Australia seems to be lagging behind the rest of the world with safety recalls on a Brembo brake fault, so we have provided this update on the status.
The fault is possible caressing in the plastic piston inside Brembo PR16 radial master cylinder units. they are being replaced with aluminium pistons.
Brembo statement
Brembo has issued a statement that the safety recalls only affect radial master cylinder pistons in 15mm and 16mm diameters produced between 2015 and 2017.
They were supplied to Aprilia, Ducati, KTM, MV Agusta, TM Racing, Moto Morini and Horex.
Horex VR6The recall does not affect brake master cylinders sold as aftermarket kits through Brembo authorised dealers.
Manufacturers have been informed and owners of motorcycles with brake master cylinders affected by this recall are advised to contact the manufacturer directly for parts replacement.
No Australian safety recall yet
While there have been safety recalls for Aprilia and Ducati motorcycles overseas and other models are also expected to be implicated, there is no recall yet issued in Australia.
The Department of Infrastructure, Regional Development and Cities says it has contacted the Australian distributors of Ducati, Aprilia, Triumph and KTM motorcycles.
“The distributor of Triumph motorcycles has advised that no vehicles supplied to the Australian market are affected,” the department says.
“Other distributors are aware of the recently announced recall in the United States and are currently establishing whether voluntary recall action is relevant for vehicles supplied to the Australian market.
“The Department will provide further information on other vehicles supplied by these manufacturers as it comes to hand.”
And we will post it here.
PS Importers who import Aprilia, Moto Guzzi and Triumph to Australia told us there was no cause for concern.
“Some selected units of MY15-16 Aprilia RSV4 Euro3 models are affected, as well as a very limited number of the Euro 4 MY17 Tuono/RSV4 models,” a spokesman told us.
“The information we have so far only suggests that there may be some increase in stopping distance under very extreme braking conditions. There is no suggestion of failure or an immediate risk.”
Ducati Australia told us: “No news to report on Brembo. I’ll provide an update as and when anything official comes through.”
We have still not yet received a reply from KTM Australia.
Brembo fault
The fault is believed to be a crack in the internal piston of the PR16 radial master cylinder.
The crack can result from prolonged and hard use such as track work or frequent use of ABS.
Obviously, if it breaks, not only will braking force be diminished, but owners could also end up wth highly corrosive brake fluid leaking over their bike.
Brembo says the problem is with the plastic (polyphenylene sulphide) they used. To fix it, they will replace the plastic piston with an aluminium piston.
USA safety recalls
So far, safety recalls in the USA affect the following models:
2016 and 2017 Aprilia RSV4s fitted with Brembo brakes;
2017 Aprilia Tuono 1100s fitted with Brembo brakes;
2015-2018 Ducati 1299 STD / 1299 S / 1299 FE / 1299 SL produced from March 16, 2015 to September 22, 2017;
2015-2018 Ducati Monster 1200 S / Monster 1200 R produced from March 04, 2015 to October 23, 2017;
2015-2018 Ducati Multistrada S / Multistrada Pikes Peak produced from March 16, 2015 to October 31, 2017;
Ducati Multistrada 1200 Pikes Peak2015-2018 Ducati Panigale R produced from March 16, 2015 to June 20, 2017;
2017-2018 Ducati Scrambler 800 Cafe Racer produced from March 01, 2017 to November 20, 2017;
2015-2018 Ducati XDiavel S produced from January 12, 2016 to September 08, 2017.
We will advise if there are any Australian safety recalls.
Brembo recall notice
Here is the official notice from Brembo about the fault:
The anisotropy of the piston material, in addition to potential porosity introduced during the injection process, could lead to crack generation and thus potential component failure. The failure may occur with no warning to the rider, although a significant loss in brake effectiveness may be an early indicator.
In May, 2017, Ducati received initial information from the field regarding front brake malfunction involving a motorcycle in the European market. During the same month Ducati received a second European front brake malfunction report.
Ducati initiated an investigation and began to jointly conduct an analysis with Brembo, the component manufacturer. In September, 2017, a third European case was discovered. Failure was found to have occurred during race track use in two of the three cases. In November, 2017, the investigation was finalised and the root cause was identified as above. On December 14th, 2017, Ducati determined that a worldwide safety Recall was justified. For subject motorcycles sold in the US, there have been no reports of injuries due to the defect.”
The only previous recall for Brembo we could find was an ABS modular in Triumph Street Triple and Daytona models in 2013.
YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS ON RECALLS
Recall notices are issued by the manufacturer through a voluntary industry code under the ACCC.
Despite hundreds of recalls by various automotive manufacturers, none has ever been mandatory. All have been issued by the manufacturer.
While any recall is not good news for the manufacturer, it shows that they are largely diligent in fixing problems.
If you believe there is an endemic problem with your bike that should be recalled, contact the ACCC on 1300 302 502.
To check whether your motorcycle has been recalled, click on these sites:
• USA
• UK
• Canada