DIY DR650 Highway Pegs

I have been riding my DR650 for awhile now and I decided it was time to do something about making it more comfortable. There are very few options for highway pegs on the bike so I decided to try making my own.

To make the pegs you need a few feet of 1 inch square tubing, 2 1-1/8" U-bolts, some 1-1/2 long bolts, and enough lock washers for every nut. The required tools can be basic like just a hammer, hacksaw, drill, and wrenches. A rotary tool can make things faster. I guess you could go nuts and use a chop saw, angle grinders, air ratchets, and lots of other tools for overkill.

First thing is tie the full length of tubing to the frame using rope or whatever in about the right position. Get on the bike and put your feet on the bar being careful not to move it since it isn't really on there secure. Mark where your feet are at. Using the length of the stock pegs or the width of your foot as a guide figure out how wide you want the pegs to be and where the pivot mount needs to be. Cut the tubing to the length you need for the mount. Cut slots along the top side of the tubing an inch deep and bend the top down into the tube so you have a U-shaped end with the U pointing up. Do this on both sides. Cut a set of pegs the same size out of the remaining tubing. I cut a slot in the first inch and a half of the tubing so I could hammer it flat enough to slip into the U shaped section. Make sure the bottom of the peg stays reasonably flat. Fit the pegs into the mount and drill a hole in the center of the mount making sure the pegs don't move while you are drilling so the hole is even through the pegs and mount. Now you can take the pegs off and round the corners so it will actually pivot. Just cut/grind them a bit at a time, putting them back in with the bolt to see where they don't clear folding up, then grind a bit at a time off. If you grind to much and mess it up you will have to cut another peg and start over.

Once you get the pegs on the bar so they can fold up stick the U bolts on the frame and hold the mount up to them and mark where to drill the holes for them. Drill the holes carefully since they need to be lined up well. Once you get your holes in there test fit everything and make sure the pegs fold up close to the engine. They can help protect the engine slightly if the bike slides on it's side. Take the bike for a spin and see how you like them. Once you are satisfied with how they fit take them off and paint them whatever color you want and reassemble it using lockwashers on all the nuts and putting loctite on the threads to keep it from vibrating apart. If the pegs get lose and fall down you can either use a spring inside them or just tighten the bolts so they stay in the up position till you push them down with your feet.

Enjoy your pegs, it makes my bike way more comfortable on long rides. After making them and seeing how little work it actually takes to make them I can't really understand why someone would be willing to pay over $100 for a set. I would estimate probably a three hour job if you have only the very basic tools and lot less time depending on what tools you have available.