steering damper for a Vstrom??

[Jimm Dandy]

hopefully I sould have my hack mounted up in a couple of weeks.. while sittn here waitin for my knee to heal up I am wonderin whether or not a steering damper is a good idea.. any input will be appreciated.

[Midnullarbor]

.
Is there any game in town, other than the hydraulic rotary steering damper by Scotts ?
All sorts of combinations of damping patterns can be dialled up [compared with linear hydraulic dampers or the old frictional type].

Ralle-Moto used to have a good "RM1" version of rotary hydraulic, possibly still available on the second-hand market.
It was perhaps rather easier and more intuitive to use than the Scotts (which is okay enough in its own right).
Ralle-Moto nowadays sells its second version "RM2", but seems to be selling kits suited to a smaller range of models . . . not including the Strom!
However, I could be wrong about that, and it might be possible to work around that problem.
.

[Slade 330]

Early Volks Bug Cheap and good

[davebig]

Originally Posted by Slade 330

Early Volks Bug Cheap and good

Yep hard to beat for the money. Steering dampers are ones own taste if the bike has a trail reducing mod it may not need one allot depends on how much bump steer you can live with.DB

[Melrone]

The VW steering stabilizer has been used on Sidecar rigs for years.There cheap about $25 and they work great..I bought a setup from Stroker for my 03 GSA/ Ural rig...That uses a VW Stabilizer..You will need to make a couple of brackets to hold it but you won't be sorry......

[TouringDave]

Originally Posted by Slade 330

Early Volks Bug Cheap and good

Yup, gotta agree with Slade, the VW damper on my Strom works well.

[boxertwin]

Yup. Just be sure to attach it to the upper so it's not going upanddownandupanddownanddown because that's just silliness.

Your beer is still in my fridge.

[claude]

The VW dampers work fine but must be mounted right. Mounting it high is best if possible. if not and you mount it low make sure it is free to move in all directions during bump and rebolund and steering. This is important. Also you want to have it mounted so it does not tend to induce a bump steer effect. Many bikes do well without a damper .

Also consider how much of th estoke of the damper you actually want to use. that can be varied with mounting. Less stroke makes for easier steering. You do not want to damper to top out or bottom out.
Dampers can also be mounted vertically or through a linkage system. Depends on how much effot you want to put into it.

If you have tapered roller bearings in th esteering head a little extra tightening helps a lot. Many will just get used to th elow speed headshake that some rigs have and forsake the damper.

We do a few dampers but not many overall. Most time the low speed headshake can be dialed out with setup and playing with tire pressures. Typically the sidecar tire being low on aiur is a culprit. The front tire can be the source throiugh either too much or too little air as well as tire wear or even tread design. Of course any moving part on the outfit such a swingarm bushings can be a factor too. What we are talking about here is a low speed headshake not a high speed true wobble. THAT is something that is rare but is also something that should not be taken lightly.