So, While shopping for a new 21" front wheel I thought I was doing the right thing and making a purchase from a small, independent mom and pop type shop, instead of a larger company.. You know, helping out the little guy..

I purchased a complete set-up; wheel, tire, rotors (2 piece floating), bearings. Ready to bolt on upon arrival.

When UPS drops off my wheel, I notice that the box was pretty banged up. I took a few photos prior to opening the box, just in case I would need to make a claim.

I open the box, wheel looks great! Doesnt appear to be damaged, so I begin assembly. Everthing fit well and bolted up as it should. After installation, comes the test ride.
Bike runs smooth, until i hit the front brakes. Front tire dips down immediately and the brakes begin to pulsate.

Im not one to waste someones time, so I try to troubleshoot the issue before contacting the wheel manufacturer.

I completely remove and reinstall wheel to be sure that I installed it correctly, in the right sequence, and all correct torques. I also Thoroughly Cleaned the rotors and calipers with brake cleaner. Brakes still pulsate.

I went to the dealership and bought new brake pads, just to check that off the list of possibilities. Brakes still pulsate.

Pulled ABS fuse to eliminate the possibility of an ABS malfunction/issue. Brakes still pulsate.

After I ran out of ideas, I reinstalled the stock rotors on the new aftermarket wheel and the pulsating went away.

I contacted the manufacturer, and I paid the $40 to have the rotors shipped back to be inspected. After getting the run around for over 6 weeks, they came to the conclusion that they would disassemble the rotors, check runout and reassemble them and send them back to me. They claim that the rotors are perfectly straight.

So here I am, almost 3.5 months later, with the same rotors, having the same braking issues.

Can anyone give me any advise, tips, recommendations here...? Is there any reason that aftermarket floating rotors would cause this pulsating? Is there something that I am overlooking..? The Brakes work perfectly fine with the stock rotors.

Any advise would be appreciated!
BTW, The bike is a 2011 Street Glide. dual rotors with ABS

 

ouch. i have been waiting two months for my matching rotors if that makes ya feel any better. got my wheel a month ago, gonna be another two months before i get my matching 2 piece rotors. bummer.

 

Are your stock rotors non-floating, wondering if the floating rotors on the new wheel are causing the problem.
Have you tried to put the new floating rotors on your old wheel and testing that?

 

stock rotors are non floating/ 1 peice.
Thanks for the recommendation, I did not try that. Ill bolt the floating rotors on the stock wheel to see what that does.

 

Good luck with your purchase brotha,!

 

I'd pull the wheel and set it in a jig like a truing stand. Then check the run out of the rotors while mounted.

 

Ask the Rotor company if they require any brake pads other than OE.


Try resurfacing your present brake pads (figure 8 motion on concrete) or try new pads.

 

Prior to me sending the rotors back, i bought a dial caliper that i hard mounted to the forks to check runout. according to manufacturer, you cant measure runout on floating rotors beacause they "float" and arent hard mounted.

 

Thanks for the recommendation, I installed new pads prior to contacting the manufacturer.

 

can someone chime in on this, is it true that you cannot check runout on floating rotors because they are not rigid/hard mounted..??

this is what the owner owner of the company that i bought my wheel/rotors from had told me.