woodcraft rear sets

Most motorcycles come from the factory with generic footpegs/rear sets that don’t have aggressive texturing, they fold upwards with springs, non-adjustable, and generally speaking not the most sturdy/stiff feeling. Although there are many different brands of aftermarket rear sets out there, I am specifically going to speak on Woodcraft brand rear sets.

In the beginning of this article, I described multiple aspects of factory rear sets that come with motorcycles off the showroom floor. Now I will discuss why those aspects/features are less than desirable for racing or even faster paced trackday purposes. To start, I will cover the grip texture of traditional factory pegs vs most aftermarket options. Most factory footpegs have a smooth waffle like style texturing on the footpegs. The edges are smoothed out and the texturing does not protrude from the surface of the footpeg much at all. This factory style texturing is sufficient for street riding when you’re not pushing your own and the bikes limits. Once you start adding more load into those pegs, you need more contact surface with your boot and grip. The more power the bike has, the more lean angle you use, and the more pressure you load into the footpeg all plays a big role in your ability to keep your boots from slipping off the footpeg. Aftermarket footpegs have aggressive and raised texturing that grip into the soles of your boots much more effectively.

Now that we’ve covered the basics of grip texture on the footpegs, the next disadvantage of factory style footpegs is those that fold upward with springs. The problem with spring loaded footpegs is at extreme lean angles, the footpeg can make contact with the pavement thus applying unwanted pressure to your inside foot, upsetting your body position and possibly even the bike. Aftermarket rear sets that are fixed, meaning they don’t have springs/cannot fold upwards are much better for advanced trackday and racing purposes. Fixed footpegs are stiffer, meaning you get more “feel” from what is going on with the bike whether that means vibrations, bumps, flexing of the chassis are some examples. The feel is important because the closer you ride to the limit, the more aware/feeling you need to do it without crashing/exceeding the limit. The inverse is also true that at extreme lean angles, the footpeg will not fold upwards on you causing your inside foot to slip off or disrupt your body position. In most cases, a fixed footpeg will contact the pavement and simply grind a portion of the footpeg away. This is much preferred vs upsetting your body position or causing your foot to slip off the footpeg entirely mid corner. It’s a good thing Woodcraft rear sets have affordable and easily replaceable footpegs if they become heavily damaged.

Motorcycles are no exception when it comes to customization. Street bikes fitted with tons of aftermarket carbon fiber pieces, aftermarket windscreens, and etc. This is to say aftermarket rear sets offer customization in a practical way. Just like clothes and shoes, nobody is a one size fits all, and the same goes for how a rider interfaces with the motorcycle. Aftermarket rear sets, like Woodcrafts, have adjustability options to help the rider become more connected to the motorcycle. A taller rider may need the footpegs lower to have a proper connection to the gas tank, less aggressive knee flexion, and etc. The opposite is true of shorter riders who may need the footpegs raised to achieve the same proper connection to the motorcycle. Woodcraft rear sets also have adjustment built in for further back or forward mounting options. The ultimate goal is to have the footpeg as high as possible without sacrificing body position. This allows more clearance from the footpeg to the pavement at more extreme lean angles.

After discussing the differences between factory vs aftermarket rear set options, I will highlight what the Woodcraft rear sets offer. When it comes to racing and even trackdays, it’s inevitable that parts wear or get damaged either through use and or unfortunate crashes. Too often I have seen fellow riders at the track left with missing multiple sessions or the rest of their day/weekend because they didn’t have spare parts. Woodcraft offers individual pieces for sale. Therefore, you can have a couple extra footpegs, some brackets, toe peg pieces, bolts, and etc without having to spend much money. A footpeg may cost around $20 or so, and that $20 extra footpeg could be changed in a few minutes vs spending hours trying to find someone with the same extra footpeg you need or beating your damaged one with a hammer hoping it works (if it wasn't broken leaving a nub first).

Another benefit to Woodcraft rear sets is the simple design. The footpegs have prepositioned holes in a 360* circle that allow multiple footpeg positions. There are other brands that have a bunch of threaded holes for adjustment, but in my opinion 80% of those holes are not needed thus adding more material/weight and possibly cost to the product. In addition to the design, the rear set is comprised of individual pieces (good for fixing broken parts) yet it remains strong and durable. I have not had any issues with parts loosening, bending, or breaking because of the design.

In summary, Woodcraft rear sets are definitely an awesome product, and being a U.S. based racing program, it certainly helps having local U.S. based resources/support if needed. Their customer service is top notch, and it’s been nothing but a great experience working with Woodcraft thus far. This article was written independently, meaning Woodcraft did not sponsor or offer any exchange of goods or services for this article.

Here is the link to their website for more: Woodcraft Racing