I threw some Kuryakyn swing wing pegs on last week and I thought I'd post some pictures and a review. Overall, I like them. They look a little unusual, but then again, if you own a new Valk, I'm assuming you aren't afraid to try new things.
Their function provides several advantages over stock. I really wasn't crazy about the stock position of the pegs. For my size, it kinda seems with the stock pegs, you either have to point your toes outward to avoid bumping the shifter or brake pedal, move your feet back, so that the ball of the foot is on the pedal, which is impractical, or move your foot to the outer edge of the pegs, which for my foot means the outer half of my feet are hanging off the pedal. None of these positions really allow you(me) to plant your feet and keep your feet, ankles, and hips squared and in the most stable, supportive, and comfortable position for long distances.
In the swing wing closed position, you have a nice stable base for much more of your feet. These are basically like mini boards in this position. Your heels are resting on the back part of the pegs, and there is no more danger of bumping the shifter or brake. This is a welcome change. The trade off is that it means your ankles have a slightly steeper bend to them. Not uncomfortable, but also not sustainable for long periods.
In the "swung out" or open position, there are a surprising number of foot positions. You still have the main part of the peg, which is slightly bigger than the stock peg at the inner edge. When your feet are on the swung out portion of the peg, it's surprising and awesome how close this feels to a forward-peg position motorcycle. The only real negative is that, when your feet are resting or planted in the outer most position, your legs are fairly wide, but your toes are pointed directly forward, which means there is quite a bit of ankle rotation on the outer edge of your ankles. I noticed a little twinge here after a long period in this position today, but nothing that couldn't be remedied by switching to any of the other possible foot positions in this configuration. You can rest your feet on the main pegs, you can keep your heel on the main peg and rest your arch and ball on the swung out portion. There are lots of cool permutations like this. It doesn't feel totally dialed in to me, yet. But it's also not just a novelty. It's close... I have a few ideas to further modify, but that will take some more time and experimentation.
I would imagine a big question on everybody's mind is- Do they drag? I haven't ridden these hard, so I haven't experienced it much yet. The only time it happened for me is on a slow speed right turn, and it surprised me a little, but didn't feel scary. I've only had 300 miles on these, though, so I'll update this if I have a new and informative experience with it.
The only other caution I've felt is the slight learning curve with shifting while the pegs are swung out. I can see this being an issue if you have a very wide foot, because you have to use a little different approach to moving your foot under the shifter, and there is less room to do so than with the stock peg. I haven't run into any issues here and haven't missed any shifts, but like I said, you may want to be cautious If you're wide of foot.
Happy riding, everyone!
