Steering Damper for B4?

[hangin_biposto]

I did a quick search here but came up with limited information.

I live in an area where the roads are very rough in places, with lots of potholes and road crown. I am slightly nervous about this, and wonder if a steering damper would be a good idea for me. I think it would give me some added confidence when I start riding.

My BF (Turbodude) doesn't think I need one. He has one on his Ducati Monster but says it doesn't make much of a difference.

The difference to me is he has been riding for a while, and knows how to negotiate rough areas whereas I will be a total noob, trying to learn the basics while dealing with crummy roads.

Many people from the Monster list say they would never go back after having one, especially those who ride in a more spirited manner.

Does the B4 suffer from head shake and tank slap in rough situations when unassisted by a damper?

Would it be a good investment for a noob?

What are my options and fitment challenges, should I decide to go ahead and get one?

Thanks,

Meagan

[Herr Tod]

I go offroad with my Bandit, no need for a steering damper. Head shakes caused by bumps always stop after a second. Head shakes caused by lots of horses on the rear wheel are a whole different story and the Bandit does not have the horsepower to be able to do that. Just ride

[Banditmax]

I wouldnt go back. i got one from Jay for a very good price. Speak to jay as i think he had the bracket from mine copied so that anyone could have one in the future. But you won't find any other off the shelf easy to fit one. And if you have a bike with handlebars and not  clip ons thats another problem your gonna have to overcome as the steering damper shares one of the clip on bolts.

[Banditmax]

I go offroad with my Bandit, no need for a steering damper. Head shakes caused by bumps always stop after a second. Head shakes caused by lots of horses on the rear wheel are a whole different story and the Bandit does not have the horsepower to be able to do that. Just ride

    I used to think that till i got one just for the hell of it. Makes the bike feel like a whole new monster much more firmly planted on the road.

[Herr Tod]

I have a GSXR K3 something steering damper but I've never put it on. Though I'm wondering, does it help (and I mean really help) when you lock your front wheel?

[Banditmax]

Id say yes it does nothing that holding on hard isn't going to do just as well but it just means you can ride that little bit more relaxed although i know it may not be for everyone.

[gsxr400 racer]

I wouldnt go back. i got one from Jay for a very good price. Speak to jay as i think he had the bracket from mine copied so that anyone could have one in the future. But you won't find any other off the shelf easy to fit one. And if you have a bike with handlebars and not  clip ons thats another problem your gonna have to overcome as the steering damper shares one of the clip on bolts.

sorry scrapped the idea did not have any interest at the time you have the only one.

[GooseMan]

As a new rider, I really dont think you'd need one. I, like you, am a new rider, and my B4 is my first bike. I did 5000km last season (around 3000 miles?) and never experienced any sort of headshake or tankslapper etc.

I live in Montreal, which is known for some of the WORST roads...probably in all of north america! that is what extreme cold, warmth, snow, melting etc....will do!

With the power and weight of the B4, and with the type of riding you will be doing (I dont think you'll be draggin any knees or doing any extreme speeds, now, will ya? ;)), I seriously doubt its even possible for you to get into this kind of situation.

[Banditmax]

I agree if your not pushing your bike to over 90mph regularly then maybe a steering damper isn't needed. But if your riding on potholed roads regularly like i have to do to get anywhere from my house id say don't knock it till youve tried it. A steering damper would be your worst enemy in snow and ice but for potholes it works wonders.

[gsxr400 racer]

but i can get dampners any length any color cheap

[Banditmax]

And if your willing to pay the what i think maybe expensive maching costs in advance will have a bracket made for you so that you can fix it onto the frame.

[stormi]

Dita was my first bike, and I can tell you that in the 3 years I've been riding her ( the last 2 years, has been sporadic, since I moved up to the 919), I have not once experienced headshake on her.  Her low weight , relatively low HP, and narrow body helps this immensely. 

I've ridden her on gravel, and on what I would consider to be one of the worst roads in Canada.  A twisty mountain road made of fake pavement in a National Park, with nothing that generates commerce at the top of it.  Meaning no incentive for the park to get on that road. I'd estimate it's about 8 yrs overdue for a resurfacing.  The potholes are up to 6" deep, and it's far too narrow for the traffic on it.  It sees the harsh weather, and it gets hammered with RVs and other heavy vehicles going to the top of the mountain to see the Alpine meadows.  ( Got some great Ice cave shots up there though...)  There might have been some bear scat on there too...

On the way up the mountain, I rode the 919.  I was terrified.  We couldn't have been more than a few kms up the road when I decided to turn back.  It was a handful.  It was all over the road.  I'd hit a pothole (sometimes when there's a winnebago coming towards you, and a pothole right ahead of you, and gravel to the right of you, the pothole is the way to go.) and the bike bucked as I came out of the pothole, then I managed to give it a shot of gas, as I slid backward.  now we're headed hellbent for leather towards the next RV, the next corner, and the next pothole.  Lovely.

 I'm glad I changed my mind again before we turned back(mostly only because there wasn't a roadside turnout for several kms), because what was at the top was worth it, but there was no way in HELL I was riding that damn 919 back down the mountain, so r_outsider and I traded bikes. 

Dita was a dream on the way down.  I managed to lock up her back tire trying to stabilize her as I came into a corner too hot to navigate around another RV oncoming mostly in my lane, and she just pushed straight.  Very little drama.  We hit a couple of potholes, one of those 6" deep ones hard enough for me to consider getting the front wheel balanced when we got home, and she managed them way better than the 919.  What's better - no whiskey throttle on the way out of the pothole.

Now, conversely, when we got on miette road, the well maintained mountain road with commerce at the top, I had a barrel of fun with the 919. 

I've experienced headshake on my TTR-125L.  It's not fun, I know why you're trying to avoid it.  My suggestion would be ride the bike for a while, and see if you think you need to upgrade it.  But don't dismiss it out of hand without giving it a chance to show you how stable it is without one.