Great idea! Was thinking that should be a brake light. I’m about to use Custom Dynamics LEDs to replace all bulbs anyway. I’ll add this to the list. Can’t have too much brake light! Thank you!

 

Sweet! Thanks for the write up and details Gee.
I take it the project was just one "Jack" on the difficulty scale?
Might have to hit the store before starting this project.

 

Yes, I think one jack describes it well.


I did add the Harley Hold fast docking point and the Ghost Bracket (for the saddlebags) docking points to the bike when I put the rails back on. Almost bumped it up to 1.15 jacks with those. I didn't catch instructions point when it was describing the lobes portion in relation to the horizontal plane extendning from you knee to your chest if laying down but if below the 49th parallel disregard the flat spot as it will now be called the line level to the bike in relation to your middle thigh if less than 4 feet then waistline if bike is in the upright position.

The Harley mounts have a flat spot on the docking points. Depending on how those spot are in relation to a horizontal plan determines how tight the attachment is being held. The less horizontal and more vertical you make those flat spots the tighter it will be. You can turn the flat spot left or right to make the adjustments. They are not adjustable by hand after you have tightened the bolts down. So you need to keep them loose put you attachemtn on and adjust the docking points on the bike to for the attachment. Once I realized that and found the right spacers in the junk drawer the sissy bar went on and came off fairly easy. I made another power point drawing with some spare time just for the hell of it.

All of Harley's instruction would be better if they used more visual description to assist us "Show me" don't tell me types.





I bought Easy Brackets for mounting my saddlebags to the bikes. The trick I found with them is they needed to be the same distance out from the bike. If one of the docking mounts for those brackets is just a little farther our or closer to the bike then the other. The easy brackets will not fit all the way onto the mounts to allow you to lock the bracket/saddlebags on the bike. Once I got those even I then had to go back and reset the flat spot on the Harley easy mounts. So you can see why it was almost a 1.15 on the Jack scale.


Oh, and the Easy Brackets called for a nut on the inside of the fender for their bolts going through easy bracket and the HD mount. I should have done that before I put the fender back on. The back bolt wasn't bad I could get my arm inside the fender and hold the wrench on the rear bolt, buy the forward bolt ..... Well it doesn't have a nut on it.

If your not familiar with the Easy Bracket they are up next with the saddlebags.

 

Dig the goggles.

 

Thanks. $25 at the dealer. Cheap but work great. Fit over glasses and anti fog too. Emgo is the company. Did a full day on the freeway with them Sunday. It was fine. I must be getting used to it. Might get a snap on shield for rain too.

 

Recap - HD Bags were on back order so I canceled the order and went surfing. In the end I decided to go with the Easy Bracket for the mounting of the Saddlebags and some Willie and Max Swooped Revolution hard mount - small saddlebags.


In the summer I like stripping the bike down and riding it bare. I didn't want any unsightly hardware to remain on the bike. The easy brackets just have the two mounting post on the bike. They go on and come off easy and the brackets lock the saddlebags on the bike and hold the bags on tight.


The easy brackets install is pretty straight forward. Put the mounting hardware on the bike. If you have the holdfast docking points on the bike the easy brackets go on the outside. They must be the same distance away or in an even line between the front and back mounts. Otherwise the bracket will no install fully to allow you to lock the bracket on the bike.


The instruction had the bolt going through the bracket and into the bags. I would rather have the button head of the bolt inside the bag and the nut and bolt on the outside. It took a little more work to get the nut on the bolt in the top of the bracket. Ended up using a magnet to hold the nut until the bolt grabbed it. Due to the bags design in the back I needed a couple spacers on the bottom to put between the bracket and back. If not it probably would have cracked the bag when I tightened down the bracket.

Because I decided to color outside the lines I needed shorter bolts for the top and longer for the bottom.




The Bag


Easy Bracket on bag




Outline of bracket and marked hole location



Making spacers for bottom holes.


Spacer and small hole to get the nut/bolt tightened down..



Looking down on the brackets you can see the two key locks that secure the brackets/bags to the bike next to the back of the sissy bar.





Saddlebag on the bike.

I decided on the saddlebag because of their small size and it looked like they would follow the upper fender line when installed. On my first bike I would strap anything on it and haul it home. Now I've settled down and take the Mustang if it will not fit in my saddlebags. It's a rough trade off but with the top down I can get some sun on my balding spot.


The saddle bags have a small foot print like the front windscreen, engine guard, and low sissy bar. So I thought they would all get along together.




I would not have complained if I ended up with the HD. They are nice bags but I'm glad it turned out the way it did. I saved over 500.00 to go for other parts on the bike and got the look I was wanting.














The bags are the right size for what I was wanting. My last two bike I had large bags that pretty much covered up the rear wheel of the bike. I didn't want that look on this one. With the smaller bags I can still see the rear wheel and they're a place to hold some items that are handy to have. If I was to nitpick the setup. It would be the distance away from the bike that the mount place the saddlebags and the front button clasp on one of the bags was bent making it difficult to button together.

 

We're not sorry about interrupting you regularly scheduled program to bring you this uslelss new..

Yes, we are live here outside the Mini Pads training facilities. The breaking story is that the Mini Pad may be facing retirement.......We'll go right into the interview with what's his name.

"I've used the same mini rail and mini pad on the last two bikes but it's looking like that tradition might end with the Fat boy. With it's big ***, there wasn't anyway the mini rail was going to straddle it. That left the burden to carry on the tradition solely on the Mini Pad and Backing plates mounting bracket. A heavy load to carry indeed. I've know the two small items for a while now and I have learned they are tougher than most men. They have taken a boot to the chin almost as many times as Donavan "Mickey" McKey has been K.O.d in the first round."

"Who's Mickey McKey?"

"That's not the point here. The facts remain. The Mini Pad has held fast and not a complaint one. It's no surprise to me they are ready for the challenge. It will be tough not having the sturdy rail to carry them but I think they will step up an meet the challenge."
Well folks their you have it. Comments straight from the boots that have kicked the little fellow so many time. The line has been draw in the sand for Mini Pad. Will this be the end of it's career or will the odds be overcome? Will the Pad ride on without his long time friend the rail? Will Gee ever wear a Kilt? Stay tuned to find out after a brief word from out sponsor.


Before the Smart something was invented. TV Commercials would crank up the volume.
Do you feel like putting on some really tight repurposed one piece swimsuit and summersaulting across a floor? How about spreading those creamy white chunks of heaven you call thighs and soaring over a horse's headless body? How about spring board diving into an empty pool? Well it's now possible for anyone to do that no matter what time of the day it is. All People of all ages and dexterity have been waiting for a pad like ours. So now you can give that gymnast the finger and become a star athlete on you own. You can now feel like a Silver medal winner if you purchase our product. You will feel safer and have more confidence . No more worries about what color suit to put on. With our mini pad, grab the white, because we have you back. You will feel lighter and happier and gradually over time someone will find you more attractive. With continued use your polularity will soar like Eddy the Eagle. Teeth whiting option sold separately. No more PTSTD anything. With the chemicals we added to our pad your skin will soak it up in no time and Hell you wont give a .... any longer.

Disclaimer: Individual Result Will Vary. Doubling up on mini pad is discouraged but not condoned. Males should not where tights nor add more then two mini pads in the crotch region. Do not cut the head off a horse so you can try and jump over. Improper installation could result in serious injury or death..

Back to your regularly schedule program.......
Okay it turned out all that hype was nothing more the TV drama to suck the viewer in be brainwashed by ridiculous commercials.


Getting the mini pad to fit was just a matter of drilling a 7/32" hole and taping it out with a 1/4-28" tap. Once that was done the rest (Back Rest) was no different than any of the other times it was installed.




The mounting plate attaches to the top of the sissy bar using a 1/4"-28 screw.



Unexpected and inconvenient info commercial breaks in:

"What will a mini pad do for you. A testimony from the guy that said "What if?" Way before HP ever did.


Hey, What if you don't have yourself a mini pad.....We'll I guess you probably will never...... Uhm. You know owning a mini pad isn't about ownership it's a ......way of life? no...........well it isn't as important as realizing what you might of have been charged with if you.. .......Ah Hell, all I know is don't let the wife get a hold of your Mini Pad. Can't go into details just trust me on this. The other thing is after the voices went away. The mini pad was still behind me. Something I will never forget. In appreciation for all the support it's given. I am going to build one room mini pads across the country. I will let weary travels stay for free. A place to lay back and rest. A back rest if you will. I will call them "Gee's Stay Fee Mini Pads"






Even though we are leaving behind our dear friend the Mini Rail. We feel good that we can at least continue on with a portion of the tradition of the mini pad. The mini rail will most likely be placed in a box and forgotten about until the next bike comes along. Maybe the mini rail will work with it.

The Mini Pad doesn't fit like O.J.'s glove it has some space on the side but it's not that noticeable.

We are our own worst critic.

It fits in with the small foot print concept I was thinking about.









"When" I get my wonderful wife to go for a ride with me I will put the stock pad on it. Until then it's all about the looks.

 

Gee,

Your posts are entertaining and your bike looks great. It sounds like you are having a lot of fun.

 

Entertaining and useful as always

 

Thanks. Only thing that make this even more fun would be deeper pockets. Well deeper pockets and warmer weather, that's all I need. Deeper pockets, warmer weather, and more part available. That it that's all I need.......... Well deeper pockets, warmer weather, more available parts, and Heidi Klum. That's all I would need. If the wife read the she'd probably call me a Jerk.


I didn't want anyone to lose any sleep so I didn't say anything but I guess it okay now. Today is the day I go in to get my motorcycle endorsement. No. I've never had one. It start at 9am so that leave you little time to make it to the course and cheer me on. I'll take the ridden part of the exam and then the written. One way or another I will come out the other end a bit wiser and maybe a law abiding citizen with and endorsement or a riding permit. I'm not worried about the written exam I passed that 4 year ago when I first got my 90 day permit. There is a site on the net that has practice exams which if I add all the question up in the 5 exams they provide for you I answered 190 out of 200 correctly. Some of the questions just get reworded so out of the 10 I missed I got them right the second time they came up.


Here's a link to the practice exams. It look to have other state exam as well.
https://driving-tests.org/


The riding skills is a different story and I'm not sure if I should lay out my excuses for not passing it now or wait to see if I need to later. The first time I attempted the course it was back before the state had contracted companies perform them. I thought it was going to be a breeze to pass. Hell I even drove by the parking lot they gave the test on the previous week. I did a few quick stops to practice. I drive slow through parking lots dodge carts and old ladies almost every day. I dip and dodge man hole cover with one freaking hand. I mean come on, cake walk. Plus, I had an ace in the hole the other didn't know about. So the morning of that test came and I wasn't there first. I'm not the one to sit in the front row of any class and I wasn't last. Right in the middle. I didn't want to draw any undue attention my way. So I tired to blend in. The last guy that arrived was on a moped. We all give him a jolt, a poke, a snicker in good humor. He is the only one that left the course with a endorsement. So he rode home and got on his big bike and went for a ride I am guessing. I went for a ride after just wasn't doing it legally after that for the next four years. As you guessed my ace in the hole turned out that the ace was low in this hand the dealt me. Before the testing started I broke the DOL employee out of the heard and far enough away that the others could hear. I then made some small talk about how long she had been doing the job. Was she married - happily married? Then I layed it down my last name. Boy were the other fellows going **** when they see me ride off without even needing to take the ridding test. Bam I dropped my old man's name on her. Who? She said. A little bewildered I thought it must be the mush mouth my wife says I have. So I cleared the mustache hairs away from my lip with the ever smooth two finger spread. Giving the hint of oral sex would be on option. I again dropped the old mans name, a little slower but with more emphasis on how cool I was. Again, sorry don't know Bill. I little shaken I stepped slightly back and asked how about Billy Lee, or William? Nope, you better get to you bike were going to be starting soon. Damn he must of lied to me or to them and never told them he had a child. My farther the great DOL Employee of Okanogan County was not the DOL GOD I thought he was. I was shaken, dumb struck, appalled and felt sick to my stomach. I could think of nothing else and when the time came to do the dreaded cones. My mind was already back on the couch soaking up my failure in ice cream. I drove around the first cone and out of sheer loss of will to go on a I put my foot down. The hell with it I screwed up on the rest of the course and just drove right off the parking lot. Not wanting to face the instructor again for fear taht she may have misunderstood my sexual advances as being anythig more than a trade for the grade.


This time around I am going to do it differently. I already felt the sexual tension between me and the instructor on the first call. He sounded nice but he wasn't going be there today. Thank God! I kept calling until the one that would be there answered. This time I was going to dig the hole before I laid the pipe if you know what I mean. SO we talked about my father quite extensively and the horrors he put me through (extreme exaggerations on my part) as a child. I could tell this one wanted to take just hold me until I stopped crying. I learned to cry on a dime when I was a child growing up as the guinee pig for four older brother is became invaluable to me living. She did stress that it was cash only since they just moved to their new location and could do a credit card at this time. I got the hint loud and clear. I will grab and extra 20 out of the machine on my way and slip in with the 80 they get for the written and skills test. Should be a automatic passing grade. I will be able to ride right over the fricken cones and still pass this now. At least the cones are in a straight line now before the were offset. OFFSET who has to ride around OFFSET fricken cones on a daily basis. Now I got a bike that has a big *** tire on the back and a clutch I just got set correctly a day ago to take the test on. Maybe I better take and extra 20 with me. Crap I better get my *** going Let's hope I come back a respected citizen of this great state.....


Sorry about the grammmmerr erorors