Road

People who ride their motorcycles on the road every day have different needs to those who use them only on the track. Traffic and road surface conditions, but also winding roads and even the weather affect the mood of riders, who need a specific braking system to really enjoy being on two wheels.

Though it’s always important, outright performance takes a back seat to reliability, effectiveness in all environments, durability and comfort when riding. The products in Brembo’s Road UPGRADE line ensure all of these.

BRAKE MASTER CYLINDERS:

UNRIVALED MODULARITY FOR THE FASTEST RESPONSE

You will have had to deal with unexpected obstacles at least once when riding in traffic. As well as a cool head and good reflexes, an extremely high-quality brake master cylinder is essential, one which responds readily to input, with excellent linearity between force applied and braking response.

Based on experience acquired in MotoGP, a class where riders need the greatest brake feel in order to really show us what they’ve got, Brembo has made a brake master cylinder that’s unparalleled worldwide for everyday use, the RCS Corsa Corta.

It allows motorcyclists to set the bite point to match their riding style, their route and the weather. The selector on top of the master cylinder adjusts the idle stroke for braking.

Basically, you adjust the amount of free play, how much you need to move the piston before the braking action begins. Riders can bring this right down using the Race map or not so far with the Sport map.

THE ALTERNATIVES

If, however, you want a substantial improvement while keeping your feet on the ground, you might consider using another of Brembo’s radial brake master cylinders: from the standard version of the RCS, with patented offset adjustment system, to the MCS (Multiple Click System) with variable distance and AMC-ENs, ideal for enduro racing. Everything is rounded off with the SRM aluminum rear brake master cylinders with built-in reservoir.

CALIPERS:

LIGHTNESS, VENTILATION AND DESIGN 

For decades, brake calipers for street-legal motorcycles have all been the same, with minimal differences in shape and size. It took Brembo to shake up the status quo, thanks to know-how from racing: ever smaller calipers, with characteristic features that nevertheless ensure great performance.

Brembo UPGRADE calipers won’t get confused with those of other brands, and not just because of the logo, writ large: they’re designed to please the eye but also make everyday riding more of a pleasure. Form and substance can go hand in hand. You just have to want it.

The key elements of a brake caliper have always been lightness and rigidity, because this is unsprung weight that affects braking, but also changes of direction and acceleration. A perfect fusion of these values has never been easy, but Brembo has done it and then outdone it.

In addition to having a 9% lighter caliper body compared to previous models with the same rigidity, the Stylema ensures incomparable and constant performance over time: the average friction coefficient has increased by 11% thanks to a pad made of a new material.

Studying form – clear from the innovative outlet in the central bridge – has brought the brake fluid temperature down to 10%, making sure that the efficiency stays the same over time. In addition to ensuring function, the stylistic features of the Stylema match the lines of supersport bikes.

THE ALTERNATIVES

Enhanced performance and safety are also guaranteed by the other Brembo UPGRADE 4-piston monobloc front calipers, in aluminum: despite being created for Brembo’s 50th anniversary, the M-50 with 30 mm (11/8") pistons still head up the category today in terms of weight and rigidity, like the M-4, weighing a little more because it adopts 34 mm (13/8") pistons.

GP CALIPERS:

GRAND PRIX LEVEL POWER AND CONSISTENT PERFORMANCE

But if you ride a street-legal motorcycle and dream of MotoGP all the same, you can’t afford to miss out on the GP4-MS: inspired by the caliper developed in the premier class, it rewrites the rules for calipers on the road, almost matching the performance of the calipers used in the world’s most important competitions.

As with the Brembo calipers used in MotoGP, the GP4-MS was designed using the topological optimizer and obtained from a billet machined aluminum monobloc. The resistance to high temperatures is higher than with casting, which means greater performance.

The GP4-MS also shares a nickel surface finish with racing calipers, but using a double gasket (one inside the piston and a second as a dust boot) means there’s no requirement for the periodic overhauls typical of track calipers.

THE ALTERNATIVES

For a significant upgrade to the standard system, you could also turn to the GP4-RS. This too is a monobloc, produced through a highly complex casting technique and with pistons surrounded by cooling fins. The radial GP4-RB and GP4-RX calipers are instead made up of two parts with a body made entirely of aluminum alloy, and 4 pistons each.

At the back, we recommend the GP2-CR and GP2-SS, both with two parts from billet and 2 ×34 mm (13/8") pistons. Both offer a good combination of lightness and rigidity.

AXIAL CALIPERS:

TRADITIONAL, NOT OUTDATED 

Those who choose to stick with axial calipers, on the other hand, can cater to their tastes with the P4-40C: a classic distinguished by 4 differentiated 30 and 34 mm (11/8 & 13/8") diameter pistons, anodized black finish with red logo and 40 mm (11/2") distance.

One alternative to the P4-40C is the P4-40R, which also has sintered pads and the same number of pistons and dimensions. The P2-RS84 and P2-CB84 are instead available at the rear, made of cast aluminum, with two 34 mm (13/8") pistons each and distance of 84 mm (31/4").

DISCS:

RESISTANCE TO STRESS AND LIGHT WEIGHT

Visual appeal, but also light weight, use of high-quality raw materials and rigorous testing, on static and dynamic test benches, but also on the road: there are many reasons to choose a Brembo UPGRADE disc brake disc, all of which are good, but the main one is definitely the safety that they guarantee.

Brake discs are the element that sustains the most stress when braking and if they are replaced, this significantly improves the behavior of your bike when braking, but not only then.

T-Drive discs derive from experience in MotoGP and Superbike and are easy to distinguish through the coupling between band and housing, achieved using eight T pins to replace the classic fastener studs on floating discs. This allows the braking torque to be transferred more effectively, resulting from a study of process and machining tolerances.

With this solution, radial and axial float is not hampered and, consequently, the resistance to thermal-mechanical stress increases, especially under extreme conditions of use. There is greater heat dissipation compared to a fixed disc, with a great benefit in terms of lever stability.

Together with the 5.5 mm (1/4") thickness, the steel braking band and billet machined aluminum housing also guarantee reduced weight which makes for improved motorcycle rideability, both on curves and when accelerating.

THE ALTERNATIVES

Another equally valid solution is the supersport disc with 34 mm (13/8") braking band made of thermally treated martensitic steel, coupled with ten fastener studs to the housing machined from billet aluminum alloy.

Finally, the Groove disc was designed for café racer owners, as well as others. It features a CNC brake housing with anthracite black finish enhanced through the contrasting grooves machined after the oxidation process. Some will love it and some won’t go for it, but it will definitely have an impact.

BRAKE PADS:

MAXIMUM FRICTION AND ZERO BRAKE FADING

Brake pads are the smallest solid component in the braking system and for this reason, many people think that they have a minimum impact.

In actual fact, as confirmed by anyone who has tried several, brake pads are one of the components in the brake system that are most subjected to stress and it is therefore vital to choose the right compound, especially if you’re used to travelling hundreds of miles at a time and tens of thousands of miles a year.

For track enthusiasts who also use their bikes on the road, Brembo has developed the new Z10 pad, available for the most popular supersport bikes: this is the entry-level alternative compound to the iconic Z03 and Z04, as demonstrated by the particularly restrained price.

They are sintered and consist of special compounds agglomerated through an adhesive-free sintering process. Due to the compounds used, the friction coefficient is higher than 0.7 already at 50°C (122°F), and does not fall below this threshold until a temperature of 400°C (752°F) is reached.

The lubricants added to the initial compound ensure consistent, smooth braking even when disc temperatures are high. This makes brake fading, i.e. the loss of braking efficiency, less likely. Abrasives also help to keep friction levels high by keeping the discs clean and removing deposits on the braking band.

WHEELS:

RIGIDITY COMES WITH AGILITY

One of the most important presences in the Brembo group is the Marchesini brand, a leader in the research, design and development of wheels for motorcycles both for top world championships and road use.

Working together with Brembo on technological innovation, research into materials and manufacturing processes has resulted in iconic products which are sought after by thousands of enthusiasts because of their unique characteristics.

Every motorcyclist knows the importance of lightness and the value of rigidity. It’s a combination, together with unmistakable style, that has always distinguished the Marchesini brand, as demonstrated by the M7RS Genesi wheel, which was developed using state-of-the-art design, structural analysis and research techniques.

The use of multi-directional aluminum alloy forging and optimized molds on the final wheel geometry result in an extremely light wheel without outstanding mechanical characteristics: the reduction in weight compared with the original equipment ranges from 1.68 kg (3.7 lb) to 4.67 kg (10.3 lb), depending on the motorbike model.

This is a substantial difference, amounting to 16–33%, which significantly increases acceleration, reduces braking distances and allows quicker turning into corners. All this is done without having to sacrifice anything in terms of safety, guaranteed by the strict controls and numerous tests carried out on each wheel.

THE ALTERNATIVE

Those looking for an even greater weight reduction can look to the forged magnesium M10RS wheel: the additional weight reduction compared to the M7RS ranges from 800 grams to a kilo (1.8–2.2 lb) despite having three more spokes, ten compared to the seven on the smaller model.

The assurance of an Original product

Brembo Check: a new Brembo App that certifies that UPGRADE products are original.

The counterfeiting of Brembo brake systems, as with many products made by the most iconic brands, is unfortunately something that is becoming more and more widespread. In this case, it is something that is potentially much more dangerous because it regards the performance of active safety systems which are vital to the safety of drivers, passengers and other road users.

Brembo has always guaranteed the safety and reliability of its own parts and has developed an app called Brembo Check which can be used simply and quickly to certify that its products are genuine ones.

With Brembo Check installed on your mobile device, all you have to do when you buy an UPGRADE product is use your smartphone to scan the unique QR Code on the label which can easily be seen on the purchased component or on the box, as in the SPORT range, to know if the Brembo product is original or not.

To prevent tampering, the label is made using a printing and application procedure which prevents it from being removed; if you try to remove it, you damage the QR Code making it unusable. In this way, the label cannot be detached and cannot be affixed to any other products other than the original one. .

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