Custom Made - 3" Forward Control Extension Review

Overall 4.00 of 5 (by 1 user)

kid-kansas
Vincennes, IN

A great addition for us taller riders!

A Motorcycle Owner, daily driver, safety conscious

Pros

good quality, all parts included, easy to install, instructions included

Cons

not powder coated

JUL

2008

Custom Made - 3" Forward Control Extension —

Look at any motorcycle specialty catalog and you will find Forward Control Extensions by a few of the customizers out there. Most will charge you any where from $300-$500 for moving your controls any where from 1 1/2" to 3". Some are chrome plated others are powder coated but they all accomplish the same thing, they move your foot controls forward so you can stretch your legs a bit further than your stock controls.

Custom Made Forward Control Extension 3"

Looking around I found several after-market foot control extensions on the web. Thanks to the entrepreneur mindset there are alternatives to the larger companies at a fraction of the cost. I was able to find 3 that made them for my V Star Classic but 2 of them are backed up 2 weeks or more as this is a very popular modification. They both provided a powder coated version(one was a 4", the other a 4 1/2" set) and were priced from $99 to $125 but seeing how I needed them sooner I kept looking. I found the 3rd. place while looking on Ebay and although they are the same principle these are only painted black but are $70 so much cheaper than the other 2 I found.

This set includes a gear extension rod, a brake extension rod and the 2 plates (cold rolled steel) along with bolt and nuts to complete the install. This set is a bit different as it has the brake switch attaching to the rod instead of the bracket as the other 2 available. I got these installed in about 30 minutes with very little trouble and used Loctite Thread sealer to make sure they stayed tight.

For whatever reason these extensions also lowered my brake pedal about 2 inches but it is a lot more comfortable that way. I also had to adjust my brake switch to get the brake light to come on when I pushed down on the brake pedal. A simple adjustment that took only a few minutes. Compared to commercially made extension kits this one is right up there in how it is made and very easy to install.

Now you may not think 3" will make much difference but let me put it in terms I know many will understand. Say you are on an airplane (sitting in coach) and they moved the seat in front of you 3"! Just enough to get that cramp out of your legs on that 5 hour flight. Now lets just say you had to pay an extra few dollars each flight to get that 3" of extra leg room...wouldn't it be worth it?

These are available for 5 different Yamaha models the 650 Classic/Custom, 1100, 1300 and Road Star models. There are others that make them for other metric bikes as well as for Harley's. It goes to prove that an entrepreneur can make a quality product without gouging the consumer like most custom parts makers do! If your in the market for thses then just look on Ebay and see how much you can save by looking around. Don't think you have to buy from the big companies because there are many little companies that make quality products!

Bottom Line

A little 3" extension can make a world of difference, especially on a long ride. For a long legged person like me it gets my legs a bit straighter and also makes getting my foot onto the brake pedal easier, which translates to a safer ride! A little longer extension would be nice but 3" will do for now. I may just get 2 pieces of steel and make my own a bit longer and maybe even tilt it up a little but that can wait.

Although these are only painted black and not powder coated they were a blessing on my long ride to Indiana and feel great going down the road. I got these from the_extension_depot on Ebay and I want to thank them for making a great product at a reasonable price!