[wortown03]

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?

[brewmaster]

Do you get head shake? If so when?

[DBConz]

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

[wortown03]

Originally Posted by brewmaster

Do you get head shake? If so when?

well to be honest i haven't even taken my new bike out yet, but didn't know if dampers may be something i wanted to add when messing around this winter.

[DBConz]

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.

[wortown03]

Originally Posted by DBConz

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

yea i hear ya...can buy a lot of fun things for $400 instead of buying just the damper, especially if it's not needed.

[brewmaster]

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!

[l3uddha]

i've had some nasty headshake on the street. a few times on 93N just south of boston b/c the highway is shit. that didnt really phase me though because my bike was upright.

what scared the shit outta me was my front end going crazy while leaned over in a turn. I wouldn't go as far to say they're "useless" on the street.

[brewmaster]

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.

[l3uddha]

Originally Posted by brewmaster

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.

very true also. getting your suspension sprung for your weight would be a much wiser move than mounting a dampher to make your stock springs feel a little bit better.

[Pittenger5]

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.

[brewmaster]

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.

[RyanNicholson]

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

[wortown03]

Originally Posted by RyanNicholson

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

thanks man...this will definitely be something to think about!! Who are good manufacturers of these if I decide to put one on?

[RyanNicholson]

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

[Pittenger5]

I dunno bout the others, but Ohlins you can buy mounting brackets seperately so you can just buy a mounting bracket if you ever switch bikes, you dont need to buy the whole assembly again, something to look into

[Triumphdog]

I have a Matris M3. Only because that was the only company I could find that made something I liked for Triumphs. Damn English bikes are so hard to find parts for!!!

[wortown03]

Originally Posted by Triumphdog

I have a Matris M3. Only because that was the only company I could find that made something I liked for Triumphs. Damn English bikes are so hard to find parts for!!!

do they help a lot? or do you feel it was somewhat of an unwarranted purchase?

[Triumphdog]

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.

[wortown03]

Originally Posted by Triumphdog

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.

understood!! I appreciate the insight and will definitely wait until next season to decide...man I wish my bike was on the road today is a great riding day!!!

[Triumphdog]

I hear ya. Mine is in parts strewn around my guest bedroom. I love the smell of gasoline in the house!!!

[wortown03]

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.

[Ryno]

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.

[CMG241]

Originally Posted by brewmaster

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. .....

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.

[Crash Dummy Denno]

get a sprint damper - great english company

i like the linear dampers better than the rotary