There was a time, not too long ago, when baggers were considered an old man's bike or "the bike my dad rides." Well as you may have noticed, on the road, in the dealerships, at events, and even in our own magazines, more and more younger riders are experiencing the benefits of a bagger. For most who have jumped on the touring train, their reasoning is long distance comfort and more storage.
One thing recent bagger converts may be missing from their old ride however are forward controls. Sure one of the biggest comfort attributes of owning a bagger is the varied foot positioning floorboards offer. Some new bagger owners however, may find the floorboards obtrusive in both looks and performance-interfering with the lean angle.
While in Sturgis this past year we were standing in the JayBrake booth catching some shade when a fairly young guy pulled up on a '02 Road King and started snooping around. The RK owner mentioned how he had just sold his old Softail and picked up the RK, in fact this was his first long ride on the new bike. He commented on how he enjoyed the long ride on the RK, but he really missed the forward controls from his Softail. The owner had heard that JayBrake offered forward controls for baggers and was ready to make the purchase right there. We took advantage of the situation to shoot the install; and still hang in the shade under the JayBrake awning.
 1. JayBrake's J-FL Forward...  1. JayBrake's J-FL Forward Controls are machined from a combination of steel and billet aluminum and are designed to mount to '97 and later FLH Touring models (units for '96 and earlier will be out soon). They utilize the existing mounts and pivot points as well as the stock rear master cylinder. The controls are available in chrome and black anodize ($574.95). The footpegs come with either chrome and rubber strips or covered in full rubber (shown here). |  2. With the bike secured...  2. With the bike secured up on a lift, the JayBrake team began the installation. First, the stock floorboard was removed, followed by the stock brake lever. The O-ring on the brake lever shaft was checked to make sure it was in good condition (arrow). |  3. Next, the new brake arm...  3. Next, the new brake arm was ready for installation. The inside sleeve of the brake arm was lubricated with some grease and then slipped onto the brake shaft. |