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Thread: DIY: Cheap steering damper

  1. #1
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    DIY: Cheap steering damper

    Today I'm going to show you how you can install 50$ steering damper setup on your Buell XB instead of spending 500$ for a ready kit.

    Firs of all a little sneak peek.

    My CAD model to check fitments of the steering damper components




    Installed damper







    Alright. Here is list of parts you will need:

    - Steering damper itself, no additional brackets, just $35 damper (you can pick any color you want) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    - 54 mm diameter steering damper fork clamp (for 2009 Buell XB12Scg diameter is 54 mm, if you have another year motorcycle verify you fork diameter where you are going to attach bracket, if it is different you have to buy bracket with diameter you need) https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
    - 2 O-rings 3 mm Wide, 12 mm ID https://www.mcmaster.com/#9262k266/=19kpraa
    - 2 O-rings 2 mm Wide, 12.5 mm ID https://www.mcmaster.com/#9262k852/=19kprbs
    - One bolt M8 x 1.25 mm Thread, 45 mm Long https://www.mcmaster.com/#92290a446/=19kprbl
    - One bolt M8 x 1.25 mm Thread, 85 mm Long https://www.mcmaster.com/#92290a462/=19kprc4
    - One spacer 3/4" OD, 1/4" Length, for 5/16" Screw Size https://www.mcmaster.com/#92510a489/=19kprdg
    - One spacer 3/4" OD, 2" Length, for 5/16" Screw Size https://www.mcmaster.com/#92510a813/=19kpre0
    - One nut M8 x 1.25 mm Thread with nilon insert https://www.mcmaster.com/#94710a104/=19kprdm



    Now you can start build you own steering damper kit.

    First of all remove front isolator bolt bolt from your motorcycle.

    Secure front isolator bolt in a fixture. I used a vise with a couple plywood pieces




    Tap the center mark in the bolt




    Drill 6.8 mm hole in the bolt to at least 35 mm depth




    It is very important to drill this hole as parallel to the bolt axis as possible. I used press drill to drill this hole




    Tap M8 thread in the hole up to the hole bottom.

    I started tap hole with M8 beginner tapper using press drill and manually turning it to engage the tapper to the hole as parallel as possible and then finished tapping manually with bottom tapper








    Done!

    Last edited by TPEHAK; 09-28-2017 at 07:58 AM.

  2. #2
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    Now you are ready to install everything, but! if you want to save a few dollars and make you setup a little bit user friendly you can build your own custom fork clamp bracket instead of using the existing 54 mm clamp. I build my own bracket due to I wanted to make it a littlr bit easier to install and to not wait until the existing bracket will be delivered from China. I can share my CAD model if you want to replicate my bracket design. The existing 54 mm bracket should work fine, it just needs more effort to be installed due to different screws orientation and spent some time to find appropriate angle for the bracket.

    So if you want to build you own bracket you need to find a piece of 1/2" thick aluminum plate. Then mark the bracket contour using the CAD model




    Mill 54 mm diameter hole in the plate. It is the most critical part of the work. The hole diameter tolerance should be within +0.2 mm -0.0 mm tolerance zone. The rest of the work is not so sensitive to precision.







    Mill radial area of the outside shape of the bracket




    It is a good practice to apply chamfers on bracket edges.




    Apply chamfers on opposite sides too




    Proceed with milling outside contour of the bracket. Drill 6.8 mm diameter hole in the bracket before you completely will have cut the bracket from the plate and tap this hole with M8 thread








    Mill the bracket out of the plate completely




    Predrill the clamping screws holes for 1/4-20 tread.




    Finish chamfering the part edges






    Cut the bracket on two half and finish each half individually.

    Ground the split faces and drill out clearance holes for 1/4-20 screws in one half oft the bracket




    Ground the split faces and tap holes for 1/4-20 screws in opposite half of the bracket


  3. #3
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    Done!
















    Now you can start installing you steering damper.

    First of all install you modified front isolator bolt.



    Then apply Loctite 272 Red on fork clamp screws and attach fork clamp to the right fork





    Assemble the damper and damper ball joint and allocate the ball joint bracket in particular place




    Attach bolt M8 x 1.25 mm Thread 45 mm Long, O-ring 3 mm Wide 12 mm ID, O-ring 2 mm Wide 12.5 mm ID and spacer 3/4" OD 1/4" Length for 5/16" Screw to the central ball joint like it showed on the picture below




    Apply Loctite 272 on the bolt you just preassembled and attach this end to the front isolator bolt





    Apply Loctite 272 and attach bolt M8 x 1.25 mm Thread 85 mm Long, O-ring 3 mm Wide 12 mm ID, O-ring 2 mm Wide 12.5 mm ID and spacer 3/4" OD 2" Length for 5/16" Screw to the rod ball joint like it showed on the picture below




    Attach nut M8 x 1.25 mm Thread with nilon insert to opposite side of the 85 mm Long bolt to jam it in the place.




    Done! Now you can enjoy a new piece of equipment on your Buell and ride your motorcycle without tank slapper anymore.








    Here is 54 mm bracket from Amazon vs handmade bracket


    Last edited by TPEHAK; 09-28-2017 at 07:44 AM.

  4. #4
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    Nice work

  5. #5
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    I KNEW you were working on that Haha! Good Job TPEHAK. Very well done. How does that brand of steering damper work for you? If you cycle it by hand is there a dead spot when you change direction?

    I'll buy a 54mm bracket from you....

  6. #6
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    There is no dead spot at all, it also works very smooth. The damper parts finish looks very good.

  7. #7
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    Very nicely done and written with good pictures.

    I have question, what is " tank slap " ?

  8. #8
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    see vid kenny. it's terrifying. typically XB's do NOT suffer from it unless there's something wrong with the bike...suspension set up by an idiot who doesn't know what he's doing....or mis-matched tires.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5rhlw_f_FI

  9. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by njloco View Post
    Very nicely done and written with good pictures.

    I have question, what is " tank slap " ?
    1. The “tankslapper” is a very frightening experience. Usually occuring when accelerating hard over bumpy pavement, a tankslapper ensues when the front tyre becomes airborne, then regains traction outside the rear tyre’s alignment. The resulting deflection bounces the tyre off to one side, followed by another bounce in the opposite direction as it contacts the pavement again. Unless the bike’s steering geometry is able to damp out the deflections quickly, the resulting oscillations from the front tyre as it bounces back and forth will swiftly gain in strength, causing the bars to swap from side to side with increasing ferocity. The oscillations can be violent enough to rip the bars out of your hands, and fling your feet off the pegs. You can guess what happens next.

    2. The easy cure for this problem is a steering damper. Many sports bikes now come stock with one, as the radical steering geometry needed for quick handling can otherwise cause some instability in certain situations. While a steering damper is an easy fix, it shouldn’t be a cure-all; if you’re forced to adjust the steering damper’s stiffness (if available) until you can barely turn the bars in order to keep the bike’s handling stable, there is a problem somewhere in your chassis setup. A too-stiff steering damper can also cause handling problems by itself; if your steering damper is adjustable, and you find that your bike won’t hold a line (especially in slower corners), or gets into a small wobble or oscillation in high speed corners, try backing off the stiffness a little and see if it helps.

    3. Not all sports bikes need a steering damper, however. Many have steering geometry setups that offer quick handling, while still providing the necessary stability to damp out any front-end oscillations. In most cases, one of the biggest contributors to a tankslapper is your body positioning and grip on the bars. Some people ride in a more upright position when carving corners, but when accelerating over bumpy pavement, that upright body position puts even more weight transfer to the rear, which causes the front end to get lighter. Also, the more upright torso means that your grip on the bars is tighter in order to stabilize your upper body. That firmer grip feeds more input into the front end, something it doesn’t need while it’s busy trying to damp out the inputs from the bouncing front tyre. It actually forms a vicious circle: you grip the bars tighter because they’re starting to flap back and forth, but that only feeds more input into the front end, compounding the problem further.

    4. The easiest way to avoid tankslappers while accelerating over bumpy pavement is to—believe it or not—keep a relaxed grip on the bars. Relaxing your grip on the bars means you must lean forward in order to assist in keeping your torso stabilized. This helps put more weight on the front end, which keeps the front tyre on the pavement. Since you’re not using your arms to stabilize your upper body, get your weight onto the footpegs so that you can get your body as far forward as possible; this also allows you to grip the tank with your knees for more stability.

    If you do get into a tankslapper, keep your weight forward and—as hard as this sounds—maintain a relaxed grip on the bars. Let the motorcycle’s chassis deal with damping out the oscillations. Don’t try to be a human steering damper; you’ll only make the problem worse. Tankslappers can definitely soil your undies; but if you’re able to deal with them correctly, you’ll usually ride through them before you know it.

  10. #10
    Very cool. I am envious of your machine shop.
    Curious, by drilling and tapping the isolator bolt does it mess with the structural integrity of the isolator? Or by installing another bolt within the isolator is it fine since there is material within it?



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