| Author | Message | ||
     Hunger |
Anybody using this steering damper in a 2006 Ulysses? http://www.twinmotorcycles.nl/webshop/artikel.asp?guid=&aid=2771&cid=5369&s=&a=&aname=LSL_Steering_damper_XB_05_and_up_ How does it perfom? Any issues such as not enough clearance, limited steering angle, touching/scratching other parts of the bike? Did you have any problems installing it, any modifications required? In case it makes a difference, as far as I know, my 2006 Uly has slightly lowered front and 2007 springs installed. I like the way it's designed, installed below the triple clamps, so it's kinda low profile. Thanks for response! (Message edited by Hunger on October 05, 2015) | ||
| Hunger |
Nobody? I just contacted LSL, they claim they have no damper suitable for 2006 Ulysses... | ||
| Mark_weiss |
I've never seen any need for a damper. At least not with stock chassis geometry. | ||
| Hunger |
Neither did I until almost got catapulted last week. Tank slapper. | ||
| Mark_weiss |
What set it off? I've not heard of Ulys having a general tendency to shake. | ||
| Hunger |
I was hard accelerating on a bumpy road, the front wheel was up just a little bit (like barely touching the road) then probably hit a bump or some unevenness, I can't tell what exactly happened. The bike went out of it by itself this time. | ||
| Brother_in_buells |
Easy with the throttle cowboy!   | ||
| Mark_weiss |
Did the shaking last more than a second or so? I sounds as if you hit something that destabilized the front end and that the bike's geometry did naturally damped out the shake. My bikes with steering dampers (R6, GSXR 750) work much the same. The dampers don't prevent the shake, they just quickly damp it out when it happens. | ||
| Hunger |
Yeah, it lasted like 1 second, I don't think it was more. So it's actually a proof I don't need a damper? Well, maybe. For sure it would shorten the wobble duration = more safety, even if the bike is able to deal with it alone. | ||
| Mark_weiss |
Likely not. When head shake quickly diminishes without outside influence, the bike is acting as it was designed. Probably, while the front end was light, the normal stabilizing forces were momentarily diminished. | ||
| Uly_man |
You do not need a steering damper on most road bikes let alone a Uly which is probably one of the best balanced road bikes EVER made. Your problem, like most, is badly set up suspension and/ or tire pressures and on normal roads it should not be a issue. | ||
| Arcticktm |
If no one else on this board has ever felt the need for one, that alone would make me question if I really needed it. I used to run them on my enduro bikes, and my KTM 1190 came with one from factory, but I have never felt any need on the Uly. Hitting a bump with not much weight on the front wheel would seem like a very rare situation. I imagine it could be tough to fit one on our bike's design up front. | ||
| Pagprivat |
Never felt the need on my 2007, stable as a freight train. My 2008 is different, worse with luggage, but clear tendency without as well, in high speeds. ~80mph and up. I've installed a LSL on this one, never regretted that. She's much more stable, feels much safer. I know the geometry changed on the 2008 model, and I've heard of other people having had the same problem with this year. (Message edited by Pagprivat on October 08, 2015) | ||
| Hunger |
To be honest I don't know if mine has stock geometry. Previous owner said something about lowering the front (should be more stable anyway) but honestly I don't remember, neither have I any Uly around to compare. Generally it feels like the back is 'heavier' than front and the bike has tentency for wheelies but I guess that's normal. Pagprivat, do you have the same LSL, installed under the head? And yes I agree that there's no convenient place to install the damper and yes, it disfigures the looks of the bike | ||
| Mark_weiss |
According to Buell, all years of the Ulysses have the same chassis geometry. While the '08 and later models do have greater triple clamp offset which yields a tighter turn radius, the front axle is also offset so that the front wheel is in the same relative location as earlier bikes. All Ulys are listed with the same rake and trail numbers. In general, if a Ulysses' front tire does not track well, it is a good idea to check rear spring pre-load. Too low and the front end wanders. The Ulysses is more sensitive to rear pre-load than any other bike that I have encountered. Also, if the front end has been lowered by sliding the triple clamps downward on the forks while the rear end has been left at stock height, the steering will have become steeper and at least on other bikes, this can lead to reduced stability. | ||
| Arcticktm |
I didn't think you could lower the Uly from stock settings (at least without removing the fork stop rings), because I thought it came from factory with the forks slid up until the safety stop rings bottomed out on the forks. Perhaps that was just my '06 though. That's where I keep mine at, and I tend to run about 1 or 2 "weight classes" above my actual weight on both front and rear preload. | ||
| Pagprivat |
Got the LSL underneath the triple tree, I don't think it looks that bad. Kind of disappears. Due to the 2008 increased steering angle, I had to put on a stroke limiter (just some rubber bumps on the end limits behind the flyscreen) so not to force the damper and the brackets. Works like a charm   | ||
| Uly_man |
"The Ulysses is more sensitive to rear pre-load than any other bike that I have encountered". I totally agree with this and I have found this out on the road. I has taken me many years to understand how much the rear pre-load can affect a bikes handling. All that messing around with "C" spanners and locking rings is a pain in the ass. The remote system is a God send and I for one will never have another bike without one. If you are having problems just "back off" the pre-load one turn at a time until you are happy with the handling. If you SILL feel the need for a damper get an adjustable rate type not a fixed one. Just my 10c worth. | ||
| Hunger |
I think the LSL is adjustable. And yeah, I will have to review the whole suspension setup in any case. Pagprivat, you're right. It doesn't really catch an eye. I would even say it looks like it was a stock accessory. Cool painting BTW! | ||
| Ourdee |
I vote for "No Damper". Only able to get the XT to wobble once on a back road with a cross wind at 2 times the speed I should have been traveling at. And the suspension settings were whacked out by me experimenting. Use the adjustments in the suspension. Save the damper money for some other useless farkle. |
