Changing rotor pad on 1997 harley Flh(sporty)

Being the nice Son I am I changed the forward controls on my Mom's Flh that had been bent due to a light fall. Damn a sporty is heavy as hell. If you can lift a harley off the ground you are a man.

Well I changed out the whole chrome forward controls and ended up screwing it up. The rear brake dragged and warped the rotor. I bought the rotor and pads and am ready to go. A harley isn't quite like my basic buell blast so I could use some pointers. It looks like I have to pull the rear tire and rim, change the disc and pad. Then I have to put it back together without screwing it up.

My concerns are wheel aligement, belt tension, and then I worry about rear wheel bearing end play after that. First is getting this 600lbs pig off the ground and the damned wheel off. The instructions I found online are bad so I figure I'll ask you folks. Thanks folks, I appreciate it.

You know the easy way to lift a downed bike:

1. On the left side, lock the bars to full left

2. put yer ass against the seat

3. push backwords

It will stand right up. I've seen 120lb women lift an 1800 goldwing in this manner

Yep. I could lift dad's 500 when I was 10 doing that^

I'd try to use some sort of jack-type m/c lift to get it off the ground, They only have kick stands so you're screwed otherwise.

Having to take out the wheel to change the rotor is pretty normal. I'd mark the alignment/axle position with a dab of paint or similar so you've got a rough starting point when putting it back together. Re the belt tension, they don't stretch much and I think the owners manual at least on the older Harleys tells you how to set the tension.

BTW, Harley used non-sealed wheel bearings until the mid-nineties or something so depending on the age of the Sporty you might want to/have to regrease those while you've got the wheel out.

First off, an FLH is not a Sporty. Which is it, a Sportster or a Big Twin? Hint, how many CC and what year? There were 1200CC FLH's and XLH's of different years. For that matter, there were 1000CC big twins, but I'm gonna assume the bike was made after 1947.

Next up, we're talking the rear disk, right? The procedure is the same for either. Get the bike rear wheel up off the ground. There are many ways, so I'll assume you have one. Then just remove the axle and drop the wheel down. I like to put a floor jack under the tire so I can control it easy and not have to muscle it. Take the belt off the sprocket and remove the wheel. Replace the disk. Look in the shop manual. I think you need to blue locktite the bolts for the disk, and torque them to spec. That's one of the few areas on a Harley that you really do need to use a torque wrench. Make sure the caliper piston is pressed back in enough so you can get the disk up in there without too much trouble. A screwdriver stuck betwen the pads will help keep it open when you're trying to get the disk back in there. Put the tire on the floor jack and start raising it up into position. Make sure the disk goes between the pads. Don't force it. when you can, put the axle back through. If you don't change anything on the adjusters, then it should all be the same as when you took it off. However, this is a good time to check the belt tension. I use the HD belt tension guage, which is pretty cheap. Look for the deflection spec in the shop manual and where/how to check it. Rider on or not? Change both adjusters the same amount and the alighnment won't change.

Great info Doc. The bike is an XLH, not and FLH. Harley and their esoteric model numbers. The 1200 sporty is really a hell of a fun bike though. I suggest anyone who hate harley's to ride one, if you don't have a smile on your face after you don't have a soul.

I'm going to jack this pig up and get this job done. I'll post back with how it goes.

Thanks for the info on lifting this beast up also folks. Riding a harley down a steep gravel road and create spills. The forward control kit from CCI doesn't seem to have replacement parts easily available so had to get the whole tomale.

Thanks for the help folks I got everything back together. The hardest part is getting the pad shims in. I mounted the pads and shims and spring clip then slipped the brake caliper back over the whole mess. The piston needs to be fully retracted into the caliper to fit over the brakes. Kind of a pain to set up. I didn't even get to brake my only t45 driver so it all went well.

The alignment stayed straight as did the belt tension. I'm going to go and test ride it now so if you never hear back from me it means I messed up, again!

Thanks again folks, the other online guide I found wasn't the same as my moms bike.

Well the only issue I'm having now is that the the pads seems to be rubbing just enough to ruin my "mission accomplished" banner. I don't know why the pads are rubbing just enough to make some noise. As long as they don't rub enough to heat up and warp the rotor again I'm back in business

I'll test ride it again tomorrow and see what happens.

Did you ever determine the original cause of the failure? Could the master cylinder be not releasing pressure somehow? Is that an aftermarket MC? Is the arm between the pedal and the MC too long? That is, is the no-pressure position still depressing the MC? Your original problem is not common at all on a stock bike. Aftermarket E36 M3 causes problems.

Sounds like your master it not returning all the way to the vent position, as Doc said.

The original cause of the problem was that I didn't tighten the foot peg enough for the forward controls kit. The right foot peg has between 1/2"-1" clearance above the brake pedal. When the foot peg became loose and moved it contacted the brake lever causing the rear pads to drag. After only a few miles the rear brakes were smoked along with the rotor. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

I'm going to take another look at it tomorrow. I don't think the rear master is damaged, but I don't know for sure. I might need either adjust the brake linkage or reinstall the rear pads and grease the shims and pins which I didn't do. Working in the dirt on a tarp is no fun. It really sucks actually.

I reinstalled the rear pads following the manual to a tee. It looks like the pads got a bit chewed up during the 4 miles I rode it. I don't know if the rear caliper is fully releasing causing the new pads to rub a bit. Everything else seems right on. I think tomorrow I'm going to crack the bleeder and see if I get the caliper working correctly again. It is a real pain to get the piston back in the caliper with new pads on.

Any other suggestions?

Thanks for the help folks!

Assuming the caliper is pretty much OK, your problem is more likely to be the master cylinder side and/or the length of the lever. Disconnect the lever going to the pedal. You never did answer my questions above.