I removed my rear wheel to do a few mods and some maintenance. I'm catching hell getting it back together. Biggest problem I have is getting the disk to slip back into the caliper. I used a C clamp to compress the caliper pistons but its not a lot of wiggle room at all and getting the caliper back inside the wheel and positioned correctly with the the disk inside the pads correctly is a bitch. I'm in a bind and looking for a some suggestions form someone who has done this or tell me what I'm missing and doing wrong.

 

Did you take off the rear brake cylinder cover when pushed in the pistons? Also check that you have the spacers on the correct sides of the axle.

 

Not sure what you mean by break cylinder cover so no i didnt do that. I know where the spacers go but I cant even get to the point where I can install the axle

 

My rocker is roughly the same setup as yours and it is a pain...LOL. over five year, I have found this the easiest...
Have someone help you...trying it alone makes it much harder...
Loosen the brake caliper so it can move some, make sure you don't compress the brake shoes...or open them up if you did.
I have found the hard way...to put the primary side shim in first, then the two on the other side.
I put some boards on the floor to raise the tire up to Jack height so you don't have to hold it up...
Hope it works out...if you run into any problems, drink some Guinness and hit it again...

 

When I put mine back together I think I removed the pads, then dropped them back in once it was together.

 

This is what I had been thinking about. I'll give it a try.

 

If you are trying to put the wheel back on and get the disk on at the same time, it's a pain. Remove the caliper from the bracket, then put the wheel on, then lastly put the caliper on the rotor. It's tight but you can use a mallet if needed.

 

My Fatboy was same way ,I did by myself but you really need two people . It was that slide\ Bracket for the disc Brake that got me . I put a two by four under tire that helped a lot . Lower your Jack so tire just sits on the wood . I was thinking next time use small floor jack under tire . So you can raise up and down .You have to take weight off tire . I have to do again real soon tire about shot . Good Luck

 

There is another possibility that I was introduced to personally recently after my rear tire was replaced:

The dealership technician reinstalled the spring backing plate for the brake pads incorrectly. Apparently, this is very easy to do. When you do this, you won't be able to get the caliper onto the disk.

The HD technician in my case did the wrong thing. Instead of realizing that the trouble was telling him he had the spring plate in incorrectly, he used a screwdriver blade as a wedge and lever to force the caliper onto the disk. This gouged up the pads, and more importantly, resulted in the rear brake intermittently DRAGGING on the disk after I released the brake pedal - enough to get that disk very hot.

A sharp technician at an indy shop figured it out. Fortunately, the spring plate was not permanently deformed, and he was able to reassemble the whole thing properly. It went together rather easily then, and has not dragged since.

Jim G

 

Hi,
Yeah take brake pads out, you dont want jack up high, just a touch up if doing by yourself

Always do largest spacer first and then put a dowel thru it to hold in place, do other spacer, axle etc
Thanks