What are the main factors to consider when installing a steering dampener?

My '98 M900 has the fully adjustable front forks. It would exhibit a slight shake, or more accurately, a just barely noticable wobble in some corners whether going fast or slow.

I first found out that the front forks had totally different compression and rebound settings in the two fork tubes. I evened them out and then tweeked the adjustments from there. It was much better but still had the occassional wobble or "vagueness" in corners.

I then installed the DP ExtremeTech side mounted steering damper. There was a noticable improvement again but my main complaint is that there is too extreme of a difference in between settings. It's like you go from "nice street setting but could be a tad stiffer" to "whoa, this sucker is getting stiff" and there are stiffer adjustments yet. Forgetting that I was in the stiffer mode once also contributed to an embarrasssing low side low speed spill. More my fault than the dampers but........

After the damper but before the spill I installed an Ohlins rear shock and tuned it to the bike and me. That helped a good bit too and it took a few rides over the same section of road to get it where I liked it. Better again but now and then it would still wiggle. Bear in mind that as the bike was getting better I was also starting to corner a bit faster and would test the bikes reaction to changes in the corner, both road changes and my own body english changes.

Then I learned that even the slightest bit of body / butt wiggle in a turn made the bike wiggle too so I cooled my happy ass down in corners. Gee, my other bikes weren't as sensitive? That helped a whole bunch too.

Then just recently I installed some clip ons. Holy cow! The bike was transformed again. It now has both a much faster steering input feel and any suggestion of vagueness has totally gone away. Wow!

The clip ons provided the most dramatic and most significant change to the handling of the bike. I still believe the damper is worth it but if you can abide by the change in body position and comfort then I solidly vote for the clip ons. If you don't like them then a damper is the next best way to go.

Our wheelbase and rake is shorter and steeper than any other sportbike I've owned. I also notice that the slightest movement of my body or the tinniest touch of the handlebars makes the bike feel "twitchy". Very fast steering though So yes, on a bike as radical as this, there will always be a sort of "twitchiness" to the bike. Ridden smoothly though, it handles like it's on rails.

I'd imagine that the flex of the aluminum bars would cause some twitchiness too.....maybe jusssssst a teenie bit. Clip ons are more firmly connected directly to the forks.

I certainly do feel my bike twitch with every tiny movement I make. I've even mentioned it to many of my friends. I'm pretty smooth in the turns, so I've yet to experience anything negative there.

Chances are, with that 620, is just what Mac said. You might be moving around a bit to much on the bike. You WILL also feel every crack in the road. It's the bikes geometry.

Mac, what are the price differences between clip ons and the damper? I'd actually like to get a set of clip ons, but I feel the triple tree would look goofy with the bar riser holes still sticking out a bit.

Tom

Thumper said:

Mac, what are the price differences between clip ons and the damper? I'd actually like to get a set of clip ons, but I feel the triple tree would look goofy with the bar riser holes still sticking out a bit.

Tom

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This is another one of those mods that can suck you in before you know what's going on. On average you can get clip ons for initially less money than a steering damper. It all depends on which one of each that you are interested in.

Some dampers bolt right up but others require some modification to work. You might have to fabricate some brackets for some or get some welding done. It depends.

What you get with clip ons can vary also. In my case I was just able to use the existing brake and clutch lines. I have one issue though. The brake master cylinder reservoir (coffin style) pushes a bit against the fairing even when using a small spacer bushing in between the fairing and the fairing brace. Those small bushings also made mounting the fairing tougher. I have a bit of fade in the front brake lever at times under very easy braking so I'm toying with the idea of changing over to a radial master. Of course then I have to work out mounting new reservoirs. I can also foresee needing to have new brake lines made up to accomodate the new master. Do you see where this goes? Aaaggh.

No modification goes unpunished!

I agree that the the top triple looks funky with a bare handlebar bracket. Mine looks barely passable. That's why you can get those great looking top clamps from CycleCat or SpeedyMoto. Just costs more $$$$$.

The folks on this forum just love to spend other people's money so watch out. >