TIPS & TRICKS SERVICE & MAINTENANCE
SBS Racing receives many questions on how to service the brake system on race bikes.
Bobbins/shims/washers/clips in the floating system of the brake discs should be kept clean from brake dust. Use pressurized air eventually brake cleaner product to prevent brake dust and particles to build up and preventing movement of the connecting parts between outer brake disc rotor and inner mounting-hub. Brake fluid should be interchanged regularly. To avoid fluid related problems like spongy and inconsistent brake lever, flush fresh fluid after every race event. At hard braking circuits, flush fresh fluid after each day.
To achieve perfect braking performance, point 1 is that the braking system must be 100% free of air. Spend the necessary and preferably a little extra time on a serious bleeding of calipers, brake hoses, banjo-bolts & couplings, brake press sensors and master cylinder. Additionally, keep all parts, especially the brake caliper parts, clean. Use a water/soap solution and a soft brush to keep caliper brake pad slots and pistons clean and tidy from brake pad dust and deposit. Do not use aggressive pressurized brake cleaner products for cleaning brake system internals and seals. After cleaning & drying, add with a soft brush a thin layer of brake grease (ie ATE) to the piston walls and push pistons in/out until all are moving smoothly in/out in the caliper seals. Brake disc surface should be kept free of too much brake pad material deposit. In case of buildup of deposit particles, surface can be cleaned with a special diamond file as shown in photo.
Always check brake fluid level and the thickness of brake pads before going out on track for a new session.
Diamond file for cleaning brake disc surface.
BEDDING-IN PROCEDURE
Bedding-in of brake pads and discs is very important to obtain the best and correct performance, without damaging or destroying any of the parts. In short, it is about achieving 100% mechanical contact between the brake disc and the brake pad without adding too much thermal and mechanical load to the brake components. This is best done by riding 2-4 slow laps on the track with the sole purpose of braking as easily as possible, as many times as possible without generating heat in the braking system. Even professional riders are often seen braking-in the brake pads in pit lane while entering the track, by repeatedly pulling the brake lever with high pressure all the way out on the track. By doing so, there is a great risk of destroying the brake pads, as some areas
of the brake pads will glaze-up and become hard and damaged. This is NOT how SBS recommend to perform a good bedding-in of brake pads. For SBS Racing brake pads, it is important to follow the described bedding-in procedures for each individual compound. RST, DS-1 and DS-2 are quite simple to bed-in if given the above mentioned 2-4 slow and easy laps. The same applies to DC, but if discs are new or previous used pads are from another compound or type of brand, attention must be given to establish a so-called DC Transfer film on the discs, see bedding-in details for DC Dual Carbon at page 8.
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HI-TECH BRAKE SOLUTIONS MADE IN EUROPE
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