Going back to OEM from floor board & heal/toe shifter

[Magrimm]

Hi Everyone,
I'm new here and just bought a 1998 Goldwing GL1500 which I must say after a full day of riding I've fallen in love with. It is one of 4 bikes that I own.
- 2003 Honda Magna
- 2007 Honda CBR 600RR
- 2003 Yamaha YZ-85(converted to mini-motard for racing)

I really, really hate the aftermarket driver floor board and heal toe shifter plus floor board and rear brake. Is this something I need to give a lot of time to get used to? I'm scarred of what I feel is a lack of control in comparison to using the stock shifter and foot peg because pivoting my foot is super awkward and I hate how there is a lack of braking feel off a floor board.

Does anyone have pointers on better foot location to get a better feel (ie.. how do you use floor boards properly)?

Has anyone else switched back to OEM foot peg, shifter, brake?

Cheers,

[DaveO430]

I absolutely hate those awful things too. If you're riding a cruiser where your feet are positioned out front I suppose they are OK but not on a goldwing.

[alwrmcusn]

It's just a matter of getting used to the feel/position. I put them on my '08 MT Wing and prefer them. I also have Ergo III highway pegs and I can use the boards alone, slide my feet slightly forward on the FB's, put my heels on the FB's and my toes on the highway pegs or use the pegs alone. Lots of choices. As for the brake feel, I find no problem there either. But again, it's just a matter of what you prefer.

[billbob]

Had them on my 05 wing when I bought it used ,1et thing to come off and back to OEM shifter. Good call on my part.

[WingAdmin]

When I got my 2000 GL1500, it also had heel/toe shfiter and floorboards on it. They were the FIRST things I got rid of. I bought a set of used footpegs and a shifter off eBay, bought new rubber pads for the pegs and shifter from Honda, and ripped those things off the bike. I'm like you, the bike feels much more controllable with the stock shifter and pegs. I am not a fan of footboards and heel/toe shifters.

[DaveO430]

It's just a matter of getting used to the feel/position. I put them on my '08 MT Wing and prefer them. I also have Ergo III highway pegs and I can use the boards alone, slide my feet slightly forward on the FB's, put my heels on the FB's and my toes on the highway pegs or use the pegs alone. Lots of choices. As for the brake feel, I find no problem there either. But again, it's just a matter of what you prefer.

It's a whole other thing on a trike. You don't have to put your feet down & bruise your shins on the stupid things.

[Magrimm]

Thanks for the feedback. Does someone with a GL1500 around '98-'00 have pictures of the stock pegs and shifter/brake setup for each side? I'm going to give these floorboards 2 weeks to win me over and if they don't I'm going back to stock. Would appreciate any pictures so i can see wht I'm missing and need to order.

Thanks in advance.

[WingAdmin]

Thanks for the feedback. Does someone with a GL1500 around '98-'00 have pictures of the stock pegs and shifter/brake setup for each side? I'm going to give these floorboards 2 weeks to win me over and if they don't I'm going back to stock. Would appreciate any pictures so i can see wht I'm missing and need to order.

Thanks in advance.

Here you go:

Right side footpeg and brake pedal

Right side footpeg hinge and brake pedal spline

Bottom side of footpeg

Shifter on left side

Left side footpeg and shifter

[alwrmcusn]

It's a whole other thing on a trike. You don't have to put your feet down & bruise your shins on the stupid things.

Don't want to turn this into an argument but my 2009 Venture came with floorboards and heel/toe shifter and only two wheels before I eventually had it triked. Lots of bikes come with boards/heel&toe shifters. Why are you banging your shins on them? Still your opinion is quite adequate and correct for you and probably some others.

[DaveO430]

It's a whole other thing on a trike. You don't have to put your feet down & bruise your shins on the stupid things.

Don't want to turn this into an argument but my 2009 Venture came with floorboards and heel/toe shifter and only two wheels before I eventually had it triked. Lots of bikes come with boards/heel&toe shifters. Why are you banging your shins on them? Still your opinion is quite adequate and correct for you and probably some others.

But a venture is more of a cruiser with the floorboards positioned forward, when you put your feet down they are not in the way. A Goldwing is a touring bike with a standard riding position, when you put your feet down you have to spread your legs because the floorboards are in the way.

[WingAdmin]

It's a whole other thing on a trike. You don't have to put your feet down & bruise your shins on the stupid things.

Don't want to turn this into an argument but my 2009 Venture came with floorboards and heel/toe shifter and only two wheels before I eventually had it triked. Lots of bikes come with boards/heel&toe shifters. Why are you banging your shins on them? Still your opinion is quite adequate and correct for you and probably some others.

But a venture is more of a cruiser with the floorboards positioned forward, when you put your feet down they are not in the way. A Goldwing is a touring bike with a standard riding position, when you put your feet down you have to spread your legs because the floorboards are in the way.

Correct. I suffered with them on my GL1100, and every time I put my feet down I would have to spread my legs wide to get around the floorboards, and my shins were pretty much permanently bruised.

[Magrimm]

Thank you very much for the photographs, looks like I got everything I need. I ordered some used OEM foot pegs, brake and shifter peddles. I really can't do the floor board. Just not my thing but it looks awesome and super comfortable for those who like it.

[brianinpa]

Darkside, helmets, oil, and floorboards... posts that are sure to bring all the haters out.

[DaveO430]

Darkside, helmets, oil, and floorboards... posts that are sure to bring all the haters out.

Hope you wrote that with a smile.

[brianinpa]

Let's see... I ride a darkside 1200 with floorboards that has diesel engine oil in it with no helmet... of course I did Dave.

[redial]

If you are in there doing this work, don't forget to contemplate including a shift brace and oil seal to assist in your smoothness.

[rick.sheeley]

FWIW...I'm thinking about the Kuryakyn ISO mini wings vs. the Stock pedals... sort of an in-between choice....

https://www.jpcycles.com/product/504-00 ... rAQAvD_BwE

You can also get knockoffs of these on Ebay.....

[SilverDave]

You are right : Threads on darkside, oil and floorboards bring out ALL the comments !!!

but ... if I can speak for the other side :
When I got this heel-and-toe equipped Wing ( in my 60's I had ridden a lifetime on pegs, and it took over a month to get used to strange setup. At first I hated it ... but eventually I learned to drive it properly .

Firstly , if you are going up and down thru the gears ( Best way to attack the mountains in BC ) them I know I am now much faster, not having to move the toe up and under the shifter . The heel-toe enables you to almost instantly go up gear or down gear .
( Not to mention that my new boots have no top toe scuffs !!! LOL )

Secondly the floorboards do scrape sometimes ... but my Markland boards flip up , and besides it looks rather cool at night, with the sparks and all .

Thirdly, floorboards are like easily available highway rests, if I don't want to stretch out all the way to proper Highway boards ( which takes both feet quite a ways from the controls }

Finally, I have never banged my shins on the boards .. My Marklands are narrower , maybe ? Or maybe thats a function of being tall... mostly in the legs ??

In any case , I love my Wing heel-and-toe step, and would never go back .

and I suppose within 10 years this entire discussion will be moot, with Honda coming out with a 7 gear DCT automatic , with NOTHING for the left foot to do !!!

SilverDave

[reggiefavre]

I just bought a 1993 1500 SE. I was lucky, there was a guy parting out a 1500 on a 1500 group. I wrote to him about the stock foot pegs, break petal and shift lever. I said I had to get rid of the floor boards and stuff. In about 15 minutes another guy ask how much would I wanted for my stuff. Well he lived about 2 1/2 hours away. He rode up and we swapped the parts out. No money changed hands. He brought me a 1500 GoldWing t, I bought him lunch. Even though I could have made money, I was satisfied and made a new friend in the process. On my 87 GL I bought the pegs and parts off E-bay. They work good on my 67 Harley FLH, but not my GL.