Installing - Steering damper

[ihandyman247]

I decided to go ahead and install a steering damper on my ’08 GSA. Gorilla Zilla has a few nice kits that fit the German bikes and the Öhlins SD 415 Steering Dampers (also sold as Scotts).
http://www.gorillazillaproducts.com/product_list.php?cat_id=10&subcat_id=all
Had contact with Dave from Gorilla Zilla and ordered via e-mail, wired the money and had the kit delivered from South Africa within the week. Had some other work to do on the bike so with the tank removed it was a breeze to install the kit. (see pics). Caution must be observed when routing the throttle cable to avoid binding, wear and possible chaffing. Had to make a minor adjustment to the angle of the bracket to get a perfect fit, but all in all it appears to be a well made kit and a snug fit just in front of the tank.

Ride report will have to wait - the steering damper may improve the snow handling capabilities, but I pass for now

That's absolutely madness
I thought that the steering dampers are fitted to the sports bikes that do not have grate central gravity but on GS is all new to me .
Even if you wanted to use it on the snow it will not work ! probably on the ice yes
Anyway I am glad that I am not the only one that's mad around here , welcome to my world

 

[Bendy toy]

The GS steering system makes a steering damper virtually obsolete. They are only needed on some "normal" bikes because the front end interacts so much with the bike's frame, gets into a nasty feedback loop that sets up the tank slapper. Steering dampers mask the problem by acting like a dead weight on the steering. Wind the damper up solid and the bike will be impossible to ride.

The GS with its vertical suspension movement makes that shaking all but impossible. A wiggle from the frame has very little effect on the suspension and steering so no nasty feedback.

In cross-winds steering damper can easily make things worse:
(1) No side wind, bike runs vertical and balanced keeps to the chosen line
(2) Wind from the left increases so rider compensates by leaning into the wind. Bike carries on straight.
(3) Wind suddenly stops blowing so bike shoots over to the left
(4) Rider reacts fast with left countersteer to stand the bike up again
(5) Wind suddenly increases so bike suddenly shoots to the right
(6) Rider reacts fast with right countersteer to make the bike lean into the wind.

(4) and (6) are much harder to do quickly with a steering damper.

Sudden gusts happen regularly on the old Severn Bridge when its windy. Any bike can auto lane change in a blink of an eye. A steering damper would make it even worse.

 

[mikeyboy]

what a complete waste of money.bling for the sake of bling.where can i buy one

 

[Bendy toy]

Oh yes! Cant beat some bling.

 

[littleredrooster]

This is where a mediocre product is offered at a insanely expensive price and those in our ranks who have allowed themselves to be dumbed down assume it must be the dogs bollox with another set of dogs bollox grafted on just because its expensive.Nike ,Rolex, Ray bans, etc. spring to mind . And the oft repeated STANZA/MANTRA that you only get what you pay for doesn’t help. I bought a cheap NEW steering dampener from E-Bay sub £20 and a fork clamp ring, sub £20 whacked it on my 07 GS1200 with less trouble than those overpriced over complicated PREMIUM PRICED things and it does the same thing/or not. Maybe the purveyors of ammonia smelling bodily fluid on these posts are correct. Anyways 4,5,or600 quid would be better spent on good tyres and fuel for long meaningful learning rides. Has anyone else used these cheaper versions? After all if they fail.. your steering just goes back to not having one. At the worst the fluid will leak and wont dampen. It won’t lock up.. it’ll just be on its lowest……NO-EST….setting. Then again if you are minted get one as they really do look classy.

Holy Thread Resurrection, Batman!!!!!

Did it take you three years to compose that?

 

[johnjones]

holy thread wholly Jasuss

No,actually ,with the help of Sergei Rachmanioff''s second cousin ,twice removed, it took but a few moments,whilst we quaffed some Guiness and put snow tyres on my trusty Panzer R1200GS and then headed off to the Blue Stack Mountains of Donegall......the cheap steering dampner has been blah blah blah blah.and blah with pish. Ulster Pish though.

 

[harry]

The GS steering system makes a steering damper virtually obsolete. They are only needed on some "normal" bikes because the front end interacts so much with the bike's frame, gets into a nasty feedback loop that sets up the tank slapper. Steering dampers mask the problem by acting like a dead weight on the steering. Wind the damper up solid and the bike will be impossible to ride.

The GS with its vertical suspension movement makes that shaking all but impossible. A wiggle from the frame has very little effect on the suspension and steering so no nasty feedback.

In cross-winds steering damper can easily make things worse:
(1) No side wind, bike runs vertical and balanced keeps to the chosen line
(2) Wind from the left increases so rider compensates by leaning into the wind. Bike carries on straight.
(3) Wind suddenly stops blowing so bike shoots over to the left
(4) Rider reacts fast with left countersteer to stand the bike up again
(5) Wind suddenly increases so bike suddenly shoots to the right
(6) Rider reacts fast with right countersteer to make the bike lean into the wind.

(4) and (6) are much harder to do quickly with a steering damper.

Sudden gusts happen regularly on the old Severn Bridge when its windy. Any bike can auto lane change in a blink of an eye. A steering damper would make it even worse.

All very interesting, I'm sure. I seem to recall steering dampers being standard OE fit to R1150 R and R1200R models.

Why not on the GS? Not needed with wide bars?

 

[DrFarkoff]

17 inch wheels v more stable 19 inch

PLUS by the time that dob of bling has slowed the top yoke the bottom is already half way back on the other direction!

Anyone ever notice BM dampers are usually attached to the fork yoke rather than the top yoke??

Ever wondered why? Well go stand in front of your GS clamp the front wheel with your knees and clasp the outer edges of the hand-guards and try twisting!

enlightening isn't it??

All very interesting, I'm sure. I seem to recall steering dampers being standard OE fit to R1150 R and R1200R models.

Why not on the GS? Not needed with wide bars?

 

[APE]

I'm not sure this is such a silly idea. The front end on a vanilla GS can get quite flappy under hard acceleration due to the crap suspension. Ohlins fix this problem but a steering damper might be a cheaper solution.

 

[Greenman14]

The GS with its vertical suspension movement makes that shaking all but impossible. A wiggle from the frame has very little effect on the suspension and steering.

Whilst I bow to Bendytoy's greater knowledge I have experienced a shake of the bars when accelerating hard on bumpy roads, my mate has had similar on his GS, so it's not impossible. In both cases adding a bit more preload by setting the ESA to rider-with-luggage cured it.

Has the same on my KTM and cured it by adjusting suspension settings. But who's to argue with bling even if it's just for its own sake?

 

[WindyChuffer]

BLING BLING !

Tourtech sell some good stuff, but most of what they sell is not needed. Bling.

Touratech dont sell a steering damper for the GS....

...'cos it aint needed.

 

[Bendy toy]

Whilst I bow to Bendytoy's greater knowledge I have experienced a shake of the bars when accelerating hard on bumpy roads, my mate has had similar on his GS, so it's not impossible. In both cases adding a bit more preload by setting the ESA to rider-with-luggage cured it.

Has the same on my KTM and cured it by adjusting suspension settings. But who's to argue with bling even if it's just for its own sake?

Take the weight off the front (e.g. during acceleration) and any bike steering will shake especially around the bike's natural frequency speed. Car steering does the same if you have enough power (check out the drag cars).

Bikes have a natural frequency that causes a slight wiggle from the steering. Just the weight of the riders arms should be enough to damp it out. Its caused by the tyre running to one side and being (over) corrected by the steering self centering action. On a sports bike it happens at about 60mph. On a cruiser about 30. It probably happens at about 45 on a GS but who knows. The fancy front end wont stop the effect but it might push the frequency up.

Its 100% normal and cars also do it. However with power steering and all the other stuff going on its never noticeable.

I once had a kit car with cocked-up steering geometry. At 40mph the steering went into a serious wiggle. Reading up on how to fix it was how I discovered all this stuff.