I’m a big fan of modern art and industrial design. When they come together, creating industrial art, so much the better. Undoubtedly, the new Brembo 19RCS Corsa Corta-RR handlebar-mounted clutch actuation unit fits the bill as industrial art at its finest. Apparently, I’m not the only one to notice, as the clutch lever assembly created in the rarified atmosphere of MotoGP has won a 2023 Red Dot Product Design Award.
Based in Germany, Red Dot has been around for nearly 70 years, having handed out awards since 1955, when the organization was known as Roter Punkt (which conveniently translates to Red Dot). Since then, the organization has moved several times, and survived a catastrophic fire in 1979.
Under the stewardship of Dr. Peter Zec, the Managing Partner of Design Zentrum Nordrhein Westfalen, which owns Red Dot, the Red Dot logo was created in 1992, and the brand has grown impressively. Every year, I look forward to seeing what products Red Dot recognizes among the tens of thousands of entries from dozens of countries in the competition.
By any standard, the Brembo 19RCS Corsa Corta RR is absolutely spectacular. It is machined from billet aluminum developed for aeronautical purposes, and gets a hard oxidation treatment. Aside from its breathtaking appearance, the 19RCS Corsa Corta RR is highly functional, with personalization an important part of the equation.
Riders have two adjustments to consider when setting up the 19RCS.
A three-position knob allows you to select between Normal, Sport, and Race responsiveness. If you like a quick grabbing front caliper, the Race setting sends the message from the radial-pump master cylinder to the front calipers.
Further, the progressiveness of the braking is adjustable via the Ration Click System. The leverage tuner has two positions, based on the distance from the fulcrum to the master cylinder pushrod—18mm or 20mm. The adjustment is made with a screwdriver, with the braking system retaining maximum power in either setting—it’s all about how you want to apply the force.
Thanks to a spare design, the Brembo 19RCS Corsa Corta RR is also lightweight, cutting mass in a place that truly matters—the handlebar. Oh, and you can also adjust the distance from the lever to the right grip.
It’s products such as these that make motorcycle riding such an exceptional sport. Brembo could have made a product that looked amazing, but had limited practical application. Or, the Italian concern could have made an outstanding brake lever assembly without worrying about how it looked, figuring it’s all about performance to serious riders. Instead, we get both—form and function.
There are many products like this in motorcycling. However, this one nailed down a 2023 Red Dot Product Design Award, and it reminds the world just how fantastic our sport is. I live in a house designed by Claude Oakland, and I am typing this while sitting in an Eames Aluminum Group Management chair designed by the dynamic duo of Charles and Ray Eames, so I do appreciate industrial art. Congratulations, Brembo, for your beautiful industrial art that just happens to master the art of deceleration, and thanks to Red Dot for acknowledging our passion.
