Topic: Dual circuit front brake

[70CB750]

Here is a crazy idea and an overkill.  Dual circuit front brake.  I am working on dual front brake setup - technically it would be possible to use dual master cylinder and two separate hoses.  What do you think? 

And no, I am not smoking anything at the moment

[EDU]

I'm thinking it will be hard to sync them properly, meaning there's a chance that one will be applying slightly more pressure than the other. Not a good scenario if you ask me... but then again, I know @#% all about mechanics.

[andrewk]

I think that it's the proper way to do it, actually.  With a single circuit master I think things are more touchy- you get a better feel (And better modulation/progressive braking) with the dual circuit setup.

One thing that I wonder about is if it matters (real world results) where the double banjo is-  Hydraulically, running a single hose off of a modern MC to a splitter with a double banjo to the brakes should be the same (in theory) as individual hoses coming off the MC.

[knox-cb]

If there was any advantage (that wasn't outweighed by the disadvantages) you would see it at some level in motorcycle racing.

[andrewk]

I guess what I'm thinking of is a "dual disc" MC, rather than a true dual circuit MC, like found in a car, where there are two separate reservoirs.  A "dual disc" MC is still a single circuit.  I don't see any advantage to a dual circuit, especially in controlling the same end of the bike.

[70CB750]

Well, the reason would  be the obvious - one fails and you have  one more.   On a motorcycle it would mean having three brake circuits.

I accept the racing point, though.

One more thing - since the hydraulic pressure is the same at every point of the circuit(that is one of the hydraulics laws actually)  I would believe the brakes would be pretty close to work in unison.

Another question - if you ran dual setup front, do you change brake pads in the same time and the same brand/type?

[andrewk]

I would suppose that you don't have to change pads, especially since you usually have to do a bit of shimming to get them lined up just right, but I don't know why you wouldn't- it would make sense to use the same product on both sides, and if one wears the other should be too.

I agree with you about the hydraulic principles- if you were to find or build a dual circuit master for a motorcycle, it would be valved for even operation on both circuits, and the brakes would come on evenly as they do on a single circuit.