SW Motech ION Footrest Kit Review

The SW Motech footrests are tough, durable and make standing up while off-roading an adventure bike a hundred times easier.

SW MOTECH ION FOOTREST KIT REVIEW

Snapshot

Price: £120
Time tested: 2 years
Testing conditions: RTW ride
Bike used with: 2009 Yamaha XT660R
Durability: 5
Ease of use: 5
Value for money: 5
Where to buy UK: sportsbikeshop.co.uk
Where to buy US: revzilla.com

Features

The SW Motech ION footrest kits are stainless steel replacement foot pegs. The standard pegs on the Yamaha XT660 R are awful. They’re skinny, rubber and slippery, which are terrible for standing on and completely wrong for off-roading and adventure bike riding.

The SW Motech foot pegs are nearly twice the width with teeth and a removable rubber pad on top. The pad can be quickly taken out by undoing the retaining screw underneath the peg.

The pegs can be mounted at the original height or lowered by 15mm. They use the same fixings as your bike’s current pegs as well and fold in and out just the same, so as to avoid breaking in a crash.

What’s good?

Having decent foot pegs makes all the difference to off-road riding. If your boots aren’t secure on the pegs, then it’s going to be hard to change gear, break and balance as your blasting along trails.

The SW Motech foot rests have made a huge difference to the ergonomics of riding the Yamaha XT660 R. They’re wide and don’t ache the soles of the feet after a long day’s ride. The pointy teeth are grippy and stop the boot from slipping all over the place as well, even in wet conditions

I removed the rubber pad and left it at home. Its benefit is that it reduces vibrations on the feet when long-distance motorway riding. But as most of our travels are on rough terrain, I just didn’t need it and didn’t want to carry it with us.

I’m impressed with their durability as well. The pegs have last extremely well through a dozen crashes and being stood on for 25,000 miles from the UK to Japan through countries like Tajikistan, Mongolia and Afghanistan with constant off-roading and harsh abuse. They show no signs of rusting or corrosion and I couldn’t be happier with these foot rests.

What’s not?

The price is a bit hefty, but you get what you pay for and the SW Motech foot rests have done a brilliant job, so I can’t complain too much.

Round-up

The SW Motech foot pegs are excellent. They swap out your originals with minimal fuss and use the same fixings. They’re tough, durable and have made standing up while off-roading a hundred times easier. Pegs are a very important upgrade for off-road adventure bikes and motorcycle travel and these are a fantastic option.

SW Motech ION Footrest Kit Review Total Score: 15/15

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