Black Technology of Motorcycle: Brake Calipers

Another very important part of the braking system is the brake calipers. The working principle of the brake caliper is actually very simple, that is, to generate resistance to the brake disc by squeezing the brake disc to gradually slow down the vehicle. What happened during the braking process? Pressure transmission, the pressure generated from the front end is transmitted to the brake calipers through the brake oil pipe, and then the calipers apply the braking force to the brake disc. In fact, the braking principle is the same as that used on bicycles, but the braking effect is magnified countless times.

Due to friction, a lot of heat is generated. This heat energy is large enough to cause the metal brake disc to deform to a certain extent under the resistance generated by the motorcycle caliper. If it is in the dark, we can see the effect of hot wheels.

1. Early motorcycle calipers were designed as a single-piston state

The characteristic of this design is that the piston squeezes to one side, and the brake disc is clamped by the brake pads at both ends to achieve braking. This is called a one-way single-piston brake caliper.

So the question is what to do if you want to enhance the braking effect, of course, increase the friction area. How to achieve it, one of the problems is that it is impossible to increase the size of the piston infinitely, so the correct way is to add a piston, so we have a one-way dual-piston motorcycle caliper.

Then the problem is coming again, what should I do if I want to strengthen the braking effect? The one-sided extrusion is not enough, and the upper and double-sided extrusion will have the opposing dual-piston, four-piston and opposing six-piston we see today. Of course, increasing the diameter of the brake disc is also a very effective method.

The caliper used on the positive shock absorber uses two screws to be fixed on the shock absorber in a superimposed manner. There is a problem with this fixing method, that is, when the brake is applied, the two screws will be produced under the action of inertia. If it is loose, it will affect the braking effect after a long time.

With the introduction of inverted shock absorbers and large-size brake discs, we have also upgraded the fixing method, adopting a straight-bolt fixing method with a connecting plate, which more effectively improves the efficiency of the braking system. Of course, the latest product is like this, canceling the connecting plate in the middle and directly fixing the motorcycle caliper to the shock absorber with a straight bolt, which has a qualitative improvement in stability.

2. The number of motorcycle caliper pistons is not the more the better

Do you have a question: Some cars use 6-piston opposing calipers. Is it better to have more pistons in front of the motorcycle caliper? This question should be misunderstood. The weight, power, and braking system of each car have been matched before leaving the factory, so it does not mean that the more pistons the better. In principle, we do not need to change the original design when driving on the road.