2005 Ultra with 27M miles:

I rarely bring my scoot in for dealer service, usually it is DIY with me.

But I figured with new tires on the menu, the brakes should get an overhaul too.

Just purchased three sets of Hawk HMC-400HH pads and am looking at new rotors to match (Hawk brakes are awesome on my '84 C4).

Got a stock OEM 41797-00 for the rear.

Any suggestions for the fronts??? Polished/chrome/floating....

And what are floating rotors - pros and cons???

Will they work with stock calipers???

Thanks in advance guys.

Pics would be nice too

Dave H. Appleton, WI

 

Floating Rotors won't sink when you throw them in a lake......

 

A line from Cousin Eddie Christmas Vacation . You sure bout that Clark ?

 

Floating rotors are 2 pc rotors with the rotor (outer ring) connected loosely to the carrier (the part that bolts to the wheel). They have built in play that allows the rotor to always stay flush with the pads giving you maximum contact surface.

 

Floating rotors also help to keep the rotar from warping from heat when they get hot. Allows them to expand and contract without being hard mounted to the wheel assembly.

Floating rotors are generally considered "standard" in any higher performance braking system. I would not upgrade to floating rotors if you leave the stock calibers. Wouldnt gain any real benefit from the extra expense.

 

Bingo! Sharknose has it right. My White Lightning has floating rotors. You can grab the outer disk and move it in and out to be in line with the caliper. My HD floating caliper is cosmetic only. It looks just like a floater, however it is solid, just like a stock rotor.

 

Floating rotors can also be damn annoying. They generally make a bit of noise as they shake, rattle and roll on the buttons that connect the outer ring to the carrier. The real question is, are you hard enough on the brakes to really justify the benefits of a floating rotor.

The picture below shows a true floating design but Lyndall Racing has a few interesting designs that I wonder how they perform and sound.

 

Another reason for using floating rotors (I never understood why they have that name!) is to isolate brake heat from the hub and bearings. The design Harley currently uses for stock rotors, which we can see clearly in Dr Tiki's sigpic, allows a small degree of alignment and also helps to reduce heat transfer.

I have 13" floaters on my old Glide (with 6-pot calipers) and a current Harley floater on the rear (with current Harley 4-pot caliper), just to cover all likely eventualities! I have no way of knowing how much better the floating front rotors improve performance, but I like the concept and have embraced it!

 

The best maintenance you can do for your brakes is to disassemble them now and remove/ clean the pistons. When the pistons get built up with road crud they will not move freely. This is the major cause of warped rotors. If you see your brake pads wearing uneven, this is a sure sign of dirty pistons binding in their holes. Purchase a rebuild kit from the dealer, usually just an o-ring kit for the calipers and clean the pistons, then reassemble. Just follow the instruction that come in the kit.

 

Nothing worse than an annoying noise.

That means solid rotors for this guy.

And thanks for the tip on the piston rebuilds

Dave H.