Welcome to the Wilwood Engineering motorcycle section, specializing in high quality disc brakes for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. Harley-Davidson is the premier American motorcycle and it certainly has a long and illustrious history. It all started when William Harley and his childhood friend, Arthur Davidson, founded Harley-Davidson in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1901. The story begins when William Harley wanted to make a small engine to power a bicycle, so he started building a small 7.07ci engine that was made in Henry Melk’s machine shop. When it was finished and running, it was installed on a pedal-bicycle frame and it didn’t work exactly as expected. On flat ground it would get the bicycle moving but even on the smallest hill in Milwaukee, it stopped and pedal power had to be used.

That didn’t deter Harley; he considered it a learning experience so he went to work on a larger engine. This time the engine was going to be 24.76ci and in the process he got some help from Ole Evinrude who was building engines at the time and would eventually be the first person to create an outboard motor for boats. The engine was crafted swiftly this time and the second bike that was made with a stronger frame was finished and running in 1904. It was entered in a motorcycle race in Milwaukee and it placed fourth overall. Harley-Davidson started producing the motorcycles and sales were good because they cost much less than the cars at the time, so the company became profitable and every year it made small engineering changes to make the motorcycles faster and more comfortable to ride. In 1911 the engine was changed to a V-Twin and that basic engine design in a much-refined form is still used today. The way the V-Twin engine was designed and built gives the Harley its unique sound.

The Harley-Davidson was a good transportation vehicle so even the Army purchased them for use in both WWI and WWII. The company invested in the engine and it went through many design improvements and changes over the years. The motorcycle started to be used by the police force to handle traffic related problems and to catch speeders because they were faster and more agile than cars. The Harley-Davidson motorcycle also received a bad reputation in the ‘50s because Hollywood started making movies about Biker gangs. After being a family owned company for 68 years Harley-Davidson was sold to AMF in 1969 and the new management slashed the workforce and the quality of the product went down. This was happening at the same time the Japanese motorcycles were being imported and they cost less, were faster and displayed high-quality craftsmanship. Harley-Davidson was having a difficult time competing with the Japanese motorcycles and the company even lost some of their police contracts to foreign companies. With AMF at the helm, the company almost went bankrupt when an investment group led by Vaughn Beals and Willie G. Davidson purchased the company in 1981.

The new owners who were motorcycle enthusiasts, brought back the “retro” styling to make the new bikes resemble the older ones and they used many of the custom styling ideas that were the favorite changes of the old motorcycle customizers. They also increased the quality of the motorcycles and that certainly helped stimulate the sales. Immediately after the purchase, the company petitioned the government to impose a tariff on the Japanese motorcycles. After negotiations President Reagan imposed a 45% tariff on all Japanese motorcycles with engines that were over 700cc and that definitely helped the company out. With the introduction of the “Fat Boy” motorcycle Harley-Davidson was once again the sales leader in the heavyweight market. Hollywood also helped out indirectly because many movie stars started buying the retro Harleys and that inspired a lot of successful businessmen to buy them for weekend getaways.

In 1993 Wilwood Engineering began to develop a brake system for the inaugural debut of Harley-Davidson’s race program. Wilwood created the GP 900 caliper for Harley’s VR1000 AMA Superbike and before long Wilwood was creating a long list of superb products that included brake systems with polished stainless steel rotors, sprocket brake assemblies and a wide variety of high performance, polished billet aluminum calipers.

Wilwood is currently producing the GP310 calipers and the fronts are direct leg-mounted and are available for all single and dual disc models. They are available as right or left hand models and can be ordered in a polished finish, chrome plated or in the buyer’s choice of red or black finish. Other Wilwood colors are available on the Calipers by request. The rear calipers match the front in design and are mounted utilizing unique bracket designs that are stylish and strong. The rears are also available as a right or left hand model. All of the calipers feature bright finish bleed screws and hardware, plus an exclusive anti-rattle pad clip for quiet operation. The brakes also feature low dust, low noise brake pads that are designed to operate in the widest range of temperatures and environments utilizing Wilwood’s industry leading stainless steel rotor compatible formulation.

All of the Wilwood Calipers are beautifully designed but the GP 300 caliper is certainly one of the nicest. The calipers are available in a front and rear design and they come in a polished finish. The GP 300 calipers are made to fit all 2000 on up models. Wilwood also offers a GP 300 front and rear caliper for the earlier ’84-’99 motorcycles. The front caliper is available in a right or left hand design. The rear caliper matches the front but it has to be used with a mounting bracket that is purchased separately. Wilwood also offers rear caliper bracket assemblies for both the Dyna and Softail models. Wilwood also manufacturers a wide variety of stylish and lightweight rotor assemblies that will actually improve the appearance of your motorcycle. The rotors are available in the buyer’s choice of a black E-coat, satin finish or a mirror polished finish. The rotors can be used as a single brake on the right or left or in dual operation on the right and left at the same time for improved brake response. The GP Series Stainless Steel Rotors are available for the front and rear and there are rotors available for both the ’84-’99 and 2000 on up motorcycle models.

Wilwood also offers a really unique Sprocket Brake Assembly that uses the sprocket as the rotor. The system is available in either 48 or 51 tooth sprockets and the bolt circle is consistent on all models, 5 x 3.25-inches. The sprocket is available in a right or left hand application and it is used with the GP 310 caliper that is available in the buyer’s choice of a polished or chrome-plated finish.

Wilwood also offers a unique front Stealth Braking System for motorcycles that works with 21-inch diameter wheels. The rotor fits on the outside edge of the rim and the calipers are located on the inside of the 41mm fork. All of the brake assemblies should be connected to a Wilwood billet aluminum forward control master cylinder. The Wilwood brake components will dramatically increase your Motorcycle’s braking ability and at the same time the components are so nicely designed and finished that the parts will actually improve your Harley’s appearance. If you have any questions about our motorcycle components contact Wilwood’s technical representatives at (805) 388-1188.

If you didn’t find what you were looking for or if you have questions please contact Wilwood’s tech line for assistance at (805) 388-1188 or email Sales/Tech Support. Or you can view and print our Catalogs.