Special Harley Davidson XG Street Rod, the braking torque

Are we sure not to compromise safety?

Today we tell you about the experience of Alberto, a Harley Davidson enthusiast who lives in the province of Bergamo. In September 2017, Alberto found a damaged Harley Davidson Street Rod on the Internet and he decided to buy it to create a special.

So he went to retrieve it and start to work on the bike with the help of his trusted workshop.

When he began to take an interest in the braking system, Alberto decided to mount performing brakes, looking for bigger rotors and calipers with great braking powers. Then he went to the workshop and spoke with mechanic about that, saying he found on the internet some very cheap brake calipers that promised a very high braking torque.

« I had found this calipers of a brand that I haven’t seen before – says Alberto – that promised to stop the bike in very short spaces. The kit included also two very large rotors, but once I arrived at the mechanic he recommended me to not buy that solution because I could really risk my life! »

Original front rotors of the Street Rod have a diameter of 300 mm and they are not floating. To deepen the subject read the article dedicated: link

Mechanic explained to me that having so much braking torque is not always a good thing, in fact, if the braking torque is exhausted at the first pressure of the lever, we risk locking the front wheel and losing grip. Then he explained to me what I was going to look for in a good braking system, that is the progression in the brake lever, good quality of the calipers, check the material of which the rotors are made and look for rotors that are floating.

In the end he recommends buying the FreeSpirits kit which includes both floating rotors and Brembo calipers.

These calipers would not be compatible with my Harley, but thanks to the support already included in the kit it is possible to mount them without problems on the standard fork, also keeping the same brake pipes and the original abs.

The kit was mounted in a very short time and without any invasive intervention on the bike, in fact, at any time it is possible to reassemble the original system, even if I do not think I’ll come back after trying it. So, in a short time, my bike was equipped with a braking system worthy of sports bikes.

The rotors are of floating type and have an increased diameter which is 320 mm. The mechanic explained to me that this type of rotors is divided into 3 parts, a central part that serves to anchor it to the rim, an outer part called the braking band, which is where the pads friction, and then there is a band of buttons that connect the two parts. The presence of these buttons allows the braking part to move slightly in order to adapt better to the position of the pads.

The calipers supplied are Brembo, a well-known brand in the motorcycle sector. The mechanic told me that these calipers have 4 pistons instead of only 2 as were the original ones, so the pads are pushed towards the rotors with 4 pistons. This change allows you to have more braking torque, but also allows you to modulate this torque, without the risk of the wheel being locked.

Another important point is the repeatability of braking, in fact, the mechanic told me that when we brake we warm our braking system and the braking becomes longer and longer. With this system, however, the system heats up much less, so this dangerous effect is reduced.

I must say that I am extremely satisfied with this kit and I recommend it to anyone considering a change to the original HD Street Rod system.  »

For more info visit: https://www.freespiritsparts.com/en/bolt-in-upgrade-braking-kit-for-harley-davidson-street-rod-4p-calipers-rotors-diam-320-mm.html