International Dealer News IDN 154 April/May 2020 | Page 24

news ROOM
SBS brake pads -
BRIEFS ECE R90 approved
NEWS
British motorcycle aftermarket
fastener specialist Pro-Bolt went
into administration in January, at
the behest of directors Ian Giles,
Kevin Harker and Louisa Bailey
(who changed her surname from
Harker last year). A pre-pack
phoenix of the business under
new ownership was in place with
restructuring and assets being
transferred to a new company -
ProBolt Fasteners Ltd, under the
control of Stuart and Jayne
Bailey.
Back in December, H-D and its Benelli
brand owning Chinese collaborator
Qianjiang held a Design Freeze Signing
Ceremony for production of the new
338 cc parallel-twin powered 'baby
Harley'. IDN has not been able to
substantiate rumours that the
upcoming 1,250 cc Pan America and
975 cc Bronx will also be built in
China. However, Harley's well
documented parts ordering software
issues, which already pushed their
debut date to November 2020,
suggests that they will be built in the
USA, and as the software problems
become compounded by the
coronavirus triggered supply chain
issues, don't be surprised if that date
also slips.
BRP has announced that the
company is temporarily
suspending or slowing down all
of its powersports and marine
manufacturing operations
worldwide - including powertrain
operations at its BRP Rotax
subsidiary in Switzerland. "Each
facility manufactures different
products and, therefore,
production line temporary
slowdowns or suspensions vary
according to local regulations, all
of which are being monitored
and adjusted daily. Regional
solutions are being tailored to
protect our employees and
maintain our ability to resume
production as soon as feasible.
When and at what frequency the
different production lines resume
will vary, and the situation is
being monitored closely.
Slowdowns or reduced work
hours are also being
implemented for office staff
worldwide.
24
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.
CSO Christel Munk Pedersen says: "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, fulfil 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 with the
ECE R90."
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
Parts Europe - Street catalogue, THOR MX in UK
Parts Europe's 2020 Street parts
catalogue is a 1,858 page beast that
"showcases an amazing selection of
parts and accessories from top
vendors in the industry -
also including our top new
brands like the Italian
exhaust specialist LeoVince
and the German bike
luggage and accessories
expert SW-MOTECH.
"Our team works hard to
ensure every item we
have in the catalogue is
supported with the latest
technical information
and most up-to-date
fitments available. Fully
INTERNATIONAL DEALER NEWS - APRIL/MAY 2020
indexed and cross-referenced, with 21
chapters of sector-specific profit-
making product opportunities, it is
available to dealers in English, French,
Spanish, Italian
and German."
In other Parts
Europe news, the
company has now
taken over self-
distribution of its
THOR MX product
line in the UK,
where it had been
handled
by
Madison for many
years, commencing
with the 2020
product line launch, currently planned
for July this year.
Josh Shorter, Brand Manager for THOR
MX, stated that "Madison has been a
fantastic partner for many years and
we appreciate all of their efforts in
servicing our customers in the UK
market. Our goal is to continue to
provide the excellent level of service
and support that dealers have enjoyed
from Madison as we transition to a
centralised distribution model with
Parts Europe."
www.partseurope.eu
www.idnmag.com