This is a wild one. Ray Wheeler, the USA W8Less Rotor rep, busted his ass for two or three years promoting these mysterious and amazing rotors, while the engineers struggled to design the ultimate floating, light-as-a-feather rotors. Here's what the doctors of the Matrix have to say:
W8LESS motorcycle disc brake rotors utilize advanced materials commonly known as metal matrix composites (MMCs). Products containing MMCs exhibit the toughness, wear resistance and strength of ceramics enhanced by the properties of advanced alloys. MMCs can be found in jet fighter planes, racing engines and other high performance applications. Advances made by W8LESS engineers have created this patented and patent pending technology, and also made it affordable and available to the general public.
After two years these magnificent developments in braking technology are dialed in and ready for the market. They can be ordered in two different floating center designs, in five different colors and finishes, with a myriad of colored fastener selections. That's not all. The actual rotor surface can be ordered in polished, gray or black-too cool.
Here's the list of W8Less Rotor Attributes:
-They are up to 60 Percent lighter than common rotors. For example, an 11.5 inch rotor weighs less than two pounds
-They cool five times faster than steel rotors
-They won't warp, won't rust and produce less brake dust
-They have 10 times the noise dampening of a steel rotor
-They are true floating rotors with 0.2 mm floating clearance
-They cost less than any iron or steel rotor
So why composite rotors? Here's what the engineers said:
WHY COMPOSITES: Webster defines a composite as “a solid material which is composed of two or more substances having different physical characteristics and in which each substance retains its identity while contributing desirable properties to the whole; especially, a structural material within which a fibrous material (as silicon carbide) is embedded.”
While we think of composites as modern inventions, early composites were a great benefit to the United States Navy in the late 1700s and the early 1800s. Old Ironsides, now docked in Boston Harbor, has composite masts. By the late 1700s, New England forests did not contain trees large enough to be the masts of large battleships. Thanks to American ingenuity, American craftsmen glued timbers together to create the large masts.
British ships had masts made of tall trees found in Russian forests. While both types of masts worked equally well for sailing purposes, the American mast could take a direct cannon ball blast but not break even though a chunk of wood may have been blown away. Conversely, a mast made from a single tree would break right off where a cannon ball hit, tumbling into the sea with all its sails. Old Ironsides, with its masts intact, could continue to maneuver around the British ship, which was now a motionless sitting duck.
The most common modern composite besides those made of wood or concrete, are mixtures of resins and glass or carbon fiber. Fiberglass boats and Corvette body panels are common examples. One of the best examples of the strength and durability of a composite can be found in a Formula One carbon fiber composite transmission case, just 2 mm (0.07874”) thick, which will handle over 750 horsepower and a large amount of torque for an entire Formula One season from March until late October! Truly Amazing.
W8LESS ROTORS are made of an advanced form of a composite commonly known as a Metal Matrix Composite, or MMC. Traditional MMCs contains a base metal, which provides the matrix in which the ceramics are embedded. The resultant material has the wear resistance of the ceramics but without the brittleness, and has the strength of mild steel, while being an incredible 60% lighter. MMCs are used to make Space Shuttle struts and braces, high wear components on an F-16 fighter jets (the lifetime maintenance savings per aircraft is $23,000,000), Boeing 757 engine exhaust panel walls, Disney World roller coaster frames, Airbus passenger seat frames, diesel engine pistons, Porsche engine blocks, Corvette drivelines, heat sinks for electronic components, and now W8LESS Rotors for motorcycles.
The method to make the advanced MMC used to make W8LESS ROTORS is patent pending, so we won’t give a technical explanation here, but the performance of W8LESS ROTORS describes its value; in other words, “the proof is in the pudding.” We have never seen a rotor warp, never heard a squeak or squeal, and repeated high speed high energy stops are taken in stride.
The rotor cools fast, so caliper seals and brake pads last longer; in 15 minutes on the test track doing repeated panic stops, a stock stainless steel rotor will be warped and badly worn, and the caliper’s seals will be melted. Not so with the W8LESS ROTOR because it cools 5 times faster than a steel rotor at 750 degrees F. In other words, superior mechanical properties of the W8LESS ROTOR solve the annoying brake problems that bother motorcycle riders, particularly those who ride their bikes for transportation every day or on pleasant weekend runs.
Besides the superior material properties, the benefit most commonly associated with composites is their substantial weight savings over traditional materials. For the motorcyclist, the reduction in unsprung weight and rotating mass provide the most important improvements in bike performance and handling. A touring bike will normally have dual front disc brake rotors, so two W8LESS ROTORS will cut as much as 6 pounds off the front axle. This means that on a bumpy road, the front tire will want to stay on the road and not bounce as much, and the result is a smoother, safer ride. The other benefit is that of reduced rotating mass, and that means faster acceleration and deceleration, and a reduction in the gyroscopic effect making high speed steering easier.
No other single front end component can save as much weight as a W8LESS ROTOR, including tires, wheels, or calipers. In short, switching to W8LESS ROTORS is like adding an upgraded suspension and more horsepower to your bike.
There you have it. Let's install a set:
I have a dirty 2003, blacked-out Road King that would work as a hot test bed for the W8Less rotors, so we reached for the tool box. I first broke out my Road King Manual and a jack. The manual at my side was sort of a mechanic's bible. As soon as I stumble I look to the manual for guidance.
The first obstacle was the rotor Torx screws. Since the heat, vibration and factory Loctite can make these real bastards to remove, it's terrific to have extra tools when it comes to Torx. They're easily accessible, but tear up fasteners and tools on a regular basis. I tore up one socket tool during this operation.
Before I dove too far into the operation I jammed to my local fastener store for a set of black domed Allen heads 1-inch long, in two sizes, 5/16-inch for the front and 3/8-inch coarse for the rear. I always buy extras for several reasons: in case I lose one; in the event one is damaged or contains bad threads (it happens); and I'm always bolstering my fastener supply so a couple of extras reach the storage bin after any operation.
Since the W8Less development has transcended many stages, I had to switch the centers in one set of rotors for the black centers, which I preferred. This was an opportunity to show how easily the buttons or centers could be replaced for a different color or design. I turned the rotors over and used the butt of a ball pein hammer to prevent the button from turning, while, with a flat blade screwdriver, I twisted the clip ring free.
I set the rotor over a piece of clean paper to prevent damage and after popping all the stainless clips free, carefully removed one rotor and replaced it with the other W8Less unit. I tried not to jostle the buttons, so the rotor set down comfortably in place, but one time I fucked up. Then I set the sprung shims down over the button shafts, centered them and slipped the clip on from the center of the rotor facing out, with the rolled, finished clip edges up.
I quickly learned that if the sprung shim was positioned so the nub at the center of the clip didn't slip under it, my operation for returning the clip to its final resting place amounted to a couple of taps of the ball pein against the screwdriver handle.
Next we needed to remove the calipers from the Road King Legs. This was an interesting exercise. Most everything on a late model Harley is American, except the Showa front end, which uses metric fasteners. That's the sketchy part. I didn't know where metric ended. The 12-point fasteners holding the calipers to the legs were 10 mm metric, yet the fasteners holding the pads in the calipers were American Standard ¼-in, 12-points.
The Torx holding the rotors were also Standard. The lovely Sin Wu drove to a tool store and scoured the isles for a 6mm, 12-point metric. She scored, but it didn't fit to remove the pad shafts.
My long craftsman ¼-inch wrench didn't work either and I was stuck, until she dug through some other tool boxes and discovered another ¼-inch, 12-point box end wrench. It fit like a glove. The fasteners were as tight as the hubs of hell, but I used a spray called Yield, a super WD-40 concoction, and we pried them loose.
With the Torx removed and the calipers set free, I needed to pop the axle loose, slip it out, replace the rotors, start a rotor fastener and replace the axle.In my case I covered both ends of the axle with classic Harley-Davidson axle caps, secured with silicone and Allen set screws.
A couple of items, at this juncture, pointed out a mechanical mystery we all face from time to time. Fasteners remain in place, get tighter or loosen up and fall off for a variety of reasons, some mysterious. Why is it that one fastener will do one thing and another the opposite? Is it vibration, harmonics or stress? Or it could be a combination of all three. I always use a dab of silicone on caps secured with Allen set screws to prevent unnecessary vibration in a large component held in place by a tiny set screw. It seems to work.
Here's an odd one. See that 7/16 socket stuck in the bottom of that leg? It got jammed there during the replacement of that lower leg cap with a custom one built by the late madman, Chris Hill. Jammed into that cap, against the powder-coated surface while hanging down, that socked has spent over 3,000 miles on the road and didn't fall out. Fuckin' amazing. I just discovered it during this operation and it was still snug.
Moving right along. Another item to keep in mind is the front axle. It acts as if there is just one fork leg. The axle is only spaced against the left leg and floats on the right one. Watch that aspect as you tighten the right leg. Don't tighten it until the left side is complete.
When it comes to late model H-D pads, they vary from right to left calipers, so don't remove them and mix 'em up. This is where the manual came in handy. There is a specific diagram that illustrates which pad goes where.
The factory calls for loosening the two ¼-inch pad pins first, but don't remove them. Remove the upper and lower caliper mounting bolts and lift the caliper free.
The manual then calls for removing the master cylinder reservoir cover to relieve pressure and so I could watch the fluid rise as I pushed the pistons back in the caliper.
Then I cleaned and inspected the pad pins. Then I could replace the pads and the pins, but not tighten the pins until last. Don't forget. The manual warns that the curved side of the pad always faces the rear of the bike, front or rear brakes.
The manual called for replacing the caliper over the new W8less Rotor and installing the long metric bolt loosely into the front leg. Then I installed the shorter fastener and tightened the lower one to 28-38 ft. lbs. of torque. Then I tightened the top one to the same setting.
Finally I tightened the pad pins to 180-200-inch pounds. Then I tested the brakes and spun the wheel to insure they were operational before I hit the road.
I made sure to double check my brake fluid levels and top them off to within 1/8th inch from the top of the reservoirs, with new D.O.T. 5 Silicone brake fluid.
Then I moved to the rear wheel. Someone bagged my 12-inch Crescent wrench, so I started looking for a 1 7/16-inch socket for the rear axle. It's a monster, and wouldn't you know it, I didn't have one. But low and behold I had this 12-point box end wrench and it worked like a charm.
Then I faced the dreaded Torx once more and none would budge. I dug through my tool box looking for an alternative Torx driver and found just one. A miracle, it was the correct size and I went back to work, with some spray Yield at my back. I had to jack up the rear of the bike and remove the rear axle, so the wheel could drop down and back, making the Torx more accessible.
With a long 3/8-inch drive bar I pressed hard and gave 'em hell. One at a time they popped free, except for one, and I was stuck. The keyways were totally shot, so I was faced with drilling out the head and welding a bolt to it, or what?
I had one Torx socket that was shot, so I ground the finish off it, shoved it in the fastener and tacked it with a MIG welder. That worked, then the tack broke. I filed the face of the fastener, ground the weld off the tool and tried again. I was sure the metals were dissimilar, but went for it anyway.
I welded it like a mad dog, ever mindful of the heat to the wheel and potential fire hazards. Well whattaya know? She worked and the final fastener was removed.
Then I went through some of the similar motions to remove the pads and prayed that Sin Wu's little wrench would work like a champ again. It did, and I replaced the pads. All along the one mistake I made was not to remove the master cylinder covers. The pads may have retracted more comfortably if I had followed the factory directions.
I replaced the pads, following the old pad placement and the directions, replaced the massive 1-inch axle and the wheel spacers, adjusted the rear belt and tightened the axle. Then I took her for a ride.
About that time Jeremiah showed up, and I let the Pedro Boy haul ass on the King. He had a blast and raved about the brakes. I'm going to check the wheel alignment once more, the front axle fitment and the brake fluids before I put any serious miles on her. I'll also recheck all the rotor, caliper and axle fasteners.
And here's a brief list of applications and contacts:
W8LESS ROTORS are available for H-D '84-up bikes using 11.5″ rotor (12″ rotor coming soon).
Brake Rotor MSRP: $319.95/each
Brake Pads MSRP: $54.95/set
PHONE ORDER CALL: 1-888-500-5567 or
831-594-7783 “Tell Them Ray Sent You”
ORDER ONLINE AT: www.W8LESSBRAKES.com
INFORMATION EMAIL: RaycWheeler@gmail.com
Ray's contact info:
FTF, LLC
4707 S. Junett St. Ste. B
Tacoma, WA 98409
253.460.3640
888.500.5567
(fax) 253.761.7910
info@w8lessbrakes.com
Please contact FTF, LLC at info@w8lessbrakes.com or by writing to FTF, LLC at 4707 So. Junett St., Suite B, Tacoma, WA 98409, with any questions or comments you may have.
