When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
My bike has a rattle that is coming from the front end. It is most noticeable when slowing down with the clutch engaged. At slow speeds under power I don't notice it as much. I can hear this rattle when at a stop. However, when I engage the front brake completely to keep the bike from rolling the rattle goes away.
The bike has chrome disk covers and caliper covers. I have checked all the connections. Nothing appears to be loose that could cause the rattle, especially anything that could explain the rattle going away when the brakes are fully engaged.
Any ideas on what to check to eliminate this rattle?
I know there waas a caliper spring clip you could get in the aftermarket for shovel banana calipers to stop them from rattling on thier pin mounts. Maybe they make one for the later model bikes. Haven't run into the problem on my 1996 FLHTC, but it sure cured my '77 FLH.
Brake pads rattle. Pads are shaking against brake disc while vibrating. Had this same problem on my EG. There are "anti rattle springs" within the calipers. A little tab that holds the pad against the disc. Take the caliper off and look into it. You`ll see it. You have to bend it so it rests against the brake pad.
Last edited by NutterFLH; Jun 2, 2011 at 11:38 PM.
Mine was doing the same thing. I tried to get rid of the rattle for 2 years by goofing with the brakes. I finally swapped out my exhaust system to V&H & I can't hear the rattle any more!
Hatch.
I would check to be sure the clip is installed correctly, or hasn't popped off.,,
+1 on this. While brake pads do move around a bit, with the spring clip in, you shouldn't be able to hear it. That spring clip can be put in upside down; it looks like it's fit in there correctly but then it doesn't do anything to stop the pad from moving all over. Make sure the spring clip is there and make sure it's in correctly.
I had this problem after installing new pads in my 1991 FLT. I put clips in backwards and it rattled real bad, until you put brakes on. Noise stops immediately when you apply front brakes. I would say the clip is definitely installed wrong or not installed. The manual has a photo showing which way the clip installs.
Hey guys - I had the same rattling front end on my 1996 Electra Glide Classic. Acquired it used and thought the fork oil was low.
It was actually the Spring Clips. They were in there but "unclipped" - they would have to have been installed that way. In the diagram below, the bottom of the clip lip wasn't sandwiched in between the Pad Holder and the Brake Pad. It was just extended over the "other" brake pad(?) So....anyway, after purchasing new Spring Clips and installing as shown below it's like night and day. So quiet.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
1992 FLHTC Front Brake Rattle
