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Just wanted to hear thoughts and opinions on steering dampers. Is this a good addition to my bike if i'm just going to be riding the roads? or a waste of money?
If you ain't first you're last!!
Do you get head shake? If so when?
M900ie
SS750
69 gas gusslin' Chevy
LRRS EX #418
i asked the same question. from what i've been told from the general responses was that it's useless for street riding. it's essential for stunters, and some racers. i'll take the $400 for a speedohealer, TRE, and PCIII
my friend with the same bike as you would never buy a damper for his bike. for every day street riding, you're probably wasting your money.
Spend the $$ on some track days. You'll get ALOT more out of that than anything you can add on to the bike. Remember the biggest problem with most bikes is the rider not the bike!
M900ie
SS750
69 gas gusslin' Chevy
LRRS EX #418
I can't say that they are useless, but......
In most cases the rider isn't weighting the pegs enough or the suspension is not tuned very well. Generally fixing those things takes the "shake" away.
M900ie
SS750
69 gas gusslin' Chevy
LRRS EX #418
I got one for my 636 and I tell ya, it makes a huge difference. It might very well be mental, but I have a lot more confidence in the bike, and like was mention 93 is shit and I feel some nice bumps with the damper, I wouldnt want to hit them without one.
I have steering dampers on both my street bike and my race bike. In both cases as I have improved my riding and worked with the suspension, I have turned both of them down to almost nothing. That said T7 to T8 at Loudon will throw a fun shake at you. The same is true for the back kink at Beaverun. That is a full throttle left at near full speed with some serious ripples in the pavement, a bit unsettling to say the least.
M900ie
SS750
69 gas gusslin' Chevy
LRRS EX #418
i don't currently have one on my street bike, but i can tell you from experience its like wearing gear....useless 99.99% of the time but you'll be damn glad you have it if that time ever comes
i plan to put one on the street bike, but i will never go on a track without one...thats for sure
they're all pretty good, ohlins i think is the best built but of course comes with the corresponding price tag. I use a sprint upper mount on my race bike and i like it....the CRG triple mounts are good as well. Scotts are also a good brand.
They all run $350-$400ish except for the ohlins which is like $500
I bought the damper because I started feeling some wheel shake at the end of last season. Once I felt that shake my confidence was shot for the day. The damper has 13 different tension settings to allow for different riding situations. I like mine and feel it was a great purchase for me. It was hard to justify spending $400+ on something like that, but I'm glad I did. It came in handy down in Tenn. riding shady valley.
with all that said...I suggest you ride your bike first. Since you haven't even ridden it yet. Since I don't know how experienced you are I can't say if a damper is something you need. In your case it might be money wasted and can be spent on more important things. It took me awhile to learn my new bike before I got to the point where I felt it necessary to buy a damper.
hahaha i wish i had the room for it in my apt!!! Gotta drive 2 hours back to my parents house to even look at it.
If you ain't first you're last!!
A damper is a good addition to any bike if you can afford it.
Certainly doesn't hurt on the street, and I've never ridden on the track without one.
add coming out of T4 hard on the throttle.
Say what you will about a Buell (my street bike) but its rock solid every where / all the time, I go over low pavement on bridges (RT 93 at border was horrible until last month) to the biggest expansion joints doing 80 with one hand on the bars, it would only need one on the track. Back in the 80's it seemed like every street bike needed one, my 1st new bike was a 84 GPZ750 an the high speed wobble was extreme, same with 85 Ninja. Never had one on my mid 70's KZ's but wish I did.
Have to chime in...
So how experienced are you Wortown03?
I agree that a damper is something that can be useful... If you NEED it nd to a lesser degree can afford it.
I was getting a wobble coming our of 7 going into 8... I talked to some people and they said loosen up on the bars. Worked PERFECT! NO more wobble.
"I'd rather ride a slow bike fast than a fast bike slow"
Bikes: Ducati: 748 (Track) Honda: RC31 (Race/street)/ CRF 110 Mini Moto/ Hawk Endurance Racer Kawasaki: ZXR1200R
BOMO Instructor
EX# X
If you ain't first you're last!!