Steering Dampener?

[KDXFreestyle]

Hey, I was wandering about a steering dampener. I was reading a post and dont know what it is and does. Anyone wanna tell me what it is and what it does?... Should I get one...I might race next year and have a 2003 KDX200.
THANX

 

[canyncarvr]

'wandering about a steering damper'...thats funny!

A typo that's exactly the point. You'll do a whole lot less wandering!!

It's an hydraulic device (obviously..hence the term damper) that takes deflections from the frontend and applies them through a shock absorber (damper) to the frame.

It slows down the front end when you hit big stuff ..keeps you ontrack and outta the weeds.

Mostly what you'll hear after a rider puts one on is, 'I'll never ride without one again.'

Some bikes 'need' them more than others. KTMers for example seem to just LOVE the things.

They control headshake in a twitchy bike. Take a look on the web at scotts (for one) and WER (for another).

Don't have to race to use one, for sure. It might save you from a few bad get-offs!

Certainly there is more than '..reading one post' on this forum about dampers. A LOT of discussion about it that will give you somethin' to think about.

RE: 'Should I get one...'

Yes.

 

[lpracing77]

I used to laugh at my friends as they one by one put steering dampers on their bikes. Funning thing was that they were getting faster and more confident and could ride a little longer at speed through the days ride. I installed a W. E. R. damper that I got from Fredett Racing as well as the single piece upper handle bar mount. I am now a believer! The bike tracks straighter with far less deflection. I don’t have that death grip on the bars and I do ride with more confidence and appear to be able to ride longer at a fast pace. I think the investment of a damper would be well worth it.

 

[Tom Ludolff]

Do these make it harder to turn your handlebars? It sounds like it might. How much do they cost?

 

[davidg]

The wer only reacts to quick jerky motions, like deflecting off a rock. If you put the bike on a stand and turned the bars you wouldn't notice it. $320 for the wer, $15 more the headlight relocation (straps) kit.

 

[limitless]

430-450 for scotts (600 for the kit, it includes the stabilizer, tripple clamps and some handlebars

 

[knobbytracks]

I just bought the G.P.R. unit ($350 - includes handlebar mount). I haven't had much time to ride, but the little I have I sure can tell a difference. The G.P.R. unit is very similar to the Scotts but at a better price. Plus, the numbers on the adjustment dial are easy to read.

 

[Johnnyboy]

I dont have one but they really do work!! A few years ago in Moab we got lost and a guy on a tricked out KX500 with a steering damper offered to show us the way back. That guy was fast as hell!!!!! He took off and I didnt see him for 15 min at a time until he waited for us to catch up. I mean he was doing 80+ mph on a sand based road where I didnt dare do over 50 or 60 lest I die from my handle bars twisting back and forth at a rapid rate. Well about half way through he lost a bolt and had to remove his steering damper for the remainder of the ride, which was now 2' stair steps and less sand. Without the damper he was MUCH easier to keep up with.
The moral of the story: A steering damer will make you faster and more confident, but if you break it you will be slower than ever before.
By the way I ride an 83 KDX with poor suspension and I'm not a particularly accomplished desert rider. If I could keep up with him without the damper then he was really relying on it.

 

[ChuckyBoy]

Hey Knobbytracks,

What kind of bike did you mount the GPR unit on...KDX I presume?

What kind of bar and clamp set up do you have?

Was the install easy?

Sorry for all the questions but I'm ready to make the leap of faith and buy a damper. I like the simplicity of the WER installation but if the GPR installs easily then I may go with one of those. It seems to me, inorder to make the Scotts work right, I need to buy the complete damper, top triple clamp, bar mount, and bar combo that Scotts sells...for 600 BUCKS!

Thanks,
Chuck

 

[limitless]

i dont have a damper but i have heard the scotts has more adjustability over the wer and the scotts package seeems to be a good deal for the money though if your not looking at spending the a bunch than i think the wer would be the next best thing (or maybe the best)

i just wanna note somewhere i heard that scotts has low speed dampening adjustments and wer does not (or was it high speed?)

 

[knobbytracks]

Chuckyboy,

I installed the GPR on my 2001 KDX 200. The installation was easy and it gave me a chance to regrease the steering (headset) bearings. It's not neccessary, but you have to take the top triple clamp off any way to mount the post for the GPR unit so you might as well clean things up and slop some new grease in there. I used my stock triple clamp, stock bar mounts and Fly bars. Make sure you specify when ordering if you have the stock set-up or oversized bars.

 

[knobbytracks]

Yes, the install was easy - somewhere around an hour. It's a very clean set up. BTW, it won't work with factory bars or bars without a removable brace. Check to make sure the pinch bolt on the post mount is not touching the nuts(for the bar mounts) on the underside of the top triple clamp.

 

[ChuckyBoy]

Knobbytracks,

Thanks for the info. Now I may go for the GPR. Heck, I can't seem to make the decision! First it was the WER, then the Scotts, back to the WER, and now I'm leaning toward the GPR.

I hate being indecisive!

Thanks again,
Chuck

 

[canyncarvr]

Scott's indeed has more features..slow and hi speed circuits plus an adjustable arc of damping. Seeing as it sits in front of your face, you can adjust it 'on the fly'.

The WER has a single damping circuit, is adjustable...but not too well 'on the fly' as it's sitting just above your front fender.

The scotts has a problem with soft bushings in handlebars as the kdx has. Consider how often your bars look tweaked after an unscheduled landing, and that is just the bushings, NOT the bars. That 'tweak' can give the scotts fits. Their install sheet caution that the damper may be damaged in such an instance. You can replace the oem bushings with either a high durometer urethane type (scotts has 'em.....or used to) or aluminum cones. Obviously, the metal replacements detract from the 'isolation' function! ;)

The WER, mounting further down the forks, will 'resolve' the impact along less length of fork......so theoretically should do better in that regard. I've ridden bikes with a scotts, I have a WER. I've NOT ridden the SAME bike outfitted both ways, so can't directly compare.

With the WER, if you have it adjusted tight enough to be able to feel it, you have it adjusted too tight! That's not quite so with the scotts due to the two speed circuits. You may be able to 'feel' it when you move the bars back and forth, but that doesn't translate to actual riding.

The 'adjust on the fly' part is cute, but after awhile most riders tend to pretty much leave it alone. I've adjusted my WER on the fly..but it's not something you'll want to do in a technical section of trail...probably.

The scotts REQUIRES a specified distance between the crossbar and the bracket. 60mm comes to mind..please do verify that. Scotts sells renthals with a bowed crossbar for fit. No, they don't sell the crossbar separately.

My renthals (without the bowed crossbar) measured at exactly the specified space. A bit too close for comfort when you're buying such a spendy unit.

Oh...there's another thread on this forum about a rider that has a problem with the scotts on a kdx. The arc of the scotts is LESS than the steering arc on his kdx. Can't have that! And, he had trouble mounting the bolt on post so it didn't move.

 

[Nevada Sixx]

a guy on another forum board said his wer would stop before his steering would stop when moving the bars side to side, and it eventually tore up his wer. did you guys with the newer kdx's experiance this? is there a fix?

 

[canyncarvr]

Mine doesn't.

 

[davidg]

Mine doesn't either, the directions tell you to check the travel when you put it on. Also another difference between the gpr vs the scotts or wer. The scotts and wer only dampen one way, when your wheel deflects out. Not when turning back to center. The gpr dampens both ways, don't know which is better. Just food for thought.

 

[canyncarvr]

Damps both ways!!?? Oh oh....that's not a good thing!

Scotts DOES say they are unique in the 'damp one way' idea. That isn't so. As you say, the wer also damps one way.

You want to get back to center as soon (and as easily) as possible.

If the gpr damps both directions, that would be reason enough for me to choose another brand.

 

[jeffw]

Originally posted by canyncarvr
I've adjusted my WER on the fly..but it's not something you'll want to do in a technical section of trail...probably.

I usually adjust mine while doing a one handed nac nac:)

I've had mine apart for a rebuild and can tell that the center shaft would quickly destroy the damper body if the damper were allowed to act as a steering stop. The damper body was just not designed for such a load.

I welded a tab on my steering stem instead of using the KDX kit which worked fine also. KDXs have a pretty wide lock to lock steering sweep, wider than KTMs anyway, and still I've never heard of anyone having a problem with the WER running out of adjustment.

 

[Randy M.]

I put the Scotts kit on my 98 220. I will never ride without it. I was tired of tweeking the bars on the slightest fall. Funny, since I installed it, I have had alot less get-offs and I am going alot faster.

 

[Zerotact]

What about if if found a scotts off another bike? It looks like its the same damper, just with a mounting kit, may be able to find a cheaper one on ebay, and take a risk.

 

[Smit-Dog]

I recently mounted a WER on an '02 KDX 220. You definitely need to adjust it correctly so that the lower triple clamp is acting as the stop and not the WER. If not, it will surely tear the WER apart (and I'd imagine be a little squirrely to ride!).

 

[canyncarvr]

I kinda assumed that part.

Certainly make sure the damper arm is positioned as indicated by the install sheet when the bars are straight ahead. The 'as indicated' part is that the arm is 1/2 way between its travel limits when the bars are straight (which turns out to be 90º to the axis of the bike).

But, you guys knew that..........right????