Some more tips in installing AdvanBlack rushmore lower

I just got lower fairings, but there’s no instructions. How do I install them?

We get all kinds of questions from the Advanblack community about mounting fairings, because there are no step-by-step instructions on how to install the fairings. Why? Because everyone loves to customize their Harleys! One set of instructions may not work for everyone out there who is customizing their bikes.

No matter what company you order from, be it Advanblack or someone else, you’re going to have to wing it. It might take you a few hours, but you’ll get better and better at customizing your bike. You might as well get used to it, because once you get started with these custom Harley additions, you’ll be hooked.

Installing lower fairings on your Harley Davidson motorcycle isn’t too difficult, but it’s helpful to have some tips from someone like Steve, the service technician, so you can avoid frustrations you might run into. If you’re ready to install lower fairings, you should check out this video on how to install a crash bar and lowers on a softail. But the tips Steve provides on this video can also save you some time and hassle. Below are some tips to questions we frequently get.  

What’s the difference between installing fairings with speaker pods or without speaker pods?

If you order the lowers without the speaker pods, the compartment pods come already attached. Just install those, flip down the lid, and there’s a hole in the middle to get to the speaker pod.  Just flip the compartment open, and you’ll see the bolt that attaches the speaker pod.

If you get lowers with speakers pods, it’s a little different. Be sure to leave the speakers out. Reinstalling the speakers is the last thing you’ll do because you need access to the hole in the pod that leads to the bolt in the back cap in the compartment. 

Where do I mount the lowers, and what are they supposed to look like after they’re mounted?

It may seem obvious about where to mount lowers, but it can be a little confusing. You can obviously see tons of photos online, but getting a close up really helps, so watching the video will help.

On the right side of the bike is the master cylinder. Most people ask if the pod goes on the outside of the cylinder or over it. It’s a little of both. The stock crash bars have a little cut out that the master cylinder is set on. There should be ½” gap between the frame and the lower fairing when it’s installed.

The back cap isn’t lining up properly. What can I do?

Sometimes the cap won’t line up and it’s getting pushed one way or the other. What you can do is leave the two nuts loose and pull the lower out toward you as far as it will go. Not snug up against the bike but pulled out a little. When it’s pulled out as far as it will go, before it starts dipping down off the curve of the crash bar, that’s exactly where it needs to be. When you get it there, snug it down, put the cap on, put the bolt in and the cap will line up nice and smooth.

The two holes on the bracket don’t fit around the crash bar. How do I get them to line up?

Before you put the lower on, but the bottom bracket on first. When the fairing goes around the crash bar, there are two holes that are a little offset, and sometimes they don’t line up. It looks like it won’t fit the crash bar, but it actually does. You just have to use a screwdriver to help you align the holes. What you do first is leave the fairing off. Next, put the rubber piece around your crash bar. This is going to protect the lower from getting damaged by the screwdriver.

Then, take a long screwdriver and insert it into the holes at an angle. Gently pull the screwdriver to align the holes. You’re not bending it but just moving the holes to where they need to be. The holes will line up perfectly, and it will fit snug around the crash bar. You put the bolt through. Then when you put the lower on there is just a nut at the bottom of the fairing that you tighten.

My speakers don’t fit properly in the speaker pod. What can I do?

On some of the lower speaker pods, the speakers mount flush with the pod.  Once installed, the speaker is inset leaving a space of about ¾”. Then the speaker grill fits in that groove between the speaker and the pod. It is not flush with the pod. But if you have a different cover that’s bigger than the hole on the pod, it will not fit. We have had some people ordering speakers and covers, such as Hertz, and the speaker grills are not fitting. What we’ve done is make spacers you use with longer screws. So you put your speakers in, then the spacers, then the covers and screw it down. The cover goes over the painted part of the fairing. 

For reference, Steve used Kicker CS 6.5” speakers and they fit perfectly. The hole on the pod is 6.75”. Just make sure the grills are the same size as the speakers before you order whatever speakers/covers you want and you should be good to go. 

A tip about the speaker pod lever for the louver.

There is also a lever on the bottom of the speaker pod. You install the lever for the louver before you put it all together. There’s a screw that the back of the speaker pod goes over the top of the screw. It leaves you roughly ¾” to put the screw in. One of the questions was how to tighten it down. Use a Phillips bit that sticks out and use a tedious quarter turn with a wrench. With the glove compartment style there’s nothing there and you can screw it down with a small screwdriver.

How do I hide the speaker wires?

It’s a fact that there are no holes for the wires to run through. The reason is that there’s a 1.5” gap between the frame and the lower there the wires generally go. Some people don’t like this and have drilled holes and installed a grommet to run the wires through. But you can also just run the speaker wire up through the pod and use black shrink wrap to hide the wires.

Can I mount highway pegs?

Absolutely! You can get a mounting kit for either short or long pegs depending on where you like to put your feet. There’s plenty of room between the lowers and the frame to mount them. You can easily mount them after the lower fairings have been installed.

We hope these tips save you some time and headaches. The video also has some nice visuals to show you how the fairings should look when they’re mounted.  

You can always reach out to us with any other questions you may have. And join our Facebook community where there’s always someone who’s happy to help!