73 ironhead front brakes

well i cant seem to get the front brake right on my 73xlh. the brakes are so tight i can barely turn the wheel. also i had to space out the rotor so this massive piece of shit wouldnt hit the spokes. are the lower leg mounts the same on the newer ironhead sportsters? id like to just replace the whole caliper with a smaller piece. any ideas or advice?

Sounds like the piston is frozen inside the caliper. Pull it off and hook a grease gun to the bleeder and pump the piston out and make sure the seals and bore are clean and debris free. Then reinstall it and it should be fine.

no the piston is ok. its the other side that hold tension. think i might try shaving down the new brake pad a bit on that side. id rather do that then space the rotor out even more i guess.

Is it a early 73 with the banana or the late 73 with that really long brake pad arm. The later ones had the brake pad with a long attach point. The arm on mine tended to bind at the bottom, cleaning and some never seize on the pin works so far.

no mines got the stupid banana caliper. this thing is massive. it seems like the slide pin might be stuck. when i apply the brake the caliper cocks, hopefully tomorrow i can get it apart.