I agree, ive been trail riding the SE for 2 years, both in wales, and the faster hard packed trails of Herfordshire and never felt the need for a damper.
the only time I got a head shake was racing mr tickle an hp2 at about 110 on a wet straight road in wales.
When I got the 640, I was under the impression that the geometry wasn't as steep as the EXC models, therefore the headshake that a lot of KTM riders had complained of wouldn't be an issue. I have had two Husabergs and never had a hint of any problem, and thought that dampers were unnecessary. Imagine my surprise (
shock, horror, spincter clenching etc.
) when blatting along a fairly bumpy straight track, I wound the throttle off for a particularly big hole and the bars started going from side to side in a most alarming fashion. Bear in mind that just before this I had been travelling in excess of the national speed limit and you get a picture of how I felt!
Once my arse had let go of my jeans
, I pondered what had caused it, and then (stupidly) tried to replicate the problem. Of course, because I was ready for it, it wouldn't happen.
A couple of weeks later, during the Rydale, it happened again. This time I was able to accelerate back out of it (as I had been told to do) but that was enough for me to investigate types and cost of dampers. Apparently a good suspension expert can "tune out" the tendency for headshake, but further advantages of a damper were found during my trawling of th'interweb, ie less kick back from rocky trails, reduced rider fatigue in sand or muddy conditions, and these swung it for me.
It's still a lot of money for something that you shouldn't really need, but that can be applied to most things in my garage.
Mark
the guy behind me even asked me if i was ok cos it scared him!!
