Hi all ...
Has anybody here fitted an across the bike (ducati style) steering damper to there firestorm , if so was it a firestorm purpose made , or are there other bike types that will fit ??
Had a tank slapper the other day and I`m gonna start using it for track days next month so I don`t fancy it getting light on the front end and doing the lambada on me !!......
Cheers guys
Rob
Steering Damper ???
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robbie.111
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- Location: braintree
Steering Damper ???
Live today , tomorrows not here yet.
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robbie.111
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Squiffythewombat
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Dont mean to be a wet blanket but do a search on here for "damper". Theres been many threads about them and i think the general agreement is that they are TOTALLY POINTLESS!
Please look at your riding style and external factors before wasting your money! If the front going light worries you maybe try getting used to it and try to control it rather than look elsewhere.
You can tune your mind for free but your bike cost money!
(my opinion only)
Please look at your riding style and external factors before wasting your money! If the front going light worries you maybe try getting used to it and try to control it rather than look elsewhere.
You can tune your mind for free but your bike cost money!
(my opinion only)
Squiffy_The_Wombat
Eagles may soar but wombats dont get sucked into jet engines!!
Eagles may soar but wombats dont get sucked into jet engines!!
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robbie.111
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- Location: braintree
Well squiffy , if you had been on the back with me yesterday as I overtook a car , you too would be saying , fit one !
Don`t know about your storm , but when I wind on the throttle on my storm the front goes well light and when you hit a small bump in the road , BINGO a tank slapper follows ...
This also happened to me the first I rode a storm , its fine if you are riding it sedately , but you don`t have a gun and not fire it !!......
The legs are already dropped 10mm in the yokes , and I have a 6mm spacer on the back, so its not about the bike being nose up ! , its about the torque its produces when you wind it on hard , and as Iam planing on doing track days all this year I think a damper is the only way to go .......
Any other thoughts ???
Rob
Don`t know about your storm , but when I wind on the throttle on my storm the front goes well light and when you hit a small bump in the road , BINGO a tank slapper follows ...
This also happened to me the first I rode a storm , its fine if you are riding it sedately , but you don`t have a gun and not fire it !!......
The legs are already dropped 10mm in the yokes , and I have a 6mm spacer on the back, so its not about the bike being nose up ! , its about the torque its produces when you wind it on hard , and as Iam planing on doing track days all this year I think a damper is the only way to go .......
Any other thoughts ???
Rob
Live today , tomorrows not here yet.
Ignore the wombat, they look shiney shiney. shiney good.
If it looks shiney you don't have to justify it
On an other track, have you checked the head race bearings as they are prone to loosening ??
http://www.vtr1000.org/faq_headbearings.htm
Mine improved by replacing the fiddler Honda bearings with tapered needles.
If it looks shiney you don't have to justify it
On an other track, have you checked the head race bearings as they are prone to loosening ??
http://www.vtr1000.org/faq_headbearings.htm
Mine improved by replacing the fiddler Honda bearings with tapered needles.
Max
Yes, I would say you've answered your own question Robbierobbie.111 wrote: The legs are already dropped 10mm in the yokes , and I have a 6mm spacer on the back, so its not about the bike being nose up ! , its about the torque its produces when you wind it on hard , and as Iam planing on doing track days all this year I think a damper is the only way to go .......
Any other thoughts ???
Rob
If you have raised the rear by 6mm and dropped the front by 10mm on standard suspension I would say that's what's causing the tank slappers, especially if you are fairly light weight
Chris.
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Stormin Ben
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£300 quid!!! 
Jeez, for that money you could get the forks Rogered and the rear shock resprung/ oiled
There's no way, no matter how 'hard' you ride, that the Storm needs a steering damper if its set up properly
However, they do look bling so yer pays yer money . . etc
PS you're not on Dunlop tyres are you?
Jeez, for that money you could get the forks Rogered and the rear shock resprung/ oiled
There's no way, no matter how 'hard' you ride, that the Storm needs a steering damper if its set up properly
However, they do look bling so yer pays yer money . . etc
PS you're not on Dunlop tyres are you?
I've got an inferiority complex
But its not a very good one!
But its not a very good one!
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Squiffythewombat
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robbie.111 wrote:Well squiffy , if you had been on the back with me yesterday as I overtook a car , you too would be saying , fit one !
Don`t know about your storm , but when I wind on the throttle on my storm the front goes well light and when you hit a small bump in the road , BINGO a tank slapper follows ...
This also happened to me the first I rode a storm , its fine if you are riding it sedately , but you don`t have a gun and not fire it !!......
The legs are already dropped 10mm in the yokes , and I have a 6mm spacer on the back, so its not about the bike being nose up ! , its about the torque its produces when you wind it on hard , and as Iam planing on doing track days all this year I think a damper is the only way to go .......
Any other thoughts ???
Rob
Rob,
Had i been with you on the back i would still be advising you to check elsewhere before hiding the problem with a damper (if it actually corrects the problem at all!)
I have 1d/2u sprockets so when i wack open the throttle i can assure you i know what the front end going light feels like! (its keeping it light thats hard!)
Secondly its not about the torque, not just the torque anyway! When you gas on this effects your suspension more than anything else! Like everything in this world it works on opposites. The power being transfered to the road has to have its opposite and this is released through the suspension! If you have "fiddled" with the suspension i would bet money on the fact that theres something wrong there!
I think Ben is 100000000000% bang on there, £300 would get some nice rogered forks that you will really notice the difference with!
"track days" dont need all these trick bits dude! I bet your bottom dollar some guy on a beaten up FZR400 owns you round the outside! Its all about the rider NOT the bike! Why not spend the £300 on a race school weekend or something? You will go quicker, safer and be able to transfer your skills to the road. A damper will just look good and thats it, not much point in looking good if the bloke with the C90 can outcorner you! Can you get your knee down yet?
Sorry if this post sounds like im moaning or being harsh, i really dont mean to be, it just upsets me to see people wasting their money! In my opinion a damper is little more than a private numberplate on a storm!
`tis just my opinion dude!
Squiffy_The_Wombat
Eagles may soar but wombats dont get sucked into jet engines!!
Eagles may soar but wombats dont get sucked into jet engines!!
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robbie.111
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- Joined: Thu Aug 24, 2006 11:47 pm
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Firstly guys wheres this £300 come from ????
I wouldn`t pay £300 for a steering damper , I`d sooner get the ohlins man to tune my suspension for £40 ....
I accept where your all coming form , and I agree, maybe if I get the butt end a bit stiffer it will compensate for the torque pushing the butt end into the tarmac thus making the front rise.......
Had this problem on an R1 I bought , paid £4000 for it and took it to Snett two weeks later....
Came out of sear corner onto the rivett straight ,gave it a moderate handful and the front went well light , this was followed by the rear wheel trying to overtake me on both sides, I was then bucking all over the place ,hit my head on the screen (keep me on the bike) and then had a warm feeling in my leathers .........!
Needless to say I went straight to the ohlins garage and paid the money to get it set up ...Result , spot on ...
The was set up like a rocket , nose pointing up into the sky, thats why I have lowered the forks and fitted a spacer to keep the storms attitude down at the front .(just to add I have Maxton rear and Maxton worked forks )
If the ohlins guy is there at snett I`ll probably get him to set it up if I can`t sort it first ....
Sqiff , as to getting my knee down mate , I normally use a pair of sliders at each track day , first touch down 2 years agao and have been doing it ever since ...
Been riding bikes since I was 15 , and I`m almost 53 , so been around them for a few years now ........but you can always learn something new everyday .............
I can`t agree you squiff when you say that you don`t need trick bits for tracks days , unless your content to prop up the novice group then maybe no you don`t, but when I do tracks I like to get as much from the bike and myself as possible and you can`t do that with a bike thats totally standard , unless you have a death wish !!
Having HH pads , quiality suspension ,tyres/slicks/race can/K7N etc etc is the way to go for safety and performance.....
I would agree about guys on old bikes who try to come you on the outside , but lets be fair they don`t have any brain cells and trust me its only a question of time before they kiss the tarmac or worse have some poor inocent sod on his butt , seen it mate lots of times and nearly been brought off by these Richard heads before , they go round the outside of you then there bike starts doing the lamba coz there suspension is shagged and stops doing what it should be doing !, resulting in them weaving and changing there line mid corner making you pick the bike up and brake to miss them !!!
Good comments guys , keep them coming , always have my ears open for new suggestions etc ..
Cheers
Rob
I wouldn`t pay £300 for a steering damper , I`d sooner get the ohlins man to tune my suspension for £40 ....
I accept where your all coming form , and I agree, maybe if I get the butt end a bit stiffer it will compensate for the torque pushing the butt end into the tarmac thus making the front rise.......
Had this problem on an R1 I bought , paid £4000 for it and took it to Snett two weeks later....
Came out of sear corner onto the rivett straight ,gave it a moderate handful and the front went well light , this was followed by the rear wheel trying to overtake me on both sides, I was then bucking all over the place ,hit my head on the screen (keep me on the bike) and then had a warm feeling in my leathers .........!
Needless to say I went straight to the ohlins garage and paid the money to get it set up ...Result , spot on ...
The was set up like a rocket , nose pointing up into the sky, thats why I have lowered the forks and fitted a spacer to keep the storms attitude down at the front .(just to add I have Maxton rear and Maxton worked forks )
If the ohlins guy is there at snett I`ll probably get him to set it up if I can`t sort it first ....
Sqiff , as to getting my knee down mate , I normally use a pair of sliders at each track day , first touch down 2 years agao and have been doing it ever since ...
Been riding bikes since I was 15 , and I`m almost 53 , so been around them for a few years now ........but you can always learn something new everyday .............
I can`t agree you squiff when you say that you don`t need trick bits for tracks days , unless your content to prop up the novice group then maybe no you don`t, but when I do tracks I like to get as much from the bike and myself as possible and you can`t do that with a bike thats totally standard , unless you have a death wish !!
Having HH pads , quiality suspension ,tyres/slicks/race can/K7N etc etc is the way to go for safety and performance.....
I would agree about guys on old bikes who try to come you on the outside , but lets be fair they don`t have any brain cells and trust me its only a question of time before they kiss the tarmac or worse have some poor inocent sod on his butt , seen it mate lots of times and nearly been brought off by these Richard heads before , they go round the outside of you then there bike starts doing the lamba coz there suspension is shagged and stops doing what it should be doing !, resulting in them weaving and changing there line mid corner making you pick the bike up and brake to miss them !!!
Good comments guys , keep them coming , always have my ears open for new suggestions etc ..
Cheers
Rob
Last edited by robbie.111 on Mon Jan 15, 2007 2:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Live today , tomorrows not here yet.
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MrMastodon
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Just a quick note to vioce my agreement that the Storm can get a bit flightly on the gas on bumpy roads. Yes - had steering head bearings checked, new tyres etc. It's just how it is, bless it.
You could argue that I should learn to ride better (been riding 20years and of those 20years commute daily on the bike - but, yes - one is always learning!).
I'd agree that sorting the problem with fork/shock upgrades is probably the best way, rather than 'cover' the problem with a steering damper though. But then I've not looked into all the costs and I'm certainly no expert.
I'm taking me chances on the stock Storm until I win the lottery (when I'll go get an SP2!)
You could argue that I should learn to ride better (been riding 20years and of those 20years commute daily on the bike - but, yes - one is always learning!).
I'd agree that sorting the problem with fork/shock upgrades is probably the best way, rather than 'cover' the problem with a steering damper though. But then I've not looked into all the costs and I'm certainly no expert.
I'm taking me chances on the stock Storm until I win the lottery (when I'll go get an SP2!)
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Squiffythewombat
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Robbie,
i do beg your pardon i assumed you were a track day noob like the hundrads of others!
That said we are going to have to agree to disagree;
Intresting that you think anybody on a budget is going to be "propping up the novice" group??? Why so?
Im confused tho, i used the old bloke on a VFR going round the outside as an example yet you seem to say that these guys are loons? Just because they cant afford a VTR for their weekend pleasure? Theres an equal share of twats on R1s??
Re: trick bits, i didnt mean HH pads and slicks, they are obvious track days mods! Its the wavey discs and gold annodised chain adjustors that are POINTLESS...theyre not going to make you go fast, just look cool! In my opinion a damper fits into this section!
Back on topic:
Have you tried it without the spacer in the rear? Maybe removing it and re-adjusting the front might provide some insight into the issue?
Roger has a reputation here for a reason, he will be happy to just chat to you and offer advice and i think you would be mad not to call him as everyones surgested!
No idea where the £300 came from LOL..CHINESE FORUM WISPERS I THINK! looool!
Mastodon- bumpy roads is a little differenet to a smooth custom track!
Robbie- what about getting your knee down without any hands....now THATs hard lol! )
i do beg your pardon i assumed you were a track day noob like the hundrads of others!
That said we are going to have to agree to disagree;
Intresting that you think anybody on a budget is going to be "propping up the novice" group??? Why so?
Im confused tho, i used the old bloke on a VFR going round the outside as an example yet you seem to say that these guys are loons? Just because they cant afford a VTR for their weekend pleasure? Theres an equal share of twats on R1s??
Re: trick bits, i didnt mean HH pads and slicks, they are obvious track days mods! Its the wavey discs and gold annodised chain adjustors that are POINTLESS...theyre not going to make you go fast, just look cool! In my opinion a damper fits into this section!
Back on topic:
Have you tried it without the spacer in the rear? Maybe removing it and re-adjusting the front might provide some insight into the issue?
Roger has a reputation here for a reason, he will be happy to just chat to you and offer advice and i think you would be mad not to call him as everyones surgested!
No idea where the £300 came from LOL..CHINESE FORUM WISPERS I THINK! looool!
Mastodon- bumpy roads is a little differenet to a smooth custom track!
Robbie- what about getting your knee down without any hands....now THATs hard lol! )
Squiffy_The_Wombat
Eagles may soar but wombats dont get sucked into jet engines!!
Eagles may soar but wombats dont get sucked into jet engines!!