| Author | Message | ||
     Billybob |
will someone explain the benifits of a steering dampner.I have a 06xb9cityx. the steering seems very quick to me as i am used to my 98m2 cyclone thanks i posted on the knoweage board got no answer | ||
| Mr_gto |
A steering damper is a miniature shock absorber for your steering. They will slow down steering input, and their primary benefit is found on bikes which get their front wheels light or off the ground altogether under acceleration. They’ll help prevent you from turning the wheel while it’s light/off and thus produce a wiggle, wobble, or tank-slapper when the wheel is loaded up again. When there is a large differential between the width of the front and rear tires, there is an increasing chance of a “tank-slapper” when you hit a bump in a corner. I hope this helped | ||
| Gentleman_jon |
Sandy, you might try a Google search of Bad Web for " Steering Damper" . Spelling counts. It seems to me that the Google search feature is the best way to search the Bad Web, and it is located on the top of the page with the multicolor letters: Here are the results of a search I made just now: http://www.google.com/search?as_q=steering+damper& hl=en&num=100&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=&as_oq=&as _eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_nlo=&a s_nhi=&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=www.badwe atherbikers.com&as_rights=&safe=images There is also a very interesting discussion of steering dampers in the latest issue of Fuell magazine, by a Buell Engineer. Briefly put, stability in motorcycles is a rather complex matter, and changes constantly as the motorcycle is being ridden. One form of instability is known as wobble, which is a relatively high frequency oscillation of the front fork, which if intense, and undamped, can develop into the dreaded "tank slapper" where the fork oscillations build in amplitude until the forks forcefully rotate from one side to the other, often resulting in a crash. More common forms of wobble come from going over a bump whilst leaned over, or transitioning from one tight turn to another under hard acceleration causing the front wheel to momentary lift off the ground. A hard landing after a wheelie can also cause wobble. The official Buell policy is that the bike does not need a damper, although they sell Ohlins dampers for the XBRR. I am of the opinion that a damper is a good idea, especially on the short wheelbase models, which are a bit less stable than most motorcycles, especially with a larger rider, ( like myself), aboard. Most racing authorities require a damper. The problems that most people encounter with dampers result from trying to use the damper to solve stability problems that are caused by a mechanical problem with the bike such as badly balanced wheels, bad bearings in the axle, swing arm or headset. bent frame or clumsy cornering technique. The damper should be used only to correct transient stability problems. Of course, that's just my .02¢ | ||
| Blake |
No such thing as a steering "dampner"; there are steering "dampers"; sorry one of my pet peeves. Wet steering is just not desirable.  | ||
| Billybob |
thanks guys for the info |
