I hear the rear brakes are bad on these new Softails. IMO, after 9k miles on the bike, I fully agree. I used to ride a Kawasaki Z1000, bought for 8k brand new in 2016. I realize it's a MUCH different bike, but it put the Harley's brakes to shame at nearly half the cost. I don't see why my FXBB can't just have better brakes. I understand power and handling being different, but at this point, shouldn't the base-level for "good brakes" be a little higher across the board?

I've been riding 13+ years. I know about following distance, proper speed, proper application of brakes and such. I daily drive 40 miles from one side of Houston, TX to the other. I've been in situations on this FXBB where I was standing on the rear brake trying to get it to slow me down so that I could come in with front brakes, whereas with that Z1000, it wouldn't have even been a close-call situation. I was showing my brother some stuff he'd see on his upcoming MSF course, showing him emergency braking and such, and I couldn't get my rear wheel to lock up even when deliberately trying to do so. I realize locking up is bad, but I think the brakes should still be mechanically capable of doing it.

So my question is, what can I do to make the brakes better? Change the rotor? Pads? What makes one set of brakes "better" than another? Could I just buy the same type of rotor and calipers/pads that a bike with better brakes has and achieve it that way? I've already adjusted the brake pedal so I get more leverage on pressing it to its fullest. How do you make brakes better on a bike?

 

The rear brakes you have are weak. But if they are non-existent you may have some air in the system. This has happened to mine and bleeding the system has made it work. It is still weak, but a serious stab will make it lock on my non ABS '18 Low Rider.

 

Hmm, interesting. My bike is less than a yr old so I hadn't really thought of air being in the lines, I'll see if that's the case here. I have non-ABS as well, so I figured I should be able to lock the wheel up.

 

Clean the rotors and get new brake pads.
The highest friction brake pads are rated HH.
Clean the rotors with this to remove the burnished in old pad material: Rotor flex hone

 

I've adjusted my pedal, had the brakes bled and replaced the pads and I haven't noticed much if any difference. Some part of this system must be a weak link. I'm tossing up between a master cylinder upgrade or a caliper upgrade. All rersearch I've done suggests that a master cylinder upgrade is the single best upgrade you can do. Been looking at this one from Beringer brakes but maybe with a remote reservior so the MC can be kind of hidden behind my exhaust.


Beringer MC

 

I cannot offer a solution but can verify that you are not the only one experiencing this. The rear brake on my 2019 Low Rider was so ineffective from brand-new day-one (and to this day) that it should probably not have received DOT certification.

Yet another example of us loving on the H-D MoCo and them not loving us back so much!

 

I suffered with the problems--weak rear brake and grabby front brake--for about 3,500 miles. The good news is that the rotors and other brake components work well. I followed advice on the FORUM. Thoroughly cleaned the rotors with BrakKleen, then washed them with mild detergent & rinsed them, then let them dry. Then I had dealer replaced brake pads with Lyndall Gold Plus brake pads and thoroughly check the brakes. (I have ABS brakes; so, I spent the money to have the dealer replace the pads and check out brakes. If I didn't have ABS, I would have replaced pads myself.) Problems solved! After a bedding sequence and about 100 miles of local riding, the performance difference was unbelievable. I have about 1k miles on new pads, and the performance just keeps getting better.

FYI-1: I also adjusted the rear brake lever angle to allow more natural leverage on the rear brake.
FYI-2: If dealer tells you the Lyndall Gold Plus pads aren't available for your bike, go to Lyndall on-line site and order directly from Lyndall.

I really like my 2019 Low Rider: smooth, powerful engine & transmission, the new frame is rock steady in low speed maneuvers and cornering. But HD needs to step up to the plate and recall the brake pads and poorly designed jiffy stand. Both components are safety issues.

 

Harley-Davidson can't afford (at the expense of profit) to give us a second fob, heel shifter, paper printed HOG atlas, vents in the Road Glide's plastic inner fairing and you want what? Better brake pads?? Rear brake that works? Safely functioning jiffy stand?

Harley-Davidson customers ... all they do is want, want, want!

 

I wonder when they stopped giving 2 key fobs. My 18 came with 2.

 

So did my 2019.