HB Performance: History

Dependability, safety and performance have always been the dominant factors in the design and manufacture of Hayes Caliper Disc Brakes. Since 1946, first as H&H Products Company Inc., then as H&H Products Division of Kelsey-Hayes Company and beginning June of 1984 as Hayes Brake. Our disc brakes and brake systems have earned Hayes an enviable reputation as the "disc brake specialists". Many years of experience and development in this exclusive field have led to the comprehensive range of models and accessories that we offer today for recreational, construction, agricultural and military vehicles, motorcycles, bicycles, as well as other types of mobile and stationary equipment.

The first cars equipped with disc brakes came off the assembly lines in 1964 with Kelsey-Hayes designed four-piston brakes. In 1968, Kelsey-Hayes acquired H&H Products, which operated as a division with an emphasis on racing. Specially developed disc brakes went onto dragsters, Indianapolis-style cars and TransAm racers. The pinnacle of their involvement in racing came on October 23, 1970 when the Blue Flame, equipped with H&H disc brakes, set a new land speed record of 630.388 MPH (Kilometer Speed Record). In an earlier test run the drag chutes had failed and the brakes were able to bring the car to a safe stop from 550 MPH.

In June of 1971, the first disc brake was shipped to Harley-Davidson for the 1972 FLH model. The other large growth area was the snowmobile market. Hayes Brakes currently supplies the hub/disc, brake calipers and master cylinders for Polaris.

To support manufacturing of the new products, in 1972 an addition was put on the original building, which doubled the size of the plant to approximately 50,000 square feet of manufacturing space.

In 1992 Hayes began work to enter the mountain bike brake business, releasing its' first product in 1993. In 1998, Hayes Brake formed Hayes Disc Brake, resulting from the design, manufacture and supply of both mechanical and hydraulic disc brakes to the worlds leading manufacturers of mountain bikes. Through the 80's and 90's Hayes Brake has expanded its customer base to well over 300 strong. In addition to the aforementioned companies of Harley-Davidson and Polaris, Hayes Brake is proud to provide braking systems for John Deere, JCB, Caterpillar, Textron, Ariens, E-Z Go, Tennant, Volvo, Trek, Schwinn and Giant to mention a few.

In 1999 Hayes Brake obtained ISO 9001 certification further demonstrating its
commitment to quality and continuous improvement. 2001 marked another plant expansion bringing the total manufacturing
space to 150,000 square feet.

By incorporating leading edge technologies and partnering relationships with customers and suppliers, Hayes Brake is well positioned to continue its steady growth.