The most important tool you'll need to work on your bike is the factory service manual. They are not cheap, but are well worth the investment.
Overall Rating: +Every month we bring you more technical articles than any other magazine. Most of the time it's the latest in high-performance parts and services. In this piece we're going to change gears and talk about a regular maintenance item: Brakes.
This may not the most exciting thing to read about, but good brakes are a must on any bike, and doing it yourself is easy. The average labor rate in the Midwest is 70 dollars an hour. Doing this on your own will save you about half an hour of labor, plus you can choose another brand of brake pad.
We didn't have any problems on our ride back from Sturgis, but with a lot of miles on this set of brake pads we were getting concerned. Follow along as we replace them with a top-of-the-line set of SBS Carbon Tech disc brake pads. Harley pads are $44.00, SBS Carbon Tech pads retail for $38.00.
| RATING GUIDE |
| ABILITY | + | TIME | + |
| TOOLS | ++ | COST | ++ |
Our victim: A '97 dresser. The first step is to remove the right side saddlebag and side cover. | 
SBS Carbon Tech brake pads, complete with new shims. | 
Grab the caliper and rock it back and forth to retract the piston. There is a pin on the back of the pads that the caliper needs to clear. |
Remove the retaining bolts and lift the caliper out of the way. | 
The pads stay with the carrier. This is the pin that needs to be cleared. Place the caliper on a few rags on top of the muffler. Do not hang the caliper from the brake hose, as it could get damaged. | 
Gently pry up on the retaining clip. Once up, push toward the wheel to release it. |