I have a question. I'm new to riding with footboards and I just purchased a 2012 Heritage.
I've been doing a fair amount of scraping the foot boards during turns and mild curves because she sits so low.
Are the footboards supposed to start to fold at some point when they are hitting cement?
I've had one Harley dealer say yes and another was not sure.
I've tried to fold them and those suckers don't move. In fact, I can't even loosen the bolts!
Help!

 

You're running 3 days late.
There's already an active thread on this subject.

You might want to just tag along on this thread: https://www.hdforums.com/forum/softa...-heritage.html

 

the boards on my '11 heritage fold up about 4" on either side. if you change your approach going into a turn, using less lean, you should be able to cure a majority of the scraping.
i have ground mine down some, but usually because of riding style; although conditions like turning on an uphill or downhill grade, or a short radius cutback may cause scraping also.
i also haven't changed the factory shock setting, which may not be appropriate for my size.
just some things to think about...

 

Mine fold easily (I can raise them with my toe when on the bike). I've only scrapped each board once and didn't notice if they folded.

Here's a recent thread on stuck bolts.

 

I thought they were designed to hinge. Spray it with a penetrating oil, let it soak and take the pins out and clean them up

 

Me too........

 

Thank you! That was the answer I needed!
I was riding a street bob and I've definitely had to adjust my riding style but scraping when I'm not really doing a hard lean into the turn definitely gets my attention.
I need to see about the shock adjustment. I'm short....5'3" but I've got some room to adjust and get those board hinges replaced!

 

Yes the Fl-Bd's should move up and down with a little force/pressure.

If they don't fold up and you can't even loosen the nuts and bolts.. then someone probably used red permanent Loc-tite to the nuts. So you may have to apply some heat to the nuts to break them loose.

If you bike is lowered then you will hit the boards pretty easy.

I am old and don't ride aggressively but in the 47K miles I've put on our Heritage, mostly 2up, I think I've had the FB's touch maybe 5 times..

I even rode the Tail of the Dragon last yr and keep up with the Pack and never had them touch the road once...

 

How certain are you that the boards are stock, they may have been replaced with some aftermarket parts which may or maynot react the same way.

 

The boards on my 2012 definitely fold. If yours are that stuck, something is wrong. Try some WD-40 on the hinge.