steering damper virtual shootout?

M

mtothef

New member
i know, this should probably go in the suspension forum, but more of you lurk here than there, and i am curious to see what the general mood is - let's talk steering dampers:

i have had both scotts (ktm 200, tons of woods) and GPR (xr650, lots of desert), and am pretty well versed in the difference in feel between the two and where they work well and where they suffer. i have a 2010 GG300, and love everything about the way it handles other than the fact that it gets a bit nervous when things start running out the top of 4th gear.

so, who uses what, and why? i am curious to know how the motosportz rates, and i am curious if anyone has tried to mount a w.e.r on a 2010, and if they had to remove the radiator catch tank to do so. i am also curious as to how any of the usual suspects (scotts, gpr, w.e.r, motosportz) work in conjunction with a larger than stock tank. bring your knowledge down on me...
 
I'm a Scotts fan, for several reasons. First, it has a high speed ckt, that damps quick deflection type hits even if the low speed dampining is turned way down. This is a major safety factor to me. Second, I'm not forced into a tall submount like Motosportz which I really hate the feel of, and third, its not hanging out in the breeze on the front fender to get trashed in a tree encounter, which I have done yrs ago with a WER. All this plus I can completely service it on the bench in a half hour.
 
I am trying a fastway pro moto damper. Lots of adjustments, seems better then a scoots, I love the mount. I have only had it on for a little wile so I still have to play with it but I like the high speed adjust on the fly.
 
steering damper

I am running an Onlins 2.1. Doesn't effect bar height no special bar mounts necessary. I also have a scotts that works really well and is so dependable, I have owned it for over 14 years. I take it off my old bike and purchase a kit for the new bike and bolt it on and ride. It has been serviced twice by the manufacturer and I change the oil every year. I put about 4,000 miles per year on my bike. Ninety percent of my riding is single track so they get a work out from smacking limbs and trees. I am a firm believer that you get what you pay for in this life and Ohlins is hard to beat.
 
I'm a fan of the Motosportz damper. I've put them on 5 bikes over the past 3 years and have never had an issue. I like the simple, "on-the-fly" adjustability. It works great for the type of riding I do.
 
I run a WER...... on my 200. One of the reasons is, when I bought the bike, Mike had the bracket already on the frame, so it was an easy choice for me. I like it, only draw back is not making "on the fly" adjustments.
 
I have used a couple of different ones, but the Scotts (ohlins v.1) is the best.

The Ohlins version2 is ok as long as you have a nut under the tripleclamp (KTM don't and they work loose.) or it does not come slightly loose as it is only held in by the tripleclamp pressure.

I have hear good things from Fastway Pro Moto as it is very similar to Scotts, but have not tried it myself.
 
decisions, decisions...

lots of good info here - i hadn't seen the fastway or the ohlins 2.1 (sweet piece of kit, but damn they make you pay for it!) yet. i'm leaning away from the GPR since the bike is going to be spending a lot more time in the woods than the desert and the idea of separate high and low speed circuits as well as neutral return to center is appealing to me.

had good luck with GPR in the past, but they definitely made the bike feel heavier steering. so, that rules them out. would love it if whatever i end up with can fit a low-profile sub mount so it doesn't have to mount on top of the bars, but that isn't a deal breaker at this time.

anyone with the ohlins or fastway, would be stoked to see pics of your setup, or get some input on what specific kit you used to fit a gasgas, and what if any mods needed to be made.

thanks for all the input so far!
 
GPR for me. Hit a root in the middle of the turn and have the bars jerked out of your hands will have you thinking twice about the neutral return. JMO

We ride in the woods here in East Texas with lot's of roots & sand whoops.
 
to be honest i think most people would not notice the difference between brands, but everyone will love their damper once fitted.

I really miss mine when i crank the throttle
 
The high speed function of the Scotts has saved my butt many times on mid to high speed rock hits. So much energy was transfered to the frame over so little time I broke one tower and bent two. I have since designed my own. Everyone who rides in the rocks here with me runs the Scotts. The WER will not do this, I had time to think about it in the hospital once.
 
GMP said:
The high speed function of the Scotts has saved my butt many times on mid to high speed rock hits. So much energy was transfered to the frame over so little time I broke one tower and bent two. I have since designed my own. Everyone who rides in the rocks here with me runs the Scotts. The WER will not do this.
Click to expand...

The WER will not do what? Bend towers or work in rocks? Please explain.
 
No independent high speed damping circuit. With the Scotts or Fastway, you can set the main dampining to light, heavy, whatever you want, and if you hit a rock you didn't see that starts to deflect the wheel very fast, the damper will kick in and almost lock the front end for a fraction of a second, keeping the bike on track or close enough for you to save it.

The WER will not bend a tower though because it doesn't use a tower.

I think what is prefered depends on where you ride. They all work well in mostly sandy terrain.
 
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