Installing Goods From Soft Brake

One thing we've been hearing is we need more content geared to women: bike features, events, riding shots, tech, etc. Females are gaining more ground in the Harley world, and they're not just sitting on the back of bikes, they are riding, servicing and customizing their own rides. After talking with a few women riders and asking what they would do to their bikes, looks and comfort were at the top of the list.

One of our friends Marlena, AKA Marnie, has an '08 Deluxe that's pretty much bone stock, except for the Vance and Hines pipes, air cleaner and Fuel Pak we installed in the Vol. 40 No. 13 issue of HOT BIKE. A while back Marnie was riding with one of her friends who also had a Deluxe and she noticed that her friend had relocated the license plate underneath the tombstone taillight. The plate sat closer to the fender and looked really clean. So after asking her friend and doing some research, Marnie found the SoftBrake kit that would mount her license plate under the taillight. She also noticed that the company had brake and shift levers that she liked, so she placed an order for everything. Here is a look at what she got and a few install photos.

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	2. Marnie started on the...        read full caption 2. Marnie started on the left side of the bike with the shift lever. The stock heel-toe shifter just did not fit her foot (boot) and she never used the heel lever any way so the stock set up was easily removed.	3. Once the stock levers...        read full caption 3. Once the stock levers were off, Marnie placed the shift rod spacer on the shift shaft to fill the gap of the missing heel lever (arrow).
4. Next, the new Soft Brake...        read full caption 4. Next, the new Soft Brake lever was placed on the shift shaft rod and the height was adjusted to fit her boot size. Once the lever was at the right height, the pinch bolt was tightened and the rod cap was installed. Note that the rubber shift peg was removed from the stock lever and installed onto the new lever.	5. Moving onto the right...        read full caption 5. Moving onto the right side of the bike, Marnie did not like the look or the feel when she had to brake, she has to lift her whole foot off the running board to apply the brake.	6. Marnie started by removing...        read full caption 6. Marnie started by removing the cotter pin from the clevis pin (plunger) to the master cylinder. Then she unbolted the Torx-bolt and cover washer to get to the bushing. Once the bushing was removed the brake pedal slid off the shaft.
7. The new Soft Brake pedal...        read full caption 7. The new Soft Brake pedal does not come with a rubber pad so Marnie had to remove the stock pad and re-install it onto the new lever. A little heat from a hair dryer (all the ladies have one in their saddlebags, right?) helped to loosen up the rubber to slide off the stock pedal. Then a small amount of clear silicon helped to slide it onto the new pedal and once it was dry it held it in place.	8. Next, the Soft Brake brake...        read full caption 8. Next, the Soft Brake brake lever was placed back on the bike, a new cotter pin was installed to the clevis pin of the master cylinder then the washer followed by the bolt was tightened and torqued to 15 lb-ft. To ensure that the brake lever moved up and down smoothly, Marnie pulled out the ol' grease gun and packed the bushing with some fresh grease. So the next time you look under your bike and see that Zirt fitting and ask yourself if you should do something with that...the answer is yes.	9. With the Soft Brake lever...        read full caption 9. With the Soft Brake lever in place, Marnie could still let the heel of her foot stay on the floorboard for more control of the bike as she was braking.
10. Next, Marnie moved to...        read full caption 10. Next, Marnie moved to the back of the bike, she likes the look of the license plate being under the taillight and not sticking up off the fender.	11. Once the stock taillight...        read full caption 11. Once the stock taillight assembly was removed from the bike the lens needed to be swapped out to the new tombstone taillight housing.	12. Also, Marnie had to do...        read full caption 12. Also, Marnie had to do a bit of wiring for the new license plate light; the stock wires were not long enough to reach the new lower location. About 4 inches of wire was added for the license plate light, then run back under the fender to the brake light plug.
13. Next was the plate relocator,...        read full caption 13. Next was the plate relocator, this piece fits under the rear turn signal bar, and uses the stock bolt pattern (no drilling).	14. Once it was bolted in...        read full caption 14. Once it was bolted in place Marnie installed all the wires for the turn signal, and the brake light, and plate light. Then the license plate made its way back onto the bike followed by the tombstone taillight housing.	15. With a small amount of...        read full caption 15. With a small amount of hand tools, a drill with a cut-off wheel, some wire, heat shrink and a soldering gun this was an easy install to do in your garage. And not only does it look good, but it is more comfortable for Marnie, and it didn't take a lot of down time.