softbrake extended shift and brake lever for my slim
#1
softbrake extended shift and brake lever for my slim
I didnt see much on the forum about softbrake extended levers for softails so im posting my experience with them as well athe kuryakyn flip boards i installed. Im 6'4" with a 32" inseam so obviously the stock levers and floorboards on the super low softail slim werent gonna cut it. here is a break down of the products i installed to remedy the situation:
softbrake black shift lever extended 2 inches with holes drilled: i called richard at softbrake so i could get the details on this lever as well as the rear shift lever eliminator before i ordered them, he was super helpful and answered all my questions. i recieved my lever a few days later, i think it costs about $90, the rear shift lever eliminator was under $20, both were a very high quality billet aluminum with a thick powdercoat. they were easy to install, i would say the whole process took under 10 minutes. the new lever looked great and was a huge improvment.
softbrake blake brake lever extended 2 inches with holes drilled: I called richard again and had him give me the rundown on the pedal, he explained that not only was the pedal longer, the part that extends away from the bike was an additional 1/2 in and the angle of the pedal was adjusted so the pedal is in front of your foot, not above it. he did inform me that the pedal was made of steel, not billet aluminum like the the shift lever, and as such the holes would be black and not silver, but he offered me a suggestion on what to use to paint it to match the look of the shift lever (rustolium paint and q-tips with most of the cotton removed) which i did. he didnt have the exact lever in stock so he told me he would have to make one, i was kind of nervous about how long this was going to take, but the guys at softbrake are quick! it was less than a week from the time i placed my order, he made the lever, had it powdercoated, shipped and was at my door! same story as the shift lever, super high quality, better than the stock brake lever for sure, the softbrake lever even has a zerk fitting for applying grease. installation was a breeze, taking probably 10 minutes and the results were fantastic. as richard had described to me, the pedal was now in front of my foot instead of on top of it, make applying the brake 10 times easier. i believe the lever was about $160 with shipping.
Kuryakyn flip boards: i bought these because they claim to have a much wider foot print than stock floorboards as well as move the board out and inch and forward 2 inches (you can move the boards in or backwards too, but that wouldnt be very helpful too me, would it?) the boards were about $325 and arrived in a few days after ordering, the install was fairley simple: you line up the pegs with holes in the bottom of the floorboard, if you want to be forward, put them in the rear most holes, ect. the only problem i really had with these was that on one the right side the paint was so thick on the floorboard bracket it didnt want to fit onto my bike. a little bit of time with a die grinder fixed this up no problem, and i cant really call this a complaint, kuryakyns stuff has thick paint, thats a good thing. total install time 20 minutes. now, as far as the performance of the flip boards, yes, they did move the out one inch and foreward 2 inches and that is a big improvement, but because of the size of the mounting braket, they also move your feet UP about 1 inch, this was a little annoying seeing as how im trying to strech my legs out more, not less. additionally, the floorboards are longer, but they dont seem to be a whole lot wider, mayber a 1/2 in wider than stock. the pegs that flip out are spring loaded and a really cool feature, you can pop them out and set them back in with your foot without having too stop, and as with most kuryakyn products the chrome is nice and the quality is good. i like the flipboards because they are longer, further out and more foreward, which makes for a much more comfortable ride. also the design of the flip out highway peg is clever and sets these floorboards apart from the compitition. however, raising my feet up another inch is counterproductive to the what im trying to achieve. i suppose if you were short and wanted move your floorboards back this might be to your advantage, but for someone as tall as me i see it as a negative for this product. that being said, i am overall happy with the flip boards and will keep them on my bike since they are such a big improvement over stock.
soft brake shift lever rating: 5/5 stars
soft brake brake lever rating: 5/5 stars
kuryakyn flip board rating: 4/5 stars
if your interested in getting levers from softbrake the website is www.softbrake.com but i would reccomend calling them since the website doesnt list every variation of lever that they can make for you, there # is (208) 561-5031
kuryakyns website is www.kuryakyn.com but you can get there stuff at many motorcycle websites as well as most harley dealerships.
softbrake black shift lever extended 2 inches with holes drilled: i called richard at softbrake so i could get the details on this lever as well as the rear shift lever eliminator before i ordered them, he was super helpful and answered all my questions. i recieved my lever a few days later, i think it costs about $90, the rear shift lever eliminator was under $20, both were a very high quality billet aluminum with a thick powdercoat. they were easy to install, i would say the whole process took under 10 minutes. the new lever looked great and was a huge improvment.
softbrake blake brake lever extended 2 inches with holes drilled: I called richard again and had him give me the rundown on the pedal, he explained that not only was the pedal longer, the part that extends away from the bike was an additional 1/2 in and the angle of the pedal was adjusted so the pedal is in front of your foot, not above it. he did inform me that the pedal was made of steel, not billet aluminum like the the shift lever, and as such the holes would be black and not silver, but he offered me a suggestion on what to use to paint it to match the look of the shift lever (rustolium paint and q-tips with most of the cotton removed) which i did. he didnt have the exact lever in stock so he told me he would have to make one, i was kind of nervous about how long this was going to take, but the guys at softbrake are quick! it was less than a week from the time i placed my order, he made the lever, had it powdercoated, shipped and was at my door! same story as the shift lever, super high quality, better than the stock brake lever for sure, the softbrake lever even has a zerk fitting for applying grease. installation was a breeze, taking probably 10 minutes and the results were fantastic. as richard had described to me, the pedal was now in front of my foot instead of on top of it, make applying the brake 10 times easier. i believe the lever was about $160 with shipping.
Kuryakyn flip boards: i bought these because they claim to have a much wider foot print than stock floorboards as well as move the board out and inch and forward 2 inches (you can move the boards in or backwards too, but that wouldnt be very helpful too me, would it?) the boards were about $325 and arrived in a few days after ordering, the install was fairley simple: you line up the pegs with holes in the bottom of the floorboard, if you want to be forward, put them in the rear most holes, ect. the only problem i really had with these was that on one the right side the paint was so thick on the floorboard bracket it didnt want to fit onto my bike. a little bit of time with a die grinder fixed this up no problem, and i cant really call this a complaint, kuryakyns stuff has thick paint, thats a good thing. total install time 20 minutes. now, as far as the performance of the flip boards, yes, they did move the out one inch and foreward 2 inches and that is a big improvement, but because of the size of the mounting braket, they also move your feet UP about 1 inch, this was a little annoying seeing as how im trying to strech my legs out more, not less. additionally, the floorboards are longer, but they dont seem to be a whole lot wider, mayber a 1/2 in wider than stock. the pegs that flip out are spring loaded and a really cool feature, you can pop them out and set them back in with your foot without having too stop, and as with most kuryakyn products the chrome is nice and the quality is good. i like the flipboards because they are longer, further out and more foreward, which makes for a much more comfortable ride. also the design of the flip out highway peg is clever and sets these floorboards apart from the compitition. however, raising my feet up another inch is counterproductive to the what im trying to achieve. i suppose if you were short and wanted move your floorboards back this might be to your advantage, but for someone as tall as me i see it as a negative for this product. that being said, i am overall happy with the flip boards and will keep them on my bike since they are such a big improvement over stock.
soft brake shift lever rating: 5/5 stars
soft brake brake lever rating: 5/5 stars
kuryakyn flip board rating: 4/5 stars
if your interested in getting levers from softbrake the website is www.softbrake.com but i would reccomend calling them since the website doesnt list every variation of lever that they can make for you, there # is (208) 561-5031
kuryakyns website is www.kuryakyn.com but you can get there stuff at many motorcycle websites as well as most harley dealerships.
#2
#3
Yeah, its lower, it has a more mild angle and the amount it comes out isnt gigantic but it definitely makes a difference. I have a longer than stock floorboard moved foreward 2 inches and the pedal lines up with the front of the floorboard almost perfectley. The only change im gonna make is putting on the kuryakyn extended brake pedal pad, this one here: http://www.kuryakyn.com/Products/397...-Pad-Extension
because it matches the floorboards better and extends out a little farther than stock.
because it matches the floorboards better and extends out a little farther than stock.
#4
#5
Thanks for the great post. I am also a tall rider. I'm looking to buy a Slim but concerned about the same issues of leg position, so your post was extremely helpful. Let me ask you a question: when you removed the flipboards (and I assume reverted to the stock FLS boards), were the softbrake shifter and brake extensions still enough of a change to make the riding position more comfortable? Did you look into any other floorboard relocation kits? My HD dealer is recommending a kit from Cycle Visions that move the boards forward 2".
In summary, do you feel that the Slim is now a good fit, or still a little tight through the legs?
Bender
#6
the slim is definitely a tight fit, my feet hang off the front of the floor boards, forward controls might be one solution to that problem but im unwilling to sacrifice the esthetics of the bike. You have to remember that this bike sits low, I believe the only lower bike is the 883low. what would really be a nice solution would be a seat like the tallboy that positions you a few inches back. the bike is great though, looks awesome, mine gets compliments all the time, if you want one, get one, you'll be able to figure out how to make it your own with enough time and money, I ride mine almost every day and im planning a 1,400 round trip on mine next month.
#7
Hey Daufcguy,
First of all Thank you very much for all the advice. Without you I might have sold my FLS already. The extended Brake and Shift Levers helped a lot.
But like you my floorboards should move out and forward.
I almost bought the flipboards but since it would move up an inch as well I agree that it wouldn't be a fit. And those boards are to large in my opinion.
So my question is, did you find another solution in the meantime? I was looking for more than a week to find solutions.
Again thanks.
Ballantime
First of all Thank you very much for all the advice. Without you I might have sold my FLS already. The extended Brake and Shift Levers helped a lot.
But like you my floorboards should move out and forward.
I almost bought the flipboards but since it would move up an inch as well I agree that it wouldn't be a fit. And those boards are to large in my opinion.
So my question is, did you find another solution in the meantime? I was looking for more than a week to find solutions.
Again thanks.
Ballantime
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