Johnnybnix Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 I thought some might be interested in my experience of fitting and riding with Motratech lowered pegs on my 2004 Bellabio. By the time I managed to import them to UK they did cost quite a lot despite my best efforts to reduce import taxes and yes, I still got hit for some tax. However with the pound sterling now through the floor, it was better then than now to buy them. They are very comfortable and, for me, change the feel of the bike somewhat. It feels less sporty with my knees not bent so much. It helps reduce the tendency to slide forward on braking etc and vastly reduces the knee ache on a longer ride. No problem with ground clearance. Fitting was straightforward and the instructions are good. It helps to have a picture of the fitted pegs on each side which I printed off their website. The only modification I made was to reduce the thickness of the spacers on the gear change side because, with the ones supplied, I found I had to swivel my left foot in uncomfortably to hook or press the shift pedal. I had a mate turn me up some new alloy spacers to the same diameter of the Motratech ones at 2.5mm which was just sufficient thickness to allow the shift lever to miss the pedal on the upstroke see pix. John of Motratech made the point that if I modify the fittings it negates his product liability but recommended that if I chose to fit thinner spacers they should be the same diameter as the ones supplied to manage the loads placed on the footpeg especially if standing on the pegs. So I did. I left the brake side as supplied. The only other thing I'd recommend is not to try to remove the stainless cap screw/bolts that hold the rubber boots on both the Brake and Gear shift levers. I sheared off one bolt as the stainless steel had reacted with the alloy and seized solid. Much simpler is to buy two new rubber boots and two new cap head screws/bolts and leave the rubber boots on the removed levers. New boots look better too with the new shiny Motratech kit. All in all, a worthwhile exercise if bent knees cause pain! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
footgoose Posted November 2, 2016 Share Posted November 2, 2016 nice write up. thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzamoto Posted November 3, 2016 Share Posted November 3, 2016 Hello Johnny I just put the Motratech pegs on my 2004 Cafe Sport as well. I also printed up some pics from the website to see where things went. Good idea with thinner spacers on the shifter side. I had the same issue with the toe peg being just a bit too far in. Fortunately, the previous owner had experimented with other foot peg set ups and passed along a set of bespoke toe pegs which are longer than stock and that solved the problem for me. I was also concerned about the shifter being adjusted properly but having set it up as per John's instructions it's perfect. Yeah, they're pricey and it took me a while to talk myself in to it but I'm glad I did! Cheers! John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johnnybnix Posted November 6, 2016 Author Share Posted November 6, 2016 Thanks Footgoose. Yeah John, me too. Took a while to convince myself to make the purchase but the major point for me was retaining the folding pegs. I gathered from some other comments on the forum that an alternative supplier has fixed pegs. The spectre of high siding off as a peg digs in was too awful to contemplate . Mind you, I'd have to be going at it a bit . My next project is to make a custom seat using a s/hand seat acquired from matey chops in France to accommodate my bony backside. Got the foams, got the tech, got the cover, now just need to get the motivation to start. It's freezing in Uk today so maybe time to snug up in the garage and get on with it! All the best Cheers Johnny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docc Posted November 6, 2016 Share Posted November 6, 2016 Thanks Footgoose. My next project is to make a custom seat using a s/hand seat acquired from matey chops in France to accommodate my bony backside. Got the foams, got the tech, got the cover, now just need to get the motivation to start. It's freezing in Uk today so maybe time to snug up in the garage and get on with it! All the best Cheers Johnny Heh - just back from a short ride on a fresh(er) seat that I got from footgoose. Whew - apparently 100,000+ miles are a bit hard on seat foam . . . this is much better. Now to take my original seat to make the custom that I'm being brewing up. We'll have to have a Custom Seat thread! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
footgoose Posted November 7, 2016 Share Posted November 7, 2016 Thanks Footgoose. My next project is to make a custom seat using a s/hand seat acquired from matey chops in France to accommodate my bony backside. Got the foams, got the tech, got the cover, now just need to get the motivation to start. It's freezing in Uk today so maybe time to snug up in the garage and get on with it! All the best Cheers Johnny Heh - just back from a short ride on a fresh(er) seat that I got from footgoose. Whew - apparently 100,000+ miles are a bit hard on seat foam . . . this is much better. Now to take my original seat to make the custom that I'm being brewing up. We'll have to have a Custom Seat thread! Yes please do! I want to do a new seat too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzamoto Posted November 10, 2016 Share Posted November 10, 2016 Just a foot note to my post above. Had to get a tow truck to bring me home on Tuesday. On a ride through the East Bay hills I suddenly had no shifting. The 6mm bolt that attaches the shift lever to the shift rod on the trans had dissappeared. I had nothing on board I could use to jury rig it, hence the tow truck call (Thanks AMA roadside service!). Lesson learned? Don't be a cheap bast*rd. ALWAYS use a new lock nut. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
czakky Posted November 11, 2016 Share Posted November 11, 2016 And some blue loctite! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nwrider Posted April 28, 2017 Share Posted April 28, 2017 This thread jumped out at me since I've just brought home a 2004 Ballabio. Mine came with the MotoBits lowering kit. I too am not thrilled with having fixed foot pegs and there's quite a bit of slop allowing lateral movement of the shift lever. First hand information on the motratech system is great -- thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom M Posted May 1, 2017 Share Posted May 1, 2017 This thread jumped out at me since I've just brought home a 2004 Ballabio. Mine came with the MotoBits lowering kit. I too am not thrilled with having fixed foot pegs and there's quite a bit of slop allowing lateral movement of the shift lever. First hand information on the motratech system is great -- thanks. I had some bushings made that allowed me to attach folding footpegs to my Motobits setup. Details are in this thread in case you're interested: http://www.v11lemans.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=14974&page=2&hl=motobits&do=findComment&comment=204997 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nwrider Posted May 2, 2017 Share Posted May 2, 2017 Thanks for the reference and the dwgs. Not sure what I'm going to do at this point but it's another good option. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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