Got Pads? Replacing Brake Pads on a Harley With ABS

This has been a long requested maintenance topic for over a year. How to replace
brake pads on a Harley that has an anti-lock brake system. There are differences
in the process for successfully changing the pads but nothing most people wouldn’t be
able to perform on their own at home and save a load of money doing so. Lets take a
look at the differences.

The biggest point to be addressed is with the Dot 4 brake fluid in the brake lines.
Because of the anti-lock brake module it is critical that the system remain free of air.
Any small amount of air that enters the line will cause the anti-lock brake module to
become ineffective in its purpose of pulsing the brakes to bring the bike to a quick stop.
As long as you keep the brake system sealed and not allow air into the line then changing
the brake pads can be done at home.

When changing the pads you will need to first pump a little bit of brake fluid out of the
master cylinder to make room to the brake fluid that is in the calipers. You only want to
pump out just enough to bring the level down to about halfway in the master cylinder.
This will keep the brake system sealed and free of air.

There is also a wheel speed sensor on the left front caliper area and also on the rear
brake caliper area. Not to worry though, these are only cables that will need to be moved
out of the way so you can work on the caliper. There is really nothing you can do to cause
harm to these sensors unless you physically cut them which unless your purpose
is to do so, isn’t going to happen.

Once you get the caliper off, depress the pistons into the cylinder bore to make
room for the new pads, your at the halfway point. Depressing the caliper pistons
will push brake fluid back into the master cylinder which is why you need to remove
some before removing the calipers. You don’t want brake fluid over flow from the master
cylinder getting all over that beautiful paint on your bike.

Install the pads as you would any on any bike whether it be ABS or non-ABS.
Reinstall the caliper. Once you have done all brakes related to the same master cylinder
it is time to compress those new pads to the rotor. Gently and fully compress or pull on
the brake handle or peddle, release, and repeat until you have brake action. Doing this
will push the fluid back down the line into the caliper from the master cylinder. It will
take a few runs through the process before the pads make contact with the rotor and give
you a tight brake. While doing this be aware of the fluid level in the master cylinder.
If it gets too low be sure to add some brake fluid. You don’t want to take a chance on it
getting low enough to allow air to enter the line. If air gets into the line you will have to
take your bike into the dealership and have them bleed the line digitally using digital
technician II software to purge the ABS module of any air that could have collected inside
that won't come out by conventional means. Once you have good tight brake on the lever
or pedal, refill the master cylinder back to the full mark and close it up.

Take it easy for about 100 miles to allow the pads to burn in before really grabbing
on them hard. The process can be done both front and back in its entirety in less than an
hour. This is a great money saving process, familiarizes you with your bike, and maintains
the safety factor of the brakes.

I got my brake pads online at Get Lowered Cycles and had them shipped to my front door.
This is a great convenience so you don’t have to spend time going to a parts house or
dealership. You can have them shipped and delivered to your home so they will be ready
for installation at any time.

How to Replace Brake Pads on a Harley with ABS

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Carrying A Firearm While Riding a Motorcycle

This can be a very controversial subject and one I have been hesitant about delving
into for quite a long time. The more I thought about it though it become more clear
that a practical review of the subject would be helpful to a lot of riders that carry while
riding. I am licensed to carry and I do carry while riding. But how effective can that
firearm be if needed? That is what the focus of this post will be.

FIRST and Foremost!

Do you even have the legal right to carry a firearm? This is something you will need
to research as to the laws in the state or country you live in. I can only emphasize that
you need to be within your legal rights if you are planning on carrying a firearm.
If you are travelling outside the state you are licensed to carry or concealed carry in be
sure to check reciprocity of the states you will be travelling through. I want to emphasize
that using your firearm should always be the last resort to any situation. And if you do
have to pull it, you don’t necessarily have to shoot for the firearm to do what it was
intended to do which is to prevent you from being harmed. Often an attacker can be
discouraged just from seeing the firearm. If you’re one of those wannabe bad asses
that say “Only pull it if your going kill”, then, in my opinion, your civilian right to carry
should be revoked. It’s ignorant and uneducated thinking. I know first hand that pulling
a firearm on an attacker can stop an assault and discourage them from continuing
without having to pull the trigger.

Drawing a Firearm While Moving on Motorcycle

A motorcycle will always be at a disadvantage in an altercation on the road.
You simply cannot compete against a vehicle. You’re best defense is to back off, exit
the road, take evasive maneuvers, basically get away from a driver that is trying to harm
you. You are already in a compromised position by being on two wheels and with no
steel cage surrounding you. Taking one hand off the bars to draw a weapon only
magnifies your bad position.

If you do draw while moving you have just compromised your control over your
motorcycle. You’re now riding one handed. If you’re holding gun in the right hand
you have no throttle control. If you’re holding gun in your left hand, you have no
clutch control which could lead to stalling if decelerating quickly and not shifting down.
The simple ability to control the bike for avoidance or any type of quick maneuvering is
lessened considerably and you increase your chance of crashing without the help of
whoever it is your drawing against.

Next you have to consider the actual firing of the firearm. The force of the wind will
reduce accuracy immensely and must be taken into account.

One handed: You are going to be forced to fire one handed. This will reduce
accuracy of the shot.

One handed while moving: You will be shooting one handed while moving which further
reduces your accuracy.

One handed while moving and maintaining control over your motorcycle: Along with the
reduced accuracy of one handed shooting while moving you still have to maintain control
of your motorcycle possibly while trying to avoid being run over by the assailant in the
vehicle.

Off hand: If you carry to draw with your off hand to be able to maintain throttle control
you are even more disadvantaged at making an accurate shot, especially when you add
in all the previous mentioned factors.

Then you see riders with patches that read “Stay Back While I Reload” or “Hold on
While I Reload”. So what you’re are saying is you’re going to ride a motorcycle down
the road, trying to keep your eyes on the road while dealing with loading rounds, with
no hands while trying not to be run over by a motorist, while trying to put rounds in a
firearm, or reload a clip, and chamber a round? That is simply idiotic.

For the most part carrying while riding is really for defense when stopped, not while
moving down the road on a motorcycle.

The following picture shows the shots on the left that were fired in a controlled
situation at 3 meters (21 feet) using a Ruger LCR .357 magnum. I took about 1 second
to aim and let off 5 shots which would have been effective against an attacker. The shots
on the right were done using the same revolver. I drew from my holster without aiming
and fired off 5 rounds. This would be more realistic of the situation of drawing while
moving on a motorcycle. You won’t be able to use your sight, maintain control, avoid
being hit by the driver that is attacking you, and keep your eyes on the road.
You will also have to deal with the force of the wind blowing your arm and firearm
around making a steady shot near impossible. The rounds on the right side were more
scattered and far less effective. It would have been much worse on a moving motorcycle
and maybe even impossible to hit within a target area.

Consider State Laws About Display of Firearm

Again you are at a disadvantage from a vehicle. If you even show your firearm to scare
a motorist they have the ability to immediately make a phone call to the police and make
any statement they contrive describing what you supposedly did to them with a firearm.
You are the one at the disadvantage when the police become involved because the
accusation was made against you first. Unfortunately the person that makes the first
call to police making an accusation are the ones that don’t have to put up much if any
defense and it becomes your responsibility to prove your innocent or have been victimized.
It’s going to be near impossible to be the one that makes the first call to law
enforcement from a motorcycle.

Possible legal ramifications: These will vary state to state so you need to check your
state laws.

Lifting shirt or vest to show you have a firearm: This can be considered display of the firearm
which could cause you legal issues such as fines and arrest.

Drawing firearm and displaying it: This can be considered brandishing of a firearm which
could lead to fines and arrest as well.

Pointing the firearm at a motorist: This can be considered force. You need to be able to
prove there was reason to point your firearm at a motorist or you are probably going to
be arrested and charged.

Firing your firearm: You better be able to prove you felt your life was at risk to avoid
possible arrest and jail or even prison time. Again, you are at a disadvantage because the
motorist can make a quick call and say you fired at them for no reason which will force
you to have to make a defense.

Also, if any of these situations occurs and law enforcement becomes involved you could
temporarily or permanently lose your firearm and your license to carry pending the
outcome of the investigation. You will also have to pay for legal defense. You need to
seriously consider all the ramifications of using your firearm.

Types of Holsters & Ability to Draw Firearm

All holsters should include a trigger guard to help avoid accidental discharge.

Ankle holster: Having to lift pant leg to get to gun would cost time and could cause
ability to control the bike issues while trying to retrieve firearm.

Inside waistband holster: Quite uncomfortable while riding and could be difficult to
draw firearm.

Inside pocket holster: would make it difficult to have to dig around trying to pull the
gun out of the pocket. Will have to move around or even stand to get gun out which is
quite difficult while moving. This could even be a bad situation if you pull over and have
to quickly draw the gun. If the pocket is on the leg such as military fatigues this could be
a reasonable place to carry your firearm.

Belt or outside the waistband holster: Easy access both on and off bike.

Shoulder holster: Easy access both on and off bike.

Small of back: Easy access both on and off bike, might be uncomfortable while riding.

Wearing Different Types of Gear can also Increase the Difficulty of Drawing

Full jacket: Could cause you to have to unzip to retrieve firearm from inner pocket or
waist. This would apply to shoulder holster or waist holster.

Vest: Could cause you to have to reach in and possibly unbutton an inner pocket to
retrieve firearm.

Gun in saddlebag or tank pouch: Retrieval could take time especially if the luggage
has to be unzipped first.

Saddlebag Gun Safe or Vault: This is a great option for travelling through states that
might have strict gun laws. It is a poor option if you get into a situation where you need
your gun. You simply won’t have the time to open your saddlebag, then a secured vault,
get the gun and possibly load it, before your assailant is upon you.

If your firearm is carried off body you need to consider how will you transition to on body
at stops? If your carrying off body you should develop a routine for transitioning to on
body strategically so you're not showing the world you have a gun.

What Injuries Could be Caused if you Crash from Different Types of Holsters?

Something we don’t want to think about is crashing our motorcycles. The bodily
injury is almost always more sever than if you had crashed in a vehicle. You may want
to consider the added bodily damage that can occur if you are carrying a firearm during
a crash. Dependent on where your firearm is carried the firearm can increase the amount
of damage you sustain that may not have been inflicted had you not been carrying.

Shoulder holster or vest/ jacket pocket: Crushed chest, broken ribs, sever bruising in
mid and upper body.

Belt or outside the waistband holster: Hip damage, shattered pelvis.

Small of back: Because it’s against the spine there is increased potential for sever
injury or paralysis.

Revolver or Semi Auto

Revolver: Offers 5-6 shots guaranteed, no safety, round always ready. Careful using
revolvers with hammers as they can catch on material in pockets making drawing difficult.

Semi-automatic: Might have to chamber a round while riding thus riding with no
hands on handlebars, or have a round chambered with safety on, possibility of
jamming. If a round is chambered and safety is on, it is very easy to flip off the safety
quickly for use if need be.

Hopefully this article will provide some insight to riders that want to carry or already do.
If you have any hesitations about carrying while riding then you probably shouldn’t.
You need to be at complete comfort with the idea of carrying and be proficient with using
your firearm before you make the decision to carry it while riding.

Ride Strong Wrench Proud

Motorcycle LED Headlight, Tail light, & Brake Installation

The videos in this series that have been uploaded over the last month cover the process
of upgrading your motorcycles traditional bulb lighting to LED. There will be varying
processes you may have to take if you ride a Harley earlier than 2014 to deal with voltage
regulation that can cause the ECM to throw codes. There are signal stabilizer modules, load
equalizers, controllers, and/ or turn signal conversion kits that allow your turn signals to
flash properly when replacing incandescent bulbs with LED bulbs. A lot of LED headlights will
come with a flux capacitor or load equalizer that you will install between the headlight wire
harness and the headlight to regulate the voltage return signal to the ECM module. You’ll
need to do research to determine if your motorcycle will need any of these devices before
purchasing your LED’s. I do not have the answers to every make, model, and year of bike
so please do the research for your specific motorcycle on your own.

Motorcycle safety has to be on the top of the priority list for riding. The 3 senses, sight,
sound, and smell are the basis of what riders can try to enhance to be more readily noticed
while on their motorcycles. Enhancing the smell aspect of the senses can probably be left
out unless you don’t shower for a month, have an oil leak and are spewing smoke from
your bike, or smoking a cigar while riding. Sound is easily enhanced through full
exhaust change-outs or slip-ons which can greatly enhance a riders presence.
Hence the saying “Loud Pipes Save Lives”. Motorists that don’t ride will often curl their
lips into a snarl of disgust when talking about the obnoxiously invasive sound of a loud
bike without even the slightest understanding that whatever bike inconvenienced their ear
for that few seconds did exactly as it was intended to do, made them aware that a
motorcycle was present. I have a couple videos on installing slip-ons on my maintenance
page as a reference if you need to get more sound out of your bike. They are inexpensive
and easy to install way to get more sound for safety out of your bike.

Another effective way to become noticed through one of the 3 senses is through lighting.
Visibility is the most important aspect you can enhance for safety. LED lighting can be as
much as 10x brighter than traditional incandescent bulbs. LED headlights can throw
light at night over 150 yards ahead giving you more visibility on dark roads helping to
increase safety at night. When a driver is about to change lanes and glances in their
mirrors that additional brightness can be lifesaving. That is if the cager even bothers to
glance in a mirror before changing lanes. Cager stupidity is, unfortunately, a trait that
cannot be repaired. The brighter brake lights of LED’s can be of extreme value when
the sun is shining from behind you which can sometimes drown out the visibility of
bulb lights. LED brake lights will often shine through that sun blindness allowing a
driver to see that you have applied your brakes. The same applies to turn signals, and
headlights when riding into the sun.

Below are the 3 videos of this series that can help you with your conversion to LED lights.

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Iron Butt Association SaddleSore 1000 Ride

Four of us left at 2:30 AM on a Friday morning for an unforgettable challenge and
adventure. The Iron Butt Association SaddleSore 1000 is the first level of long-distance
riding challenges they offer. The goal is to ride 1000 miles within 24 hours. You make the
route, keep records, and have a great time.

Our path would take us on a circular route from central to west Texas, south to the
US and Mexico border, and finally back north east to Fort Worth, TX. Total route was
right at 1050 miles.

The ride took us 20 hours to complete. Great weather and roads rounded out the
challenge perfectly. It was a bit chilly for the first 300 miles but soon after we had to
strip down to T-shirts because of the heat. We were all sore in some part of our body.
Our butts took the brunt of the pain, some lower backaches and shoulder pain were present
for some of us. Overall though it wasn’t too bad and we persevered through it unto
completion. Because its spring there were a lot of bugs, BIG bugs to be exact, and more
than once their bodies were splatted and chopped in half on my glasses, leaving burning
bug acid in my eyes to deal with. Deer were plentiful towards the end of the ride along
with wild hogs, turtles, and swooping birds. The flowers through portions of the route
were vivid with color during their peak spring bloom.

So it all went well until the next day when I was compiling receipts and filling out the
necessary paperwork to send to the IBA for verification. That’s when a slight but
detrimental detail became evident. The ride section from Sanderson, Tx to Ozona, TX
went through a tiny little place named Comstock, TX. It’s so small you have to zoom in
real close on google maps for it to even show up with its name. The problem is that we
didn’t stop to get a receipt in Comstock, TX before changing direction to head north to
Ozona, TX. That probably wouldn’t be a problem except for the fact that there is a shorter
route from Sanderson, TX that could have been taken. IBA rules are that any directional
change must be accompanied by a receipt to prove you were there and didn’t take a shortcut.

Nothing we can do, it was a simple oversight that all of us overlooked. Good learning
experience though and it still doesn’t take from the fact that we did go through
Comstock, TX and rode over 1000 miles in 24 hours. Verification is the problem to have
our names added to the IBA completion list. I was so upset by it that Margaret and
I planned on doing it a few days later together. We checked the weather and all seemed
good. We headed out towards Abilene, TX on the first leg of the route and it just kept
getting colder down to 39 degrees in Abilene. That was simply too cold to continue so
we turned around and limped our way home riding in sub-freezing temperatures when the
wind chill was taken into account. It just wasn’t meant to happen.

Bill, Steve, and Jeff are going to submit their ride documentation with an explanation of
what occurred in Comstock, TX in hopes the IBA will consider it. They have phone GPS
records that show we were in Comstock, TX which might be of satisfactory verification.
I personally am not going to submit the ride. Margaret wants to try it so we’ll give it a go
together once the weather warms up a bit more.

If you're wanting to try this ride there are some things to take into consideration.
These are my 10 main points to consider before doing the IBA SaddleSore 1000.

1- Take water, don’t rely on buying bottles along the way. A well-insulated container
of ice-cold water will help immensely.

2- Be sure you're not due for an oil change during the route. I changed mine before the
trip so I wouldn’t go over my oil change mileage limit.

3- Plan route details, then check the route, then check again. Plan your route from gas
station to gas station to get accurate mileage from those points where you’ll be getting a
receipt. This will ensure you won’t be short on mileage for the challenge.

4- Get gas receipts if you even suspect a change in direction might be questionable by the
IBA. This will ensure you are able to verify you were in all the places you say you were.

5- If you're going to eat, do it before your first gas stop time and dated verification receipt.
You don’t want a breakfast stop to cut into your time. It’s hard to make up lost time.

6- Check the weather forecast for each city and town that will be gas stops and direction
changes along the route. The weather can be very different at points along the route and
you will want the appropriate gear.

7- Read and re-read the IBA regulations. Especially the information for verification. It’s
easy to miss a step like we did that could cause you grief when trying to get verified.

8- If your riding as a group, keep the group as small as possible. Having to wait for lots of
bikes to be re-fueled at each stop costs time which is difficult to make up.

9- Don’t plan too many small back roads with low-speed limits. You need to be moving,
not sightseeing while puttering through the county side. Interstates and US roads can
have speed limits of up to 80 mph! You can really make good time on these roads.

10- Make sure your bike is set up ergonomically for you as the rider. The correct
handlebar reach, backrest, highway pegs, proper windshield height, etc, will help your
comfort level during the challenge. 18 or so hours nearly continuous in the saddle is a
challenge for most riders.

Iron Butt Association SaddleSore 1000 Video

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