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Has anyone modified the brake pedal to make it easier to use?

M

Metalman

Member
I am 6 foot four and have neuropathy with dropfoot. Getting my foot firmly and squarely on the brake pedal is difficult. I'm concerned about how fast I can stop the 2023 RTL in an emergency. I wonder if anyone has modified the brake pedal by extending it to the right. I would be interested in seeing if and how it was done.

After I posted this, I tried searching again and found a post where the OP bought a wider brake pedal from Show Chrome for his RTL. It looks like that will work for me, though I would like the pedal to be a bit lower as well.
 
Last edited:
I remember reading on here a short time ago that there is a rod available for the newer RTL's that will raise the brake pedal up for shorter riders. I believe there is some adjustability on the rod, so it may be possible that you could use it to lower the brake pedal… maybe.
 
There are handbrake kits available. I have 'Agent Orange related' peripheral neuropathy in both feet, getting close to dropfoot, and I am thinking about the handbrake kit. The pre 2020 model brake pedal is more user friendly than the 2020+ brake pedal. I took my trike course on a brand new 2020, and I found the brake pedal difficult. I have shrunk from 6'4" to 6'2" as I age. I have a 2021 F-150 too, which is supposed to not run into anything ahead of it, which is good, as going from the gas pedal to the brake pedal is iffy at times. I wish the Spyder's CC was adaptive, like the F-150's.
 
I've read about one of the handbrake kits and they seem to be complicated. Some people are not happy with them. And the price is beyond outrageous. However, if I have to, I will go to the handbrake. But first, I'm going to order a wide brake pedal from Show Chrome and see how it works. I could make one, but by the time I get done cutting, and drilling, and purchasing a rubber pad, I think it's much easier just to buy one.
 
With the brake pedal operating two independent braking circuits, care must be taken if modifying the pedal. If something were to happen that caused the bike to lose either front or rear brake system the brake pedal would go down further than normal. Any modification must ensure that pedal engages the brake before the pedal goes lower than the footboard or contacts the footboard before engaging the brake. I had to modify my brake pedal and tested this by sitting on the bike and pressing hard on the pedal while a friend slackened the rear bleed nipple to simulate a failure. The pedal neither went below the level of the footboard or struck the footboard, with brake pressure still applied to the fronts.
 
Metalman said:
I've read about one of the handbrake kits and they seem to be complicated. Some people are not happy with them. And the price is beyond outrageous. However, if I have to, I will go to the handbrake. But first, I'm going to order a wide brake pedal from Show Chrome and see how it works. I could make one, but by the time I get done cutting, and drilling, and purchasing a rubber pad, I think it's much easier just to buy one.
Click to expand...
I have the ISCI Hand Brake on my 2024, as well as the wide Show Chrome pedal.

The pedal is ok, and it does help me a little, as I do not have to rotate my 🦶 as much. It was worth the $$$,

The ISCI Hand Brake is expensive, but to me, it makes a world of difference. I will note that it is NOT a full replacement for the brake pedal, as the pull required on the handbrake is pretty substantial for a hard stop. It works great at stopping the bike in casual stops at traffic lights etc. That said, in an emergency, I would never use it alone! The pull is just too much. What I LOVE about it though, is that I am very quick in starting to apply brakes, and as you apply it, it pulls the brake pedal down, making it easier to get my foot in place on the pedal. I can see how some people are not happy with it because of the pull (and the cost), but if you can find one in your local area to try... To me, it's well worth it, I put one on my 2018 as well when I had it. You might call ISCI and see if they have any dealers in your area, you might get lucky.

If you have any specific questions, let me know.
 
Thanks to Fire Truck and McClendons for the informative posts above. I'm going to start out with a pedal extension and then if that doesn't work out as well as I'd like, I will consider getting the handbrake.

JWK70 said:
I remember reading on here a short time ago that there is a rod available for the newer RTL's that will raise the brake pedal up for shorter riders. I believe there is some adjustability on the rod, so it may be possible that you could use it to lower the brake pedal… maybe.
Click to expand...
Thanks, I'll check out the rod if I find that itiis necessary.

Snoking1127 said:
There are handbrake kits available. I have 'Agent Orange related' peripheral neuropathy in both feet, getting close to dropfoot, and I am thinking about the handbrake kit. The pre 2020 model brake pedal is more user friendly than the 2020+ brake pedal. I took my trike course on a brand new 2020, and I found the brake pedal difficult. I have shrunk from 6'4" to 6'2" as I age. I have a 2021 F-150 too, which is supposed to not run into anything ahead of it, which is good, as going from the gas pedal to the brake pedal is iffy at times. I wish the Spyder's CC was adaptive, like the F-150's.
Click to expand...
I am somewhat apprehensive about having to stop the trike in an emergency. At this point, I've ridden it over 400 miles and I am more comfortable on it, but I haven't encountered any situations where I needed to apply the brakes in a hurry. I really should get into some parking lot when it's empty and see what I can do with the brakes.
 
McClendons said:
I have the ISCI Hand Brake on my 2024, as well as the wide Show Chrome pedal.

The pedal is ok, and it does help me a little, as I do not have to rotate my 🦶 as much. It was worth the $$$,

The ISCI Hand Brake is expensive, but to me, it makes a world of difference. I will note that it is NOT a full replacement for the brake pedal, as the pull required on the handbrake is pretty substantial for a hard stop. It works great at stopping the bike in casual stops at traffic lights etc. That said, in an emergency, I would never use it alone! The pull is just too much. What I LOVE about it though, is that I am very quick in starting to apply brakes, and as you apply it, it pulls the brake pedal down, making it easier to get my foot in place on the pedal. I can see how some people are not happy with it because of the pull (and the cost), but if you can find one in your local area to try... To me, it's well worth it, I put one on my 2018 as well when I had it. You might call ISCI and see if they have any dealers in your area, you might get lucky.

If you have any specific questions, let me know.
Click to expand...
I have the ISCI hand brake setup on my 2019 RTL and I agree with everything you said about it. I love it. And the company will give you a discount if you are handicapped.

Metalman said:
I am 6 foot four and have neuropathy with dropfoot. Getting my foot firmly and squarely on the brake pedal is difficult. I'm concerned about how fast I can stop the 2023 RTL in an emergency. I wonder if anyone has modified the brake pedal by extending it to the right. I would be interested in seeing if and how it was done.

After I posted this, I tried searching again and found a post where the OP bought a wider brake pedal from Show Chrome for his RTL. It looks like that will work for me, though I would like the pedal to be a bit lower as well.
Click to expand...
I also have neuropathy and had difficulty with the stock pedal. I installed the Show Chrome larger pedal and found at times my foot riding the pedal. I went back to the stock pedal and installed the ISCI hand brake. Now if I use the hand brake first, the foot pedal will drop down and my jacked up foot will find it easier.
 
Jetfixer said:
Not really. You do have to remove most of the right side bodywork to mount the slave cylinder. Once the bodywork is off, it's pretty straight forward. It takes a little time to bleed it, due to a small reservoir at the brake handle.
Click to expand...
Agree on the install. Only challenge I had was the original pin in the brake rod of the bike was installed from the inside to out. There was not enough room to remove the pin without removing the muffler. I ended up taking a Sawzall to the OEM pin and just cut it... this was quicker than removing the muffler. I've read that it happened to a couple of others as well, but many/most have the OEM pin inserted from outside to in, so it just slides out. Everything is relatively straightforward.
 
I too have neuropathy in my feet. Can't feel the brake pedal. The only time so far that I've had any pucker factor while riding the F3S was when I couldn't get to the pedal.
I bought a F3 larger foot brake pad. It makes it easier, but still not perfect.
I talked to Lamont about the adjustable brake rod, but he said it wouldn't work with the F3 ULTIMATE BOARDS, So I'm out of luck I guess.
 
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