Lansdowne Fork Damper Kit (2009)
- Thread starter L.A.B.
- Start date
- Status
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2009
- Messages
- 2,210
Hi.Lab.Reggie as you well know ,weight transfer under braking increase's with fork travel, placing more friction on the front tyre .At the same time the rear is reducing friction,the new dampers can resist braking dive [far greater than standard unit's depending on settings] so in effect theres less "down force" on the front.[thats why your tyre squeals Reggie} But as your rear retains it's "weight" theres less tendancy of a rear end skid when both brakes are applied. Its a case of getting the right balance,Duncan Fitchett as is dampers set to give less dive under hard braking.., But is co- rider at Goodwood liked more front end down force.Duncan dialed in his requirements...and presto! He was happy. So it's a matter of testing and finding what suits your riding style. Please remember to ADJUST THE DAMPERS IN A RESPONSABLE MANNER, A LITTLE AT A TIME. Happy riding. Best wishes John
- Joined
- Nov 5, 2006
- Messages
- 1,152
Having just fitted a pair of John's modified fork dampers i have to admit these are very nice - my bike, after trying all the typical bandage fixes on the stock dampers, finally handles and responds like i think it should. i found the best combination for me was about 1/2 a turn on both compression and rebound at first test w/ 10 w oil
i gave it a spirited run over the roads that previously had the old set up banging about and complaining - this time it was sweet - easy to push the bike more and feel the road much better
two thumbs up!
i gave it a spirited run over the roads that previously had the old set up banging about and complaining - this time it was sweet - easy to push the bike more and feel the road much better
two thumbs up!
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2009
- Messages
- 2,210
Hi Mike, Glad you are finding them "sweet"
- Joined
- Oct 15, 2009
- Messages
- 1
Hi there
I'm sitting here reflecting on what might have been....
Well without John's dampers it could have been very different. The first round of this years Lansdowne was at Donnington, one of my favourite tracks. Race one I was third behind Mike Russell and Glen English, race two I got lucky Glen went out with an ignition fault so I got my first win.
Next up Brands this is another good track for me, not a horsepower track a real riders circuit. I found myself off the pace of both Mike and Glen, two thirds was a bitter disappointment on a track I hoped to be very strong. I felt I couldn’t push as hard as I wanted, I felt the front end was vague and unpredictable. It was the age old problem back again highlighted by the blistering pace of the Lansdowne this year. :evil:
I realised then if I was going to be a contender I need to fix the front end issue once and for all. By chance I noticed John’s Damper kit on EBay, it was just what I wanted, so I thought what the hell I’ll buy it, not really knowing what I was going to get. I thank my luck stars, because I found John, a real old school chap and a bloody good engineer. On receipt of my bid to purchase I got a call from John asking me what I wanted to fit to dampers too. I told him it was for my Manx and relayed the story of running with near grease in the folks to stop patter and excessive dive under breaking. Leave it with me he said, I think I know what you need. About a week later I got a call… Your damper is ready, and I’ll come down and fit it, which he did as he knew I was out at Snetterton the next week.
At Snetterton I found I had the ability to adjust rebound and compression in the one leg and it improved things, three seconds places and a silly DNF plus a fastest lap was an improvement. After another long talk with John it was decided to put the dampers in both legs rebound in one and compression in the other…Perfect!.
Next race back to Donnington and the breakthrough I had been waiting for my first proper WIN and a real last lap job too, I went from first to third and first again in the last half a lap. For the first time all year my confidence was high and I was happy to push that little bit harder, and that was all I needed to be able to do. John was there to see me win too which was extra special. :lol:
I then went on to win again at Chimay and Castle Combe. Sadly next up Goodwood was a real downer I was partnered with Jeremy McWilliams, in free practice we where the fastest pairing and I was able to set up the front to his recommendation. Unfortunately I dumped it on a very slippery track in the lead, in front of 80 thousand people
, thanks to Jezza’s monumental ride to the front, from the back of the grid after an engine problem in qualifying. Oh yes I bust my wrist when I high sided off too. :cry:
But that’s racing I’ll be back next year and I’ve just ordered two more sets of dampers from John, for my GBAccess team mate Mark Sharrock and another set for the spare bike. Thanks for your help John. :lol:
I'm sitting here reflecting on what might have been....
Well without John's dampers it could have been very different. The first round of this years Lansdowne was at Donnington, one of my favourite tracks. Race one I was third behind Mike Russell and Glen English, race two I got lucky Glen went out with an ignition fault so I got my first win.
Next up Brands this is another good track for me, not a horsepower track a real riders circuit. I found myself off the pace of both Mike and Glen, two thirds was a bitter disappointment on a track I hoped to be very strong. I felt I couldn’t push as hard as I wanted, I felt the front end was vague and unpredictable. It was the age old problem back again highlighted by the blistering pace of the Lansdowne this year. :evil:
I realised then if I was going to be a contender I need to fix the front end issue once and for all. By chance I noticed John’s Damper kit on EBay, it was just what I wanted, so I thought what the hell I’ll buy it, not really knowing what I was going to get. I thank my luck stars, because I found John, a real old school chap and a bloody good engineer. On receipt of my bid to purchase I got a call from John asking me what I wanted to fit to dampers too. I told him it was for my Manx and relayed the story of running with near grease in the folks to stop patter and excessive dive under breaking. Leave it with me he said, I think I know what you need. About a week later I got a call… Your damper is ready, and I’ll come down and fit it, which he did as he knew I was out at Snetterton the next week.
At Snetterton I found I had the ability to adjust rebound and compression in the one leg and it improved things, three seconds places and a silly DNF plus a fastest lap was an improvement. After another long talk with John it was decided to put the dampers in both legs rebound in one and compression in the other…Perfect!.
Next race back to Donnington and the breakthrough I had been waiting for my first proper WIN and a real last lap job too, I went from first to third and first again in the last half a lap. For the first time all year my confidence was high and I was happy to push that little bit harder, and that was all I needed to be able to do. John was there to see me win too which was extra special. :lol:
I then went on to win again at Chimay and Castle Combe. Sadly next up Goodwood was a real downer I was partnered with Jeremy McWilliams, in free practice we where the fastest pairing and I was able to set up the front to his recommendation. Unfortunately I dumped it on a very slippery track in the lead, in front of 80 thousand people
, thanks to Jezza’s monumental ride to the front, from the back of the grid after an engine problem in qualifying. Oh yes I bust my wrist when I high sided off too. :cry: But that’s racing I’ll be back next year and I’ve just ordered two more sets of dampers from John, for my GBAccess team mate Mark Sharrock and another set for the spare bike. Thanks for your help John. :lol:
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2009
- Messages
- 2,210
Hi to all, The joy and excitement Duncan as given me is the best thrill i have had in years, he is a great guy on and off the track. Is passion for racing is 100%. Precise and under control, he push's the 500 manx to lean angles that make me wince,and beating Glenn is no mean feat, he's a fantastic rider. He make's a great member for the Forum, and anyone with a passion for racing should go and see him....good luck for 2010, Best Regard John
I was there on the Friday and having seen the state of most bikes front and rear tyres in the pits I can only imagine how hard they were getting pushed. Not sure which was Duncan's but a few seemed to be running some odd combinations of tyre, one or two had classic looking Dunlops on the rear with AM21 fronts though several had AM26 fronts with AM18 rears. Would be interested to hear what Duncan was using.
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2009
- Messages
- 2,210
To all members who wish to purchase the Lansdowne Damper Kit PLEASE VISIT MY WEBSITE WWW.LANSDOWNE-ENGINEERING.COM Best Regards John Lansdowne Enginnering
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2009
- Messages
- 2,210
Chris no problem...then off to the pub,,,drinks on you,,,regards John
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2009
- Messages
- 2,210
SORRY BUT ITS ONLY NOW ONE A WEEK..MABY TWO AT A PINCH...
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2009
- Messages
- 2,210
TIME IS THE LIMITING FACTOR.I WILL TRY TO SUPPLY IN A REASONABLE TIME...JOHN
- Joined
- Sep 26, 2009
- Messages
- 2,210
Hi. LAB, I think with final tuning these will perform as well as the more expensive Japanese "modified" types. I managed to keep the price low by producing a "NO FRILLS" package.[ BUT I AM REVIEWING COSTS, ] These's no fancy anodizing,packaging or "Bling"....just a well made product that gives good reliable results. Track or road , Designed to be hard wearing [Brass extra length] bearing, High tensile steel and machine cut fine threads. Being fully adjustable they allow you to quickly reset them to suit all road conditions. Thanks for your appraisal. John.
Perhaps a silly question but if one leg has all the compression damping and the other rebound, isn't the effect under either loading similar to running with oil in one leg only ? Isn't everything likely to try and twist ?
Is a fork brace recommended ?
Would it be normal to put compression damping on the disc side ?
It's certainly a nice unobtusive conversion.
Is a fork brace recommended ?
Would it be normal to put compression damping on the disc side ?
It's certainly a nice unobtusive conversion.
- Status
