Mchad agrees with you! https://www.hdforums.com/forum/2018-...rake-suck.html

I had gotten pretty used to the rear brake, at least until I rode my Dyna the other day and had an OMG moment with the contrast between the two bikes. Mchad has ordered some new EBC brake pads, so standby for his report in the other thread.

Think you'll be pretty happy with the Low Rider. At its price-point, think of it as the bike to modify to get it exactly what you want (starting with new handlebars! LOL!)

 

On the subject of handlebars, I do not have my Low Rider yet; ship date is 6/11.

If I decide I want mini-apes WITHOUT CHANGING cables, wires, brakes lines and the like, does anyone have any experience based knowledge on what height mini-apes I could install?

Thank you all in advance.

 

I think I need to try this with my lowrider.

 

As far as"Useless Rear Brake" on the Low Rider, mine was awful. I didn't even realize that when the brake pedal was pushed down and got firm, it was actually the piston bottoming in the bore. There was enough air in the system to cause this as the bike was delivered new. Mine is non ABS. I bled it and now the rear brake functions as expected. It is now useful.

 

So timely and helpful. I am closing the deal on a new 2019 Low Rider tomorrow, and this post solves an issue. When I did my test ride, I didn't think the rear brake was responding correctly, felt weak, and required excessive ankle movement to work the brake. The dealer tried to convince me that this is normal and would be at least a $200 complicated repair charge. As such, we didn't close on the deal last week. Thanks for your well written instructions and annotated picture.

Question: The Operators Manual states that no hard braking should be done the first 50 miles and that the brakes would feel more normal after this break-in. Has your rear brake performed better after you have ridden it some?

 

Nice write up for this.
On my 2018 Heritage that little pin retaining ring either somehow came out or was never installed at the factory and consequently the pin fell out. On one of my first long trips to Florida I looked down and noticed my rear brake pedal was sticking straight up at me. Believe it or not I could push it back down and then still apply brake pressure. Thankfully Tallahassee H-D was able to fix me up and within 15 minutes I was back at full strength. The dealer told me that I was the 2nd person to report this failure at their dealership. This was back in May of 2018.

 

Most if not all brakes will improve once the pads and rotors bed. Mine did orginally, and did again when I later changed the pads to Lyndall Gold's.

 

I bought a new 2019 Low Rider on Thursday. I knew from numerous previous trips to the dealer and a test ride that the brake peddle need to be adjusted. So, I told the dealer that this needed to be an adjustment the dealership made as part of the purchase. A discussion evolved that involved he wasn't sure it could be done, to it could be very pricey, to not sure how to do it. I had anticipated the response; so, I took your instructions with me and told the dealer that it was no big deal, and it was a frequent problem; so, it should learn how to make this adjustment instead of asking customers to adjust their riding styles for an obvious HD design error. I said that fitment issues were deal breakers for me. Needless to say, the issue was resolved.

Fortunately, I like to work on my bike and find that my work is usually more careful than the dealer's service department. In this case, I wanted the dealer to do it after being "advised" that if I did it it could violate the warranty. I also need to state that the dealer I use is the best in the area and am pretty happy with all aspects of their operation. But, Harley Davidson has design and training issue it needs to acknowledge and fix.

FYI: Potential buyers and new owners need to know that it takes 50+ miles of riding and careful braking to properly break in new brake pads. (See Operators Manual.). Know that brake performance will improve significantly between 0 and 100 miles of riding and DO NOT do emergency braking drills or put yourself into situations where emergency or hard braking will be required.

Thank you, again, for this post. It helped me mucho in dealing with the dealer.

 

For what it's worth to anybody that may want to put forward controls on their Low Riders, that kit puts the new brake pedal at the proper angle so the brakes are much more effective.

 

If I didn't like the mids so much I would consider the forwards. I really like the mids.