I was wondering how to test the stock damper to see if its functioning properly? Also I want to hear views on how good they are and what's a good replacement for the stock damper.
barndog53
The OEM. steering damper is not adjustable and is set way too soft, in my opinion. Ohlins is a great replacement, it's about $320 from any one of several forum sponsors., well worth it.
The OE damper has a low-speed (as in low damper speed, not road speed) bypass circuit. Moving it by hand won't tell you much. This is a "feature" of the stock part.
I won't get into the fine details of it, but basically how it works is that at low damper speeds, the oil in the damper moves pretty freely though a small orifice controlled by a set of spring loaded check balls that bypasses the main (IE stiffer) valving. When there is a large and abrupt movement of the damper shaft (IE tankslapper), the bypass closes and the main valving comes into play.
This lets the bars move easily for low speed maneuvers, such as a U-turn but provides sufficient damping at large steering/handlebar "events" to keep things from getting out of hand. Literally.
To test this, SAFELY and PROPERLY (NOT with a jack under the header... :lol) support the front of the bike so the bars turn freely (or make it so there's no drag on the front wheel). Then turn the bars slowly from lock to lock. There will be minimal resistance. Next, yank the bars sharply as hard and quickly as you can back and forth. If the damper is working correctly, there will be noticeably more resistance.
:thumbup
I won't get into the fine details of it, but basically how it works is that at low damper speeds, the oil in the damper moves pretty freely though a small orifice controlled by a set of spring loaded check balls that bypasses the main (IE stiffer) valving. When there is a large and abrupt movement of the damper shaft (IE tankslapper), the bypass closes and the main valving comes into play.
This lets the bars move easily for low speed maneuvers, such as a U-turn but provides sufficient damping at large steering/handlebar "events" to keep things from getting out of hand. Literally.
To test this, SAFELY and PROPERLY (NOT with a jack under the header... :lol) support the front of the bike so the bars turn freely (or make it so there's no drag on the front wheel). Then turn the bars slowly from lock to lock. There will be minimal resistance. Next, yank the bars sharply as hard and quickly as you can back and forth. If the damper is working correctly, there will be noticeably more resistance.
:thumbup
Thanks for that explanation Monkee. It was something I've wondered about too...
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Never had one of those apart, but I do have some experience with Ohlins/Scotts rotary dampers and it's my understanding that they are similar, but not identical.
Rotary dampers typically use a vane rather than a piston to move the fluid through the valving. Think of it as a paddle rather than the traditional plunger (piston) used in a linear damper.
The biggest practical difference in an aftermarket vs OE is adjustability and more advanced and effective valving. Pretty much exactly like upgrading your forks or shock.
A nice feature of the Ohlins/Scotts rotary damper is that you can adjust the range of motion that the damping affects as well as the damping itself. I don't know if all them have this, but every one I've had my hands on did. It's a great feature for dirt bikes, though I'm not sure how useful it'd be on a road bike.
Rotary dampers typically use a vane rather than a piston to move the fluid through the valving. Think of it as a paddle rather than the traditional plunger (piston) used in a linear damper.
The biggest practical difference in an aftermarket vs OE is adjustability and more advanced and effective valving. Pretty much exactly like upgrading your forks or shock.
A nice feature of the Ohlins/Scotts rotary damper is that you can adjust the range of motion that the damping affects as well as the damping itself. I don't know if all them have this, but every one I've had my hands on did. It's a great feature for dirt bikes, though I'm not sure how useful it'd be on a road bike.
Is there any harm adding an extra aftermarket damper in conjunction with the OEM? I was thinking about adding a GPR v4, but wasn't sure if it's really necessary. Is our factory dampener good enough?
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PS. Thanks for the very detailed explanation Monkee. Definitely helps a lot.
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