Brembo is one of the top manufacturers of brakes across all motorsport disciplines. Whether you’re buying a Ducati or a $300,000 racecar – chances are – it will come equipped with a set of Brembo brakes to keep you stopping at the highest of speeds.
We all know the Brembo story, but who is SBS? SBS has been working alongside Brembo in the background dating all the way back to the ’60s. They design and manufacture brake pads, shoes, disks, and clutch kits. SBS Friction brings environmentally-friendly innovations to the brake pad industry, and with the world moving towards cleaner versions of pretty much anything you could think of, it would only make perfect sense for Brembo to attempt acquisition of the company and their assets.
Unfortunately for our car-enthusiast readers (go away, this is a motorcycle blog! motorcycles rule!), Brembo only managed to snag the motorcycle pad manufacturing section of the company, and SBS will still maintain ownership of their own automotive side.
Brembo brakes will continue to stop the world on its axis, and we’re excited to see what they can do with the introduction of mountains in research regarding brake pad development to further benefit their braking systems. Who knows, maybe the 2022 Panigale you’ll be eyeing out will stop that much better, due to the new tech the brand will be packing into their brakes.
A global recall on Italian Brembo brakes has the potential to affect a host of premium models just as two major Brembo recalls did in 2018.
The problem can cause a “catastrophic brake failure”, the notice says.
It has been caused by the use of too much nickel in the pads which can becoming porous, allowing moisture and humidity to corrode the pads.
The material can detach from the mounting plate of the brake pad causing “catastrophic brake failure”.
So far, the recall notice has only been issued in the US, but it is expected to be rolled out across the world to a host a models.
The first motorcycle company to acknowledge the problem is Triumph which in America is recalling 2018-2020 Street Triple R S, Speed Triple RS, and Tiger 1200 models.
In January 2018, Brembo issued a global safety recall on radial master cylinder pistons in 15mm and 16mm diameters produced between 2015 and 2017.
The recall affected thousands of motorcycles from manufacturers such as Aprilia, Ducati,Husqvarna, KTMMV Agusta,TM Racing, Moto Morini and Horex, but did not affect aftermarket units.
Faulty Brembo PR16 master cylinder
In August 2018, Brembo recalled some of its replacement aftermarket rear brake caliper kits.
The company supplies premium brake products to many motorcycle manufacturers and also dominates the aftermarket brake supplies market.
We will advise if or when an Australia product recall is issued through the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
Even though manufacturers and importers contact owners when a recall is issued, the bike may have been sold privately to a rider unknown to the company.
Therefore, Motorbike Writer publishes all motorcycle recalls as a service to all riders.
In Australia, recall notices are issued by the manufacturer and the Department of Infrastructure through a voluntary industry code under the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission.
While any recall is not good news for the manufacturer, it shows that they are largely diligent in fixing problems.
If you believe there is an endemic problem with your bike that should be recalled, contact the ACCC on 1300 302 502.
To check whether your motorcycle has been recalled, click on these sites:
The list of motorcycle factory closures due to the coronavirus pandemic is growing daily.
Ducati has now announced it will extend the closure of its factory in Bologna until 25 March 2020 and Brembo and Yamaha have closed their European factories.
Ducati closed its factory in Borgo Panigale last Friday and was due to reopen tomorrow (18 March 2020).
However, the closure has been extended while the company implements changes to the production lines to keep workers further apart.
The company has also introduced a multi-shift work programme to halve the number of people on the assembly line at the same time.
Brembo has also closed its Bergamo factory until next week and Yamaha has announced the closure of its Italy and France facilities until 22 March.
The Piaggio Group – owner of Aprilia, Moto Guzzi and Vespa – closed its factories over the weekend for a “deep clean” and were due to return to production this week.
Meanwhile, MV Agusta in Lombardy, the epicentre of the Italian coronavirus contagion, continues production with a reduced workforce.
However, they “guarantee production continuity”.
Production continues in “full compliance with the urgent provisions contained in the Prime Minister’s 11/03 decree and with the guidelines issued by Confindustria Lombardia”.
MV Agusta factory
What closures mean to riders
While motorcycle factory closures may not have a huge impact on the production of models, it could impact spare parts.
The closure of the Brembo factory is of more concern as it could hamper the supply chain and the production of many models such as BMW and Triumph.
Meanwhile, the pandemic has forced the postponement and cancellation of many motorcycle racing events and rallies.
Global motorcycle racing body Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme says the 2020 season could be extended into 2021.
A petition has also now been circulated to close the Isle of Man TT races in May-June.
Six weeks after having hosted Formula 1, the Red Bull Ring in Spielberg (Austria) will this weekend play host to the 11th appointment of the MotoGP season.
The many undulations of the track complicate the riders’ choice of timing braking: there’s a 65 metre (213 feet) difference between the highest and the lowest point, and the steepest slope has a 9.3 percent incline.
According to Brembo technicians, who equip the entire MotoGP grid, the Red Bull Ring is very demanding on the brakes. On a scale of 1 to 5, it earns a 5 on the difficulty index, the same score given to the tracks in Barcelona, Motegi and Sepang. Our home track at Phillip Island is the least demanding circuit on the MotoGP circuit when it comes to brakes.
On one full lap, the MotoGP riders use their brakes 7 times for a total of 28 seconds.
Formula 1 cars also brake 7 times in each lap, but for a third of the time, totalling just 9.8 seconds.
Over the 28 race laps at Spielberg each MotoGP bike uses its brakes for some 800 seconds, that’s just over 13 minutes.
Last month, on the other hand, the winner of the Formula 1 GP completed the 71 laps of the Austria GP, two and a half times the race distance, using Brembo calipers for just 10 minutes and a half.
Brembo MotoGP Braking Hardware – Image by AJRN
Average deceleration per lap for the MotoGP is 1.23 g, which is second highest value of the championship. Summing up all of the forces applied by a rider on the Brembo brake lever from the starting line to the chequered flag, the result is about 0.9 tonnes.
The most challenging section is Turn One, since it is located at the fastest point on the track, despite being slightly uphill: the MotoGP bikes reach the bend at 312 km/h (193.9 mph) and then brake for 4.4 seconds to slow to 99 km/h (61.5 mph). Riders put 5.9 kg (13 lbs) pressure on the brake lever and are subjected to a 1.5 g deceleration.
Formula 1 single-seaters reach this same section at a slightly higher speed (331 km/h, 205.7 mph), but are able to enter the turn at 158 km/h (98.2 mph) and, most importantly, can slam on the brakes without fear of the rear end rising in the air: thus braking only lasts 1.57 seconds and 99 metres (325 feet), less than half the distance (229 meters, 751 feet) required by the MotoGP bikes.
The braking time and distance are even greater for Turn Four, partly due to the downhill slope: 274 metres (899 feet) and 5.7 seconds to come down from 292 km/h (181 mph) to 85 km/h (53 mph). Here deceleration is 1.4 g, while for Formula 1 drivers it gets up to 5.2 g. The pressure of the Brembo HTC 64T brake fluid in the MotoGP bikes climbs to 11.9 bar (173 psi), while it peaks at 12.6 bar (183 psi) for the Castrol Edge in the F1 cars.
Turn Three is the slowest on the track with a speed of 64 km/h (40 mph) on entry. Riders clamp on their brakes for 5.5 seconds putting a 5.1 kg (11.2 lbs) load on the lever. The comparison with the four wheelers is less stark since the F1 brakes are used for 2.59 seconds to drop to 84 km/h (52 mph) after braking.
The F1 qualifying record at Red Bull Ring is 1m03.003-seconds. That time is more than 20-seconds faster than the MotoGP qualifying lap record set by Andrea Iannone in 2018 at 1m23.142s. The MotoGP race lap record is currently held by Andrea Dovizioso at 1m24.277s.
It is the second highest number of recalls in the past 10 years: 28 in 2017, 39 in 2016, 30 in 2015, 28 in 2014, 20 in 2013, 24 in 2012, 16 in 2011, 14 in 2010 and 23 in 2009.
The increase in safety recalls seems to mainly affect new models and could be the result of companies bringing these models to the market too soon in an effort to attract new buyers.
Brembo safety recalls
Faulty Brembo PR16 master cylinder
The biggest safety recalls of the year were over a single issue with Brembo PR16 front brake master cylinders.
They were fitted on motorcycles from a range of manufacturers such as Aprilia, Ducati,Husqvarna, KTMMV Agusta, TM Racing, Moto Morini and Horex, but did not affect aftermarket units.
The Italian brake manufacturer was again stopped in its tracks with a second major product safety recall for its replacement aftermarket rear brake caliper kits.
Ducati leads with six
Ducati had the most recalls of any manufacturer with six, four of which were for the Panigale V4 in its first year of production.
Scout models for brake issues; some Thunderstroke-powered models forfaulty right switchblocks; and Roadmaster for a lack of waterproofing in the rear top box.
Kawasaki 3
Z900RS for rear brake sensor issue; faulty centre stand on the H2 SX; and transmission failures on the Ninja ZX-10R and ZX-10RR.
Suzuki 3
DL650, GSX-S750 and GSX-R1000A for fuel leaks; GSX-R125 and GSX-S125 for engine mounting bolts breaking; and GSX-R1000A/R/RZ for chain breakages.
Yamaha 3
SR400 for an oil leak, MT-07 and XSR700 had loose chain protector bolts and MT-03 had noisy gears.
KTM 3
Sticking throttle on SX50 mini dirt bike (same for the Husqvarna TC50); 690 Duke R and 1290 Super Duke models for Brembo front brake issue; and 690 Duke and 690 Duke R for fuel leaks.
Triumph 3
Street Triple R/RS for switchgear electrical faults; Thruxton models for stalling issues; and most models were missing the correct stationary noise data label on the exhausts.
BMW 2
G 310 GS and R models had side stand breakages and a malfunctioning indicator light on their scooters, F series and R nineT Scrambler.
However, BMW also had a major issue with spokes collapsing but the company did not issue a recall.
TC50 sticking throttle and FS 450 for Brembo front brake.
Moto Guzzi 2
V9 and V 7 III for brake issues (not Brembo).
Harley-Davidson 2
Fifth recall for the onging hydraulic clutch problems on their touring models and trikes and brake issues on several models if the brake fluid is not flushed at least every two years as specified in the Owner’s Manual and Service Manual.
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Faulty Brembo PR16 master cylinder
