Source: SBS Friction
SVENDBORG, Denmark – Danish motorcycle brake pad manufacturer SBS Friction has now achieved a full and comprehensive ECE R90 approval, which is required for all replacement brake pads used for street riding throughout the European Union and in non-European countries that have adopted the ECE regulations.
Brake pad compounds and applications approved
SBS has received approval for all 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 10 different SBS compounds; HS, HF, HM, MS, SI, LS, SP, RQ, RS and the new RST that will be launched later this year.
From April the individual approval number will be printed on all products and labels. However, products already bought are also approved. The 2020 SBS Catalogue and the SBS website clearly state which compounds are ECE R90 approved.
Approved since 1965
CSO Christel Munk Pedersen said, “ As the largest manufacturer of brake pads in Europe we know that our brake pads are high performance quality, but we want to make sure that we always live up to the highest standards and of course fulfill all legal requirements so our customers and riders can always feel safe and secure. Our customers have approved of our products since 1965, since 1980 our brake pads have been TÜV approved and now we of course have the latest and updated approval within our industry the ECE R90.”
The ECE R90 Approval
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 percent.
Furthermore, ECE R90 requires correct marking of the products and sealed 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
