Grimeca can a does make quality products (e.g.Ducati engine casings) but the OEM brake calipers (and the twin shoe drums) are simply crap. They are made from a porous, brittle, cheap alloy that deteriorates rapidly, especially inside, they break easily, threads are likewise easily stripped. Unlike Brembos, they cannot be rebuilt satisfactorily, either. I don't know about you, but I never, ever liked their on/off characteristic. I don't call that "pin sharp", I call it uncontrollable. They are only mitigated by the equally bad OEM rotor and toothless pads. They are probably the most changed item on the Skorpion and for good reason. Checkout the photo galleries of the continental forums (sic; correct is fora) and you probably see a preponderance of Brembos with a few 6 and even 8 pot exotics (which I think is gilding the lily) at the front. Granted the read brake is relatively unimportant, but when it is broken as in this case, there is certianly no reason to replace it with that same crap when a much better caliper is easily had and possibly cheaper, over here at least. The problem is not limited to MZs; the calipers on the pre-radial Aprilia RS125 are also Grimeca and just as questionable. Unfortunately for those boys, there are no bolt-on replacements so adapters need to be milled and some boys even resort to a different fork!
As I have often drawn attention to, the bike was supposed to have the adjustable fork, brakes and wheels from the TZ250R; the test bike still did. Then some marketing wise-ass decided that a sidecar should be offered, and the TZ parts were deemed too light. Last-minute foraging got the one-off (shitty! extremely heavy) wheels
NOBODY else has (or would have) and the brakes to go with. The sidecar never materialized. The crappy wheels are actually a lot weaker than the Brembos they replaced, as many with unrepairably bent/broken wheel owners can testify.
And as any SZR (all Brembo) owner or Skorpion rider who has tested/replaced the crap can also testify, Brembo equipped (caliper
AND pump) + good full-floating rotor and really good pads open up a whole new world of braking control. And it is basically not more expensive save for the price of good pads.
Poor to abysmally bad front brakes, not the topic here really, are more the rule than the exception in the 50hp (and less) class.It is not limited to the Skorpion by any means.
BTW, exceptional sidecar bike are built to order by
Heinz Weber in Karlsruhe, Germany.
His own 13" Skorpion sidecar bike runs over 100mph with ±60hp at the rear wheel. Front Earls fork and sidecar subframe are his own manufacture. To keep up with Heinz on a twisty road, you have to be prepared to get your knee down.
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 9:57 am
Granted I've stripped cleaned polished etc those on my sport but they seem perfectly sharp and have good feel too. Appreciate this may not be the case under hard track use etc, is that perhaps what we are talking about? Not doubting the perceived wisdom on these, maybe I'm missing something here 
