The infamous endurance race has always been one of the most important test beds for braking system innovations.
With MotoGP and Superbike adjourned, this weekend the attention of motorcycle enthusiasts are directed to Japan for the 38th edition of the Suzuka 8 Hours.
The famous endurance race has always been one of the most important test beds for motorcycle and component manufacturers. No surprise therefore that for twenty or so years Brembo has also been present as supplier: a massive presence, demonstrated by the fact that 70 percent of teams used Brembo products in the last editions.
Over the years, Brembo has taken a number of innovations to the Suzuka 8 Hours that have been applied in other competitions as well as on road bikes.
Just to mention a few: the two piece lever, and the Remote Adjuster. The former is especially useful in the event of an unfortunate fall: instead of losing lots of time in the pits replacing the entire lever, simply replace the end of the lever.
The Remote Adjuster instead adjusts the lever remotely and consists of a steel cable that allows to increase or decrease the distance of the lever.
The benefit is twofold: all riders who take turns riding don’t have to compromise but can use the lever as they like best. Furthermore, in the event of fading, it is possible to increase the distance of the lever, thus having a longer stroke.
This year Brembo presents a new brake caliper at the Suzuka 8 Hours, optimized for the 16½ inch wheels used by Kawasaki and Yamaha.
Particular attention has been paid to jamming that can occur at the pit stop: in fact, the mechanics change both wheels in just 4-5 seconds during the refueling stop.
Such a rapid operation wouldn’t be possible with a conventional system because the pad could move from its seat and the caliper could hamper assembly.
For this reason, Brembo has made special pads, calipers and master cylinders for the Suzuka 8 Hours.
