First off, great product. Fit and finished look are great. Even my dealer was impressed, they'd never seen them.

They can be flipped out while riding. Some (newer design?) have a small knob that you can catch with your boot. I don't have the knob but it is still not a problem to operate while riding.

As for leaving them out, probably not a good idea. There are a couple of horror stories here of the damage done when the bike fell over. I believe the newer versions have a breakaway to help prevent some damage tho.