Steering Dampers?
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I would recommend them for the more aggressive drivers. If your into high speed wheelies or your hard on the throttle all the time I would go for it. Also if you do any track days. I have a 954 which are supposed to be notorious for them and I've never had one, but I also drive like a schoolgirl.Kizzer said:
When you get to ride a bit more speed than normal you should start to feel what they are for. Just like when skating or rollerblading down a hill, the faster you get the less you have to move/shift weight to do a sirten º of turn. Its the same thing with the bike, when you ride faster you will notice the front wheel getting "lighter and lighter" and you think "damn, if a fly hits me on the arm and I turn the handle bar 5mm....."
and anyway, those dampers look great on any bike and if some dudes in some old forum tell you dose will do good to you.... get one
(but all the gear first !)
and anyway, those dampers look great on any bike and if some dudes in some old forum tell you dose will do good to you.... get one
(but all the gear first !)I have had my Yamaha YZF600r since '97 & I ride it hard still no need for a steering head damper on it for it would be a waste of money.
My '00 Honda 929 told me I needed one & so on with a Scotts. I have a '03 Honda 954 still in a box to be coming to the local Honda shop & will be putting a damper on it as well.
Mind you the ONLY other changes to my bikes are Kevlar front brake lines as I like superior stopping power to be with one or two fingers. I leave the stock exhaust systems & the rest alone. Any of the above machines can take me up a steep hwy with a strong headwind well above the speed limit & not even 'on pipe' so reason for not jacking around with a slip-on or full exhaust system.
My '00 Honda 929 told me I needed one & so on with a Scotts. I have a '03 Honda 954 still in a box to be coming to the local Honda shop & will be putting a damper on it as well.
Mind you the ONLY other changes to my bikes are Kevlar front brake lines as I like superior stopping power to be with one or two fingers. I leave the stock exhaust systems & the rest alone. Any of the above machines can take me up a steep hwy with a strong headwind well above the speed limit & not even 'on pipe' so reason for not jacking around with a slip-on or full exhaust system.
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320 Posts
I will not ride a sportbike without a steering damper! I have had my share of bad experiences on bikes without one. On my 01 GSX R1000, I took off the stock damper, and put on a Scotts. It was two weeks before I put a Scotts on my RC51, and I think I waited too long. If you noticed, the bike makers are starting to make them standard equipment. Steering dampers are not a cure all for suspension woes either.
ceh
2001 GSX R1000
2003 RC51
(63 & fast)
ceh
2001 GSX R1000
2003 RC51
(63 & fast)
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844 Posts
i got one because there was a scratch on my triple
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307 Posts
I agree. Most street riders won't even need a steering damper. Most cases of headshake or, the potential of having a tank slapper should be directed towards setting bikes suspension up correctly to fit the rider. Proper sag adjusted to the riders weight can make a huge difference on any bike and should be one of THE MOST important adjustments made on any new bike. Getting a steering damper without adjusting your suspension will only mask the problem of experiencing shake if you're not riding under hard conditions.Smitty said:
The purpose of a steering damper is to dampen wobbles in the front fork assembly that occurs when the front wheel is deflected from its normal track by bumps, frame flex, tire reaction, etc. The amount of damping force (resistance) can be adjusted on the knobs of particular dampers for different types of riding.
After you have your suspension setup correctly and still experience shake during hard braking, or during WOT at the exit of a turn will a steering damper be used towards it's potential. But ofcourse, there are those who need to them when they put down their front wheel..... so that would be a good way to be safe as well. Otherwise, most street riders who have no interest in being on a track will ever have the need for one.
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My '97 had a boss for mounting one from the frame to the fork leg. (remember those?)
I never put one on. My friends '98 had on from the factory, under the triple clamp.
This was after the great 'TLR Steering Scare of '97' and Suzuki put them on Gixxers and Tillers in '98.
His bike was much slower steering than mine with that suka$$ oem damper.
My '04 has a suka$$ oem damper and I never even notice it!
Either oem's have come a long way, or I could use a REAL damper.
I never put one on. My friends '98 had on from the factory, under the triple clamp.
This was after the great 'TLR Steering Scare of '97' and Suzuki put them on Gixxers and Tillers in '98.
His bike was much slower steering than mine with that suka$$ oem damper.
My '04 has a suka$$ oem damper and I never even notice it!
Either oem's have come a long way, or I could use a REAL damper.
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13,194 Posts
Lets put it this way....... if I had one on my GSXR I wouldn't have had that fekkin horrendous crash I had when I went into a manson tankslapper after doing a wheelie thru 3 gears, sheared the right fork stop off the frame allowing the handle bar to crush my thumb into the gastank hand comes off right bar and i go over the front at about 125mph...... lost aprox 40% of my skin and was certain I was going to die. I slid over half a block the bike went over a block.....
They make your bike feel very heavy and hard to stear at slow speed but prevent horror storys like mine.....
its the short wheelbases, steep steering angles and huge power that sets most bikes off. mine did it regularly and I always rode them out..... thill that ulgy day. When it pulls super hard as it comes on the power with the front light it would hit a small bump or crack on the road and start goin off... I was able to ride through them. But landing that wheelie topped out in third was a bit more than I could handle, spesh when it crushed my thumb. The thing was snapping so violently from lock to lock the front tire was screeching as it went from one angle to the other. Left about a dozen marks on the street followed by a white grove for a block where it took 2 inches off the end of the handlebars and ground through the case. also ground almost half off my el cheapo carbon can with Ti ends took the right rearset off and basicly screwed my once awsome looking ride. There must be a job or something God wanted me to accomplish..... only thing I can think of that explains why I survived....
They make your bike feel very heavy and hard to stear at slow speed but prevent horror storys like mine.....
its the short wheelbases, steep steering angles and huge power that sets most bikes off. mine did it regularly and I always rode them out..... thill that ulgy day. When it pulls super hard as it comes on the power with the front light it would hit a small bump or crack on the road and start goin off... I was able to ride through them. But landing that wheelie topped out in third was a bit more than I could handle, spesh when it crushed my thumb. The thing was snapping so violently from lock to lock the front tire was screeching as it went from one angle to the other. Left about a dozen marks on the street followed by a white grove for a block where it took 2 inches off the end of the handlebars and ground through the case. also ground almost half off my el cheapo carbon can with Ti ends took the right rearset off and basicly screwed my once awsome looking ride.
There must be a job or something God wanted me to accomplish..... only thing I can think of that explains why I survived....1 - 17 of 17 Posts
