09 Fat Bob, bought June 2009. Pretty soon after I bought it I noticed the front brake lever didn't really have that forceful "snap back into position" that the new bikes on the showroom floor have. I read that it can be more likely to happen in dual disc models. A year later it got to the point my brake lights would flicker because it didn't return fully and I'd have to push it forward with my hand. I took it to the dealer and all they did was lube something in there, which helped but didn't really fix it.

In addition, my brake pedal was doing some of the same stuff, it'd get stuck at about half way and wouldn't come back to its normal position unless I put my foot under it and pushed it up.

Long story short, I took the bike to the dealer before my 2yr warranty ran out and was persistent: they replaced hardware in the brake pedal stating it was incorrectly installed at the factory and they are doing a warranty replacement on the front master cylinder. I'm waiting on the MC and it should be done by the weekend. I'll post back for those who had similar problems to see if this finally fixes everything.

 

Glad to hear it's being fixed for you Matt. Did you take it to Patriot HD?

 

Yup. I was reluctant but they're the closest and I bought it from them. The GM was really helpful with everything. He even took the MC apart with the mechanic to check it out himself.

 

For those with any issues with poor return in either the front brake lever or the rear brake pedal (forward controls), here's what fixed mine:

Front: tried everything, including cleaning pistons in calipers and replacing brake fluid. New master cylinder corrected the poor lever return.

Rear pedal: Don't use any lubricants on it as it will damage the seals. Apparently the wrong bolt was installed connecting the pedal assembly. Dealer removed and cleaned the bushing in the pedal of gunk that was in there.

These issues appeared fairly soon (6-12 months) into owning the bike. Everything is now 'like new.'