Supersport-focused Brembo Hypure calipers set to hit the market later this year

Power, the saying goes, is nothing without control. And that’s why the ability to scrub off speed is as important as having the shove to generate it in the first place. In other words, brakes are crucial to sportsbike design and it helps if they can blend power with light weight and great feel – something Brembo have always been acutely aware of.

The Italian manufacturer have now devised a new performance-orientated set of calipers called ‘Hypure’ that are built to be both 10% lighter and more efficient than market leaders.

With the calipers first teased at the Eicma trade show in Milan late last year, the Italian firm have now confirmed to MCN that they will debut as an OE fitment on an as-yet-unnamed performance bike this year. Alongside being lighter than the competition, they are also said to reduce the amount of pad wear – meaning less frequent changes and better green credentials.  

Why it’s all about mass

“This caliper has been designed for high-end motorcycles; in particular Hypure was thought as the best caliper for supersport bikes,” Head of Motorcycle Technical Development at Brembo, Cosimo Facibeni told MCN.

Although it’s unclear which bike will be first to benefit, MCN are expecting both a KTM 990RC R and potential Yamaha R9 to join the supersport fraternity in 2025.

“On high-end products and especially on supersport bikes the weight reduction is one of the main targets, the second is the engine power,” Facibeni continued. “With a lighter bike you can accelerate faster, you can tilt the bike more easily and you can reduce the braking distance because you have less mass to decelerate.”

By making the calipers lighter, you are reducing what’s known as the unsprung weight (essentially all of the components not supported by the bike’s suspension). This figure has a direct impact on the way a motorcycle handles, as the less mass the suspension has to control, the more efficiently it can react to road conditions.

“This caliper is 10% lighter than the market reference, which is currently the Brembo Stylema at just below 900g,” Facibeni continued – also noting that Brembo examined rival designs from both Advics and Nissin too.

Brembo knowhow

But how has that weight saving been achieved? Facibeni explained: “Thanks to the ‘magic mix’ of Brembo knowhow and new design tools the aluminium has been distributed in the right position to guarantee the same stiffness as the current best-in-class caliper, improving the heat exchange and reducing the total weight.

“On top of this we optimised the external shape to obtain clean and sharp surface in accordance with our sporty heritage.”

Attention has also been paid to reducing the use of pads. According to Brembo, this has been achieved by both a unique spring/pad/pin system and specially crafted bearing surface between the caliper and pad. 

Less wear, less waste

Explaining what that means in simple terms, Facibeni added: “The caliper has been designed to optimise the way the pad slides both at the start of braking and at the end of braking.

“This was possible thanks to a solution that optimises the interaction between pad, pad spring, caliper body and pad retaining pin.”

He continued: “At the start of braking, the pad moves without offering resistance towards the disc, controlled by the pistons. When braking is released, the pad moves away quickly from the disc reducing friction losses between the pad and disc.” 

The idea being that the pad springs back more rapidly than in previous designs once the rider has released pressure on the lever.