A place for riders to compare notes. Post your build, ask whether a part fits your year and model, share the trick that saved you an hour in the garage, or tell us what we got wrong on a part so the next version is better.
Everything here is read by a person. Photo and feedback submissions come through the form below; discussion happens in the forum threads further down, where comments are moderated before they go live. Nothing is automated, and nothing gets held back for being critical.
Things riders told us they wished they'd known before they picked up a wrench. Got one of your own? Post it in the forum below.
Bolt the control plate up finger-tight, then sit on the bike in your riding position — boots on — and run the shifter and brake pedal through full travel. Heel/toe setups especially: what looks right on the stand can catch your boot on the road.
On a Touring bike, more than an inch or two of extra rise usually means a longer clutch cable, a longer brake line and wiring extensions. Budget for them up front, and check full lock both ways with the bike off the stand before you ride.
After any rotor, adapter or caliper-mount change, spin the wheel and check rotor-to-pad clearance right around before the wheel touches the ground. Use new crush washers on banjos, bleed until the lever is firm, and re-check the fittings after the first few heat cycles.
Carbon crushes long before aluminium does. Use the spacers and washers supplied, tighten in stages across the pattern, and never put a socket directly against the weave. If a panel needs force to line up, the bracket is wrong — not the panel.
Leave every clamp, flange and mount finger-tight until the complete system is hanging on the bike, then tighten from the heads back. New gaskets every time. Tightening as you go is how you end up with a header that won't seal.
Handle anodised and coated parts with clean gloves, and wipe everything down with isopropyl before the first ride. Skin oils set under heat and sunlight and then they're permanent. Keep thread locker off visible faces — it marks them.
These are rider-shared notes, not a service manual. Always use the torque values and procedures in the Harley-Davidson service manual for your year and model, and have safety-critical work checked by a qualified technician.
Open threads with comments switched on — install tricks and gotchas, plus reviews, feedback and requests. Replies appear once we've approved them.
