Rear Brake Lever

[Osco]

Hey Guys Is the Rear Brake lever mounted on a spline so I can drop the peddle a few clicks ? I have and like my Mid controls and I wanna be able to cover the brake an Its just too high up?? I figure thats the first step in making the rear brake more useable,,,Its awful powerful,,,
Second step is to drill more holes in the disk,,,,third is to Install a smaller caliper. Hoping a lower pedal is all i need. P.S. Am I crazy for riding a sportster like a sport Bike ? I think not, the damn thing handles. XL1200Roadster

[Monk]

Y'might need to adjust how it works the master cylinder... the long linkage that comes with fwd controls gives quite a bit of room to fiddle, dunno about the mid type linkage hdwe.

Be careful, brakes are quasi-important.

[Dave63]

Originally Posted by Osco

Hey Guys Is the Rear Brake lever mounted on a spline so I can drop the peddle a few clicks ? I have and like my Mid controls and I wanna be able to cover the brake an Its just too high up?? I figure thats the first step in making the rear brake more useable,,,Its awful powerful,,,
Second step is to drill more holes in the disk,,,,third is to Install a smaller caliper. Hoping a lower pedal is all i need. P.S. Am I crazy for riding a sportster like a sport Bike ? I think not, the damn thing handles. XL1200Roadster

After 2005 (I believe) there's little adjustment you can make on the "linkage" between the rear brake operational rod and the master cylinder.

The movement in the linkage can be found to set up of the linkage to be within factory specs, but there is a little room for movement or adjustability, which will inadvertantly move the pedal about 1/2-3/4".

I've seen aftermarket ball-ends and rods to make it more adjustable.

Not sure why you're going to drill holes in the rear rotor, unless your intent is to remove about 65-90 grams (at most) of rotating mass (which is nothing on a heavy bike) or to REDUCE braking surface, and rear braking ability. Which is exactly why I did it to my race bike, and for about 45 other guys.... to reduce rear braking ability and to use it in trail braking with less fear of rear wheel lock-up. Outside of the "cool factor" it's a waste of time on the street. I wouldn't suggest it at all. Especially if you don't drill the holes correctly, by both size and finished edge.

Are you crazy for riding it like a Sport bike?

If you're truly pushing it like a sport bike, then yes.

The Sportster is just that: "Sporty". It's not an out of the box, competitive racing machine. It has no adjustabilty for the suspension (S-model only, and that's limited) for an individual's weight to set sag, rider sag or preload, let alone adjustability for damping, compression or rebound in the forks and shocks. The fork valving sucks. It's for a cruiser.

The rear shocks don't have half the needed high speed damping ability because they're designed to hold 2 people, and not sprung for a single rider with gear, which will result in the back stepping out the first small bump you hit under load, in a corner. You'll learn what a "highside" is quickly.


The tires are not of a compound that i'd be using for anything other then cruising or at best: Spirited riding.

Is it a fun bike to take out and ride around and have a ball on?

Sure is. .

[V-Girl]

Good...pedal..not lever...I was worried...

[Osco]

Thanks Dave,,Mind you im not pushing the limits of this bike. I am exploring the cornering ability a bit. It just handles like It wants more. Don't worry im not gonna install a thumb brake or get crazy.
Mostly i wanted the brake pedal a bit lower so I can cover it better in traffic.That should help me master the rear brake faster. I can take both brakes to near lockup with good control at moderate speeds so far. Now Since I got you,,Is the chassis worthy of more responsive suspension? It rides fine and at medium cornering speeds reasonable bumps dont seem to unsettle the chassis much even when doing light Trail braking or Using the throttle to "stand her up" on corner exits. I'm just trying to get the feel so If I get in a jam I will know where I can go,,,,,, and your right I will not drill the disks out,,that and a smaller calliper are too extreme. I just wanted less power in the rear brake to make it more usable and forgiving. lowering the pedal 1/2to 3/4 should take some leverage out.

[Dave63]

Originally Posted by Osco

Thanks Dave,,Mind you im not pushing the limits of this bike. I am exploring the cornering ability a bit. It just handles like It wants more. Don't worry im not gonna install a thumb brake or get crazy.
Mostly i wanted the brake pedal a bit lower so I can cover it better in traffic.That should help me master the rear brake faster. I can take both brakes to near lockup with good control at moderate speeds so far. Now Since I got you,,Is the chassis worthy of more responsive suspension? It rides fine and at medium cornering speeds reasonable bumps dont seem to unsettle the chassis much even when doing light Trail braking or Using the throttle to "stand her up" on corner exits. I'm just trying to get the feel so If I get in a jam I will know where I can go,,,,,, and your right I will not drill the disks out,,that and a smaller calliper are too extreme. I just wanted less power in the rear brake to make it more usable and forgiving. lowering the pedal 1/2to 3/4 should take some leverage out.

Be careful using throttle prematurely when exiting corners, if you're leaned over, on a bike without tuned rear shocks. When you least expect it, that's when it'll bite you. Keith Code-101.

The Sportster has TONS of room for suspension improvement. It comes down to what you want to spend on shocks or forks. I spent $3800 for one rear shock and new, worked forks for my race bike. You could look into better rear shocks and a set of used Sportster XL-S front forks and have them reworked and better valves and springs put in. I know guys that run them in the vintage classes and do well.

You can get the same affect for the rear brake, to some degree, by just adding a little air into the brake system. It makes the brake a tad mushy, and less responsive. It's an old school trick to achieve the same "reduced" brake feel in race bikes.

[Osco]

Originally Posted by Dave63

Be careful using throttle prematurely when exiting corners, if you're leaned over, on a bike without tuned rear shocks. When you least expect it, that's when it'll bite you. Keith Code-101.

The Sportster has TONS of room for suspension improvement. It comes down to what you want to spend on shocks or forks. I spent $3800 for one rear shock and new, worked forks for my race bike. You could look into better rear shocks and a set of used Sportster XL-S front forks and have them reworked and better valves and springs put in. I know guys that run them in the vintage classes and do well.

You can get the same affect for the rear brake, to some degree, by just adding a little air into the brake system. It makes the brake a tad mushy, and less responsive. It's an old school trick to achieve the same "reduced" brake feel in race bikes.

Tanks Dave,,I hear ya and Im learnin ,,,Thanks man

[Tennjack]

im wondering if he could do like we do on the dirt race cars and splice in a brake balance bar ( is there enough brake pressure on the bike to use one ? ) if hes wanting a drilled rear disc custom chrome has one just the center has to be milled out a bit ( im running one on my 06 not by choice tho. ) and he should be able to find a rod end to adjust his brake pedal just be sure to check to make sure the brake light works might need to adjust that ?

[Osco]

The Dealer didn't have an adustable linkage,nothing in thier aftermarket catalog,,, bummer, they said I should get some ball ends and thread my own,,should be easy to do. I may buy a stock replacement, cut it,tap it,shorten it,,hey WTF Its a hobby. Im not gonna drill the disk or work a smaller caliper,,too much is too much. If I can get the peddal a 1/2 inch lower that will do what I want.

[zetaseven]

JP cycles has all kinds of chrome rods an clevis ends,