Few components on a motorcycle receive as much attention as the engine, and the brakes are certainly one of them, since stopping at speed is a top priority. Among all brake manufacturers, Brembo has become synonymous with high quality. Brembo brakes help sell motorcycles by demonstrating that the manufacturer chose a premium component for their machine. But how did the Italian brake company become such a renowned brand in the motorcycle world?
It doesn't seem that long ago that when you bought a motorcycle, it came with a braking system that "just did the job," with few extra features and definitely not on par with the high-performance components found on today's machines. Until about a decade ago, the only bikes that came from the factory with Brembo brakes were Ducati, Moto Guzzi, Aprilia, MV Agusta, and other Italian brands. But things changed over time: Brembo began to forge a reputation as the crème de la crème of the braking world. Now, in addition to Italian machines, Brembo brakes can be found on motorcycles from almost every major brand on the market, including Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Suzuki, KTM, BMW, and Harley-Davidson.
This clearly demonstrates the company's excellence. For example, in the case of Honda, owner of the Nissin brake brand, the fact that many of its models are equipped with Brembo brakes clearly indicates that if a motorcycle needs high-end brakes, the Italian company is the preferred choice. In the manufacturing sector, brands always seek to save money to maximize profits, so the fact that these large companies turn to Brembo and order its products speaks volumes about the company's quality, performance, and, consequently, its marketing strategy.
The beginning of the brand: an accident
The company was founded in 1961 by Emilio Bombassei, his two sons, Sergio and Alberto, and his brother-in-law, Italo Breda. Initially, the business was simply a mechanical workshop, but an accident changed the course of the small shop forever. A truck transporting brake discs from the UK to Alfa Romeo in Italy overturned, and many of the discs were damaged. Bombassei and his workshop were hired to repair them, but then he had the idea of producing the brakes for Alfa Romeo locally at a time when disc brakes were just beginning to be adopted. Alfa accepted the proposal, and Brembo was set in motion, producing its own brake systems and components.
In the early 1970s, Brembo designed its first motorcycle brake caliper, and in 1972, Moto Guzzi became the first brand to use it as original equipment, followed shortly after by Ducati and Laverda. But the company's biggest breakthrough came when Enzo Ferrari chose Brembo brakes for his Formula 1 cars starting in the 1975 season, a relationship that continues to this day.
Over the following decades, Brembo became a benchmark for innovation. In the 1980s, it developed the first aluminum brake caliper for automobiles and subsequently entered the commercial truck sector. In the 1990s, it created the first monobloc calipers for automobiles, developed the first radial-mount calipers for motorcycles, and the first carbon fiber brake discs for Formula 1. These were followed by carbon/ceramic brake discs for high-performance cars in the 2000s. More recently, it has developed a dual-cast brake disc for automobiles with a high-carbon cast iron brake disc and an aluminum hub in the center to significantly reduce weight.
In the 2010s, Brembo expanded globally with R&D centers in eight countries, production plants in 13, and commercial plants in another 17. Currently, the company employs more than 15,000 people worldwide, generating approximately €4 billion in annual revenue.
Under its umbrella of companies are some of the most recognized brands in the motorcycle world, such as Öhlins suspension, Marchesini wheels, and SBS brake pads. Among the emerging companies are ByBre brakes, which can be found on Royal Enfield, KTM, and Husqvarna models, and J.Juan, which manufactures brakes and other components.
Brembo: racing brakes
Enzo Ferrari chose Brembo for his 1975 Formula 1 campaign, and since then, the company has been involved in over 700 world titles across all motorsport disciplines, including current categories such as MotoGP, Moto2, Moto3, World Superbike, Dakar, MXGP, Formula 1, NASCAR, and many other national series. As of 2024, Brembo brakes were used in 69 championship-winning campaigns. All F1 teams use calipers from the Brembo Group (one team uses AP, under the Brembo umbrella).
In motorcycle racing, there is no higher pinnacle than the MotoGP World Championship. It is also, by far, the most demanding. But something you might not know is that all MotoGP teams use Brembo braking systems, and have done so for 10 consecutive years. This isn't because the teams are required to (as it's not a category-specific requirement), but because Brembo is the only company capable of manufacturing the high-end carbon fiber brake discs/pads and racing calipers that bring these machines to a halt, capable of reaching 366.1 km/h (227.5 mph). That speed record was set by Brad Binder at the Mugello circuit in 2023 with his factory KTM RC16. But this isn't a one-off event for the brakes, as the MotoGP race at Mugello is 23 laps long and requires the brakes to perform consistently from the first lap to the checkered flag.
And although Brembo only considers Mugello a medium-tension circuit for its systems, it offers a variety of options for teams to choose from at each event. Each circuit is ranked from one to five in terms of braking demands. The most demanding circuits on the calendar are Buriram International Circuit in Thailand, with its hard braking zones and extreme ambient temperatures and humidity, and Motegi Circuit in Japan, with numerous long straights leading into hairpins.
In 2025, teams have six brake disc options available, and Mattia Tombolan, Brembo's MotoGP race engineer, confirms that Brembo suggests the ideal options for each event. There are standard and high-mass options in 320mm and 340mm sizes, while there are options with extreme cooling and reinforced fins in 340mm and 355mm diameters. All teams on the grid use either the GP4 caliper or the latest 2025 MotoGP caliper, both identifiable by the reinforced fins on their bodies. Interestingly, we discovered that the lifespan of a MotoGP brake caliper is four years, and almost all teams use them for that long, replacing them only when they are damaged or reach their service life limit. Discs and pads, on the other hand, have a much shorter lifespan. Teams typically use two sets of pads per disc and rotate them over the race weekend. Then, they use the racing discs/pads to practice for the next event and change them for the races.
Another Brembo technology that has become universal in racing is the quick-connect brake lines, which allow teams to change the entire wheel, caliper, disc, and pad configuration without having to bleed the lines each time.
An interesting detail that emerged from the Aragon GP is that Pecco Bagnaia opted for 355mm extreme cooling discs instead of the recommended 340mm version for Sunday's Grand Prix. According to Tombolon, despite the handling disadvantage of the heavier disc, Bagnaia preferred the lower leverage provided by Brembo's larger available disc. Watching the team work on the brakes in the garage, the caliper must be fitted to the disc before it can be bolted to the wheel, as the clearance is literally just millimeters to the rim edge. If the team needs to adjust tire pressure, either the disc or the caliper must be removed, as they block the valve.
So why hasn't MotoGP's disc and pad technology reached the consumer market? The reason lies in the extreme operating temperatures required for carbon discs and pads to function properly, ideally between 600 and 700 degrees Celsius, but capable of reaching 1000 degrees. Below around 250 degrees, there isn't enough heat or friction for the bike to brake effectively, which is why so many options are available for different circuits with varying braking demands. Street bikes simply don't generate enough energy under braking to keep a carbon brake within its operating range, while conditions like rain would further reduce operating temperatures. MotoGP still uses the carbon/carbon setup in the rain, but they are heavily protected to retain heat (as seen in Saturday's sprint at the Sachsenring). In the automotive world, high-end cars from Porsche, Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, and others use carbon/ceramic brake discs, which are not only lightweight but also operate within the appropriate ranges for road use. However, street motorcycles, at least for now, use stainless steel brake discs.
Another challenge for Brembo in MotoGP is the minimum tire pressure rule. As mentioned, carbon brakes operate at very high temperatures, which affects the tires, increasing pressure with heat. Therefore, teams must consider this when adjusting tire pressures to avoid time penalties for the rider, especially if the team anticipates the rider will be in a train of riders rather than at the front with clean air. For this reason, teams use ducts to cool the brakes or to prevent heat from reaching the rim. Teams using Marchesini wheels benefit from a special heat-reflective coating on the rim that helps combat this, which is also why the "chrome" wheels are seen on the Yamahas.
Brembo in the original equipment manufacturer (OEM)
While racing drives development, consumer products are where we can experience Brembo products firsthand. And although Brembo's growth has continued at an astonishing pace, the OEM motorcycle business still only accounts for around 10% of the company's revenue, while the automotive OEM sector represents 70%.
We've observed a considerable increase in the number of motorcycles using Brembo products over the past decade. Recently, we've tested a large number of bikes equipped with Stylema, M50, M4.34, or the newer Hypure calipers (standard on the Ducati Panigale V4 and Aprilia RSV4 1100). High-end Brembo-equipped motorcycles have eliminated a potential sticking point in our reviews. Our experience with their products is remarkably consistent, with predictable power and grip, and the ability to modulate them right to the limit. Although some manufacturers don't always use Brembo master cylinders with their calipers, the company tests these configurations internally to ensure they meet its braking performance standards.
As with any component, consistency in manufacturing is key to building the trust that Brembo has earned with its partners and customers. We had the opportunity to visit one of its OEM motorcycle factories, just outside Milan in Bergamo. Over the years, we've visited factories of Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki, Ducati, Husqvarna, Aprilia, and others, and one thing that immediately stands out is that Brembo consistently ranks among the best in terms of organization, cleanliness, and technology.
Bergamo boasts several facilities; in addition to the racing factory and the OEM factory, it also houses the main R&D center. Before visiting the production factory, we had the opportunity to see where Brembo develops all kinds of products, from braking systems for motorcycles and cars to its recently announced mountain bike brakes, developed in collaboration with Specialized's UCI downhill team.
Regardless of the product category for which the company develops, each component undergoes an extensive battery of tests to validate every aspect of its design. Once the prototypes are built, the components are measured and examined to ensure accuracy, and then the torture tests begin. Calipers are placed in stands and subjected to physical stresses to simulate the loads on the vehicle body. They are subjected to extreme heat, extreme cold, and various humidity levels in different chambers. The designs undergo exhaustive leak testing (at 70 bar pressure) with helium, which has a much lower atomic mass than oxygen. This means that if the caliper and seals can prevent helium leaks, oxygen will not be an issue. Next, the calipers, discs, and pads undergo braking tests on a test bench, with computer models subjecting them to a minimum of 200,000 cycles to simulate the most extreme braking conditions. Master cylinders undergo a similar battery of tests. Any product typically requires a year of testing before it can move on to the next stage.
Only after the prototypes pass all the bench tests are the brakes mounted on a motorcycle for on-road dynamometer testing. Brembo's dynamometer can accommodate all types of vehicles, from cars to motorcycles and even bicycles (the Specialized Demo MTN downhill bike prototype was on it while we were there). Once these tests are complete, the brakes are mounted on a motorcycle for evaluation by the company's team of test riders. Brembo has a fleet of motorcycles equipped with a variety of sensors to record data under real-world or track conditions. When the company is working on brakes for a specific model, that company provides the prototype motorcycle for testing. The exact same process is used on the automotive side, with the two companies sharing R&D facilities and much of the information.
Once the product is approved and ready for production, the team must decide which assembly line it will be manufactured on. Brembo offers several options, including some that are primarily robotic and others where teams assemble them at production stations. Each assembly line can produce up to 1,200 calipers per day, with four different lines operating simultaneously. Master cylinder production is very similar.
If you look at a Brembo product, you'll see a laser-etched QR code on the component. This is key for quality control. In the case of a caliper or master cylinder, for example, the machined part is first placed in a jig, and the code is laser-etched. Subsequently, at each stage of assembly, this QR code is scanned and recorded to ensure no step is skipped and to allow any issues to be traced back to a specific stage of the process. At each station, a camera or test sensor confirms whether the assembly is ready to move to the next, and so on, until the finished product is ready for packaging. For example, once a master cylinder is assembled, a robotic jig tests the lever's resistance to ensure that the friction and travel meet the specifications for that application, so the rider always gets the expected feel at the lever. Each caliper or master cylinder is also pressurized to ensure there are no leaks through any of the seals before moving on to the final stages.
A particularly interesting aspect of the production process is that the famous Brembo logo is hand-painted on every motorcycle caliper. While robots were used for this purpose, the results never met the required standards. Therefore, a team of artists applies the paint by hand to the logos embedded in the calipers of each motorcycle.
The reputation for excellence that so many motorcycle manufacturers have placed in the company is fully justified. Every step of the production process, from design to testing and manufacturing, is executed to the highest possible standard. Whether it's competition products for MotoGP, Formula 1, or OEM brakes for street or off-road motorcycles, the same processes are repeated to guarantee the manufacture of components of the highest quality. After seeing everything in person, our already excellent opinion of the company's products has been further enhanced. As braking technology evolves on the track and on the road, Brembo remains at the forefront, pushing the boundaries of what is achievable.
(Based on an article from Cycle World)
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