Well, in keeping with my customization theme of: Comfort/Ride ability, Power/Performance and a distant last place, Pretty, I finished up a project last night and I’d like to share a couple of lessons learned.
First off I’m a cheap son of a gun and try to save a dollar where I can. I searched eBay and other classifieds for a long time looking for a detachable sissy bar and the associated pieces. I watched the bid on a brand new detachable bar and snaked it for the low low price of $91.00! Not bad, almost $60 bucks off retail I was happy. I went back and read the listing a little more carefully, (got to watch the Fat Tire Ale when you’re on eBay, boys!) and was pretty upset to find that I’d won the bid for a brand new 94-97 backrest! My dealer (Barnett’s incidentally) couldn’t tell me the difference, so I went ahead and got the docking kit and (gasp!) a new pad and last night, put it on the bike.
First off everything you have read about the instructions for this evolution (the docking kit) is true. They SUCK! I’m a professional aviation technician and they STILL suck! Anyway I said I had lessons learned, so I guess I’d better start making good:
Lesson 1: Pictures are worth a thousand words. It’s what I ended up going by. I used the text for the torque values
Lesson 2: I saw no need for either re-routing the air line OR zip tying it to some part of the frame. I simply inserted the detached fitting through the front hole on the installed bracket and torqued lightly. There was plenty of room in the line for it’s original routing and it doesn’t interfere with the sissy bar or the seat in anyway. Just simplifies the installation process.
Lesson 3: The only apparent difference I saw between the supposed 97 and below and the 97 and up model is that the thin black metal brace that connects the front mounting spindle to the back one is supposed to have a slight bend to it. Sort of a “Z” shape. Mine didn’t have it. I put one end of the bracket on the other side of the spacer than what the instructions called for and it fit perfectly.
Lesson 4: getting the top two bolts to line up on the back would have been much more frustrating if I hadn’t already been warned. As it was, I just took my time and applied a little leverage in strategic places and it worked fine. The right side of the bike was worse for lining up those holes. Pushing down on the saddle bag support and directional force to the saddle bag down brace worked just fine.
Lesson 5: I loosely assembled the docking point/bracket assembly and then installed the FRONT point first. It allowed me to tighten up the rear docking point and use it to hold the brace in position while chasing the washers and spacers and getting the holes to line up.
Lesson 6: With no seat on, the moment of truth came and the assembled pad and bar assembly snapped into position perfectly first time. With the overstuffed Mustang passenger seat on it was a different story. It took some squeezing and it IS tight but it fits. The stock Harley seat fits fine of course.
Now, having said all that, if anyone knows of a REAL difference between the two backrests, I’d like to know.
Now, it's 71 degrees and sunny in El Paso. I'm locked up in front of my computer doing homework when I should be out burning a dinosaur! I can't wait for the end of this term!

Kirk

 

The docking kit install for the detach sissy bar was a real PITA! The instructions do suck and once you start taking bolts off back there everything starts to bind up. Patience needed on this one for sure! Fun factor zero.

 

You are right about the fun factor being ZERO. I installed mine last weekend and your right it was a PITA and the instructions suck big time. The problem with stuff like this is you usually only do it once and learn all the pitfalls and then don't do it again unless you are helping someone else. BlackMarshmallow is right, you don't need to re-route the air line or use the tie wrap. Another problem I had is there is no way to torque the bolt in the rear mounting point to 45-47 ft-lbs. I would have stripped out the hex bolt or broken it, one or the other. The Part # on my Front Docking Kit was 53803-06. The 2 brackets that came with my Sissy bar #52933-97B that you use with the Front Docking Kit were slightly bent but the instructions were wrong on which way to install them in regards to the bend. They also tell you that the docking-point mounting bracket has two letters stamped F and R and they need to face outward and the brackets are side specific. You can only do that with one of them because you would have to mount the left one upside down and backwards for the stamped letters F and R to face outward which then of course would mean F would be to the rear and R to the front. Of course you can't even mount the bracket that way but just goes to show you how worthless parts of the instructions are. You just have to use common sense on something like this when it's obvious the instuctions are misleading or totally wrong. That's what makes this forum so great is being able to get information and give information to help others with installations like this one which looks simple but has poor instructions.

 

yep..no need to follow those DE-structions...one of my agents had just installed one so he helped with mine(he did it and i had a cocktail )...glad its done, it looked agravatin

 

I was throwing tools, kicking **** and cursing H-D for (continuing) to release this kit (which has been out for years) with these shoddy instructions. Shame on them...[:@]

 

They put real bad directions in cause the HD techs don't use them and they want to discourage DIYers from trying it instead of paying some Stealer!

 

I just bought the 53803-06 kit and looked at the instructions (you are all right, they suck) and wanted to ask a few questions in here before I proceed.

1) Is there a web site that perhaps shows all the steps in pics
2) How long would you estimate that it took you to install the kit.

Thanks in advance
[align=left] [/align]

 

sweetlu...try this link courtesy of 07streetglide. I put the same kit on my bike last weekend and it was a bitch. One thing I dd that made for a much easier install was to remove the torx screws holding the bottom rear fender brace to rear exhaust brace. This made it easier to align the holes. Also, don't tighten until a screws are started.

The left side took about 4 hours of frustration...the right side took about 45 minutes after all the trial and error on the right.

Good Luck!
Rich
http://www.moatsfamily.com/Docking_Station_Install.pdf

 

I installed the quick detach kit for my Tour Pak last week. A fuggin nightmare of a job. I was a cussing like no tomorrow. I was done except for the two top bolts in under an hour. Don't ask how long getting those suckers in took me!

 

I keep reading on different threads and on different forums how difficult this is. Even guy's like Bryan, who has much more experience with HD's than most didn't do his.
I watched my Indy do mine in nothin' flat. I'd say this may be one of those things that most should let a HD tech that has done it over and over handle it.
An hours labour at a shop should handle it, and while they are at it get them to do all three pairs so you can mount whatever, when ever. JMO