Just price checked Chrome front brake calipers at the local dealer for my 2010 CVO streetglide. I'm guessing for not much more money I can go aftermarket. I had PM single sided brakes on my 07, and I can tell a difference with my new bike and duals, but I'm also told the CVO has different calipers than a standard. So, should I upgrade to dual aftermarket calipers for a better performance, or just go chrome harley? I think it would be neat to pull a stoppie.

 

If you can pull a stoppie on that heavy bike...please post us a picture! I know that you know the front tire would slide long before you got the rear end up....just yanking our chain.

Anyway....for years and years many bikes have stopped just fine with one front brake rotor and caliper. I can't go through all the math, but having dual disc does not equal 2-times the stopping power. The dual systems have smaller diameter rotors and the MC has to move the fluid to supply two calipers. The choices of calipers and master cylinders seem endless, but you do have to match the two for the proper front brake feel. The fronts need to feel a little mushy before they come on. The rears are usually pretty "wooden", because your leg is usually a lot stronger than your hands and you want a firm feel there. If you make a front brake too wooden...they will high-side you in a curve. Just ask me how I know. If you go with aftermarket lockers....make sure they are matched to the stock master cylinder.

 

Yea, the stoppie comment was trying to get attention. I understand the braking, I come from MX background, and have ridden my whole life(I won't tell how long that's been). My 07 had single sided PM caliper. It stopped fine, but didn't have the feel at the lever that my new one has. It also had aftermarket mastercylinder, which could play a role. I plan to go with a 21" wheel soon, and would love to go back to single for the look. But, I also ride the thing and don't want to spend money to lose performance.

 

Probably sounded like I was giving a sermon on brakes. I know if you have MX experience, you are plenty smart enough to figure braking out. I have seen some who had "experimented" a little too far, or the aftermath of what was left of the bike after they locked the front wheel-up in a curve because they thought more was better. I realize you know what you are talking about. Brake feel can be like "beauty in the eye of the beholder". My rear brake feels just like my front and I have a lot more control over what it does that way. I don't generally like the wooden feel of the stock rears.

 

It's funny to see some people change to braided lines, and actually hurt performance because you lose some of the "feel" and it locks up easier. Anyway, advice is much appreciated. Guess PM doesn't want to sell any calipers, or they (or one of the vendors) would chime in and tell me why I NEED there brake caliper over a stocker.

 

+1 on that. I know a guy that has flipped-over in the parking lot more than once making a sharp slow turn and grabbing his wooden front brake.

Major vendors tend to shy away from these forums. They tend to be "crucified". I know.....I ranted at one and then felt so bad about it....I went back and toned-down my post.

 

Boy, with the above comments, we have some real talent here. A little guy called Valentino Rossi was having a bit of a problem as his 350# bike with every bit of 350 HP in a bike you could not buy. He would brake so hard his forks would bend with his radial mounted P-4 Brembos which now cost $4K+ each and the wheel would hit the radiator. Ohlins made his forks elliptical in shape to strengthen the resistance to rear bending.

I do not think you will have to worry about stoppies while touring. Before pissing away your hard earned money tossing the HD Brembos read the compairson between the aftermarket calipers and pre-Brembo calipers. Read Jay Risk's excellent braking test where he used on caliper than the dual caliper system while taking very accurate measurements. Use the search button. One test was at 50 MPH whereas the dual disk setup stopped 20 foot shorter than the single braking system.

The real stopping enhancement comes with using larger diameter rotors, good calipers, braided lines and a matched M/C. Less rotating mass stops quicker than a heavy mass. So much for the 21" front wheel theory, be the kid at the end of the whip and see what happens!

In order to handle, which includes stopping, you need good traction usually provided by good tires and not the OEM hard as a rock ones that give you the great mileage. I figure you never really need brakes until the one time in several years anyhow, a big waste of money. What is stopping in a car length sooner anyhow, give me chrome!

Now what I did was had the only set of 17" C/F rims [4.2# & 4.7# (R)] ever made for a HD (direct bolt up) which I designed made by BST (17" is the best rubber on earth for motorcycles), purchased composite fenders and took every weight saving measure to make a light bike, added MMC 13" (weighs 2.2# each) and a set of monobloc M-4 Brembo calipers with our own brake pad formula which produces 0.6 coefficient of friction. The MMC material bleeds off heat very quickly (one of the factors completely ignored in the posting above) and good street wide tires for good all around traction. Not the stickiest but will last for 5K Mi or so. For those who are falsely stating that 2 calipers is not much difference, what my solution to staying alive:


I have a dresser M/C on it and works fine but I am in the middle of converting over to a Radial M/C for better lever feedback. You drive by feel you know. To improve your dresser & Dyna braking I use this solution:

320mm rotors, my pads, and real Brembo calipers.



and on my Dyna as well:



I love coming here and reading all of your posts, it is better than TV!

 

I went with radials on the rear of my trike, but I did not reach for the Brembo's. Too many wrecked crotch-rocket Tokico's out there for $25-$50 a pair to pass up. I imagine the only time I may be in danger of bending fork-tubes will be if I hit a cow and not due to braking power.

Keep on reading....we will try to entertain you!

 

You guys are real experts on this subject. Would I be improperly hijacking the thread if I asked if I was being foolish considering buying 13 inch RSD rotor and 6 piston Performance calipers to go on new 16 inch RSD Diesel wheels on 2010 FLSTC? Overkill? Not necessary at all on that bike? Other suggestions or advice? I didn't even know the master cylinder was an issue til reading your posts. Thanks.

 

I'm considering going with the p.m. six piston simply because it looks better than the four on my bike. In 1993 I put pm. four piston on the front of my 88 fxstc and it saved my life 2 days later.
keep me posted