Joined
·
513 Posts
The one thing I despised on my 2015 FLTRXS was the location of the rear brake pedal.
Starting in 2014 for some silly reason (probably because they changed vendors) all bikes with the touring frame have the rear brake pedal much higher and farther back than the one on my 2012 FLTRX or the 2013 models.
What that meant was not only was it awkward to really pick up my foot to apply the rear brake, but I quit using it except in low speed parking lot style maneuvers and began to rely on the reflex linked technology. That is a very bad habit to acquire, especially if you ride other bikes.
At this time, there is no after-market fix and Harley Davidson only offers methods to move it closer and even higher. I don’t think people are getting any shorter and I see a lot more tall guys and gals on touring frames than any other model.
The hardest part was deciding this was unacceptable and it had to be addressed.
So my quest begins.
First I ordered a rear brake pedal for a 2012 Touring model ($107.99) even though I realized at the time the part numbers were different. On arrival I discovered why, the mounting bore on 2014 - 2015 bikes was significantly larger.
Next I ordered bushings and O - Rings for a 2015 with the idea of having the brake pedal machined to fit those bushings. On arrival I decided too much material would need to be removed for me to be comfortable with the results. This step cost me just under $15.00 and can be completely eliminated.
I got to measuring the center to center bolt spread and couldn’t see why the engine mount cap from a 2012 Touring frame wouldn’t work on my 2015. So I ordered one of those ($55.99 which wasn’t too horribly bad and close to what machining costs would have run anyway), along with the O-Rings ($1.98) for a 2012.
With my parts assembled I settled down for the project. I was going to take pictures of the process but became involved and forgot about doing so.
I removed the board along with the mounting brackets.
Next grabbed the cotter pin retaining the brake lever clevis pin in place with a pair of pliers and pulled it out. It’s thin enough it comes out easy and while you might consider replacing it, I didn’t have one handy and didn’t see a reason to run get one.
Next I unbolted the cap nut on the rear brake lever and removed it from the bike.
Then I unbolted the rear master cylinder from the mount and let it lay loose, and removed the engine mount cap.
I had recently done the 1000 mile service on the bike so I knew the front engine mount was still at recommended torque. Even though it’s listed as a motor mount the purpose is to keep the rubber engine mount from moving out of place. I did not have to support the engine however I wouldn’t go starting it while this mounting cap was off.
I found the yoke for the clevis pin which attaches the pedal to the master cylinder is not as wide as the 2015 but not significantly so. A wedge or in my case a chisel along with several raps with a ball pin hammer solved that problem readily enough. You don’t have to spread it much and in my case it had no effect on hole alignment for the clevis pin, and it looked like I‘d never bothered with it.
The base of the clevis pin is slightly larger in diameter and since I had a newly chromed part I had to run a drill bit through the outside hole to remove the chrome inside to allow the clevis pin to seat.
Reassembly is simply the reverse of disassembly with the exception of installing the new O-rings and I used petroleum jelly as a lubricant. Stock I could see no indication of anything being used and I wanted something that wouldn’t be attacking the (plastic/fiber/whatever) bushings.
Problem solved, my rear brake pad is back to the position as my 2012 and the 2013's and I no longer have to take my heel off the boards to apply rear brake.
Starting in 2014 for some silly reason (probably because they changed vendors) all bikes with the touring frame have the rear brake pedal much higher and farther back than the one on my 2012 FLTRX or the 2013 models.
What that meant was not only was it awkward to really pick up my foot to apply the rear brake, but I quit using it except in low speed parking lot style maneuvers and began to rely on the reflex linked technology. That is a very bad habit to acquire, especially if you ride other bikes.
At this time, there is no after-market fix and Harley Davidson only offers methods to move it closer and even higher. I don’t think people are getting any shorter and I see a lot more tall guys and gals on touring frames than any other model.
The hardest part was deciding this was unacceptable and it had to be addressed.
So my quest begins.
First I ordered a rear brake pedal for a 2012 Touring model ($107.99) even though I realized at the time the part numbers were different. On arrival I discovered why, the mounting bore on 2014 - 2015 bikes was significantly larger.
Next I ordered bushings and O - Rings for a 2015 with the idea of having the brake pedal machined to fit those bushings. On arrival I decided too much material would need to be removed for me to be comfortable with the results. This step cost me just under $15.00 and can be completely eliminated.
I got to measuring the center to center bolt spread and couldn’t see why the engine mount cap from a 2012 Touring frame wouldn’t work on my 2015. So I ordered one of those ($55.99 which wasn’t too horribly bad and close to what machining costs would have run anyway), along with the O-Rings ($1.98) for a 2012.
With my parts assembled I settled down for the project. I was going to take pictures of the process but became involved and forgot about doing so.
I removed the board along with the mounting brackets.
Next grabbed the cotter pin retaining the brake lever clevis pin in place with a pair of pliers and pulled it out. It’s thin enough it comes out easy and while you might consider replacing it, I didn’t have one handy and didn’t see a reason to run get one.
Next I unbolted the cap nut on the rear brake lever and removed it from the bike.
Then I unbolted the rear master cylinder from the mount and let it lay loose, and removed the engine mount cap.
I had recently done the 1000 mile service on the bike so I knew the front engine mount was still at recommended torque. Even though it’s listed as a motor mount the purpose is to keep the rubber engine mount from moving out of place. I did not have to support the engine however I wouldn’t go starting it while this mounting cap was off.
I found the yoke for the clevis pin which attaches the pedal to the master cylinder is not as wide as the 2015 but not significantly so. A wedge or in my case a chisel along with several raps with a ball pin hammer solved that problem readily enough. You don’t have to spread it much and in my case it had no effect on hole alignment for the clevis pin, and it looked like I‘d never bothered with it.
The base of the clevis pin is slightly larger in diameter and since I had a newly chromed part I had to run a drill bit through the outside hole to remove the chrome inside to allow the clevis pin to seat.
Reassembly is simply the reverse of disassembly with the exception of installing the new O-rings and I used petroleum jelly as a lubricant. Stock I could see no indication of anything being used and I wanted something that wouldn’t be attacking the (plastic/fiber/whatever) bushings.
Problem solved, my rear brake pad is back to the position as my 2012 and the 2013's and I no longer have to take my heel off the boards to apply rear brake.
