I have a 2011 Dyna with performance machine wheels, front and rear brake rotors and pulley. Its a 21 front 18 rear wheel set up. From the beginning the front brakes didnt feel strong with the stock caliper. I ended up buying a PM 6 piston brake caliper which didnt improve braking and actually felt worse. To get close to stopping power like my friends have on their dyna I need to squeeze harder and use the rear. While they get better braking with only their fronts. Ive had them ride my bike and they also said their bikes brake better. However I did get used to this since doing the install back in 2014. Im also tainted in how I feel the way the bike brakes because I also ride a Street Glide with dual disc brakes , stock calipers but also have PM wheels, and two front pm rotors. As well as 3 other sport bikes with dual disc radial calipers.

Im thinking about buying a brembo .484 radial mount brake caliper and a axial to radial brake bracket from Speed Merchants. Or just buy a Brembo .484 axial brake caliper. My question is, are the PM rotors good and I should stay with the one on the dyna. Or is the PM rotors one of the issues along with the PM 6 piston caliper which doesnt have great reviews and a stock harley caliper is better. I should have done my research back in 2014. I can go with one of these routes

1) Leave PM rotor if maybe its only the PM caliper. Install .484 Brembo axial caliper
2) Leave PM rotor, install axial to radial bracket and get a .484 Brembo radial caliper
3) Get the Arlen Ness 15 inch big brake rotor with a .484 Brembo radial caliper
4) Get a 11.8 Lyndall front rotor (rear rotor is hidden by leather pros bags) axial to radial bracket and .484 brembo radial caliper
5) Get a 11.8 Lyndall front rotor and a a .484 brembo axial caliper.

 

I think your can rule out your #3 choice, unless you're going to do a lot of machining. I have yet to see anyone run a radial caliper with an AN big rotor, and have never seen a bracket sold for this. But if you're tied to keeping a single disk, I would think the AN big brake would be the way to go... It's the only one of your choices that really increases swept area. Honestly, I thought the OEM 4-piston calipers were pretty good (although I no longer use them). A pair of them resulted in some of the best HD braking I've experienced.

If your PM rotor is stock size, you might just try a return to the original caliper, but with an upgraded pad and fresh fluid. And a braided line will help with feel, if not actual braking power. I'm sure there's a way to achieve strong braking with PM calipers, but I've really come to think of them more as styling bling than as a performance upgrade.

You have an S1000R AND an S1000RR??? Geez... and a Panigale? You're right... You'll never actually be THRILLED with your HD braking performance!

 

You may be seeing one soon.....

 

Tell me more!!! Please?

 

PM FULL FLOATING ROTORS ARE THE CATS *** NEXT TO BREMBO 13'' full floating rotors that I RUN ON MY H-D and Custom builds . PM Full Floating ROTORS are almost as GOOD as BREMBO 13" Brembo rotors but the BREMBO ROTORS are made of better quality STEEL and Alloy Inner Disc mounting component for the rotor mounting itself .

 

#3 was a mistake. I meant to write .484 brembo axial caliper. Yes there are no mounts for a radial caliper to mount onto the Arlen ness rotor

 

Right now I have a 11.5 inch rotor with that crappy pm 6 piston brake caliper. I was going to go with a 11.8 Lyndall brake rotor, brembo 108mm .484 radial caliper (or the brembo 108mm GP4 RX in nickle if they sold only a left one) along with the speed merchants 11.5/11.8 axial to radial brake caliper mount. I have the PM Hooligan wheels and was going to get the Lyndall 11 spoke chrome 11.8 inch rotor.

Would you say that the 13 inch PM floating rotor is better than the Lyndall? I would love have a matching rotor for my wheels and chose the Lyndall 11 spoke chrome because it was the closest to my hooligan wheels. Regarding the brake calipers, my brother from my MC is a dealer for Brembo so Im getting the calipers , whatever calipers I decide on and whatever rotors I decide on at cost. When he spoke to Brembo he was told the .484 radial left calipers were on back order for almost a year. But they have the .484 radial caliper left and right kit in stock. We have another MC brother who wants to go the same route as me with the .484 radial and Brembo told my MC dealer brother that they have a customer who needs 3 108mm .484 radial calipers. So they may break up 3 kits. Sell one dealer 3 right .484 radial calipers and sell our MC brother 2 .484 left radial calipers. However now my bro was looking at the nickel plated 108mm Brembo GP4RX radial caliper. He liked it because it was nickle plated, better braking and we could get a chrome speed merchant axial to radial caliper mount to match our chrome wheels. After my dealer bros discount the price difference between the 108mm .484 radial and GP4RX108mm is only $56. And the chrome axial to radial mount brackets are less expensive than the anodized black ones. There isnt a huge price difference between the chrome and black... about $5. Thats how we are able to upgrade all our parts at dealer cost. Having a MC bro as a dealer we get everything at cost so I can upgrade my Streetglide, dyna, both BMWs and Ducati. And he benefits from us as contractors, plumbers, electricians, ophthalmic eye surgery field and other areas.

But Id love to hear your input and recommendation on whether to get a 13 inch floating PM rotor (hooligan style to match my wheels) with the brembo radial calipers. Or a Lyndall 11.8 chrome rotor? Would love to get your feed back. And if you dont mind a good response on your 13 inch floating rotor.

 

"...crappy pm 6 piston brake caliper"

PM aren't Willwood or Brembo but, all things being equal, it still should be better than the stock caliper.

If it's worse, it might be an issue with bleeding the system, mixing brake fluid (DOT4vDOT5), dodgy brakeline, or the discs themselves might be glazed, over-worn etc. Also the master piston might be leaking (if they are not maintained, water can eventually enter the system and corrode the piston, allowing fluid to squeeze past and making it feel spongy and horrible. (Sorry if this is all stuff you already know or have worked through )

Even with all that done, one disc is just not enough to give really good braking (And I'd include even an awesome single Brembo setup here). These bikes are just too damned heavy.
It's adequate, and safe enough (I have a single AN BigBrake, EBC H-H pads and a braided line, and it does the job. But, it's nothing like my old Ducati or even my old BMW Airhead (a single 4 Piston Brembo).

Twin setups are definitely the go, but by then then you will have come up against tire traction, crappy suspension and other brake-related limitations..
.

 

I'm leaning toward a single AN big rotor and GSXR1000 tokico caliper?

 

Which 13 inch Brembo floating rotor do you use? I went on their website and saw replacement floating rotors. And I saw the rotor that is marketed with the .484 radial caliper. The rotor is called The Grove. In your opinion, since Im going with either the Brembo black .484 radial or Brembo GP4RX nickel plated caliper (lower fork legs, triple trees, MX Tbars , controls, mirrors and JD Customs fairing are black with Chrome PM wheels) would you put the Lyndall 11.8 or 13 inch rotor in the same category as the Brembo brake rotor? I found the 13 inch floating PM Hooligan rotor but its a 4-6 week back order I was told. So if I want something soon then its either the Brembo rotors (hopefully they sell them as single units) the Lyndall 11 spoke chrome 11.8 or 13 inch rotor or upgrade from the 11.5 to the 11.8 PM Hooligan chrome rotor.