Yamaha Starbike Forum banner

V-Star 950: prevent scraping floorboards in turns?

39K views 51 replies 27 participants last post by  outdoor 
#1 ·
I'm considering buying a 2009 V-Star 950 Tourer and am concerned about scraping the floorboards in turns. I currently have a 2005 Suzuki C50T with floorboards which allow me to get pretty low in turns both at low and high speed and rarely scrape. When I compared it to a V-Star 950 at the dealership, there was much less distance between floorboards and the ground on the V-Star. Is there any way to raise the floorboards on the V-star or do another mod for higher ground clearance in turns?
 
#2 ·
Scraping floor boards

Jet,

I do not have a 950 but I believe the boards are fairly low as you say. You may well scrape the boards in a hard turn. I had an 1100, the boards were also low in it. I just needed to get used to it. They are designed to scrape without any problem. They pivot up easly and have a replaceable bumper on the bottom. The sound is unnerving at first. That is what you will need to get used to. Don't let this get in your way 950 is a great bike. Some even like to brag about scraping boards.

I don't know of a mod to raise the boards but maybe someone else has some input.

Dave
 
#3 ·
Don't know much about 950's other than they are a good lookin ride, I assume(always dangerous) they have spring loaded floorboards, knowing you are going to scrape at times, if you like the way it sits, go for it and change the boards as needed, if you were to raise them some way, your riding postion would change, maybe worse, maybe better, just a few idle thoughts.:)
 
#5 ·
I do own a 950, and I have definitely scraped the floorboards more than once, lol:eek:

But as long as you don't lean hard like you're on a crotch rocket, you'll be OK, although the bike feels very nimble and is definitely capable of tight hard leaning angles, the boards do limit the bikes overall performance on cornering. she's really not made for burning through hard cornering that's for sure.

I am really happy with this bike, the only mod so far is a gel pad for the rear seat for my wife, I have the blue two tone with the quick release sissy bar and back rest.

I think that you hit on the only slight drawback of the new 950, still a dam good bike though, I know I own one :D
 
#6 ·
Scraped em too.

Yeah, I have a 950 too, I have scraped my floorboards too alot, one time it grabbed and jolted me a little so be careful, but the plus side of this bike is that it is just a really great bike and powerful. I love it I will try and fix my floor board situation and let people know.
 
#8 ·
i kinda like scraping them. lets you know you're making a hard turn, and lets u know you've just about reached your limit in how far you should be leaning the bike, almost like a warning. like those before said, you're not gonna scrape them a whole lot unless you're trying to treat the bike like a crotch rocket.
 
#9 ·
the bike is built too low, as a compromise for short people, and floorboards are easier for short people than pegs.

it's a compromise. we lowered my wife's 950, and i scrape a floor board any time i ride it.

you basically have to learn to "counter balance" by leaning your body in, and keeping the bike straight up.

it's a good bike for many reasons, but not a corner carver.
 
#14 ·
Can you do this with forward controls? I scrape every now and then, not really all that bad and moving the controls forward would be a little more important to me.
 
#13 ·
hi i posted on a previous thread and took a bit of stick for it. the floarboards will scrape when your running high speed on a bend its a sort of warning to back of,if your in to hot then the back of the bracket will dig in to the tarmac causing the rear wheel to hop in the air , just take a a bit off the back braket with a grinder make a straight line from the edge to the frame.the bike will handle this sort of lean angle with out tying itself into knots and youve got an extra bit of safety in an emergency situation. im used to riding a 500bhp lowered turbo busa on the road and this thing had no lean angle. the 950 does it for me , i cruise but just occasionly i like to rip and with this mod im safe doing it.
 
#12 ·
I suppose you could put some shims or some such under the floorboards to raise it a small amount. That said, The 950 is a cruiser not a 600 cc crotch rocket that you are going to want to lay on its side when you go around a corner. I probably scrape the boards on my 950 at least 1 or two times whenever I ride. Not a big deal anymore but it sure shocked me the first time I did it. Only once have I had the bike over far enough to feel like the floorboard was gouging a groove in the asphalt and that was because I took a left turn a tad to fast. It was nice to know tho that I could lay the bike over if needed to.

Phil
 
#15 · (Edited)
aftermarket fork risers

I own a 950 and have this same problem. I HATE IT!!!! I've been looking into a solution rigorously. The mechanic at the Yamaha dealer has gave me a helpful clue. There are 2-4 inch fork risers you can install on the handle bars. This will effectively raise the height of the boards and make it less possible to scrape.

I've been looking into a peg kit because I really just hate these floorboards. They are uncomfortable and vibrate like hell at high speeds. Clearance is an issue, so I have not found a kit yet.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Yo Ghost before you go off on everybody for givin advice, you might want to know what you're talkin about. Fork Risers are between your triple trees and your handlebars and in no way shape or form are gonna impact your floorboard draggin ways. By the way its CAD (Computer Aided Design) Or CAD/CAM (CA-Design and Manufacturing). I guess you could have meant CAD and Drafting, for engineering notations. But if you were an engineer you probably could have figured out your problem on your own. Raggin at people doesn't really inspire them to help.
 
#18 ·
I've seen a really nice Solid works version of this bike out there. Said it before, I occasionally scrap in a corner not enough to worry about it though.
 
#19 ·
apologies

Well I guess my comments are a bit rude. Sorry everyone. I am kind of a dick sometimes. I ride in southern cali so I get a lot of mountainous terrain and switchbacks and such. Thats probably why I am getting more frustrated with it. Had the bike for a week and already scraped a 1/4 " off the one boards grinder.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Hey Ghost I don't have a 950, so where does it hit the board? (Inboard, outboard, fore or aft) What's your legroom like, if the boards move up will it cramp you? Have you tried any seat of the pants experimentation (wiring the boards up) to see how far up makes you comfortable in the corners? Have you tried using a temp footboard/peg placement on the front frame tubes to see if that ergonomics will work for your riding style/location?
 
#21 ·
seek and ye will find.

hi fulltilt 1, if you look up the thread you will find the answer. the 950 has thicker scrape boards on the back of the floor boards to take the wear when they scrape. their replaceable because the factory expects them to scrape. if your into spirited riding or in an emergency situation the floarboards will fold up high enough to let the back of the the big floorboard brackets dig in causing the rear wheel to hop in the air, when it first happened to me i went straight home i scribed a line from the top of the back bracket to the bottom near where it meets the frame and angle ground a big chunk off. i touched it up with black paint problem solved, it doest compromise the strength of the bracket and looks like it came that way. if any ones worried about going through a bend that fast its a testement to the yamaha engineers that the bike still feels stable and planted even at these lean angles.the wear pattern on my front tyre is within 3/8in to the edge of the tyre, shows what a good job yamaha did. one final thought if the back of the bracket still touches down you,ll be watching your bike sliding down the road with you by its side. ride safe, john
 
#22 ·
no lo toques

so check it. the farthest point of the board away from the frame will obviously hit the ground first, which is where there is a replaceable 'grinder' as I called it. I never have scraped the mounting brackets because I didn't lower the bike (to those who have lowered the already low 26" seat height, what were you thinking????) There is definitely a way to raise the boards, but I just don't see that as an option because:


1: The back brake cylinder has been integrated into the mounting system on the right side.
2: moving them up will indeed cramp you. i find myself stretching out and just resting my heels on the boards, which is actually pretty comfortable (but the boards still vibe like hell at high speeds).
3: I've looked into mounting pegs onto engine guards, but the boards take up so much space it just won't work out.

all in all, I think that a roadstar warrior is basically the solve-all to this dilemma. It seems like it was made for riders who are more aggressive. It has pegs in just the right spot. I just wish there was one on the floor when I went shopping...Ive never had a bike with boards and I sure as hell will never buy one with boards again. I had my heart set on the 950 and am becoming more accustomed to it. I am liking it more and more but these damn floor boards suck. period.
 
#23 ·
raising floar boards on 950

hi reveries, my bike is standard,except for minor performance mods its not been lowered and im only 5ft 6in. the mod i described was for performance and safety and cost nothing . if you can weld, cut a strip and weld it to the bottom of the floor board bracket and drill new holes to raise the whole assembly up. this might cramp tall riders so the only way to go is forward pegs or boards, unless your a machinest be prepared to pay lots of money for one off parts that you, have to design your self. this is a 950 thread, not replacing them for different models. by the way even jap sports bikes have hero blobs on the ends of their foot rests and you can see how high their up compared with cruisers.
 
#24 ·
I don't have a 950 but I do have the 650 and on occasion I do drag the floorboards and sometimes my engine guards on the twisties:rolleyes:...usually the floorboard just moves up a tad...I haven't left any marks on the bottoms of the floorboards they hold up well, I have marks on the engine guards and have roughed up my guardian bell once!

I think if you are doing damage to the floorboards you may be cutting the curves a little beyond what the bike was made for...just my opinion...:cool:
 
#25 ·
I've had my 950t for just under a year and I live in the hills of WV with some of the greatest roads for riding. So I'll share my views of the low clearance of my bike.

I'll start out by stating that I took a hard look at the beginning of this riding season about keeping my bike or trading for a different model. My only real concern was dragging. I scrape the boards all the time and the bracket way too often. When I ride with my group I was scraping when no one else was, this was traveling in a group at a common speed. Riding hard I felt it was a safety concern that had to be addressed or I had to trade. (referring to dragging the bracket not the boards)

Late last season I added a forward control kit from SScustom and adjusted my shock hoping to get a little extra room. If I gained any clearance it was little to none, but the extra leg room was almost perfect of stretching out my legs while still keeping my feet near the controls (rear brake).

This spring I added a mustang daytripper seat, while you might not think this has anything to do with your clearance, and really it doesn't, but it really made a big difference in my ride. The seat is a lot narrower at the tank making leaning a lot easier and greater control of balance. I lean a lot more into the turns with my body keeping the bike more upright and giving me more clearance. I still scrape a lot at slower speeds where I don't lean as much but that is controllable by me with a little lean.

I have decided to keep my bike for a couple more years. The 950 is a great bike, the looks are outstanding, the balance and control is awesome, and while we all want a little more power it has plenty for riding in the mountains and being under 1000cc it keeps my insurance reasonable.

A lot of forums play down the scraping and state that it is what it is. I personally think it can be dangerous (bottom out on the bracket) if you don't lean into the turns properly. I'm not saying that you have to drag a knee like the "rockets" but if your gonna get the most out of this wonderful bike practice it a little and enjoy the results.

Shawn
 
#28 ·
Freespirit did it but I'm not sure exactly how he did it.

www.yamahamotorcycleforum.com

Thread; Footboards not scraping now


freespirit
YMF Rider Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: sussex england
Posts: 69

Footboards NOT scraping now

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was getting fed up with my boards scrapeing especially as my mrs is always behind me on her VN 900 and hers have never touched yet we are both much the same weight.Anyway i needed a quick cheap solution so i made some spacers for my front suspension legs to increase the preload tension now my bike sits one and half inch higher at the front and my boards didnt touch at all yesterday it doesnt seem to of effected the handeling at all as i rode it hard to test it out with no problems.That is what i did to stop my boards scrapeing and im very happy with it but im not sugesting anyone else should do it as its obviously changed the geometry of the bike and could be dangerous.TAKE CARE BE SAFE ENJOY
 
#29 ·
Here's how it's done

Basically all your doing is extending the tube spacer in the fork and increasing the preload on your forks
You're not really stiffening the forks by doing this, only raising the ride height by 1½".
Its increasing the length of part #16 and 34 in each fork leg.http://fiche.worldofpowersports.com/wps/Yamaha_OEM/YamahaMC.asp?Type=13&A=625&B=16
re-load is used to adjust the initial position of the suspension with the weight of the motorcycle and rider acting on it. Both the front forks and the rear shock or shocks can be adjusted for pre-load on most modern motorcycles. The difference between the fully extended length of the suspension and the length compressed by the weight of the motorcycle and rider is called "total sag". Total sag is set to optimize the initial position of the suspension to avoid "bottoming out" or "topping out" under normal riding conditions. "Bottoming out" occurs when the suspension is compressed to the point where it mechanically cannot compress any more. "Topping out" occurs when the suspension extends fully and cannot mechanically extend any more. Increasing pre-load increases the initial force on the spring thereby reducing total sag. Decreasing pre-load decreases the initial force in the spring thereby increasing total sag.
 
#31 ·
I have 5k on my 950. I have scrapped the right board about 4 times, and have not yet scrapped the left. It makes a horrible noise when it scrappes. Those 5k miles include a trip down to Norcal, through the redwoods and up 101, so it has seen some curves. My 950 suits my riding style just fine. If your concerned about scrapping, then maybe you should look at a sport bike.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top