Danish specialist brake components manufacturer SBS says it has now achieved ECE R90 approval for the most comprehensive list of products and vehicles in the industry.
Described as the largest manufacturer of motorcycle brake pads in Europe, the company says that it has "achieved a full and comprehensive ECE R90 approval", which is required for all replacement brake pads used for street riding throughout the EU and in non-European countries that have adopted the ECE regulations.
SBS' approval covers all its catalogue motorcycle and scooter applications back to 1969, including all brake pad shapes and compounds that can be used for street riding purposes. This means that the approval includes ten different SBS compounds - HS, HF, HM, MS, SI, LS, SP, RQ, RS and their new RST, due for launch later this year.
From April, the individual approval numbers are being printed on all products and labels. In the meantime, the company wants its distributors, dealers and riders to know that products already in the supply chain prior to April are also covered by the approval. The 2020 SBS catalogue and the SBS website clearly state which compounds are ECE R90 approved.
R90 is a state-of-the-art regulatory assurance of quality and safety for dealers and riders and requires brake pads to be tested in an inertia dynamometer instrumented for continuous recording of rotative speed, brake torque, brake line pressure, number of rotations after brake application, braking time and brake rotor temperature.
The brake pads are divided into three categories - A, B and C - depending on area of the friction material, and all compounds are tested individually. All vehicles recommended for the specific brake pad compound must be calculated according to the kinetic energy to find the most severe vehicle for testing. This way all compounds and vehicles are checked and the most severe combinations tested on track for the consumer to get a very safe and secure product.
The tests required by R90 include bedding, performance check, brake tests, cold performance equivalence and speed sensitivity tests. Under R90, replacement brake pads and brake shoes are permitted to deviate from the frictional characteristics of their original equipment counterparts by not more than 15%. ECE R90 requires correct marking of the products and sealed, tamper-evident packaging.
A factory and test equipment approval are also part of the R90 homologation. It involves engineers inspecting and accrediting the factory once a year. SBS holds the approval for both manufacturing and testing facilities.
www.sbsbrakes.com
