Thanks again, guys, for the additional info. In speaking with the dealer, he agreed that removal of the shaft through the primary was cosmetic, and supported not removing it. He even mentioned I'd save money by not opening the primary. Even though I could do the rest of the work myself, I'm going to have him do it. I may seem corny, but I'm old enough to recognize that guys have to earn a living, and I can afford to help them put food on their table. So sometimes I pay for things I could do myself.

 

Good for you helping others!

 

To help those considering forward controls and leaving the mid control shaft in the primary on late model FXDLs, here are some tips. The kit 49080-06A presumes the shaft will be removed and the primary opened. So it has a gasket, screws, etc, but no clip for the inside of the shaft and no chrome cover for the exposed short section of the shaft on the outside of the primary. My suggestion is to try kit 49080-03A, which is for pre-2006 FXDLs. The inside of the shaft holds an arm of 3 or 4 inches long. If the arm is left unsecured, it could flop around and slip in front of the arm used by the forward controls and jam the controls at an inopportune time. A small length of shock cord hooked to it and a solid point on the the front under the oil filter will hold it in a safe place. Not sophisticated, but it works. Anyway, the new forward controls have worked wonders for my comfort, so instead of trading bikes, I'm now going to add a stage one kit.