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Selling Rotors provides to enhance a motorcycles stopping performance and its aesthet-ics at the same time. Nicely finished, high performance rotors can be the crown jewel on any wheel, and rotors that perform well will bring miles of enjoyment to your highly val-ued customers.
A dealer needs to give careful consideration to what brand he wants to carry. The most likely candidates will be brands that have been in business a while, have a reputation for high quality products, and have high marks for customer service. One way to consider a companys ability to provide a reliable performance product and back it up with customer support is by doing an Internet search of the various motorcycle forums for honest talk from those with hands-on experience: the riders themselves. Also, distributor reps can be a valuable source for informed opinions. Another barometer for quality will be the level to which a manufacturer will stand behind its own products. Some questions to consider include: Does the manufacturer offer a satisfaction or money back guarantee? How fast can it deliver the product ordered? Does the company offer a warranty?
Whats The Difference?
In order to determine which rotor will be right for your customers riding situation, its im-portant to understand the various types available on the market. Motorcycle rotors are typically offered in three different mechanical designs: one-piece, two-piece, and fully floating.
One piece rotors like the ones that come OE on a Harley-Davidson, are just a solid shape, usually stamped out of stainless steel. Solid rotors of this variety are easily massed-produced. As a result, theyre generally cheapest on the market. However, theyre limited in stopping performance and service life.
The two-piece rotor has a carrier that is separate from the friction ring. The two-piece rotor is essentially the same as a solid one-piece rotor because the carrier is attached to the friction ring in a fixed manner. The carrier and friction ring are bolted together with hardware or rivet and high-pressure cone washer, in a manner that allows zero move-ment between the two pieces. While the two-piece rotor offers no mechanical advantage over the one-piece rotor, it does allow the manufacturer to offer a wide variety of style options.
Fully floating rotors - have a carrier that is completely independent of the friction ring. The carrier is attached to the friction ring via buttons with low pressure spring washers and c-clips. On a fully floating rotor, all three of these pieces will move independently of each other will little effort. Float, or movement, is about .0020. Floating rotors offer su-perior mechanical advantage over solid rotor types because when the friction ring gets hot, it grows in diameter. Keep in mind that the outer diameter of the rotor gets much hotter than the inner diameter. This variance in temperature causes a variance in mate-rial expansion. The fully floating rotor design compensates for this variance by allowing room (.0020) for the friction ring to grow independently of the carrier, dramatically in-creasing rotor stability, stopping performance, and service life, while also diminishing the possibility of warpage under the most extreme of conditions.
What Are They Made Of?
Rotors are made of various materials. Most rotors are made of stainless steel, either 410 or 420 grade. Stainless steel is an inherently stable, heavy, and hard material, so it takes a good polish. Some high performance rotors are made of ductile iron. Ductile iron has the highest coefficient of friction of any rotor surface. But, iron rusts, and is not as stable as steel.
Recent advances in metal matrix composite and the processes and the processes asso-ciated with manufacturing from this material have made composite materials a new-comer to the rotor industry. Metal Matrix Composite (MMC) is a mixture of aluminum and ceramic. MMC is a most interesting material with the measurable ability to shed heat and weight, as well as noise. These advances in material options available for the manufac-ture of motorcycle rotors allows the manufacture of an 11 fully rotating rotor that weighs 1 1 pounds, has a coefficient of friction consistent with an iron rotor (but never rusts), and has a durability factor that allows the opportunity to guarantee the fric-tion ring for the life of the bike. Furthermore, these rotors can be beautifully finished and customized to match the style and character of almost any customers motorcycle, thus becoming an artistic addition to the bike, rather than simply a mechanical stopping de-vice.
A dealer needs to give careful consideration to what brand he wants to carry. The most likely candidates will be brands that have been in business a while, have a reputation for high quality products, and have high marks for customer service. One way to consider a companys ability to provide a reliable performance product and back it up with customer support is by doing an Internet search of the various motorcycle forums for honest talk from those with hands-on experience: the riders themselves. Also, distributor reps can be a valuable source for informed opinions. Another barometer for quality will be the level to which a manufacturer will stand behind its own products. Some questions to consider include: Does the manufacturer offer a satisfaction or money back guarantee? How fast can it deliver the product ordered? Does the company offer a warranty?
Whats The Difference?
In order to determine which rotor will be right for your customers riding situation, its im-portant to understand the various types available on the market. Motorcycle rotors are typically offered in three different mechanical designs: one-piece, two-piece, and fully floating.
One piece rotors like the ones that come OE on a Harley-Davidson, are just a solid shape, usually stamped out of stainless steel. Solid rotors of this variety are easily massed-produced. As a result, theyre generally cheapest on the market. However, theyre limited in stopping performance and service life.
The two-piece rotor has a carrier that is separate from the friction ring. The two-piece rotor is essentially the same as a solid one-piece rotor because the carrier is attached to the friction ring in a fixed manner. The carrier and friction ring are bolted together with hardware or rivet and high-pressure cone washer, in a manner that allows zero move-ment between the two pieces. While the two-piece rotor offers no mechanical advantage over the one-piece rotor, it does allow the manufacturer to offer a wide variety of style options.
Fully floating rotors - have a carrier that is completely independent of the friction ring. The carrier is attached to the friction ring via buttons with low pressure spring washers and c-clips. On a fully floating rotor, all three of these pieces will move independently of each other will little effort. Float, or movement, is about .0020. Floating rotors offer su-perior mechanical advantage over solid rotor types because when the friction ring gets hot, it grows in diameter. Keep in mind that the outer diameter of the rotor gets much hotter than the inner diameter. This variance in temperature causes a variance in mate-rial expansion. The fully floating rotor design compensates for this variance by allowing room (.0020) for the friction ring to grow independently of the carrier, dramatically in-creasing rotor stability, stopping performance, and service life, while also diminishing the possibility of warpage under the most extreme of conditions.
What Are They Made Of?
Rotors are made of various materials. Most rotors are made of stainless steel, either 410 or 420 grade. Stainless steel is an inherently stable, heavy, and hard material, so it takes a good polish. Some high performance rotors are made of ductile iron. Ductile iron has the highest coefficient of friction of any rotor surface. But, iron rusts, and is not as stable as steel.
Recent advances in metal matrix composite and the processes and the processes asso-ciated with manufacturing from this material have made composite materials a new-comer to the rotor industry. Metal Matrix Composite (MMC) is a mixture of aluminum and ceramic. MMC is a most interesting material with the measurable ability to shed heat and weight, as well as noise. These advances in material options available for the manufac-ture of motorcycle rotors allows the manufacture of an 11 fully rotating rotor that weighs 1 1 pounds, has a coefficient of friction consistent with an iron rotor (but never rusts), and has a durability factor that allows the opportunity to guarantee the fric-tion ring for the life of the bike. Furthermore, these rotors can be beautifully finished and customized to match the style and character of almost any customers motorcycle, thus becoming an artistic addition to the bike, rather than simply a mechanical stopping de-vice.
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