Mini-Review - Matris Steering Damper
Product Info:
Matris Steering Damper, M3, Black
Reviewed
on: 10 July 2006
Reviewed by: Kbuddy; (PM on DML for questions)
Used on: 2006 M620 with stock suspension and handle bar
Where purchased: Purchased online from www.oncycles.com. Part was not in stock and it took 1 1/2 months to arrive from Italy as part of a stocking order. However, Kasey Hall from OnCycles always kept me informed on the status and kept in constant contact with me. Excellent customer service.
Reason product was purchased
There were a few problems I was trying to solve with the purchase of the Matris steering damper. First of all, the front end has always felt "loose" to me at speeds above 50mph, similar to a car that has too much freeplay in the steering wheel. I have always thought how much nicer the bike would be if it felt more solid at higher speeds like the Japanese I4 bikes I have ridden. Another problem is a speed wobble that would occur momentarily at speeds above 80mph. And last, my daily commute takes me over a high bridge where there is always a varying crosswind. With any wind over 15mph, the bike feels like I'm riding on a rug that is trying to be pulled out from underneath the bike from either side. Very, very unsettling. The same crosswinds on the road don't cause the bike to handle as poorly as on the bridge, but I still get blown around tremendously.
After first determining that there was no mechanical deficiency causing these problems, and adjusting my riding position/style, I looked into purchasing a steering damper. My requirements were that the damper be adjustable and either top mounted or bottom mounted. I'm not a fan of the side mounted dampers, only because of the way they look. I wanted something that didn't standout. After searching, I only found two top-mount dampers for the 2006 620; the Matris and the Ducati Performance dampers.
Did the product solve the problem or achieve the goal? If not, why?: The Matris M3 damper solved the problems I stated above and performed much better than I had anticipated. The front end feels rock-solid now and no longer feels "loose". It's amazing how solid the bike feels while in a turn. I feel as though I could set the turn and just let go of the bars and the bike would track through the corner (I'm only trying to describe how the bike feels while cornering). There was not even a hint of wobble as speed increased. Truly solid. As far as traveling over the bridge, the feeling of having the bike yanked out from under me is gone. Crosswinds on the bridge and the road now feel like a slow, steady push on the top part of the bike and are much more manageable.
Features that worked well
- The damper components and fit appear excellent.
- The large damping adjustment knob is easy to manipulate and each adjustment click is easily definable.
Features or design that did not work well
While sitting on the bike, you can not see the adjustment arrows that tell you which way to turn the knob for more or less damping. You can either memorize the directions or you have to lean way forward to look at the back side of the damper. I guess you could loosen the mounting bracket and rotate the cyclinder to view the arrows, but it's just not that important to me. Righty-tighty, lefty-loosey.
Installation or compatibility issues
Installation was easy and took a matter of minutes. Fit was excellent. Instructions were supplied, but largely unneccessary. These instructions did not specify where the rubber washers were to be installed. From experience, I determined the washers were to go in between the damper and bike mounts. There were no interference issues with any part of the bike.
Summary
I would buy a Matris steering damper again. I'm not sure whether I would buy the M2 or the M3 again, the main difference being the M2 has less damping adjustments (the M3 has 14). To date I have the M3 adjusted to 7 and haven't touched it. I'm not sure that I need the full adjustability of the M3. But now that I'm thinking about it, I would purchase the M3 knowing that I would have that level of adjustment if I ever needed it.