What is the advantage of using a radial master cylinder

That brembo RCs master is amazing, you can change up the ratio and feel.

Radial master vs regular. Radial master has a better feel
 
Stewart said:
if it isn't broken don't fix it, your wasting your money, no difference.
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....ill let you try my bike with the RCS on...and let me know if your opinion changes then...
 
Depends on what radial master you are talking about....An OEM cast radial master is only slightly better then a conventional OEM style, they have a little better feel IMO...However if you are talking about an aftermarket Brembo, Berringer, Magura, etc...There is much more of a difference between those and OEM radial master...Personally I like big bore radial masters like Brembo 19x20 or Magura 20mm....Those will have a much stiffer feel in the lever, and less travel means more braking in comparison to a smaller bore like a 18x19...And another thing is the aftermarket master have much less fade under higher stress like at the track...Or when I smash 120km/h stoppies for half an hour straight...OEM masters fade much more due to heat, then an aftermarket Brembo or Magura....

Take a look at medium or high lever race bikes, 90% of the people running in those classes run an aftermarket Brembo lever...Personally since Ive been running Brembo 19x20 or Magura 20mm since 2001 on every bike Ive ever owned, anything stock radial or not, feels like crap with no braking power...

I own 3 600's right now, 1 has a billet Brembo 19x20, the other has a forged Brembo 19x20, and the last one has a Magura billet 20mm...I just bought a KX450f that is getting converted to supermoto, and one of the first parts Im ordering for it is a Brembo billet radial 16x16 master
 
I assume, with these big bore mc's you also need stainless or carbon lines to get the desired effect?

I noticed when I changed only my brake line to stainless the brakes were much less squishy, stiffer, much better.

If the upgraded cylinder will give more of that stiffer feel then great, as I definetely liked the change with the lines, so I think it is a worthwhile upgrade,

thanks
 
Stewart said:
if it isn't broken don't fix it, your wasting your money, no difference.
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It does not seem to be a very costly upgrade, and if it does more of what my s.steel brakelines do, then that is a relevant difference. For me anyway.
 
krrakt said:
I assume, with these big bore mc's you also need stainless or carbon lines to get the desired effect?

I noticed when I changed only my brake line to stainless the brakes were much less squishy, stiffer, much better.

If the upgraded cylinder will give more of that stiffer feel then great, as I definetely liked the change with the lines, so I think it is a worthwhile upgrade,

thanks
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Yes it would be pretty much useless to get an aftermarket master without braided lines....As you would not be able to take full advantage of the master without them
 
I didn't realize how much difference there really was....when installed it was a great upgrade for me,then one day my brembo needed a minor repair. While I was waiting for parts i put the stock redial master back on to go for a ride.....much more noticeable when u switch back, if your doing this for the bling factor then do whatever you want but if your doing this for some serious braking then I would highly recommend it. You get a lot more feel and control of your bike while braking heavily, it comes in handy when you need it
 
Would there still be a benefit to using a radial master with conventional calipers?
 
Flywheel said:
Would there still be a benefit to using a radial master with conventional calipers?
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Yes radial calipers just means the mounting bolts come in parallel with the rotors face, it adds stiffness compared to the conventional style...Aftermarket radial masters do much more then just change the angle of the mounting bolts. its the angle of the piston that changes, and again if your talking aftermarket, the size of the bore and stroke can be changed and also the overall manufacturing quality and higher tolerance in maching..So yes even with conventional style mounted calipers, they still make a huge improvement in braking performance...

Back in the day before bikes were coming with radial calipers, you would still see the majority of high lever race bikes running aftermarket Brembo radial master cylinders with conventional mounted brake calipers...I ran a Brembo 19x20 on my 01 R6 and my 03 R6 both had regular mounted brake calipers, and it still improved braking drastically!

And just for comparison a aftermarket Bremo radial gp master is about $260, braided lines are another $100 or so... I have Brembo HP radial billet calipers that cost $1500 and Braking SK rotors that cost me another $900....The $260 lever makes more of a difference then the calipers and rotors did, at fraction of the cost...
 
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Best and most bang for the buck improvement for brakes would be

1. GOOD QUALITY FLUID, next would be
2. SS or KEVLAR lines....next in line would be
3. Good quality pads ...next would be
4. Aftermarket or big bore radial master....next would be
5. Calipers. (some models you can swap them over to OEM mono-blocks - people claim they are better - some models use thicker pistons and coated pistons to prevent corrosion) .

Brakes are something you build to your liking and what purpose you use your bike for. Persoanlly my RCS is setup to run 19x20 setup...which is way too much brakes for me. A setup like what Johnnyp636 has "Magura billet 20mm" --> Thats just way too much brake and master for what I do.

So OP if you are thinking about a radial master - consider your budget - there are lots of options and possibilities to improve your brakes - just built it to suit your purpose.
 
frekeyguy said:
So OP if you are thinking about a radial master - consider your budget - there are lots of options and possibilities to improve your brakes - just built it to suit your purpose.
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Its not way too much for what you do, its a feel preference...I dont do anything special that requires a 19x20...I just prefer the stiffer feel and less lever travel as opposed to a 19x18...Its all preference, thats why they make different sizes and now the RCS series where you can have both in one lever
 
I put this on in Feb:

http://www.bluestreakracing.ca/en/b...c378140265/prs_accossato_master_cylinder.html

and added barided lines on my track gixxer 600. I've had limited time to try it but the 2 days i did have i ran it at the 19 x 17 setting to get more feel trail braking. For different track I'm gonna play with the settings and see if I can notice a big difference.

The difference over stock is very noticeable. Braidied lines on most stock masters will be a step up alone.
 
The main advantage of the radial design per se is that it moves the lever pivot point inward toward the centerline of the bike so that the same pull force develops a smaller moment about the connection point to the handlebar. This reduction in bending moment results in less flexing of the master cylinder housing. Any reduction in flexing of brake parts such as in the lever, MC housing, brake lines, calipers and caliper mounts add up to better brakes with better feel (modulation.) Also, aftermarket radial designs are generally stiffer than the OEM designs because they are machined from alloy billet material.

Keep in mind however, changing your stock master cylinder to an aftermarket radial design will NOT give you more braking power to help you stop sooner.

A radial master cylinder with a different piston diameter and/or lever fulcrum-to-piston distance will only change the feel of the brakes at the lever.

The Brembo aftermarket radial 19mm diameter master cylinders offer you the choice of a brake lever fulcrum-to-piston distance of either 16mm, 18mm or 20mm. The stock lever is 16mm.

So your choice is either 19x16, 19x18 or 19x20.

19x16 (stock) requires the least lever effort but the longest pull distance for the best modulation.

19x18 requires 11% lighter pull and 11% longer pull distance than the 19x20 MC. More feel (better modulation characteristics) than the 19x20

19x20 requires the most lever force but the shortest pull. More like a trigger action.

Some riders think that this short-pull trigger action means that they have "better" brakes, but they don't - at least not for all riding conditions. What they do get is the same braking power with poorer modulation (feel) characteristics. Good for the track perhaps, but often dangerous on the street, especially in the wet. In an emergency, most of us have the instinct to grab a brake hard. So if you value a better feel, when choosing between the 19x18 and the 19x20 for the street, go for the 19X18.
 
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