If there is anything more important than making your bike run stronger, it is making your bike stop sooner. Since the early 1960s, Brembo has earned its reputation on the racetracks and streets of the world for creating some of the highest quality braking systems in existence. Their current racing championships include NASCAR Winston Cup, Formula 1, World Superbike, AMA Superbike, Cart, and offroad. Today, Brembo brakes are the original equipment supplier to many of the most prestigious auto manufacturers in the world including Ferrari and Porsche, and the Dodge Viper. They are also standard on and Ducati, Aprilia, and BMW Motorcycles. Now, QTM, Incorporated, is the exclusive partner of Brembo braking systems that are now available for Harley-Davidson and Buell Motorcycles, as well as a few other large cruisers and sportbikes.

QTM is located near Los Angeles and company President, Kevin Para, told us that one of the reasons for Brembo’s success is the “Full Floating Disc” system in which the friction surface literally “floats” on the carrier, and that when the brakes are deployed “the rotor always makes square contact with the pad surface.” Tara Para, Vice President of the company also said that this “square contact” approach means that under normal conditions a rider can get 25K to 40K miles per set of brake pads, and that a disc will last through two to three sets of pads! Even though this sounds unbelievable, Tara said that the Brembo braking system is better than anything else on the market, and that is why the results are so good. And while this “longevity” of parts is certainly friendly to the pocketbook in the long run, one must not overlook the performance that is gained. Brembo brakes can reduce stopping distances by nearly 30% as compared with original-equipment brakes!

So, now that you have the results, perhaps you would like to know how it happens, and why these brakes are so efficient. One of the reasons is the differential bore on the caliper. The larger piston on the trailing edge of the pad is what makes for even pad wear and the “square contact” approach that we have talked about. Other differences between Brembo brakes and original-equipment are a proprietary hard coating on the pistons and bores, a deeper piston and bore, and dual O-rings that make Brembo brakes the only aftermarket calipers with built-in dust seals. Another aspect that you will like about having Brembo brakes on your bike is the ease with which they may be adjusted or replaced. In just a few minutes you can install new pads and then be back on the road.

Finally, Kevin and Tara are no strangers to Harley-Davidson as they are both enthusiasts, and that is why they saw the need to bring Brembo to the H-D market. After that, it was only a matter of time before they began having Brembo brakes available for other bikes. So if you would like to know more about Brembo brakes, and whether they are available for your bike, give them a call at 714-637-1151, or check them out on the web at www.qtmi.com.

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