Replacing rear brake pads on 04 FatBoy

I got the inside pad off OK...installed new pad....everything was going well, I pulled both pins out to remove the outside pad...but when I got the outside pad off the inside pad fell out as well. :cussing: Now is my only option to remove the rear wheel and caliper and all? Or is there a less painful option? Anybody else run into this?

first I put the outside pad in put both pins in far enough to hold the pad then the inside but before that I make sure the caliper pistons are all the way retracted I have a couple of old brake adjusting spoons I use hope this helps patience helps something I have little of

No need to remove caliper, what Steve said above

Makes sense to me, but why does Harley manual have me install inside pad first?...and if I dont have one of these brake adjusting spoons? I've tried a putty knife, etc.

I used the old brake pad and a c-clamp to compress the piston and the pads went in fine. Compressing the piston was key for me getting the pads to stay on the calipers. Hope that helps.

Iowa.... in the manual, after replacing the inside pad you are supposed to pump the brakes so it pinches the new pad against the caliper and keeps it in place while you do the outside pad. It works most the time, how ever it is pretty easy when prying on the outside pad to force things over and loosen the inside pad. I still do it that way, but have learned to keep my hand under the inside pad when prying over the outside pad. The thing is at the point you are at now with both pads out, then it is easier to put outside pad first, then inside pad.
Screw driver will work on forcing over the old pad/pistons.

What Reese said has always worked for me. Slip the outside set in, install pins far enough to hold them in, pry the pistons back with a screw driver and slip in the inside pads, slide the pins home and torque them down. I never could get the technique for pumping the brake to hold the outside pads, they always fell out when I tried to slide the other pads in.