Tech Tips: Footpeg Removal and Installation

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Tech Tips

While stock footpegs are slowly getting wider and more supportive, it's still hard to beat a good set of aftermarket pegs. With multiple options on materials, grip areas, and platform size...there's a bit of something for everyone. Get some quick tips for changing out your next set of footpegs.

Remember, if you need to get your hands on a new exhaust system; hit up Chaparral-Racing.com/DirtBikeFootpegs.

For any other motorcycle parts, accessories, or gear needs, you can find them at Chaparral-Racing.com.

Transcribed version:

"Hey, this is Michael Lindsay from Vital MX, and we're here at Chaparral Motorsports. Year-after-year there's definitely a lot of cool parts that trickle down from the race teams, and one of the coolest aftermarket options lately is a good amount of footpegs. Now a big problem is, though, is that aftermarket pegs are fairly difficult to put on, so today we're going to show you how to make your life easier. 

So the tools you're going to need for the removal and install of footpegs is pretty small. You just need a set of pliers, preferably needle-nose, a rubber mallet or some kind of hammer, a long, flat-blade screw driver, and possibly a set of Allen sockets for the Japanese models to get the brake pedal out of the way. So starting on the right hand of the motorcycle, like I said with a lot of the Japanese models you have the brake pedal here blocking the way of getting the pin out. So one of the first things we'll do is actually move the brake pedal out of the way, or otherwise, you'll be in the middle of trying to get the pin out and then you'll realize you have to get to this step. We'll start with this to make our life a little easier. 

A big thing to remember when you go to remove the brake pedal pin is to check the backside to see if there is a cotter pin or some kind of lock nut. Not all models have it, but sometimes you'll go to take these out and you'll feel it start to bind up and you'll just cause yourself some problems by ripping out the cotter pin or messing up the threads in the process. Now that it's out of the way, we can freely pull the pin out for the footpeg. The next step here is to find the cotter pin here at the bottom of the footpeg pin, which is, of course, holding the footpeg from falling out. Of course, the goal here is to use your needle nose to try to get the cotter pin as straight as possible to remove. So now we're working with our cotter pins here trying to get them out of the bottom of the footpeg pin so we can get our pin out of the way. Of course, the goal here is to try to use your needle-nose or your dikes, or your pliers, whatever to get these as straight as possible so they'll come out. Of course, depending on the quality or how the pins were put in stock, sometimes this may take a little more time to work them into a nice flush pattern where they will come right out, hopefully. 

Now, if you're struggling a little bit to get this cotter pin out, a really good tool you can also use is a set of dikes here. A nice sharp edge you can get a grip on that and push the top of the dikes here into the footpeg bracket to help get some leverage, and it helps pull these right out. So now the removal process here is pretty easy. I'm just using a flat-blade screwdriver to just kind of push up on the bottom of the pin. You just wiggle your pegs back and forth, and just like that the pin comes out. Now, of course, if you've been riding your bike in dirty conditions, and you have mud packed in here, it could restrict it, or you could have a little bit of corrosion on the pin. Then you might want to spray in some WD-40 or some kind of lubrication to help you work the peg and the pin out.  Of course, with the peg out, it gives you good opportunity to look inside the bracket to make sure you don't have any corrosion, or you don't have any of the bolts backing out. The big thing you got to remember is if you use an after-market metal guard or one of the rubber booties [SP] from some of the brands to help keep dirt out of the pegs, they also trap moisture. When you washed your bike, so you need to blow them out. Otherwise after you've taken them off and taken the pegs out you'll notice the moisture has sat in the bracket and there will be a lot of corrosion and rust. 

So now we're going to place our footpeg back on. Even if you're dealing with an after market brand, usually the footpeg fitting in itself isn't the problem. Sometimes they might be a little held up, which, if so, you may have to take a little material here off this post. But where a lot of people run into problems is the springs are provided. As you can see, the OEM one fits pretty far down in there. Some of your after markets, the lines might hold it up farther, which, if so, real easy way to take care of this is to, first of all, get your pin, work it into the first part of the peg, so it's held and somewhat lined up. From there, take a flat blade screwdriver, insert it through the bottom hole, and just catch the inside part of the spring and pry down, and you can pull the spring into the gap. Once the footpeg pin is into the spring, you can remove the flat blade screwdriver. From here, you may have to duck your head down to help line up the pin to go through the last part of the footpeg bracket, which usually, from here, you can just rock it back and forth with your hand, and push the pin down until its gone all the way through. Now, of course, something important to remember is the way we just inserted the footpeg pin, you always want to insert the footpeg pin going downhill just in case you do lose your cotter pin on the back, or something happens. It's much harder for the pin to work uphill and usually as it starts to come out, you at least get some kind of feel or warning that the peg is coming out. 

Now the last step, of course, for the peg itself is to reinsert the cotter pin. Another thing that a lot of people miss is this little spacer washer that you typically place on first. This gives the pin more surface area to put pressure against. Now, if you don't put these washers on, what can happen is as the pin tries to move back and forth, it's pulling the cotter pin more up against the bracket and there's a higher chance of it bending it down, eventually snapping it off and letting the pin come out. So it's really important to make sure that when you take these out, that you remember to put these washers back on. Now, of course, the easiest way to get started with bending your cotter pin is to have it at a 90-degree angle so you can try to pull directly downwards on the cotter pin without using that pressure to actually spin the footpeg pin while you're working on it. There's very little movement of the cotter pin, and it helps it be very secure. Now if you have two good ends, it's better to, of course, flip this on its side and try to wrap each one around each side of the brake pin. So last thing up, you're going to put that brake pedal back on and tying it down. From there, you can repeat the steps from the left-hand side to change out that footpeg as well. And once you're done, you're ready to go on a rip and make sure you check back on vitalmx.com for more tech tips."

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