Its time for a steering damper

Wolf · Jun 8, 2008

To those who have factory editions which come with a steering damper fitted... im jealous!

Maybe its just the terrible condition of the roads around here or maybe i am just getting more confident opening her up but tank slappers are getting worse

my wrists hurt but not from the riding position, trying to fight such violent tank slappers im amazed i havent broken my wrists (or worse.. crashed)

One of the first rides on the mille i had what i thought was a terrifyingly bad tank slapper at 25mph on a corner... the ones i experienced today were alot more violent and fast although having experienced them several times before not as scary as i know what to do to stop it continuing

So, like the title says... its time for a steering damper... but which one :confused i know the factory bikes come with Arrow steering dampers, but theres a vast amount of alternative ones available :dunno

Which is the best? It would be much appreciated if people who have steering dampers could offer some advice and info on how they found it

caterpillar · Jun 8, 2008

Are these happening mid corner or on exit Wolf?

I've heard good reports for sprint steering dampers, and obviously for ohlins dampers. I'm curious as to at what point the tank slappers are starting though. Not to sure about the word fight squire. The best way to deal with one is to relax your grip and keep a part throttle on and allow it to bring itself back to balance at centre, which is naturally where the wheel wants to be. I have mine backed right off, and yes it is twitchy, but then I do like bikes twitchy

I'm curious as to whether you have tried changing any of the suspension settings yet and seeing what effect it has. You say you are more confident, and probably riding faster, so the suspension will be reacting differently from the increased weight distribution changes brought on by accelerating/braking/cornering harder. Have a think about how and when it is happening, and then translate this into how the bike is changing its reaction and what you "feel" is happening.

BIG UN · Jun 8, 2008

mine came wth a sprint one fitted,it must be good as shes never once flapped her bars at me,1st steering damper ive ever had tbh,never had one or felt the need for one on any of my prevous r1's or blades.

everyone i know always goes for the flashest/dearest i.e ohlins,dunno ifthat makes them the best or not though mate.

agreat1 · Jun 8, 2008

if you're getting speed wobbles like you say then you need to look at your suspension srettings

dial everything back to standard, put the bike upright and grab one hand on the grip and one on the saddle as close to the tank as possible.

push down hard, front and rear should bounce up together, adjust as necessary

how many miles you done on it?
is it ready for fork oil change?
has anyone dropped the forks through the yokes?

steering dampers are a bonus but no bike should be doing what yours is doing, with or without the damper

richmond rossi · Jun 8, 2008

I have an ohlins damper fitted as standard on my factory and to be quite honest its about as useful as a chocolate fireguard. I have it wound right on and still get tank slappers when the wheel lifts, I had the garage look at it under warrenty and they said it was ok, yet I had an ohlins on my R1 and you couldnt even turn the bars on 5 clicks. Apparently the after market dampers are a lot better, so if your thinking about buying a damper off fleabay I would think twice about buying a Factory standard ohlins, my advice anyway. :dunno

Wolf · Jun 8, 2008

it happens in a straight line on bumpy stretch of road, obviously under heavy acceleration the front wheel is lifting (but not completely) and just about brushing against the ground (being stupidly uneven and crappy country roads) causing the wheel to waggle and the bars to go berserk

i did change the suspension to be a little harder a while ago so i guess i shall try resetting it all to standard and seeing if softer suspension is what i need
:thumbup

agreat1 · Jun 8, 2008

put a cable tie on your fork leg
brake hard, hard as you dare without crashing
the tie should be about 30mm from bottom of fork
ensure rebound is wound off so if you have compression say at 12 clicks put rebound at 14
try that

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Its time for a steering damper

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