steering damper

9764 Views 42 Replies 21 Participants Last post by Reaper, Apr 17, 2011

crazylegs

Discussion Starter · Jun 10, 2010

just wondering if they are really worth their weight, i have had a couple of nice tank slappers midcorner thanks to some nice bumps and on one hand im told a damper will stop this and on the other hand ive been told there crap and not woth getting, anyone shed any light on this?

seen a few cheapies on ebay, but not sure if they are any good, or just a bling one like a ohlins or something?

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banana.logic

· #2 · Jun 10, 2010

are you prepared to create custom mounts for one?

I think the solution to you problem is to not ride so fast around bumpy corners honestly. How fast are we talking by the way? do hold the bars very tightly while cornering?

I only ask because people have been riding motorbikes quite successfully and quite quickly for many years without the aid of steering dampers, perhaps you could work on improving your riding skills.

crazylegs

Discussion Starter · #3 · Jun 10, 2010

not at speeds i'd consider fast, and i do try to stay relaxed on the bike, not all corners just that its happend a couple of times and i considerd myself luky it didnt end in a highside, just looking for another way on helping the matter.
i have no doubt i need to improve my riding skills, but that doesnt mean i shouldnt rule out mechanical aid though.

banana.logic

· #4 · Jun 10, 2010

yeah fair enough. but if it was at low speeds then I would say it is more likely to be rider error. and if it is a mechanical failure I don't think adding a damper is the best solution, you would have to look at the components already on the bike to see what is wrong with them first before you go adding something which may only mask an underlying problem.

I believe it has been done before though...

crazylegs

Discussion Starter · #5 · Jun 10, 2010

well the first one was along the bylong valley road and the inside of a reasonably sharp blind left hander was really corregated and didnt see it till its way too late to even react and that was about 60-70k i'd say, i was trying to keep up with motowog lol.
it hasnt happend on a smooth road before, so im not sure what i did wrong if anything, it also felt like the front end bottomed out or something, just like hitting a massive pothole i guess.

banana.logic

· #6 · Jun 10, 2010

probably a combination of being out of your comfort zone trying to keep up with a faster rider, and panic causing you to stiffen up. I see what you mean about the damper now though, I'm not sure if it would help with bumps that big. best to wait for someone who knows more about them to see this.

but none the less it is not going to be as easy as bolting one on to your bike...

Glenn R

· #7 · Jun 10, 2010

Maybe better to have a look at your suspension.Fork oil could be 15y.o. and ready for a change.

crazylegs

Discussion Starter · #8 · Jun 10, 2010

^^ been meaning to do the forks just havnt found the time really.
yeah see i never really looked into them too much so i didnt know i needed to make up a custom bracket to fit them, tbh i wasnt sure how they are fitted.

raskol

· #9 · Jun 10, 2010

+1 on getting your forks sorted. Steering damper on 250 = waste of $

Cerberus

· #10 · Jun 10, 2010

damper on a MC22 is a bit pointless.. look at servicing the suspension first then if you want to spend the $$$ you can always upgrade the valving. that will go a long way to settle the bike and will be better bang for buck return than damper.

that said.. also look at your riding. if you are holding on too tight with your arms and have them rigid, or have one arm stiffer than the other you will actually help induce the tank slappers. as you might know you should hold on mainly with your legs to the bike. next it could be throttle control. are you coasting through the corner or feeding the power on smoothly? that will help settle the bike and ride over bumps.

Dampers are a tricky thing. i wouldnt ride a big bike (1000cc) on the track without one but even then they should be set to least stiffeness posible. The stiffer the damper setting the harder it is to turn the bike at speed which is kind of not what you want.

richo

· #11 · Jun 10, 2010

No way I'd be bolting a damper to a 250....

crazylegs

Discussion Starter · #12 · Jun 13, 2010

Cerberus said:
next it could be throttle control. are you coasting through the corner or feeding the power on smoothly? that will help settle the bike and ride over bumps.

good call, now that you mention it i have noticed i've been doin that, so more than likely thats what could be causing this cheers, i'll try to pay mroe attention to that.

Jonno

· #13 · Jun 13, 2010

i am pretty much with most ppl here, service your forks first and im pretty sure that will sort out your problem. good luck with it all

Motowog

· #14 · Jun 14, 2010

crazylegs said:
well the first one was along the bylong valley road and the inside of a reasonably sharp blind left hander was really corregated and didnt see it till its way too late to even react and that was about 60-70k i'd say, i was trying to keep up with motowog lol.
it hasnt happend on a smooth road before, so im not sure what i did wrong if anything, it also felt like the front end bottomed out or something, just like hitting a massive pothole i guess.

Yeah im pretty sure i know which corner your talking about!

Sneddy

· #15 · Jun 14, 2010

Agree with most people on here - damper on a 250 is a waste. Look at improving your throttle control and also redo your forks.

Reaper

· #16 · Apr 6, 2011

ok zombie thread time! Since this thread has been dead I have 1. Done fork seals (with no 20c mod) and using whatever oil the dealer recommened.
2. Got new tyres, upgraded from stax to sport demons.
3. Been paying attention to riding techniques to stop this problem.

there have been 2 more (that I can think of) times this has happened since. Once coming over a crest still slightly leaned over at around 100k or so. ( this one actually knocked the wind outta me it was that violent) and another just recently on a spirited ride through RNP with others from here.
both were accelerating out of a corner.
There was mention of up grading the valves or something before can someone go into more detail with this please? But naturally the thought of a damper has come back into my head again.
Are bikes much harder to turn at low speeds with them fitted?

this has only happened recently, so what you guys said before did help but not completely stopped it all together.
Is it even possible to stop it altogether?

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CodeBlue

· #17 · Apr 6, 2011

I suppose you saw the damper on ebay thread?

Reaper

· #18 · Apr 6, 2011

Yeah saw that, no spare cash right now to bid, besides I'm don't wanna bid against others here for it, ill just find a cheapy later on

Scotty

· #19 · Apr 6, 2011

I have a dampner you can have reaper, i'll bring it on the big ride. You just need to retro fit it yourself.

Reaper

· #20 · Apr 6, 2011

How much? Lol I was kinda hoping to have one on FOR this big ride tbh lol

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