Who's using a steering damper on their GG?
- Thread starter Krieg
- Start date
stainlesscycle
Site Sponsor
i used to use scotts, switched to wer (cleaned up the cockpit). the scotts was nicer, but it was too tempting to play with it, so i switched.. you only feel it at first, then you get used to it. then you really really feel it if it stops working......
eff
Silver Level Site Supporter
skid jackson
New member
they say if your suspension is set up right you don't need them.i have ridden with and without them and would agree with that. that said at my age, 48 I think wence's approach is not a bad idea, a little safety can go a long way. i did not use one on my 300 or 144 but have thought about getting one. I had a wer on my drz. I still have my wer its sitting on the bench
swazi_matt
Active member
I have a scotts from my old bike that i have not fitted and while the handling is great and the bike tracks true i still feel that i do not feel as safe as i did on the old bike with the damper at high speeds.
I also had it set pretty much only for high speed damping, otherwise it gets a bit tiring in the rocks when you always turning against the damper, so will prob order the mounts for my new bike this year
I also had it set pretty much only for high speed damping, otherwise it gets a bit tiring in the rocks when you always turning against the damper, so will prob order the mounts for my new bike this year
rockrider1
New member
I have a Scotts on both of my bikes and would not ride with out one,but than again I ride mostly "ROCK GARDENS".......
Krieg
New member
Funny you should mention rocks. It was riding in the PA rocks that got me interested in dampers in the first place. I ride enough times per year in PA to warrant one I suppose. Oh well... goodbye to another $400.00!I have a Scotts on both of my bikes and would not ride with out one,but than again I ride mostly "ROCK GARDENS".......
Krieg
New member
Appreciate the offer. Matthews is the first town east of Charlotte. Roanoke Rapids is a pretty good stretch for me. But thanks again for the offer. If you're ever down this way, give me a shout and we'll head to TNT or Carolina Adventure World!
GasGasDreamer
Platinum Level Site Supporter
suspension doesnt do much when you hit something that rips the bars out of your hands. i set mine as other have stated, for hi speed circuit only. some riders adjust the settings for sand, etc. but i have an under bar mount and pad so access is limited but the bar pad will be what i'm hitting in a crash, not a metal stabilizer---ouch.
biggstr6
Bronze Level Site Supporter
Appreciate the offer. Matthews is the first town east of Charlotte. Roanoke Rapids is a pretty good stretch for me. But thanks again for the offer. If you're ever down this way, give me a shout and we'll head to TNT or Carolina Adventure World!
Oh Yeah I see it now . that is a trip. I'm in Richmond ,Va and we went to Brushy outside Hickory NC and had great time and would love to go back , But its such a loooong Ride.
coopernicus
Platinum Level Site Supporter
I have a GPR on the used bike I bought this past year and after a decade of saying "no way" to having steering dampers I'm sold. Being from eastern PA and riding in a club that puts on a "rocky enduro" (Moonshine Enduro) and now living in Colorado I love riding rocks and didn't care if there is any front wheel deflection as I'm used to it. I also rode a lot of South Jersey enduros and did not have any trouble in the deep "sugar sand" whoops either. What the damper does for me is very simple: It makes the front end more precise in its steering so I put the front wheel exactly where I want it and it stays there. Furthermore, at the end of the day, my old and out of shape body is a lot more "fresh" allowing me to ride longer distances more safely. I don't even notice the damper while riding fast, tight, woods trying to keep up with the younger riders. So, if for nothing else, the damper may be a good safety device!
Eric
Eric
GMP
Active member
Exactly. Its a safety device like my helmet or knee brace.
Watch the Scotts/BRP towers, I've broken and bent three total over the last ten years. I'm a major rock hound and the damper does its job on every ride. IMO, the tower design is a flawed compromise based on use of the standard length Scotts arm. They have a real micky mouse weldment of the narrow tower post to the ring as the center of the arm slot is on the edge of the steering neck. The forces on the post are very high when the damper "locks up" during a high speed deflection. This is especially true for top mount use with a tall tower.
Sub mounts have there own issues when the tower post is cut short, as the bearing L/D (pin/post) is greatly reduced and the pin gets sloppy in the post.
I finally made my own based on a +10mm damper arm, with a 15mm dia post and 8mm thick base. Very solid now, even with my top mount.
Watch the Scotts/BRP towers, I've broken and bent three total over the last ten years. I'm a major rock hound and the damper does its job on every ride. IMO, the tower design is a flawed compromise based on use of the standard length Scotts arm. They have a real micky mouse weldment of the narrow tower post to the ring as the center of the arm slot is on the edge of the steering neck. The forces on the post are very high when the damper "locks up" during a high speed deflection. This is especially true for top mount use with a tall tower.
Sub mounts have there own issues when the tower post is cut short, as the bearing L/D (pin/post) is greatly reduced and the pin gets sloppy in the post.
I finally made my own based on a +10mm damper arm, with a 15mm dia post and 8mm thick base. Very solid now, even with my top mount.
hudson_hollow
New member
I have a Scotts that I have owned since 1999. I have rebuilt it once. Scotts is always helpful and courteous on the phone. I would not ride without it. Once my nylon stopper on the pivot slipped and the pin slid down into the tower. A friend ask me "How's it handling?" I answered, "Bad, it's all over the place!" He said "Maybe you should fix your damper." That's when I noticed what had happened and it made more of a believer out of me.
My 6'6" friend has broken all of the Scotts towers that have been put on his KTMs and TRX450R Honda. I finally fabricated him beefed up towers and they hold.
Last weekend one of my riding buddies had his KTM450 steering seem to lock up. A branch had hit his GPR adjuster and turned it all the way to stiff. The Scotts won't do that. Also, I like the ability to control the amount of sweep.
My 300HP has a Sachs screen door type that is out of the way and seems to work well, but basically has no adjustment. It really helps on the quad when you hit a stump or rock with one of the front wheels. Those who have spent much time on a sport quad will know what I'm talking about. Ouch!!
My 6'6" friend has broken all of the Scotts towers that have been put on his KTMs and TRX450R Honda. I finally fabricated him beefed up towers and they hold.
Last weekend one of my riding buddies had his KTM450 steering seem to lock up. A branch had hit his GPR adjuster and turned it all the way to stiff. The Scotts won't do that. Also, I like the ability to control the amount of sweep.
My 300HP has a Sachs screen door type that is out of the way and seems to work well, but basically has no adjustment. It really helps on the quad when you hit a stump or rock with one of the front wheels. Those who have spent much time on a sport quad will know what I'm talking about. Ouch!!
stainlesscycle
Site Sponsor
when i was using the scotts, i removed the nylon stopper (had same problem as you..), used a locking type split shaft collar with a fat o-ring below it. the collar stopped the possible failure/sliding down of the post, and the fat o-ring gave it plenty of play if there were any big hits....
