I don't know if you have noticed that in recent years, many of the top motorcycles have appeared in the parameter table of Brembo Stylema, Brembo everyone naturally understands, so what is this Stylema? In Brembo Stylema, Stylema can be understood as a monolithic or monolithic.
What is the difference between a single caliper and a traditional caliper?
At present, many high-end models are equipped with "single brake calipers", in fact, it has been used more in racing or as a customized component. The word "monomer" means a block. It should be known that the traditional caliper is bolted to fix the left and right parts together, so you can see that there are obvious bolts on the caliper body. The monolithic caliper is the opposite, the left and right sides are a whole, which is why it is called a monolithic caliper!
Since motorcycle brakes now have to be equipped with ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System), the traditional drum brakes have almost disappeared, and slightly better motorcycles now all offer disc brakes. The structure of this hydraulic disc brake is that the caliper piston uses the hydraulic force to clamp the brake pads and use friction to complete the braking action.
Brake calipers with brake discs are common single/double piston floating calipers and are mainly found in small displacement models. But most high-performance motorcycles are opposed to the piston type (above). The structure of the opposing piston caliper is that the piston that pushes the brake pad is arranged opposite (opposed) in the brake disc, and the brake disc is clamped by pressure on both sides at the same time.
A derivative version of the monolithic caliper, but in fact a derivative of the opposing caliper, the mechanism of the piston and brake pads itself has not changed. The difference is that the caliper body is constructed as a whole, so when the caliper presses the brake disc, no matter how much force it has, that is, no matter how much pressure, it will not relax because of the reaction force.
Monolithic calipers have higher stiffness
The brake calipers require such high rigidity because the opposing piston calipers are attempted to open when braking due to the reaction of the hydraulic force clamped on the brake discs. If the caliper body is loosened as a result, the force pushing the brake pads will escape and the braking force will be reduced. Therefore, the monolithic caliper does not bolt the left and right parts, but increases the stiffness by forming an integrated structure, and can inhibit the expansion and deformation of the caliper, which is the reason for the birth of the monomer caliper.
But traditional calipers are not unsafe, and apart from full braking at 300km/h in MotoGP and SBK races, it is unlikely that the difference in the braking capabilities of monolithic and conventional calipers is felt when driving on public roads. However, the high rigidity of the monocoque calipers is excellent in terms of tactile feel at the beginning of the braking effect and the hand feedback when the brake is released, making it ideal for riders who need delicate brake hand feedback. As a result, when the brake operation is carried out with fine braking, it can exert a high degree of controllability, even under stronger braking.
Monolithic calipers are more expensive to manufacture
Why didn't anyone think of using a monolithic caliper in the first place? The reason is that the past process is not up to par. The holes in the pistons mounted inside the calipers are subjected not only to high hydraulics, but also to stress and heat during braking, so the material to be cut is naturally carefully selected and must be processed with considerable precision. In the case of traditional calipers, each part can be cut and processed before combining. But the monolithic caliper has no way to do this, requiring more sharp angles and higher precision to handle.
Recently, computer-controlled complex precision machining technologies have evolved, the latest cutting machines have made production possible, and the number of commercial motorcycles equipped with integral calipers has increased. In the past, the number of productions was limited, so it was commonly used in racing cars, and although it is expensive now, it is not impossible to commercialize.