Motorcycle Brake Calipers

Along with an engine, brakes are the most crucial components of any vehicle, including a motorcycle. Just like you need a powerful engine to keep your bike running fast, you also need a strong brake system to quickly come to a safe stop. Brakes have come a long way to be able to provide outstanding stopping power and control. Just half a century ago, all motorcycles were outfitted with pretty simple drum brakes. Once the brake pedal is applied, the brake shoes positioned inside the wheel hub are pushed against the drum, creating friction that enables the vehicle to stop. Nowadays, most bikes are equipped with disc brakes on the front wheel since they are significantly more efficient than their drum counterparts.

All disc brake systems include three main components: a brake caliper, brake disc, and brake pads – all working together to help you safely stop your vehicle. The pads are located within the caliper while the caliper itself is designed to fit over the brake disc or rotor. Each time you activate the brake lever, the piston tries to compress the brake fluid in the master cylinder. This causes the pressurized hydraulic fluid to transmit to the brake caliper. A large piston inside the caliper multiplies the pressure, thus squeezing brake pads against the surface of the brake rotor. The friction created during their contact allows your motorcycle to slow down and stop.

When it comes to calipers, you can choose either a fixed or floating type. Fixed calipers are mounted firmly to the knuckle and have one or more pistons on each side of the rotor. These calipers don’t have any external moving parts so they always remain in one place. Floating brake calipers are mounted using sliding bolts or bushings and slide between the pistons located on each side of the disc/rotor. A piston or several pistons is/are located on the inner side of the disc/rotor. While floating calipers weigh less and are less expensive than fixed ones, the latter create more squeezing power and distribute it more evenly for safer and smoother braking.

The ability to stop fast is usually more important for motorcyclists than for car drivers. You wonder why? This is because riding a motorcycle is a dangerous activity where even a small collision can cause a serious injury. Remember the more stopping power your calipers provide, the better. If you’re looking to improve stopping power, choose calipers with more pistons. While most calipers have two or four pistons, you can find options even with twelve pistons. Brake calipers are usually mounted to the motorcycle’s fork with the help of bolts. For a long time, bolts were located at the right angle to the disc/rotor but now you can choose bolts that are located parallel to the disc/rotor. This allows you to mount your caliper farther from the fork, which results in decreased vibration. This is particularly beneficial when driving at high speeds.

In our online store, you’ll discover an extensive variety of premium-grade motorcycle brake calipers from industry-leading brands such as Outlaw Racing, All Balls, Biker’s Choice, K&L Supply, and many others. They pay the utmost attention to every detail to make sure their products meet the highest standards of quality and performance. Most brake calipers offered in our online store are made from lightweight yet exceptionally strong aluminum to handle the toughest abuse without adding extra weight to your motorcycle. Aluminum brake calipers also provide excellent resistance to rust and corrosion so they offer years of reliable service. Along with brake calipers, we also carry an extensive variety of caliper pistons, rebuild kits, mounting kits, springs, seals and many other related products that will help you easily install your calipers.