Which Steering Damper?

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JonW
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Re: Which Steering Damper?

#16 Post by JonW » Sat Mar 21, 2015 9:01 pm

Thats a hard one... Id spend the money elsewhere, but... how good is the 190 unit? if it needs a rebuild then what does that cost? how good is the japanese unit? more research i fear...
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hondaror
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Re: Which Steering Damper?

#17 Post by hondaror » Sat Mar 21, 2015 10:32 pm

I'd take the Ohlins.
Rory
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Re: Which Steering Damper?

#18 Post by JonW » Sun Mar 22, 2015 12:53 am

yeah but whilst ohlins is nice, if its old and needs a rebuild it can cost the same as a new one... always worth checking prices first...
80 XT500 Supermoto!
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82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
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R-Oil
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Re: Which Steering Damper?

#19 Post by R-Oil » Sun Mar 22, 2015 5:17 am

120 mm stroke is to short for a street bike.I used my 160 mm Öhlins from my Aprilia RS 250 last summer but change to a WP 145 mm
stroke and TYGA offset steering stop for my TPR yokes. :smt002
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Smoker
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Re: Which Steering Damper?

#20 Post by Smoker » Sun Mar 22, 2015 6:10 am

I use the SD 005 which has a stroke of 150mm.

I wouldn't use anything shorter.

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Consciousness
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Re: Which Steering Damper?

#21 Post by Consciousness » Sun Mar 22, 2015 10:55 am

Smoker wrote:I use the SD 005 which has a stroke of 150mm.

I wouldn't use anything shorter.
Smoker wrote:I use the SD 005 which has a stroke of 150mm.

I wouldn't use anything shorter.
Phew! Thanks for saving me $$ idk where i got the notion 120mm was enough, some other forum i think. Well, the next issue is i came off last night, again. and it actually ties into the damper so i'll tell you the rest.

NYC traffic, cars stopped at a green light i presumed because car in front making a turn, i pull into the right lane and as i'm approaching the crosswalk a bicyclist appears out of nowhere, or i should say from behind the cars turning left, i grab the brake instantly but am already 8ft from him and going about 10-15mph, front brake just locked, bars locked left, i clipped his rear wheel which sent him off but not violently, i went down with all my weight on my left hand wearing springtime gloves. Wrist took a major impact compression shock and is swollen, but i can move all fingers and a little wrist movement so although it hurts like a bitch i think it just bruising.

Luckily i avoided injuring the imbecile who thought it a good idea to cross the street on a bike through a green light at night and after talking to him he offerred me somthing to cover cost of repairs so he turned out to be a decent kid (mid 20's), i relieved him of $50 and said goodnight sir. More tank dents, bent headlight stay, again, signal lens (i bought 3 last time, knowingly) bent clutch lever, i've yet to inspect closer.

No more riding for now as i couldn't "crush a grape" with my left hand. So that bring the issue of would a steering damper helped in that situation by preventing the bars twisting violently to left lock?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwQUkHize8k
The bars twisting may have occurred because of a slant in the road (no top gear jokes please, i wasn't even in chinatown). Also if a damper would not have prevented the bars snapping to lock it stands to reason it would probably be damaged by the impact due to being side mounted and there's more $$ down the drain.

I have seen dampers mounted across forks, is this something that would work on the RZ?

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85 RZ350 KR. Racetech/Fox Motul 10W. Telefix, Prog. Zeel, VForce4's, VM30 Mik's Uni-Filters & UFOs, Grooved Head & Mild Port w/Boyesen's by Rich's Taylor'd Porting, Orig. Toomeys, Redline, Conti Attack2.

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Re: Which Steering Damper?

#22 Post by hondaror » Sun Mar 22, 2015 3:50 pm

Dampers are designed to work at speed. Your incident was at low speed and the damper may have made things worse. Sorry to hear about the misfortune. Get well fast!.
Rory
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Re: Which Steering Damper?

#23 Post by JonW » Sun Mar 22, 2015 6:56 pm

+1, the damper wouldt have helped. Its for stopping tank slappers at speed, and at low speed it wouldnt help you.

GWS David!
80 XT500 Supermoto!
81 RD350LC Resto
82 RD421LC Hybrid
82 RD350LC decapitation project
82 RD250LC JDM '251LC' YPVS
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Re: Which Steering Damper?

#24 Post by Consciousness » Sun Apr 05, 2015 10:18 pm

JonW wrote:+1, the damper wouldt have helped. Its for stopping tank slappers at speed, and at low speed it wouldnt help you.

GWS David!

Well i just had a moment out on the BQE that made me realize i NEED a steering damper, basically i was gunning it through a slight curve at around 90 when i hit a join in the road that turned out to be a sharp bump, my 75kg/mm springs with motul 20w oil did not soak up the shock which shook the bars violently side to side like 4 times, i swear to god i thought i was going into a tank slapper luckily it was over as fast as it happened and i went on my merry way albeit with a little more seat cushioning.

Now there is an issue with my gauges, the speedo squeals like a stuck pig despite numerous applications of lube everywhere i can think of and the rev counter seems to have had it's drive rounded off by the last cable so even though i fitted a new one the needle just kinda hovers around. I never had a headlight fairing but due to multiple offs my headlight stay is bent like macaroni and a new bezel damaged in the last off.

So with all these issues i'm thinking of redesigning the front end a little, I have a specii fairing which i believe replaces the headlight stay and includes a square lamp, i also have the tail section Image both need paint and stickers as they were poorly done, i also have a set of raised tarozzi clip-ons waiting to get anodized black.Image Hopefully these will work with the fairing.

If i were to switch the gauge pack what would you guy's recommend? Also what's the consensus on the specii tail section,? I feel it might need a bigger swing arm/rear tire to look in proportion.
85 RZ350 KR. Racetech/Fox Motul 10W. Telefix, Prog. Zeel, VForce4's, VM30 Mik's Uni-Filters & UFOs, Grooved Head & Mild Port w/Boyesen's by Rich's Taylor'd Porting, Orig. Toomeys, Redline, Conti Attack2.

nzminis
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Re: Which Steering Damper?

#25 Post by nzminis » Mon Apr 06, 2015 2:47 am

I have a daytona one mounted on my bike , made in japan , is there really any difference between a ohlins and the daytona one they are both top quality dampers just one is much more expensive ,

120mm stroke. lock to lock its about 4mm off bottoming out the damper each way , so i would not go any shorter than a 120mm stroke
there are a few who mount there dampers and to me they stick out real far and look silly
mine is in the most tucked away position you are going to get

i find it 100% essential if you ride your bike hard . up the tight twistie roads the front gets real light



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Smoker
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Re: Which Steering Damper?

#26 Post by Smoker » Mon Apr 06, 2015 5:58 am

You can't possibly be comparing Daytona to Ohlins.

The big factories spend multi-millions of dollars every year on motorcycle development for Grand Prix racing, but what suspension company has dominated for decades? And, I'll bet Ohlins suspension is on more winning bikes in all types of motorcycle racing. The Ohlins products I have used are extremely high quality.

I think the only forks Daytona makes are for monkey bikes. :smt003


I also have a different opinion on the steering damper.

Consciousness - as you suspected, a steering damper would have prevented your bars from snapping to full left when you locked the front brake.

The key is using the adjustment knob properly. I know for sure, some guys have one setting for their steering dampers. I mostly use very low settings for riding in traffic and splitting lanes. When I'm on the freeway onramp - I crank it up tight. On the freeway offramp - back to low settings. I always adjust based on my speed and situation. That's why I mount it on the side. Then, the adjustment knob is in easy reach.

nzminis
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Re: Which Steering Damper?

#27 Post by nzminis » Mon Apr 06, 2015 7:11 am

the way i see it is most of us are just weekend warriors
so not really the need to spend a heap of money on a ohlins damper . when a real good quality japanese damper is up to the job and a decent price
its a steering damper not a whole front end . yes i know what ohlins does :)
dont get me wrong im all for quality but at what cost , chinese parts errrrm cost yes , going on my bike , not very often

im the same i tend to fiddle with the damper on the fly

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Re: Which Steering Damper?

#28 Post by mkane » Mon Apr 06, 2015 10:10 am

I use that same unit on a track bike. It does the job. I have head shake on fast downhill off camber turns.

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Re: Which Steering Damper?

#29 Post by hondaror » Mon Apr 06, 2015 1:21 pm

Ride it once a week or fifty times a week, you'll want a damper if you require one. Get a good tank slapper more than once on your bike, then you need one. A couple good scares and money becomes no object. Buy a cheap one multiple times or a quality one that you can rebuild and it all washes the same. Take your pick.

As for whether or not it helps at slow speed? If you lose your balance, full locked near straight with a damper or full lock damperless, you are going down.
Rory
2 1984 RZ350s
1985 RZ350
9 1986-1990 RZ350s
2000 ST2
2005 749
2005 749 with 999 engine

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Re: Which Steering Damper?

#30 Post by nzminis » Mon Apr 06, 2015 4:26 pm

do what ever you feel necessary
ohlins one is easy double the price of the daytona one
quality will be very similar
both completely rebuildable

im sure if you decide to buy ohlins or daytona . you will get a top quality damper with the benefit of them being rebuildable so they should last forever

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