hello all...

my '12 Ultra LTD w/650 miles and ABS has **** poor rear braking, it requires what I feel is extraordinary effort to accomplish a simple task... ie; stop the bike

has anyone changed the brake pads to another brand, and had any resolution?

dealer thinks the pads are glazed but it's been like this since new and 6 miles on the odo.. it is getting somewhat better but it's still lightyears from being acceptable.... master cylinder maybe??

I have owned 3 other bike brands with ABS before this one, and had zero issues, in fact they were ALL great..

thanx for any idea's

 

ABS only keeps it from locking up

 

My 2010 feels the same way when compared to "other" brands of bikes I have ridden in the last 39 years. With 5k miles I got tired of the noise and replaced the pads with aftermarket "sintered" kevlar impregnated pads. Noise went away, stopping is only marginally better. I was surprised at how little brake material there is, I would assume all of the pads are made with very hard material to last as long as possible and this would cause what you are describing. BTW, I'm a 25yr. master tech/automotive trainer so I am somewhat familiar with brakes and components.

 

you should be able to get to the lock up point pretty easy with your right foot- if you are not getting there then there is a fault, whether glazing, contamination or air in the lines. Even a problem with the switch

can you make it lock ?

the front does all the braking.

the weight shifts , the rear locks up and skids on non-abs bikes.

I know that my 900 pound 09 stops in half the space of my evo bagger

and I know that the 480 pound evo fxr stopped pretty good too.

you have to consider weight/speed/traction/stopping distance

Mike

 

I fully comprehend what ABS is, and how/why it works..

my point is this, I am trying to understand why I have to put a LOT of extra pedal pressure to get it to respond to NORMAL braking when it's used...

my 07 SG and my previous 4 Harley's are/were smoooooth and responsive non-ABS braking, and doesn't require me to lift my foot off the board, and put my body weight into getting the bike to simply stop..

front brakes work great, but there are times when you NEED to use the rear brake

I've had 3 previous ABS equipped other make bikes that were awesome, so I know something is wrong with this one

and, I know i'm not the first person to bitch about this either..

thanx for the replies

 

I have the same bike and would say that it brakes just fine in my opinion. I don't feel like I have to put much pressure on the rear pedal to get it to stop and definitely don't have to put my body weight behind it. It's also very comparable to my previous non-HD ride. Maybe you can find someone near you with the same bike that might swap with you in a parking lot or something to find out if it's you or the bike.

I wouldn't take a "that's the way it is on your bike" response from your dealer. Get it fixed...it's your brakes after all.

 

A lot of dealerships don't prep the bikes as they should...The rotors should be cleaned with brake cleaner...And the bike should be ridden and front and rear brakes thoroughly tested...It seems to take longer and lots of heavy use to get the rear brakes to stop as they should...Once this is done they should be fine.

 

did it come under the recall for rear brake switch? before and after comparison on changing the switch, the original switch stopped great, the replacement was a joke.

 

Check the brake pedal piviot, could be binding up, also look at the rear calaper, making sure it floats on the pins with no binding. I felt like my rear brake/abs was usless when I got my 10 ultra and was ready to disconnect it but I've learned to use the front with more confidence because of the abs.

 

I have the same issue with my non-ABS 2012 FLHTC. I've tried to lock up the rear brake and it can't be done. Will have the dealer check it out when I take it in for the 1k maintenance in a week or two.