I have a new 05 FLSTCI with approx. 1900 miles. The rear brakes are squealing when applied at slow speeds coming to a stop. When I brought it in for its 1,000 mile service they sanded the pads which did not work. Now they are telling me that a certain amount of squeal is acceptable and that its the "Character of the Bike". I was not happy with that answer so I called HD Customer service and got the same answer word for word. Customer service says that their techs gave the dealership some options to try, but my dealer never did. They said something about foaming behind the rotor. I'm not sure what that means but I will bring back and see what they say.

Has anyone experienced this problem or have any ideas how to fix?

 

That does happen to me once and awhile, but knowing its not a metal to metal problem I've ignored it. If it gets worse I will look into doing something about it....Please let us know if you find a fix....

 

I have the same bike and the same issues. Just over 2,000 miles and both brakes "sing"l a bit from time to time. Do a search and you will find more information on this topic. There are also some other ideas that you may try. I'm just going to live with mine. Doesn't bother me all that much. Just want them to stop me when I say "woah".

 

I have a 05 fatboy that squeals front and rear pretty bad. I've gotten used to it though

 

I've noticed that if my bike sits for awhile, it will make a little noise when I apply the brakes for the first time or two. After I put a few miles on it, it seems to stop. After I have washed my bike, it seems to make a little difference. If your brakes aren't showing metal and it isn't metal to metal, could it be possibly be a little bit of dirt on them? I don't ride my brakes when coming to a stop. I try to apply them firmly but not enough to come to a sudden stop. After a few miles, I don't notice any sound.

 

I have an 05 Deluxe and the brakes squeal. Same thing, no metal to metal just an annoying squeal. When I wash my bike, I make it a point to clean out as much of the brake dust as I can from the rotor and rinse the pads. It helps, but it starts again soon. Do a search on the site here, I saw mention of chamfering (sp?) the pads and it is supposed to help. I have had four other bikes (street) that did not have this problem.

 

Same thing on my 04'FB. Rear brakes would scream at slow speeds. Almost sounds like a train was pulling up behind me. After I tried everything else mentioned above...I found that floating rotors fixed the problem once and for all. It cost about $120 per rotor, but my brakes are silent now.

 

Here's a link to the break squeal issue https://www.hdforums.com/m_74804/tm.htm

 

My rear made that harmonic noise and it was driving me nuts. I did what TCSTD listed but still had it. What finaly made it go away was using the anti-squeal shims but not using the glue they have on them. I scraped that off and used anti squeal compound on both sides of the shims and the noise went away in about 20 miles. I'm not sure why it took 20 miles but now there good.