Hydraulic steering damper

With a commando chassis blueprinted , extra iso under the gearbox, swing pivot cotter pinned ,braced swing arm,larger wheel axles ,crankcase bolts reamed to fit etc you will not need a steering damper on a road bike
A race bike is a different ball game IMO

FOR ROAD RIDING: I've removed steering dampers on most street bikes I have owned that came with them because, in every case, they made handling "heavier" and I didn't care for it. There was a damper on my 850 when I bought it and it definitely needed it UNTIL I replaced the absurdly wrong-sized/mis-matched wheels/tires and replaced them with OEM-size wheels/tires. The damper has been on the shelf since then. A steering damper does make for a more comfortable long interstate ride. But it's not enough of an advantage to overcome what I don't like about them on roads that I enjoy riding.

I am often a fairly aggressive rider in the twisties, whether on my Commando with no steering damper (my original 71 Commando didn't need one either), my current '74 850 doesn't need one, nor does my BMW R9T (removed the factory damper), my BMW R1200RS, my Kawasaki Z900RS Cafe, my wife's Ducati Diavel, or her Africa Twin. So I guess you could say I'm not a believer in steering dampers for street bikes - EVEN when factory fitted. but I also don't believe in factory-specified tire pressure either...which might be related!

But as has been suggested, put one on and decide for yourself if it is helpful for your riding style. NOTE...changing the wheels/tires from the stock sizes can have a substantial affect on handling. As in the case of my 850, the wrong wheels/tires required a damper; the proper wheels/tires do not.

Racing is a different thing entirely but what's "good" on a race bike is usually a PITA on a street bike!

robs ss said:

I really like that Nigel - may get one of those! (much to Ken's disgust - oh well, I suppose we all have to disgust someone - may as well be him)

Edit: I see you have the "frame bracket" facing forward where NYC shows it facing rearward. What's your reasoning?

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No specific reasoning, I just shuffled things around until I ensured I’d got a full stroke with no interference. The end of the rod can foul the rocker cap and / or exhaust pipe on full left lock if you’re not careful, and I wanted it to work with both the stock pipes and 2:1.

The damper isn’t the cheapest option, but I thought if I’m fitting one, I might as well fit a good ‘un.

The worst tank slapper I ever had (so far!) was on a GSXR at around 130mph. It was a proper lock-to-lock violent slapper that bruised the inside of my legs on the tank. I only stayed on my pure good luck (or divine intervention) ! It absolutely scared me shitless ! It wasn’t the bikes fault, I had been ‘tuning’ the suspension settings and screwed it up, and then hit a series of bumps on a mild bend at speed. I guess that fear is still imprinted at the back of my mind, and makes me a bit sensitive to the risk.

I don't usally ride a bike on the road with a s/d but to all you people out there who think you don't need one , there is a 3 lane dual carriageway section of the A3 in Surrey where at around 75 - 85 will guarantee you some peculiar handling, if not a tankslapper, so much so that several police motorcyclists have come a cropper there. At least one was killed. It looks the most innocent looking long sweeping bend, but you find out it has a tendency to make you try to correct your bike, sometimes with disastrous results.

I don't have a steering damper on my Rickman, nor did I have one one either of my GSXR750s, an SRAD and a F Slabside which had a terrible reputation, but was like an old armchair when set near standard but with correctly rated front springs and a better rear damper.

Steering dampers often mask other problems, which should be resolved without a damper fitted!

Bernhard said:

I don't usally ride a bike on the road with a s/d but to all you people out there who think you don't need one , there is a 3 lane dual carriageway section of the A3 in Surrey where at around 75 - 85 will guarantee you some peculiar handling, if not a tankslapper, so much so that several police motorcyclists have come a cropper there. At least one was killed. It looks the most innocent looking long sweeping bend, but you find out it has a tendency to make you try to correct your bike, sometimes with disastrous results.

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Sadly, they were probably riding Honda STX1300s overloaded with Police gear!

Bernhard said:

I don't usally ride a bike on the road with a s/d but to all you people out there who think you don't need one , there is a 3 lane dual carriageway section of the A3 in Surrey where at around 75 - 85 will guarantee you some peculiar handling, if not a tankslapper, so much so that several police motorcyclists have come a cropper there. At least one was killed. It looks the most innocent looking long sweeping bend, but you find out it has a tendency to make you try to correct your bike, sometimes with disastrous results.

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Ahhhh!! Is it a left hander going south? If so, I got into a long weave, luckily minor, but quite worrying, there two summers ago on my way to the France ferry. Only time that bike has ever behaved like that.

SteveA said:

I don't have a steering damper on my Rickman, nor did I have one one either of my GSXR750s, an SRAD and a F Slabside which had a terrible reputation, but was like an old armchair when set near standard but with correctly rated front springs and a better rear damper.

Steering dampers often mask other problems, which should be resolved without a damper fitted!

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I have spent s couple years on my Mk2 since my resto, and have good Roadriders. I have done a lot of suspension tweaking over that time, and while not at all claiming to be an expert, 90% of the time it feels great. Miles ahead of where it was before the resto and at times after.

I can say the same things about tuning on my Duc. When I got it, it was almost unridable. Same tires, shocks, etc. Now it feels very good, on the track and off (different settings).

There are some roads that I like to ride are quite fun, very scenic and twisty, but not the best surface in some sweeping turns. The Duc handles these much better, at much higher speeds, as it should.

Smooth sweepers at speed? High speed runs? Rough roads not bent over? No problem. I am relatively happy with where it's at now.

Most of what I am considering resolving is the front end shimmer on some rough sweeping turns at speed.

Happy for all input.

I have never had a tank slapper on my MK2a and don't have a steering damper fitted, I am not going to fit one as the times I have felt the handling go off I have always found something wrong, after fixing normality has been resumed. Now if the steering damper would have covered these up then they could still be there.

slimslowslider said:

Found it quite helpfull when 2 up and full luggage, to keep the handlebars steady whenever you take one hand off the handlebars.
Relatively not enough weight on the front wheel then, I guess.
About the lightest setting, on a NGK type ODM500 that is, proves already to be enough.

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Same for me, effective.

jan nelder said:

Ahhhh!! Is it a left hander going south? If so, I got into a long weave, luckily minor, but quite worrying, there two summers ago on my way to the France ferry. Only time that bike has ever behaved like that.

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Close to the Guildford area I think.

This another one of those topics .... you know the different strokes .... what ever floats your boat gentlemen .... some like me that have one and it no bother for them other than giving peace of mind is okay ... others with different views/experiences is also cool .... when it comes to safety issues we all get to be individuals .... .... however I do like my k81’s on original size alloy rims , lots of varying surface quality where I live and ride , these tires for me are the best all rounders ..... no question

The Kawasaki steering damper on my bike has a knob on the end - you can adjust it so you feel virtually no drag when you turn the steering, but if you get into a tank slapper the hydraulic effect will still happen. So in effect the tank slapper does not happen - you only get the first twitch. The only time the steering damper works is when the fork yokes are rotating fast. All it does is keep the motorcycle sane when you over-do it..
Tank slappers do not worry me, they are a part of life - but if you don't need to have them, why would you ? I raced for years with only a friction damper - I still carry the injuries. On a road bike, the situation is probably even worse, because a race track is repetitive - roads are not.

I hate riding on public roads. In our town the highway has two depressions in it which run longitudinally where the truck wheels have been. When you ride a motorcycle, the depressions steer your bike. A lot depends on tyre size. But if you get careless, it is fairly easy to crash. A road bike needs as much help as a race bike to stay under control. You might ride for years and never really need the steering damper, but the day you have the tank slapper might be your last. The last time I crashed, I went down the bitumen on the top of my head at about 70 MPH with my legs in the air. I could see the other bikes coming up behind me. By the time I reached the ripple in the road, I was on my side, so I copped the dislocated chromo-clavicular joint. It took me a year to regain the full use of my right arm. But it could so easily have been my neck. If I'd had the proper steering damper, I would have raced for several years longer. That crash made me absolutely disgusted because it was due to somebody else's stupidity.
These days when I race, I do it safe. What ever happens to me during a race, is usually something I have already experienced and learned from.

I don't run a SD on my Commando/Featherbed as its well set with great suspension, on my 2013 Thruxton I run Racetec springs and ecumlator up front and Ikon shocks on the back and the bike handles great, but I ended up with Norman Hide SD and I put it on and I tell you it works so well with the set up I have, made the bike even more stable at high speeds and when fully packed for traveling long distants make the bike stick like glue with the extra weight, I am going to set up my 2016 Thruxton S with the same set up using the springs etc from the old Thruxton as they both run the same forks and the front springs are the same size, but I am going to mount the SD on my Norton as I always push it way past its limits when out up in the twisties.
In the suburbs I have it set on the 3rd setting and when out on the open and mountain roads I set it on full no. 7 setting.

Ashley

Fast Eddie said:

No specific reasoning, I just shuffled things around until I ensured I’d got a full stroke with no interference.

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I also notice that you've mounted the rod end to a bracket on the stanchion - as opposed to the "standard" NYC mounting on the lower yoke. Did NYC supply that bracket or did you have it made?

robs ss said:

I also notice that you've mounted the rod end to a bracket on the stanchion - as opposed to the "standard" NYC mounting on the lower yoke. Did NYC supply that bracket or did you have it made?

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E bay !

You might wanna check that you have room on your stanchion first and that the fork legs won’t foul it on full compression.

Fast Eddie said:

E bay !

You might wanna check that you have room on your stanchion first and that the fork legs won’t foul it on full compression.

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Yep - already thought of that! Will have to attach to the lower yoke somehow - have asked NYC Norton for their view.

Easy enough to buy the spacer and the nut, washers, bolt.

See the parts list and order from AN

A Spacer 1 06-4256
B Bolt 5/16 x 24, 2 3/8" 1 06-4260

robs ss said:

Yep - already thought of that! Will have to attach to the lower yoke somehow - have asked NYC Norton for their view.

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I’m guessing your alloy yokes don’t have the threaded hole in the underside of the bottom yoke?

A stanchion clamp below the bottom yoke is simplest and neatest in that case, IF there is space for it. Alternatively I’d consider a clamp above the top yoke, with a spacer used to lower the point where the damper rod attaches.