MXA TEAM TESTED: PRO-PEGS TITANIUM FOOTPEGS

Click on images to enlarge

WHAT IS IT? Pro-Pegs is a Netherlands-based company that distributes its all-new titanium footpegs through MotoStuff in America. Made from high-quality titanium alloy, the footpegs are lighter and have a wider platform than stock footpegs.

WHAT’S IT COST? $268.00.

CONTACT? www.motostuff.com or (503) 830-6433.

WHAT STANDS OUT? Here’s a list of things that stand out with the Pro-Pegs titanium footpegs.

(1) Material. Pro-Pegs titanium footpegs are manufactured with high-grade titanium, known within the aerospace industry as Ti-6AL-4V. This titanium is lightweight, incredibly strong and corrosion-resistant. It can also be heat-treatable. The material has a composition of 6-percent aluminum, 4-percent vanadium, and slight traces of iron and oxygen. The remaining substance is titanium. Each piece of the footpeg, from the bracket to the cross-section to the outer platform, is TIG-welded together. As a result, the Pro-Pegs have a factory look with impressive strength characteristics.

(2) Weight. Footpegs that come on production motorcycles are most often made of cast stainless steel, a durable and strong material that is inexpensive to produce; however, it is heavy compared to titanium. Stock pegs are generally over-engineered to ensure that failures (generally caused by impact or stress) don’t occur. There’s nothing wrong with making a footpeg that is bombproof, but Pro-Pegs trimmed excess material to lessen weight and still maintain structural integrity. As a result, a Pro-Pegs footpeg for a Yamaha YZ125 weighs only 6 ounces. A stock footpeg is 8.4 ounces, or 28.57 percent heavier (shown above). The weight savings won’t be as noticeable if swapping stock titanium footpegs (i.e., Yamaha’s line of four-stroke pegs) for the Pro-Pegs.

(3) Width. The platform width of a standard footpeg has changed dramatically since the early days of motocross. It’s not uncommon for a stock footpeg to measure over 50mm wide. A larger platform aids in stability while riding and helps distribute the forces that are sustained in a heavy impact. A stock YZ125 footpeg measures 55mm at the widest point and has 20 individual teeth, while the Pro-Pegs titanium footpeg spans 60mm and has 29 teeth. The grooves in the Pro-Pegs teeth are also twice as deep as those in the stock YZ125 pegs.

(4) Price. At $268.00 a pair, the Pro-Pegs aren’t cheap. Then again, neither are any other aftermarket titanium footpegs. To compare, British-built Raptor titanium footpegs are $314.95, Works Connection Superlite titanium footpegs are $219.95, and Scar titanium footpegs retail for $343.06.

(5) Installation. Pro-Pegs includes two new cotter pins with every kit. This is a good selling point, because it’s not smart to reuse the old cotter pins. Do yourself a favor and use the included cotter pins during installation. As for swapping out the footpegs, it didn’t take more than a few minutes to install the Pro-Pegs. Note that the Pro-Pegs use the standard springs.

(6) Performance. Even the most sensitive testers didn’t notice the weight savings, but every test rider was pleased with how much grip the Pro-Pegs provided. Better yet, the pegs remained sharp after months of riding. The wide, 60mm platforms gave us the confidence to blast through treacherous sections of track or flat land from big jumps (it happens) without the arches of our feet getting wrapped up like pretzels. The Pro-Pegs have the distinction of being large without being chunky.

WHAT’S THE SQUAWK? The support brackets underneath the footpegs are scooped. Some testers noticed trapped dirt in these areas.

It’s too bad that riders don’t give much thought to the performance of their footpegs these days. If you want a sturdy, stout and lightweight footpeg, then take a look at Pro-Pegs.