Saved $492!!!!

[Spazz]

... By spending $8 on Red Caliper Paint!!! LOL! I can't believe HD wants $500 for red calipers!

I didn't break the lines... I just took them off the forks, removed pads, removed outer bolts and left the middle one in... DO NOT SPLIT THE CALIPER!!!

I meticulously taped off the lines and used a bolt and string to keep the calipers away from the bike... bike was tarped with cotton sheets.

4-5 even coats is all it took.. even shot the covers in satin black....

Wait for the the paint to dry... assemble and re-install....

LOVE the contrast against the Vivid Black and Chrome!

 

[360rider]

... By spending $8 on Red Caliper Paint!!! LOL! I can't believe HD wants $500 for red calipers!

I didn't break the lines... I just took them off the forks, removed pads, removed outer bolts and left the middle one in... DO NOT SPLIT THE CALIPER!!!

I meticulously taped off the lines and used a bolt and string to keep the calipers away from the bike... bike was tarped with cotton sheets.

4-5 even coats is all it took.. even shot the covers in satin black....

Wait for the the paint to dry... assemble and re-install....

LOVE the contrast against the Vivid Black and Chrome!

Looks pretty nice! Are the red Harley calipers any better than the stock ones? Or is it purely cosmetic? I get it if you were buying high performance Brembo's or something....

 

[flhrci]

Looks great Spazz! Pretty cool that we can do that ourselves. I had no idea.

David

 

[Spazz]

Looks pretty nice! Are the red Harley calipers any better than the stock ones? Or is it purely cosmetic? I get it if you were buying high performance Brembo's or something....

HD charges $500 for a red set of STANDARD calipers or over $600 for chrome STANDARD calipers... nothing special about them... just RED.....or CHROME....

( There are companies offering CHROME EXCHANGE on calipers for about 50% less )

These calipers ( Brembo ) are NON-SERVICABLE.. which means you CANNOT REBUILD THEM ( per say ) there is an O-Ring that seals the halves. There used to be a kit to buy and is no longer available. I suspect it was pulled for liability reasons.

If you decide to do this easy mod.... PLEASE... DO NOT SPLIT THE CALIPER IN HALF. I left the CENTER BOLT in and removed the two outers to do this.... it keeps the halves together.

I talked to HD techs about this and one other guy that actually split the calipers and was able to re-assemble them with no leaks, but NOT WORTH THE POTENTIAL TROUBLE.

 

[GlideLife]

VERY NICE. Actually appears to look BETTER than the ones the the MoCo sells (slightly more gloss). Curious to know if you used any primer (especially on the screens...I'm told they're S/Steel)?

 

[Mandrew]

I think all of the touring brakes are Brembo brand.

Who was the rider that painted his calipers to match the red pin stripe on his denim black bike? That was also a nice touch.

 

[Spazz]

I think all of the touring brakes are Brembo brand.

Who was the rider that painted his calipers to match the red pin stripe on his denim black bike? That was also a nice touch.

Yep... all Brembo brakes

That was Joker.... His still look GREAT after over a year now... no chipping! ( his is Vivid Black with no pinstripe though )



BTW.... Joker went down about a month ago.. hit and run by a blue-haired old lady in a VW. He was doing 50mph when she came out of a side street and took over his lane an pushed him off the road... he 'super-man' high-sided.... bike has $9k in damages and his left foot had 10 fractures and a few road rashes... he is fine. We are still lookin for the BLUE HAIR!!!

VERY NICE. Actually appears to look BETTER than the ones the the MoCo sells (slightly more gloss). Curious to know if you used any primer (especially on the screens...I'm told they're S/Steel)?

OK... All the prep I did was wipe down with brake cleaner on all parts... that's it! The screens are SS and again.. just sprayed with brake cleaner. I used high temp satin black on screens... 2-3 even light coats about 5-10 minutes apart.

If the screens don't hold up, I can shoot them with brake cleaner and remove all the paint and use a primer base... but I think they will be fine.

 

[Mandrew]

Oh yeah- fuzzy memory. I thought Jokers was a deep red, but he also had the bright red to go with his Marine Corps scheme. For newer members- check out Joker's low budget makeover thread.

I hope Joker's recovery is going well. It sure sucks to hear about a rider getting injured because of someone's inattentive or aggressive driving.

 

[mvrigger]

Good job Spazz, very nice touch

 

[Spazz]

Oh yeah- fuzzy memory. I thought Jokers was a deep red, but he also had the bright red to go with his Marine Corps scheme. For newer members- check out Joker's low budget makeover thread.

I hope Joker's recovery is going well. It sure sucks to hear about a rider getting injured because of someone's inattentive or aggressive driving.

I'll let him know... he will appreciate it!

And on a good note.... ( this is FUNNY) His 'low budget makeover' paid off in a good way... The adjuster looked at everything! Everything is getting REPLACED with BLACK POWDERCOAT!!!! Joker said, " wait a minute... these are just everyday scratches.." Adjuster said, " So... it's scratched... it will be replaced to look like NEW." BIG THUMBS UP!!!! He SCORED!!!!

 

[flatlander]

Let us get a updated picture/look at that beast would you, all of it not just the front brakes ??????

 

[Spazz]

Let us get a updated picture/look at that beast would you, all of it not just the front brakes ??????

Here are a few I took today... I was able to get out and ride a bit

EDIT: for some reason... the pics are degraded ( resolution ) here is a link to the my shared Google album:

2015 RGS 120ST

 

[Scanty]

Hey spazz could you post a picture of the can of paint you used? Just so I picked the correct can. Thanks in advance

 

[Spazz]

Hey spazz could you post a picture of the can of paint you used? Just so I picked the correct can. Thanks in advance

Here ya go...

 

[shortguy]

Nice added touch! That is what I hate about different looking stock parts. The MoCo wants a million bucks for something you can do on the cheap. As long as you can find your imagination and common sense and it aligns with your abilities, you are golden.

 

[Mojo]

This is what makes this forum so valuable !

 

[shortguy]

This is what makes this forum so valuable !

That's the truth. Everyone else makes the brain juices flow.

 

[Xtremeroller]

Looks awesome Spazz!

 

[iamwill]

Saved $492!!!!

I may do yellow. I haven't seen that color caliper yet.


2014 FLHXS

 

[Designflaw]

Looks Good Spaz, I have a buddy that spent the big bucks, and let Harley put them on. He has the 2015 Ice Blue or whatever color it is and black wheels so it really stands out.