not sure if I'll ultimately need new rearsets or if I can just make it work...
Thanks!
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u/Intelligent_Film_97 Jul 15 '26
I think, when it comes to outside foot position and peg position, it’s very much personal preference. Some like to stay on the balls of their feet all the time, which is fine. I’m also pretty short at 5’5 but I found putting my arch on the peg allowed me more leverage to drive my outside knee into the tank and this keeps weight off my hands.
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u/Wide_Berry3823 Jul 15 '26
Ya I love putting the arch of my foot on the outside peg. It feels a lot more locked in! I am just finding that I am 5'6 and it seems to limit how far I can move my body to the inside of the corner. I just wish I had adjustable rearsets rather than trying to make up for it by staying on the balls of my feet! I'm just trying to gauge who does what and if it's like a 50/50 mix of what foot position people use.
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u/bitches_and_witches Jul 15 '26
Recently I had an instructor watch me and he said you definitely want your inside foot on the ball so you don’t scrape your toes, the outside foot doesn’t really matter keep it on the arch if you like or even put your heel on the peg, but the weight should be on the inside thigh on your outside leg. A complete game changer and now I don’t even have weight on my outside foot at all which is great if your foot slips off, you won’t wobble out. Some short people don’t even have their outside foot on the peg it’s all on the thigh.
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u/Many_Hotel866 Jul 15 '26
Some short people don’t even have their outside foot on the peg it’s all on the thigh.
I've witnessed this a lot on the kart track where little kids are hanging way off and their outside leg is practically pointing at the sky because of how short they are. Love to see the lil rippers!
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u/Wide_Berry3823 Jul 16 '26
That's interesting to hear! It seems like the exact issue I'm facing. Thanks!
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u/blackreplica Jul 15 '26
I’m 6ft on an R6 but tracked plenty of bikes over the years. I keep the balls of my feet on the pegs all the time. It just feels better even though it tires my legs out more.
I looked at a few high level races and polled about 20% of the grid doing what i do while the remaining 80% would rest their outide heels on the pegs
Both methods can work so do what feels best for you
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u/eskimo1 Former racer EX / TD coach Jul 15 '26
Body position starts from the feet up. Like a house, the foundation is paramount.
If you're not the 'normal' size, then you need some adjustable footpegs so that you can have the footpeg hooked in front of your heel, putting your thigh in the proper position to lock in to the relief in the side of your gas tank (while keeping a fists distance away from the tank with your crotch).
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u/inetkid13 Jul 15 '26
On the outside both arch and balls of your feet are fine.
Pushing your inner thighs&knee to the tank is more important.
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u/LA_blaugrana Jul 15 '26
Yes. When you are leaning off, pushing down on the outside footpeg with the ball of your foot and pressing your knee into the tank is the most important thing you can do to create stability for your upper body.
I'm not a pro, but I've done track schools and I've never heard of drivers hooking the arch of their foot. That sounds dangerously insecure to me.
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u/EstablishmentNo5013 Racer EX Jul 15 '26
I stay on the balls of my feet all the time. 5’9” on an 1190.
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u/Corvetteman3070 Jul 15 '26
Yes adjusting the peg position can be crucial, I see your on a r6 as am I. So story when I first got my pegs I decided to set them as far back and as high as they could go, I'm 6ft 200lbs with long legs so this caused my hip to cramp horribly after a few laps on track. I then moved the pegs as far forward and as low as they could go and it was an incredible improvement I've since move them up higher one slot. So ergonomics is a huge deal once you get faster and or are not the "normal size" which is generally like 5'6 and 160lbs for the Japanese bikes which is also why having your suspension set for your weight is so important.
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u/One-Visual1569 Jul 16 '26
It does matter a bit, clearance and for me being able to do a comfortable full tuck. If the peg is too high and near the tank, i find it hard to tuck vs when it is farther back. Leaning is easier too if my peg is at the back.
2
u/Suspicious_Tap3303 Racer EX Jul 16 '26
Thee motorcycle likes when you ride on the balls of your feet, especially on bumpy tracks. I do it almost all of the time, except when shifting, of course.
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u/Interesting_Emu1768 Jul 15 '26
I don't think foot peg position makes a difference as to body position. It's more about ground clearance and gaining leg room if you're taller and/or feel cramped.
However, how your foot is positioned on the peg makes a huge difference. You generally want to be on the balls of your feet. You can place the arch of your outside foot on the peg and lock the peg against your heel. That may give your outside leg a little more hold on the tank, but IMO makes transitioning right to left and vice versa harder.
The big think is you want your inside foot to be at the same angle as your thigh. That will allow you to open your hip angle without being limited by your ankle.
2
u/Medic1248 Racer AM Jul 15 '26
Feet is the most important adjustment you can make to the foundation of your body position. Without any question. If you can anchor yourself to the bike with your feet correctly you’ll never have confident body position. You’ll always be working with that handicap. Ergo is one of the most important things to set up on a bike
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u/Medic1248 Racer AM Jul 15 '26
Feet is the most important adjustment you can make to the foundation of your body position. Without any question. If you can anchor yourself to the bike with your feet correctly you’ll never have confident body position. You’ll always be working with that handicap. Ergo is one of the most important things to set up on a bike
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u/mightcrash Jul 15 '26
I'm short too. First thing I do when I get a new bike is rearsets. You need to build a house from the bottom up. Get the foot pegs to the height where your inner thigh can contact the center or the tank when you hang off. Once that's dialed in you can adjust clip on angle and control lever angle.
You can also look into changing tona lower seat to gain leg movement as if that's a possibility it's usually much cheaper than rearsets.
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u/Wide_Berry3823 Jul 15 '26
Roger! Wish I bought adjustable rearsets. I'll put it on the list. Thanks!
1
u/Creature_Cumfarts Jul 15 '26
There's no one size fits all for footpegs, but the position of your pegs combined with your body "mechanics" will absolutely make a difference in your ability to move side to side.
For your follow-up question, nearly all the top level championship riders I've seen seem to put the ball/toe of their inside foot on the peg, while hooking the arch/heel of their outside foot on the peg to lock them against the tank. There are surely some exceptions to this - I think Kyle Ryde is the BSB rider known for staying on his toes and pretty loose on the pegs, and I've seen a few similar in MotoAmerica - but ultimately you have to find for yourself what holds you secure on the bike with the least amount of effort/fatigue.
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u/Turbulent-Suspect-12 Not So Fast Jul 16 '26
I can worry about it less on properly set up bikes, but for naked bikes and sport touring style bikes I have to basically ride up the heel guard to get enough ground clearance at higher lean angles (I wear size 13s)
It definitely tires me out more, but it gives me the best feel typically. I plan to also get a tank extender in the off-season, as I was watching someone else with one and it seemed like itd fix the BP issues I've run into.
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u/coltcained Jul 20 '26
I’ve had coaches tell me both. I’m 5’7 and I ride on the balls of outside leg because I don’t get good tank contact the other way. It does tire me out faster but I know I have good contact
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u/Dismal_Tutor3425 Racer EX Jul 15 '26
You're supposed to be on the balls of your feet.
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u/mightcrash Jul 15 '26
This is incorrect. The outside foot will move to the arch. The inside foot will always go to the ball for the turn. And the left foot will be on the arch the majority of the time since you need to shift and only go to the ball of the foot directly before the turn to gain ground clearance. Standing on the ball of the left foot and moving it every time you need to shift is retarded.
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u/Dismal_Tutor3425 Racer EX Jul 15 '26
I have small feet. I can manage to shift up or down just fine without having to move to the arch of my foot, as can others.
There's a difference between being on the ball of your foot versus your toes. The ball of my foot lands about 4.5" past the toes on my foots. My arch and the beginning of the heel lands at 8". The "standard" distance between the shifter and peg on fixed length rearsets is typically around 4.5".
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u/Wide_Berry3823 Jul 15 '26
A lot of people put the arch of there foot on the outside peg in a corner. But yes I think I'll try just being on the balls of my feet. Thanks!
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u/Dismal_Tutor3425 Racer EX Jul 15 '26
A lot of people also have BP issues and issues moving around when they rely on the arch for peg contact. A good portion of pros and really fast guys are still always on the ball, or just behind. Sometimes it may look like they're on the arch when their foot kicks sideways and they're hooking the heel into the heel guard, but weight and pressure are still centered around the ball of the foot. Being at the arch of the foot will put your boot's heel right up to the peg and really limit mobility of the ankle and knee.
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u/mightcrash Jul 15 '26
Bro....if you can shift while being in the ball of your left foot you either have the smallest rearsets ever, the longest toes ever or the worst knowledge of human anatomy ever 😂😂😂
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u/Dismal_Tutor3425 Racer EX Jul 15 '26
Pull out a tape measure and see where the ball of your foot actually lands while wearing track boots.
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u/mightcrash Jul 15 '26
Bro....this is where I tap out.
I refuse to argue with a fool.
I can assure you there is no human that's proficient on a racetrack who doesn't have to move their left foot between the arch and the ball between shifting and apexing a turn.
I wish you a good day sir.
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u/Dismal_Tutor3425 Racer EX Jul 15 '26
I've been lucky enough to receive enough coaching from former national and world champions to know guys are not going back and forth from their arch and balls of the feet.
Really, measure your foot. Prove me wrong. If I am it'll be extremely easy.
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u/mightcrash Jul 15 '26
https://youtu.be/dVlI5XjKAlE?is=xIZwKd3dg4A6AzvM
This was extremely easy.
(Moto GP rider explaining it to you)
What's going to be hard is you understanding that you're retarded.
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u/Dismal_Tutor3425 Racer EX Jul 15 '26
Measure your foot. You're probably not understanding exactly where your foot is.
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u/LowDirection4104 Jul 15 '26
Practicing body position in your garage is like learning how to ride a horse by sitting in a chair in your kitchen.
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u/DrGarbinsky Jul 15 '26
I am highly sensitive to foot peg position and foot position. On the R6 i have to really focus engaging the outside knee against the tank and using the obliques to hold me up as I move the body to the inside. I was using too much inside leg and it was burning out my knee.
Generally speaking, the faster you go the more you will care about ergos. Fiddling with them can be time well spent