Riding in Style and Comfort with TwinPegs

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Since starting to utilize my GSA for its intended use – offroad adventure riding – I’ve found myself riding more standing up. Contrary to what many people might think, standing up actually provides an additional level of control over the bike. Using your body weight to lean over the footpegs for direction and applying pressure with your knees and legs towards the tank for balance, gves an incredible feeling of confidence once you get comfortable and used to it.

TwinPegs – Ride Faster Further.

To make standing up even more comfortable, I came across a unique product developed and manufactured by a Norwegian company, TwinPegs.no.

The TwinPegs idea is quite simply to add an additional footpeg behind the original footpeg, placed so close to the original footpeg that the riders boot will cover both. It does not affect the operation of the gear/rear brake levers, and the additional footpeg will have the same fold-away safety functionality as the original one.

The additional footpeg gives the rider firm heel support, which enables the rider to use the leg muscles to stabilise the body, rather than relying fully on support from the upper body. Thus reducing “arm pump” and general fatigue. The pivoting of the boot around the original single footpeg, is moved to the ankle joint.

Only two days after I ordered my TwinPegs, this package arrived.

My set of TwinPegs arrived in the mail.

The package contained a complete kit of TwinPegs for my particular bike, together with mounting instructions, stickers and a business card.

Complete kit for BMW R 1200 GS/GSA LC.

I was exited to find that TwinPegs’ CEO and inventor Kai Ingvald Flateland had even taken the extra effort to write a personal message and thank me for buying his beloved TwinPegs. What a pleasant surprise! That’s customer service!

Business card with personal greetings from TwinPegs.

Installation

The manual that comes in the package isn’t very detailed, but then again, if you know you’re way around a screwdriver, this installation job shouldn’t represent an obstacle to anyone. However, if you feel slightly unsure, then I recommend this installation video from TwinPegs (on a 1250 GS).

First you need to remove the original footpeg. Simply pop off the lockable washer from underneath, and remove the bolt. The spring and the footpeg will come off by themselves.

The original BMW footpeg.

This is what you should have in front of you before beginning to install the TwinPegs. All the new parts on the left side, and the original BMW footpeg on the right side. You will reuse the BMW footpeg and it’s spring, but not the bolt and the lockable washer.

Original footpeg disassembled and the new kit ready for installation.

Here’s a pro MacGyver tip for installing the spring on the TwinPegs. It is a rather tight fit, and if you are alone, it can be cumbersome to thread the bolt through while applying pressure to the spring. Simply use a ratchething bar clamp like this one from Biltema and a small cable tie to keep it tightended during installation. Once in place, you cut the cable tie off.

A pro MacGyver tip for installation of the spring.

The part that clicks onto the bike frame is machined to be a snug fit, and thus, some minor adjustments might be needed for a perfect fit and in order for the bolt to pass through.

This part is a tight fit and might need some minor adjustments.

It took me about 5 minutes to make the necessary adjustments.

The beautifully machined part is a perfect fit and ready for installation.

Once the parts are ready, it is simply a matter of aligniting the parts, placing the springs correctly, and tighten the bolts. I think it looks like an integral and original part of the bike – and perhaps, BMW, this is what the bike should have looked like from the factory?

The install on the right side is complete.

My immediate reaction was “this surely feels good”. It really makes standing up so much more comfortable, and it does not at all affect other aspects of riding the bike.

The TwinPegs look good under the boot.

Depending on how stiff the sole of your boots is, this feels like standing on a flat surface. So much more contact with the bike, and so much more control – all while being more comfortable.

The TwinPegs also feels great under the foot.

The grip on the Twin Pegs are not as rough as on the original pegs, however, Twin Pegs are more for support – your main body weight will still be on the original begs where the surface should prevent you from sliding off.

This is how it looks when installed on the bike.

I am very pleased with how the TwinPegs looks when mounted, here on the right side.

Install complete on left side.

TwinPegs mounted on the left side.

The Final Verdict

Would I recommend TwinPegs? Most definitely! I found TwinPegs to have been machined very well for a snug fit, it installes quite easily, and man, what a difference it is to ride with the TwinPegs on! Last but not least, the service I experienced when ordering my TwinPegs and the follow-up conversations during and after my purchase, is beyond anything I’ve ever experience before. I started feeling like Kai Ingvald was a close and personal friend of mine, although I’ve never even met him once. That is what I call a unique customer experience! (Note: I did call Kai Ingvald to give him some direct feedback and possible ideas for further improvement, see below).

TwinPegs is a perfect match with my GSA.

I highly recommend TwinPegs for BMW R 1200 GS Adventure, especially if you ride standing up on a regular basis.

Any Further Improvements?

So, could TwinPegs possibly be an even better product. Yes, I found a couple of things I would like to see improved for future editions.

  1. Firstly, BMW Motorrad has adopted the torx screw drive since many years back. I love torx, and I would love to see TwinPegs bolts with torx screw drive instead of the traditional hex (or allen) screw drive. Why? Well for once, it would reduce the number of tools I potentially need to carry with me.
  2. I am unsure if this will ever become an issue, however, I would like to see TwinPegs having some type of max-bend and max-stop like the original BMW footpeg has. Problem is, there is nothing physically preventing the TwinPegs to potentially bend all the way up and damaging the exhaust cover (on the right side) or the paralever (cardan) drive shaft (one the left side). Again, unsure if this will ever happen, and if it does, perhaps greater damage would occur anyway? (damage caused by TwinPeges would not amount to much). None the less, I guess for Kai Ingvald Flateland it would be a matter of simple and clever designwork to improve it ever so slightly to remove the risk of the TwinPegs causing any damage to the bike. Perhaps we will see this in TwinPegs 2.0?
TwinPegs is close to perfect, however, I’ve found that there are still room for some minor improvements.

2 Replies to “Riding in Style and Comfort with TwinPegs”

  1. Thank You so much for such a detailed review!
    I ride a 2015 GSA LC and absolutely love it.
    However I have some neuropathy in my feet which can be rough when standing on a single peg for long periods.
    These TwinPegs look like a great solution 😊
    Thank you Again

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