As brake pads begin to wear in, the parking brake lever effort will lessen and the grip of the parking brakes on rear rotors will decrease. Inspect and adjust the parking brake on the following occasions.
NOTE
The following inspection and adjustment procedures may be used to adjust the parking brake between service intervals. For regular service intervals, see a Harley-Davidson dealer or service manual for complete maintenance instructions.
Inspection
  1. Park vehicle (with normal load) on a steep incline. Turn ignition switch to OFF and shift transmission into first gear.
  2. Apply front brake with left hand and cover rear brake with right foot.
  3. Push parking brake lever to the forward position with right hand. If parking brake lever is difficult to engage, see ADJUSTMENT to decrease lever effort.
  4. With parking brake engaged, release the front brake and pull in the clutch lever.
  5. See Figure 1. The rear brakes should hold securely and the vehicle should remain still. Check position of the parking brake lever (should be in over center position). See ADJUSTMENT to adjust parking brake as necessary.
Adjustment
  1. See Figure 1. With vehicle on level ground, move parking brake lever to OFF position.
    2. NOTE
    Park brake has two positions, off (disengaged) and over center (engaged), approximately 90° apart.
  2. See Figure 2. Loosen set screw and turn knob several revolutions in the appropriate direction.
    1. Turn clockwise to increase brake grip/lever effort.
    2. Turn counterclockwise to decrease brake grip/lever effort.
  3. Rotate knob until set screw is aligned with gap at front or rear of handle. Tighten set screw.
  4. See INSPECTION to check performance of the adjusted parking brake.
1Off (disengaged)
2Over center (engaged)
Figure 1. Park Brake Positions
1Knob
2Set screw
3Handle
4Gap
Figure 2. Park Brake