When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
So I put the bike up on the jack today to clean it and decided to just hose out the calipers with the garden hose and that's when I noticed a small, thin, round magnet stuck to the outside of the right brake rotor, no clue where it came from but it is about the same size of the round holes they drill into the rotors itself. ( maybe slightly larger in diamiter cause I could not get it to fit in one ) Are there any magnets in the calipers or do they use magnets in the rotors as part of the ABS system or something ?
The magnet is still a mystery though, What are your guys thought on this ?
Your ABS system gets its front wheel information from the wheel speed sensor fitted between the wheel and fork. No information comes from the brake components, as there is no wire, cable or means of transmitting anything, period. The magnet seems like some sort of anomalous thing. Possible it was at the shop that did your tires and attached itself to the caliper while the wheel was being moved around. That's all I can think. It makes no sense to have any sort of magnet purposefully stuck to a brake component.
These come marked from manufacturing with a yellow dot to indicate where you line up valve stem.
Tires have come a long way. Theoretically, as the service manager stated, mount new tire with alignment dot and usually no rebalance is required.
Cars are same and the dolts a discount tire are too stupid to know as I had my girls car taken back, she said new tires and car rode worse. I looked at tires, dots everywhere but at stems. Idiot tried to say machine can balance tires. Not if installed wrong. Remember, tires have come a long way. Got tires lined up per manufacturer, re-balanced, car rides like a Cadillac.
again, how theyre mounted per manufacturer is first step. Old school ways, are that. Old school. Seems you put more air in and its alleviated your change and its somewhat normal? Also, the air pressure they put tire at is the recommended amount. Based on what you have provided. They did a thorough job mounting tire.
Anyone wondering more about the dots on certain brands of tires, google it! You may learn something, imagine that!
Your ABS system gets its front wheel information from the wheel speed sensor fitted between the wheel and fork. No information comes from the brake components, as there is no wire, cable or means of transmitting anything, period. The magnet seems like some sort of anomalous thing. Possible it was at the shop that did your tires and attached itself to the caliper while the wheel was being moved around. That's all I can think. It makes no sense to have any sort of magnet purposefully stuck to a brake component.
Seems you put more air in and its alleviated your change and its somewhat normal? Also, the air pressure they put tire at is the recommended amount. !
Correct, or at least somewhat normal to what I am used to. I am a heaver guy at 360lbs and have always ran my TP at 40 ( or near to the max listed on the tire witch is 41 lbs on both front and rear ) because I figure it would help maintain the sidewall stability when leaning into a curve. I suspect the 36 lbs is probably the recommended TP for bikes running with a lighter load, but I could be wrong. I am also assuming that the compound in the dunlop american elietes ( new front tire ) is the same as the HD dunlop rear tire, and if it is not I would not think It would not be noticable to the rider. usually when I change a tire I change them both at the same time ( front and rear ) due to weather checking but this time is the first time I have run mixed tires on my bike .
I am wondering what TP the other " heaver" members here run in their tires and why.
Dyna Beads. After throwing a wheel weight shortly after having a dealer tire change, I decided then to buy a Cycle Hill tire changer and do my changes myself. That's when I looked into and began using Dyna Beads. Never had an issue after that. I have been using them for over 10 years. DynaBeads Tire Balancing Beads (innovativebalancing.com)
I took that magnet that I found on the rotor, threw it back on and took this picture just to give you guys a visual of what I was talking about in the previous post..
I took that magnet that I found on the rotor, threw it back on and took this picture just to give you guys a visual of what I was talking about in the previous post..
That magnet in your picture is placed directly in the friction/wear area of the rotor. Where was it (magnet) originally found? And by the way, I doubt that the magnet...with its very small weight and close to the wheel center...would produce a vibration based on weight alone. But if it was me and my bike, I would be in contact with the tire shop, AND I would probably pull the calipers to check them and the pads for anything unusual. I would also check rotor runout with a gauge. Somehow it almost looks like the magnet may have been 'riding' on the rotor and being pushed by the brake pad. Am I seeing things or is there actually a dark wear line running around the rotor approximately in line with the edge of the magnet?
Last edited by StoneTrekker; Jun 5, 2023 at 05:04 AM.
That magnet in your picture is placed directly in the friction/wear area of the rotor. Where was it (magnet) originally found? And by the way, I doubt that the magnet...with its very small weight and close to the wheel center...would produce a vibration based on weight alone. But if it was me and my bike, I would be in contact with the tire shop, AND I would probably pull the calipers to check them and the pads for anything unusual. I would also check rotor runout with a gauge. Somehow it almost looks like the magnet may have been 'riding' on the rotor and being pushed by the brake pad. Am I seeing things or is there actually a dark wear line running around the rotor approximately in line with the edge of the magnet?
This is where I found the magnet when I flushed the calipers out with a hose, in the wear area, I simply placed it back on the rotor in this photo to show it's size compared to the holes in the rotor. I doubt that it was riding in this area very long ( if any ) because there are no wear marks on either side of the magnet. I figure I flushed it out of the calipers and then found it on the rotor... but have no clue if it belongs anywhere on the bike .
After putting about 600 miles on the bike I decided to pull the front tire off again and take it to a different HD dealership to have them re check everything out. They told me that they spun the tire up and it did in fact balance out correctly without having to add or remove any weights. They also told me that the bearings had some drag and was making a clicking noise when on the balancer so they replaced the front wheel bearings again with original HD bearings. ( the previous new bearings were from e-bay )
However, the new HD bearings do not look right to me, they look like the are installed inside out but what do I know. here are some pictures of the new HD bearings instaled at the HD dealership. The numbers in orange are the markings on the bearings .
Are these HD bearings in the right way ? the ABS bearing has a gray dust cover on the outside and the non ABS bearing has a metal cover on the outside ...
Left ABS side 2011 ultra limited Left ABS side 2011 ultra limited Left ABS side 2011 ultra limited Right NON-ABS side 2011 ultra limited Right NON-ABS side 2011 ultra limited Right NON-ABS side 2011 ultra limited
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
