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Thread: DIY: Cheap steering damper

  1. #11
    Senior Member Silverrider's Avatar
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    Well done Mr T. , write up and project !!!!!!

  2. #12
    Senior Member Restlessrustler's Avatar
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    Just what I was looking for! Nice work with the cad!

  3. #13
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    Thanks.

    There is still plenty of material around the hole in front isolator bolt so it should be OK, just drill it in the middle and parallel to the bolt. LSL steering damper kit and another steering dampers kits for Buell mounted same way and have drilled front isolator bolt too and have no issues with it.

  4. #14
    Senior Member Restlessrustler's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by TPEHAK View Post
    Thanks.

    There is still plenty of material around the hole in front isolator bolt so it should be OK, just drill it in the middle and parallel to the bolt. LSL steering damper kit and another steering dampers kits for Buell mounted same way and have drilled front isolator bolt too and have no issues with it.
    I had 2 of them in the past, worked well...just sold the bikes like a dumbass.....and finding the lsl now is like looking for a pot of gold, or needing a pot of gold to buy it....haha! I appreciate the review on the stabilizer, hard to buy a cheapie, but ill trust your review......or,

    I can get a good look at a T-bone by sticking my head up a bull's ass, but I'd rather take a butcher's word for it.

  5. #15
    Senior Member BuellyBagger's Avatar
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    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.
    riding high in the saddle and sitting loosely on the bike seems to upset my uly @ high speed.. (115+) not to the point of tank slapping, but bad enough. So, I'd like to add. idiotic riding position can also cause speed wobble. Tucked and clinched, happy as a clam to as fast as it'll go.

  6. #16
    Senior Member wickedchop's Avatar
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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 " ?
    Kenny it can also be called "Head shake" just like the others said, front end goes ballistic under hard acceleration. It's not fun, happens on the race track all the time. On the track it usually happens on what most tracks call "wheelie hill" and it happens as you come off the apex and start rolling the bike up and rolling the throttle on and go up the elevation of "wheelie hill" fortunately on the track it goes away as fast as it came on, the vid John posted was very radical. On the street the first time it will make you wanna pull over and tell your wife to bring the trailer. You get used to it on the track. TPEHAK, nice job on this one. I like it.
    Last edited by wickedchop; 09-28-2017 at 07:17 PM.

  7. #17
    Senior Member Silverrider's Avatar
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    My KTM use to do the head dance until I added this sweet unit.

    Scots003.jpg

  8. #18
    Senior Member Chicknstripn's Avatar
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    Very impressive engineering and fabrication work, and great write up as usual.

    I just see this as nothing more than eye candy on an XB.

    Only time I've had anything remotely close to a head shake on my bike was when I had some really crappy tires(Shinko Ravens). That was the ONLY time. I "occasionally" hit speeds in excess of 110mph through sweepers and "occasionally" wheelie out of turns and have not had any tank slapper or head shake issues.

    It looks great, but to me this mod is like a giant down force wing on a 4dr civic! I'm sure the owner thinks it's cool and adds performance but the truth is it's all looks. And that in and of itself is extremely objective.

    If this was on an 1125 or 1190, I'd be all thumbs up!

  9. #19
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    Thanks guys, I'm still learning, even though I started riding back in 1965 !
    My Triumph Explorer used to do this and, I had a feeling it was mostly because of the lack of weight on the front end ( I lowered the bike so I could handle the weight better, apparently I knocked something out of whack a little ) the new tires seemed to have made a big difference but, I still have to raise the back up a little. Like you guys explained, I did find out that if I relaxed my grip it was easier to bring back under control !
    If I did track days I would consider this as it seems like an effective design and at the right price.

    Again T, well done and thanks for posting up.

    Live and learn.
    Last edited by njloco; 09-29-2017 at 01:34 AM.

  10. #20
    Senior Member Cooter's Avatar
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    A note to SCG owners:
    Make sure you have enough suspension travel so the fender doesn't hit the damper at full compression! Measure between the fork seal and the wear mark on the tube and see if you have that much room (or MORE) between the damper body and the fender.


    $39 for the damper, 54mm clamp(SEE EDIT!!!!!!!!!!!!), stainless bolts/washers, and 4 o-rings to seal the rod ends. A beer and a half in the shop and bang, done!
    Drill:
    Tap:
    And bolt on:




    Thanks again TPEHAK for the write-up! I used your guide but I did mine slightly differently, and not so 'Pro'
    I just stacked 3 stainless washers under the damper clamp at the isolator instead of making custom spacers.
    I put the damper clamp in the same spot as yours but rotated the reservoir away from the head (suspension travel will clear it, its easier for me to adjust, and slightly away from heat).
    I don't have fork reflectors so I put the fork clamp below the lower triple to negate the need for a spacer there.

    Oddly, the 54mm clamp only fit my outer fork tubes on the taper? It should be OK, but I don't like it clamped like that. The flat part that the lower triple clamps to is actually 56mm (55.92mm). I'm having a hard time finding a chinese solution for that, so I'll go visit my friend with a mill and open up the 54mm one I got. The 56mm clamp I need will butt up against the bottom of the lower triple right at the flat part with the damper rod end on the bottom of the clamp

    It's a great addition to the STT or any Uly too! Perfect for any dirt riding with such a steep rake angle on a bike. For the same reason it makes the STT better with street tires on it because it doesn't get upset with mid-corner bumps nearly as much

    FYI, if you have head shake issues it's a problem that needs to be fixed (tires/ bearings, whatever). This is a band-aid for that, not a solution.

    EDIT: I had issues getting the 54mm clamp to stay put on the tapered part of the fork leg without rotating. I made a 56mm clamp to fit the flat part of the forks just under the lower triple and drill/tapped a 1/4"-20 set screw in it. with the damper cranked up and jerking the bars as hard as I can, it stays put just fine now. The fork leg is especially thick there, I would have liked to dimple it for the set screw, but no need.

    Here's pics:
    IMG_3154 by Cooter!, on FlickrIMG_3155 by Cooter!, on FlickrIMG_3153 by Cooter!, on FlickrIMG_3152 by Cooter!, on FlickrIMG_3151 by Cooter!, on Flickr


    Last edited by Cooter; 03-02-2018 at 12:36 AM.

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