[Review] MCL Peg Lowerers

[bikecyclerBen]

Anyone have any expereince with one of the two options that MotorcycleLarry has for NT foot peg lowering? Each looks like a great way to achieve more comfort and less cramp (knee especially). And how hard is it to re-adjust the shifter and brake levers?

 

[maupen]

Ben, I bought the adjustable Foot peg lowering brackets ( http://www.MCL OUT OF BUSINESS - DO NOT ORDER/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1_131&products_id=384&zenid=q863sre26rkv45shsqg4quefe3). The installation was easy, but I had some problems adjusting the brake pedal and shifter, but several times trying and modifying it, I found my best ergo.
My main problem was my big foots, (size 14) and my height , but I'm a happy camper now and I feel less cramped, if you want, I can post some pictures tomorrow..

 

[Phil Tarman]

Ben, I've got the adjustable peg lowerers that MCL makes. The shift lever is a snap to adjust; the brake lever is harder and doesn't have quite enough adjustment for me. I ended up rotating the right peg back a bit, which also lifts it up and that made it work fine.

Have you recovered from the trip yet? I was pooped all day yesterday, but got enough sleep to make it through today.

Again, I'm really glad you came west to join us at the Rally! It was great to meet you.

 

[bikecyclerBen]

that would be appreciated. thanks

 

[bikecyclerBen]

Phil,

Thanks. Mostly recoverd but still suffering from my broken toe that i had one day before the ride out west.

 

[Phil Tarman]

I'd forgotten about that! Hope it gets better quickly!

 

[Ed in Miami]

Please note that lowering the pegs will also reduce your bike's ground clearance and its maximum lean angle.

 

[Phil Tarman]

It's hard not to notice whent that big ol' long peg feeler drags on the ground, Ed. I've dragged my pegs four or five times since putting the peg lowerers on. Dragged toes about that many times, too.

Still, absolutely worth it with my lousy knees!

 

[freezingalaskan]

So, with the adjustable peg lowers....do they adjust in particular steps, (.5 , 1.0, 1.5 inches, etc.) or do they adjust with more flexibility than that?
I am on the fence about getting fixed versus adjustable. My guess is I will put them at 1.5 inches and leave them there....
I also put on MCL risers a few weeks ago and I am generally happy with the improvement for me, but now I see that Twisted Throttle have risers that not only are 1 inch up, but also 1 inch back.....hmm....http://www.twistedthrottle.com/trade/productview/2016/218/

freezingalaskan

 

[Phil Tarman]

Freezin', the MCL peg adjusters work by pivoting around a point. They have ...whadaya' call those things anyway... radially-machined notches that aren't very deep, but keep the peg aduster from rotating when it's all tightened down.

I will post a picture of mine. If you enlarge it as much as you can, you can see the "ridges" (I know there's a technical term for those things!) that keep it from slipping. I've got my right lowerer pivoted so it is essentially straight behind the pivot point. That made it easier for me to get foot on the rear brake pedal.

 

[maupen]

I'm sorry for the delay Bikecyclerben, but I was out of town, as you can see in the pics, pegs are lower and back if you compare against the stock ones

 

[Digger23]

Pedal Adjustments

Can anyone provide more info on how to go about adjusting the clutch and break pedal height? Is this in the service manual? I haven't been able to find anything.
Thanks

 

[ataraxia]

Can anyone provide more info on how to go about adjusting the clutch and break pedal height? Is this in the service manual? I haven't been able to find anything.
Thanks

Digger,
I just adjusted my rear brake pedal. I used a couple of open end wrenches on the linkage that hooks it to the master cylinder. 10mm for the jam nut and 8 or 9 to shorten/ lengthen the linkage. As you change the linkage length, the pedal moves. Gear shifter is the same. Clutch lever can be finely adjusted at the handlebar without tools. Coarse adjustments I haven't done on an NT.

hope this helps,
Leo

 

[Tom Reed]

I installed the adjustable MCL footpeg lowering brackets on my 2010 NT700VAA, and adjusted them to the 1 1/2" lower position. HOWEVER, the orientation between the footpegs and pedals (gear and brake) was now very uncomfortable. The gear shift pedal was easy to remove, adjust downward, and reinstall--literally a 5 minute task.

To adjust the brake pedal, I needed to remove the seat, the right side panel, and then loosen, but not remove, the "right step holder" (pg. 17-28 of the Service Manual). The Service Manual shows two bolts to remove the right step holder. Actually, you need to remove four bolts--one of which has a nut on the other side. One of the bolts is inside the luggage compartment. I don't know how one could do this adjustment without removing all four bolts holding the right step holder. This allowed access to the backside of the step holder, i.e., access to the rear brake spring switch.

To move the brake pedal down, I moved the (lower) locking nut (12 mm) up the threaded, master cylinder piston about 1/4" and then screwed the piston shaft into the "lower joint" (pg 17-39) by turning the upper nut (10 mm) of the piston clockwise, and then re-tightened the locking nut. This moved the brake pedal down, but also engaged the rear brake light switch.

Now, I had to adjust the rear brake light switch; I disconnected the switch spring (pg. 17-39) from the brake pedal and then adjusted the position of the switch by simply unscrewing a plastic, knurled nut on the top of the switch. Reconnected the spring to the pedal and verified that the brake light was no longer engaged--without depressing the brake pedal. Pedal to footpeg orientation is now OK. I had to do this adjustment by lying on my back.

E-mail me if you want to discuss this procedure in more detail.

Tom

 

[Phil Tarman]

To adjust the brake pedal, I needed to remove the seat, the right side panel, and then loosen, but not remove, the "right step holder" (pg. 17-28 of the Service Manual).

Tom, that's a great description of the process of adjusting the rear brake pedal and light switch. When someone asked us a few months ago, all I could remember was that it had been hard. If it's any consolation, fellow NT owners, it was just as hard on Kawasaki's old Concours 1000. And, compared to Honda, Kawasakis basically designed in 1986 tended to us...errr... agricultural technology.

 

[Bear]

Phil, I studied your picture. Left side is good to go. My concern is the right side--which is the brake side. I wear a relatively small shoe size- 9 1/2, 43 European. It appears that the MCL kit sticks out a bit farther than the original foot pegs. I have a set of lower pegs which have the same problem. If I can't find a lowering kit that maintains the same narrowness as the stock pegs, I will have to find a way to make the brake pedal wider or find a pedal that Honda makes for another model that fits the NT and is wider.

I went back to the stock because I had to radically "toe in" to use the brake---quite dangerous.

I am certain that someone in the NT Family will come up with an answer.

 

[Bear]

Tom, Excellent description of the problem. My issue is not the height of the brake pedal but the horizontal orientation of the pedal relative to the foot pegs. With the stock pegs, everything is fine--except that the foot peg is too high. If I could find a kit that lowers the peg an inch in the same plane as the stock peg, I would be one happy camper.

 

[Bear]

Mauricio, Excellent pictures. One question: Do you have to pivot your foot inward to apply the brake? That has been my problem with the lowering pegs.

 

[maupen]

Yes, a little, but I have a big foot, ( 13 or 48 European), and I managed to adjust the pedal brake from below an then worked on the spring, my light brake works fine..

 

[Phil Tarman]

I wear a EU 44 boot and have never noticed having to toe in with the MCL pegs. My problem is that with my not so flexible knee and what that's done to my ankle's mobility, it takes everything I've got to get my toe up on top of the brake.

In fact, I have the right peg adjusted so that it's in the same vertical plane as the stock peg, but a bit farther back.