I rode the Harley to work again today.....still getting her out from her winter slump....
One of my co-workers has a '13 Street Glide and he is the consummate "non-aggressive," "too safe to be safe" rider, always over thinking and verbalizing his thoughts, seemingly looking for reinforcement or approval.
He approached me today and said, as if in confession...."I've never scraped my floorboards. I don't know how I will react and I don't want to find out when I HAVE to turn and scrape."
Good on him for realizing that.
So we went out to the range markings in the parking lot after work and rode the "peanut" from the BRC2. I ALWAYS scrape something doing this on Saorla and the only way not to scrape on a big Harley is to take everything WAY too slowly.
Once I got him doing the "Outside, Inside, Outside" turn technique and doing the "Slow, Look, Press, & Roll" in EACH turn, I let him 'chase' me around so he could watch me, but I quickly caught up to him instead. We stopped, and I told him to stop letting the bike take him for a ride and for him to RIDE THE DAMN BIKE!
This seemed to wake him up and the next 4 corners he took, I heard scraping on 3. He had to stop and catch his breath as the sound and feel he found a bit unnerving. Also, he was scraping both his floorboards and his after market exhaust - which was shiny chrome and cost him a lot, I imagine. V&H Ovals, I think.
Anyway, a few more times around in both directions and he finally loosened up a bit.
Stopped again, but as soon as he started to verbally "over-think" I told him to shut up and ride.
Didi a few more laps, his confidence increasing.
Next time he stopped, he thanked me.
He actually did become a better rider in that 35 minutes.
I tell this story because many people find scraping the first 99 times VERY alarming and they think it is wrong somehow.
I've had HOG Ride Captains on the BRC2 who refused to even attempt the peanut because they feared scraping their expensive chrome.
Scraping is a natural result of lean angle and especially if the bike is a cruiser, bagger, lowered, and/or equipped with after market gizmos, scraping something is part of the riding experience.
I am quickly discovering that the F6B and Harley are two completely different animals in turns. F6B turning techniques can be used on a Harley, but in my case, I'm gonna be draggin' chrome.
Saorla's after market floorboards' outboard edges are lethal weapons right now.
Embrace scraping and practice it. Find the limits of your machine and yourself as you become more comfortable with each other.
And please don't let scraping something suddenly surprise you in the middle of a turn such that you over-react and do not finish the turn on two wheels.
Cheers.