at my friends house using his garage and tools to change the rear brake pads on my 2010 fatboy lo. sun is going down fast and have been stuck in the same spot for nearly 2 hours.

what is the trick to getting the anti rattle clip to hold on the the inner pad? we went to the dealership and bought a new one, and even when the pad snaps in (momentarily) the back of the pad is not resting against the back of the caliper. what is the deal with this piece? and is there a trick to getting it to stay put while i try to put the caliper back onto the bike over the rotor?

 

The pad doesn't need to rest against the caliper. In fact, it's easier if it's loose like that. Just hold the pad in place while you slide the caliper back over the rotor, bolt the caliper down, then pump the brake pedal a bunch of times until it gets firm. At the point, that pads will be held in place by the pistons in the caliper.

 

When change the pads on the rear caliper. Fit the caliper and thigthening the bolts to fit the caliper to the caliper mount. Thigthening with the specs torque. After, you can pump the brake pedal a bunch of times. Always in this order, because if you pump the brake pedal first, the pistons of the caliper are out, and you can thigthening perfectly the bolts and you can damage the thread of the bols or the holes of the caliper mount.