To Brembo RCS19 or not to

[1000RR]

I didn't see that anyone asked this... but:

• What are your uses for the bike (more track, more street, both 50/50, etc.)?
• What do you notice is an issue w/the stock system? Not saying there are or aren't issues with it, but what do YOU feel you need to change for your style of riding and use of the bike?

You can probably get a better answer or suggestion if you provide a little more insight to what is going on and what you're trying to achieve.

[1000RR]

Aside from my post above, here's my experience (on the track). I had a Brembo 19x20 on my last race bike. Would NEVER go back to it. It was more of "on" or "off"... it didn't provide enough feel for my liking for trail braking. Currently I have a stock Nissin on my race bike and all I've done is put race pads (Vesrah XX) and steel lines... Brakes are great, awesome feel for trail braking, no brake fade. This setup has gotten me to within ~1s of the track record, so I certainly can't say it's too shabby. Another race buddy is using a Brembo and he has a switchable... goes from 19x20 to a 19x18. He keeps it on the 19x18 and although I haven't ridden his bike, based on the feel of the lever, it seems progressive and should allow good feel for trail braking.

My suggestion to anyone looking to upgrade brakes is to take it step by step. That is if you don't like the current setup. I found on the street the S1 was absolutely fine. If you wanted to upgrade, always start with steel lines if your bike (whatever bike) didn't come with them. Then look at getting better pads. If you still need more, go to an upgraded M/C. If that's not enough, get monoblocks... And if you've done all that... I would suspect you gotta be one of the fastest guys on your track and probably getting looked at for a factory ride

[KlausBeemerS1000RR]

Hi 1000RR,

First, thank you very much for helping out on the question(s) I posted.
My bike, S1000rr, is becoming more of a track/race bike.
Street riding is becoming less and less important to me for the obvious, mentioned reasons of many on this forum.
I'll respond to your other post with more detail(s).
Thank you.

[KlausBeemerS1000RR]

Originally Posted by 1000RR

Aside from my post above, here's my experience (on the track). I had a Brembo 19x20 on my last race bike. Would NEVER go back to it. It was more of "on" or "off"... it didn't provide enough feel for my liking for trail braking. Currently I have a stock Nissin on my race bike and all I've done is put race pads (Vesrah XX) and steel lines... Brakes are great, awesome feel for trail braking, no brake fade. This setup has gotten me to within ~1s of the track record, so I certainly can't say it's too shabby. Another race buddy is using a Brembo and he has a switchable... goes from 19x20 to a 19x18. He keeps it on the 19x18 and although I haven't ridden his bike, based on the feel of the lever, it seems progressive and should allow good feel for trail braking.

My suggestion to anyone looking to upgrade brakes is to take it step by step. That is if you don't like the current setup. I found on the street the S1 was absolutely fine. If you wanted to upgrade, always start with steel lines if your bike (whatever bike) didn't come with them. Then look at getting better pads. If you still need more, go to an upgraded M/C. If that's not enough, get monoblocks... And if you've done all that... I would suspect you gotta be one of the fastest guys on your track and probably getting looked at for a factory ride

Hi 1000RR,

What prompted the original post of mine was to get a read on what fellow S1000RR riders:
a) use when it comes to brakes on the bike (OEM, Brembo, etc.)
b) why the change was made (does it really improve things or make things the same or worse)
c) what are the real life/track/race experiences to validate the above.

Thank you to all who have responded with their thoughts and experiences.
My bike will become a track/race bike in 2012 (look for OEM parts soon in the clasified section of our forum).
The OEM brakes work fine, I like the progressive feel of the brake lever. Not a fan of instant either "on" or "off" brakes.
I also got feedback from other 1000rr riders, like yourself, that recommend to:
a) upgrade the brakepads
b) upgrade the pads and the break calipers
c) and for stage three, upgrade the rotors

At the end of the day, a ton of money can be spent on "Speclist upgrades." Esthetically pleasing? Perhaps, but I am not looking to say "Yeah, I got that too." I want the best or even better performance of the OEM brakes, which are really good.
So, where to now?
Replace the pads with another set of OEM (its time for a set)?
Replace the pads with other pads (which are better than OEM)? Keeping in mind thickness, what pads do to the rotors, etc.
Or spend some money and replace both the pads and the calipers?
As long as the brakes have a progressive feel, I am ok with suggestions, shared experiences, etc.
This is why we, all S1000RR riders, have this forum.
Its a great place to share and discuss upgrades and their pros and cons.
Keep them coming.
Cheers

[Piper]

Definitely the first thing you should do is replace the OEM pads with some better aftermarket ones.
With the OEM setup on the bike I could have lived with the original m/c but the OEM pads only lasted me about 10 laps before they glazed and faded completely. In all fairness my local track is very fast and has some huge braking areas, so your experience may be different depending on where you run.

Currently I am using Metallico 7545 spec 03 pads, and they are a great improvement over the normal pads.

[jhanshaw]

I installed the Brembo on my S1000RR and it was night and day. From 175MPH at Grattan the bike simply didn't stop with the stock master, all is good with the Brembo. Huge bang for the buck!