RACE-SPEC RADIAL MASTER CYLINDER
Hel Performance 19mm master cylinder
£249
1m 10.722 seconds
In all the tests we’ve ever done on the L7-onwards GSX-R1000, the bike’s brakes have always been its weak point. Admittedly, a lot of that has been the consequence of the shocking ABS, but even Suzuki tried to upgrade the bike’s discs and calipers to make the model better in 2018. For 2019, the GSX-R also gained steel hoses as standard, but the thing it could have done with most was a better master cylinder. It doesn’t matter how much I’ve bled my lines, there’s an initial sogginess to the front brake lever that refuses to go away, and does little for your confidence when you’re clocking on and trying to find your braking limit – it’s already cost me a fortune in fresh undies. With this in mind, you can probably imagine how blown away I was when the Hel Perfomance unit was fixed and functioning, complete with a genuinely firm lever. Before I’d even had chance to ride the bike it had blown my mind, and the 19mm unit didn’t disappoint when I put it to the test. The effort required to get the pads pumping was minimal, and the pressure I could apply through the ergonomically profiled lever was next level. It took a bit of getting used to the added level of force, but everything about my braking package seemed to go up a notch with this bad boy on board. It was a pillar of performance, and probably the most tangible benefit to the Suzuki of all the changes I’d made. Quite simply, being offered the chance of my stock master cylinder or the Hel unit, the latter won hands down, and I don’t doubt I’d of seen even quicker lap times if I hadn’t have caught a kerb and launched myself down the road.
It’d been an interesting test and a chance to realise that you haven’t got to spend huge amounts of money to make a big difference to your stopping performance. As I said at the start, not everyone wants ridiculously powerful brakes, but as with EBC and most leading brands, it turns out there’s a pad for every occasion, so don’t be afraid to make a change if you think your needs are different to what the pads you’ve got fitted can offer. The discs were another good investment too, and the master cylinder gave the bike a whole different feel. If you’ve got a Ducati V4 or Aprilia RSV4, chances are that your stock fitment isn’t needing an upgrade, but there are a lot of models on the market that would really benefit from what Hel’s got to offer. The original plan had been to test their new monobloc calipers too, but shortly after my crash the rain made an appearance and that knackered the job good and proper, so keep your eyes peeled for our impending test (and I’ll try my best to stay upright).