[Stoneman]

yep... an' how 'bout them DAMPENING rods in them thar NU-CU-LER reactors?

Hee hee....musta read that down at the LIBERRY...

dunno why I let stuff like this bug the shit outta me... in the grand scheme of things, it ain't that big a deal... [/b]

Eh, never mind me. EVERYTHING'S bugging the shit outta me lately...

[bemused]

Originally posted by Stoneman
Hee hee....musta read that down at the LIBERRY...


Eh, never mind me. EVERYTHING'S bugging the shit outta me lately...

ro-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-oll another one... just like the other one...

[Kham]

Originally posted by JC
Personally, I like it when people point out when I'm using the wrong word, or passing on bad info. That way I have the correct info, and feel good knowing it. Some people take offense when I make corrections (and I'm not saying you're taking offense, Kham)...which always seems silly since I'm just trying to help.

no offense.. see the smile? i like when people correct me too.

[Kham]

Originally posted by Degsy
If you land a wheelie with the bars way off line (turned one way or the other) a damper is the LASt thing you want to have installed. It will stop the bars from returning to straight and cause you to crash.

Degsy

this also makes sense.

you guys know about this site? sportbikeriders.us

lots' of stunt videos there, and other stuff, women and bike pics, etc.

[ShredHed]

Still not sure of what a tankslapper is? Check out the video here
(scroll down to "tankslapper" link)
This is a classic video, I had a hard time finding it today, but you'll see it again. It's from the TT, the star of the video, Paul Orritt, ends up with some arm injuries, but almost takes out the flagman on Bray Hill.

As mentioned earlier in this thread, unless you are hammering your bike on the street and lifting the front wheel in precarious places, you're probably best suited to get some more hours under you without a damper and spend money on other areas of bike. Some front ends are more stable than others, so it's your call depending on your bike. If you are comfortable with what you've got, spend the money on rider training or suspension, that will improve your riding more than a damper. However, if you're terrified of a tankslapper and that fear hinders your performance then don't waste any more time and mount one up.

Cheers,
-Jack

[Kham]

that's a tankslapper? i saw that before, but dont know the term for it. bad bad tankslapper.

[legalspeed]

Didn't take the time to read this whole thread, but I'll tell you my 1k is slapper-happy!

Does it every chance she gets. There are varying degrees, and it's like rear slide: you can get used to it. Not a good feeling mind you, I need to upgrade my stock fish-oil-filled damper.

Kham, if you damp your steering input, she will turn a little harder, fight you a little more. Get an adjustable damper.

[tiller]

Originally posted by Kham
dampers, dampeners, damnit.. close enough.

This is what I thought originally. Someone told me when doing wheelies, the dampers(whatever) helps keep in control when the front comes down. I've seen videos of crash stoppies as a result of handlebars whacking back n forth. This could benefit me if I was to practice stunts like this. So far I haven't seen any comments on it.

um, i ride a tlr and last ride of the season i ended up doing a really nasty high speed (60mph) stoppie and one thing led to another and i managed to get into and out of a tank slapper, that was my first tank slappy stoppie it wasnt fun i dont know how i managed to get out of it but im sure it had someting to do with my steering damper.

[Kham]

I knew I wasn't just saying things. Do you think the dam pers would have helped? i think so..

i think it's a compromise, depends on the situation. if it's adjustable then great, if not then you won't be able to steer as quick as before, according to Criminalspeed. the R6 is famous for quick steer; good or bad , but sounds good though.

thanks for the discussion, i guess i won't be needing one anytime soon.

[tiller]

i would recomend one for everyone bike because not everybikes needs one but every bike has the potential to do tank slappers at one point or another, my buddies use scotts dampers which he likes because he can adjust on the fly, im to damn poor but when and if i get the muhlah i will be purchasing a scotts but the ohlins unit is nice too

[Kham]

Originally posted by T-595 Greg
and then of course there's always....INANE from our friends over at Maddox

lol.. I just saw this page. This is too funny.

[Stoneman]

A tank slapper is what ultimitely led to me leaving my RF900R dangling from a tree a coupla years ago. I FIRMLY believe that a steering DAMPER woulda prevented it...

If you do a lot of riding in central to northern NH, I'd recommend getting one...

[legalspeed]

Yes, definately get one. There are a few adjustables out there. Scott's as mentioned, and I think Hyper Pro makes one.

The 1k's need to be upgraded from stock. but I gots no monies!
GMS1000 can prolly tell ya all about tank slap too.

[Kham]

some of you mention i don't need one for Honda and for normal ride situation. i plan to ride a lot and to push the bike to it's limit on the street. in fact all my weekends are booked for riding this season. who knows what will happen. isn't it a safety device, like helmet, so wouln't be a bad idea to have one as an extra precaution. You wouldn't want to wait till need it.

well like others said, if it makes you feel better then get it.

[GadgettR1]

To put my 2 cents in here also... I also use a Scotts damper on my R1. As anyone in here who's ridden one will tell you the R1's have a tendency to head shake when accelerating hard especially if there are bumps anywhere in your path (assuming the front wheel isn't in the air already anyways).. there are tons of dampers on the market but from the research I did before buying mine.. the Scotts was one of the best around with great adjustability and very easy to mount. The only drawback of the Scotts is their ease of mounting also makes em easy to steal for those of lesser morals... good luck in whatever you decide... but if you haven't experienced any "head shake" or a tankslapper then you might want to save the money for something else...

[TLRMan]

Originally posted by JC
Yep! The TLS was very prone to tank slappers, but lots of people say that it was also due to the fact that at that time most sportbikes couldn't lift the front wheel coming out of a corner quite as easy as the TL, so it was especially easy for a rider to get into some trouble.



Wrong! Your damper makes you work harder than you need to! I never realized how stiff the stock damper was until I got the Scotts. I thought my bike felt heavy with the stock damper, and now it feels like a completely different bike. I don't think the TLR had the same affinity for the tankslapper that the TLS did, mainly because of the different weight distribution (heavier in the front, less apt to get the front wheel in the air in a corner). I wouldn't recommend taking a damper off of a bike that came equipped with one...but I would recommend upgrading to a better one. It makes more of a difference than you would believe, especially when we're talking about the TL damper (stiff baby stiff!).

Steering dampers...good, and bad...depending on the one you have.

I meant the oil in the damper, doesn't do shit...It's not working as it should, or supposed to...

Originally posted by TLRMan
I meant the oil in the damper, doesn't do shit...It's not working as it should, or supposed to...

Hee hee...oh!

[legalspeed]

It's fish oil from Greenland.

[oreo_n2]

If its NOT Scottish its CRRRRAAAAP!!!!

[twrayinma]

so you're crap, huh?

(speaking as one who actually has a few drops of sco'ish blood)

Originally posted by Kham
i plan to ride a lot and to push the bike to it's limit on the street.

For a long time to come, the only limits you'll be pushing are your own. If you actually DO push the bike's limits (truly push them) on the street, you will 1, die... or 2, get arrested.

I've only been on one ride where I even came close to pushing the limits of my bike....and I'm surprised we didn't get arrested. I was also surprised to find that Jay was still alive after he careened off the road at 60mph.

You can ride REALLY fast and not truly push the limits of an F4.

Take it easy, Kham. I know it must seem like lots of us are being bossy and preaching shit you don't want to hear...but most of us speak from experience, and are only trying to help.

Point of reference to show that I know where you're at....in '98 I got my first streetbike. I'd been riding dirt since I was 7 and I was very confident on streetbikes as well. I rode around in shorts, t-shirts...no helmet if I was in NH. I'm lucky I never crashed back then. Very lucky. I didn't care what people told me about gear, and slowing down, and not doing wheelies whenever I wanted, regardless of where I was. As I've become more serious about the sport, I've become more serious about protecting myself. This includes not pushing the limits of my bike on the street.

Nobody wants to see anybody get hurt, that's all.

[Kham]

if you say i can't push the bike to the limit then i'm ok w/ that. not to show off or anything, but i did a 125mph(probably lower due to tach error) once already from last ride and will do it again at the right condition, at track maybe.

just so everyone knows where im comming from, im 31yrs old i've done all kinds of stupid shit in the past, but in a car, got my license suspended couple times which i think i've learn a thing or two from. my driving record is now step 11. i don't think i want to go throu that again. i think twice before i do anything now, but still risk it sometimes. i might be in the category of "some people never learn". hopefully not though. i feel that my driving habit has changed a lot.

i understand what you're all saying and don't worry i'll take it easy. hopefully i got lucky and won't become another statistics.

Sorry I take 'pushing limits' as corners, and fun stuff like that. You do all the straight runs you want...I'm cool with that (but be careful! haha). Going fast in a straight line only requires that the rider have enough skill to twist the right grip of the handlbar.


I've only had the TLS up to 155, but it was on the Kanc.

[Rye]

It may be a good idea to install a damper if you jack up your rear ride height. It quickens your front steering and under hard acceleration can cause a slapper when the weight bias returns to the front wheel. Rough roads play a part, but abrupt weight transfers are a bigger culprit.

[benVFR]

Originally posted by JC
Sorry I take 'pushing limits' as corners, and fun stuff like that. You do all the straight runs you want...I'm cool with that (but be careful! haha). Going fast in a straight line only requires that the rider have enough skill to twist the right grip of the handlbar.


I've only had the TLS up to 155, but it was on the Kanc.

Umm... wow. :o That's impressive. Is there a sizable straight on the Kanc or was that at the end of a sweeper or something?

Ben