Stabilizer/Damper Recommendations for an S?

[cincybolt12]

Just curious how many AMA bikes you see NOT running a stabilizer? I'm gonna go with none. Even on the beloved 1190. Maybe EB just thought they look cool, so on one of the highest tuned bikes in the world he was like hey these look cool lets add some unnecessary weight right

 

[Rhino1]

Two guns and Lesley, seriously, I want one. Pretty or not, I want to put one on my bike. Maybe my 10 years of club racing, 20 years of riding relatively safely and quickly, the fact that I have experienced a variety of riding scenarios, have met Keith Code in a classroom environment, and have owned a vast spectrum of bikes has nothing to do with my feeling my Buell would be better off with a damper...

I want one.
However, my Buell also needs one. Others may feel the same. Short wheel base and steep rakes, coupled with high speeds, equals steering damper in my experience.

One cannot always "ride out" of a tank slapped or high speed wobble, no matter how "gifted" a rider one may be. And if your bike is scaring the sh*t out of you consistently coming ou of a certain corner on the gas, well, your laps times or enjoyment will suffer.

Just my .02

 

[firefighter1c57]

Nope, don't need one, but a Rizoma pulley cover, that's a necessity

 

[Lesley]

Just curious how many AMA bikes you see NOT running a stabilizer?

OP was asking about streetbike application not racebikes. [up]
EB has worked his whole life for HD designing frames. He never used them on any BMC.

Lesley, seriously, I want one.

I can understand and appreciate that fact as I do too.

a Rizoma pulley cover, that's a necessity

True. they are very slick looking. so are the GPR's

 

[twoguns]

And if your bike is scaring the sh*t out of you consistently coming ou of a certain corner on the gas, well, your laps times or enjoyment will suffer.

you know what... THEN SET YOUR BIKE UP PROPERLY.

no offence, but 10 years. 20 years. doesnt make you a good rider or a correct rider. it makes you experienced, but you could be jsut experienced in something not right.

i know riders who have only been riding a year, and they are knowledgable, learning and thinking riders.



im not loki... he asked for what we run/recommend. i answered.

i am all good. but...


i was on a ride recently and several riders fell. inexperienced (and one very experienced trackstar junkie -who panicked mid tightening corner. dabbed his brakes rather than commiting and came off. said he went in too hot. i was mere metres behind and watched it all, shook my head as i still made the turn. so which was it. he had more riding time and track time and fast. just wrong techinique perhaps, or a failure to understand the outcome of certain actions. when and how to react correctly perhaps.

riders who dont know/dont understand/ or dont listen learn. usually fall off.

i care about my riding and that of my fellow rider.

i get tired of uninformed decisions and decisions made without understanding the actions and outcomes.

i get annoyed reading how people fall off, and when asked why, they have no true idea.

things like hitting gravel isnt the reason you fall off. funny though when 8 bikes before you hit that same gravel and they were fine. so its wasnt hitting gravel then was it. it was what happened after you hit the gravel. how you reacted.

the guy above... hit a crack in the road. sure plenty people have done that before.

fitting a damper to a bike taht unless you are tracking or racing it, is unneccesary and will inhibit its performance by making it slower turning and reacting. (how do people think a damper works?.. and where is it designed to work best at?) this is my point.

add a damper to be pretty... BUT understand the majority are adding it to be pretty and not understanding the outcome of that decision.

enough said.

just my 20cents... but a serious.

 

[Rhino1]

GPR's (and others) are ugly warts that rest on triple tree tops--but they're a necessity for some folk. Just like sticky compound tires and rearsets.

By some folks' reasoning, bikes are perfect when they leave the factory and no modifications are necessary or worth the trouble. Good for them. Many of us will either use our equipment or mods as intended, or aspire to. Yes, some will do it just for pure aesthetics, and that's ok too. But please don't pontificate from a high and mighty throne about the irrelevance and fruitlessness of our desire to upgrade our machines. Especially if you've never railed with us (on or of the track).

Sheesh. Some people's kids...

 

[Rhino1]

@two guns, set my bike up properly?? Lol! I won't play Internet ninja and astound with my set up skills, but I will say this. Yes, I have done it hundreds of times (assisted and unassisted), from the most basic stock stuff and air bladders back in the day, to the more advance ttx onlins stuff (on my Aprilia Factory) and everything in between. One thin I've learned over the years is that there is no "right" set up. That's a basic pearl of knowledge. For a track like Willow Springs, for example, to set it up for the fast sections (turns 7 through 9), come close for turn 2, and suffer some of the compromises through the other corners.

"set it up right" is the holy grail--and you'll ALWAYS find guys in the pits turning screw drivers, searching for that magic set-up for that day on those tires on that track.

For the street, we tend to "set it and forget it." My Buell's wheel base is inches shorter than my already tiny Aprilia's. It is also a lot more nervous, no matter how immaculately I might set it up that day. I place high value on suspension, and spend accordingly (Penske rear shock on this one, and the SS forks will be torn apart by Lindemann soon).

So, I will run a damper. No matter how poor my set up skills are perceived by people like you.

 

[firefighter1c57]

Hey Rhino, through all the BS did you see my link to the LSL, it'll probably fight your needs best. You can reach down with your clutch hand and adjust it on the fly too.

 

[Rhino1]

Hey Rhino, through all the BS did you see my link to the LSL, it'll probably fight your needs best.  You can reach down with your clutch hand and adjust it on the fly too.

Firefighter, yup--that looks like the best arrangement. I'm probably going to pull the trigger on the LSL--I've been impressed with their stuff in the past (Spiegler and LSL kit) so I'm confident they'll be of decent quality.

I have Ohlins dampers on my other bikes, so I was hoping to see if any Bueller's had unique/sensible mounting solutions for a variety of dampers.

Thanks!

 

[oh9bolt]

Good read. [up]

 

[jasonxb9]

I'm not sure why anyone has to try to force their opinion on everyone else on this matter! If he wants one how does that affect any one else?? I personally want one as well and don't really care what anybody else says. Also the original question has seemed to elude some people here, he asked what people are running/recomendations on what he should use, not whether or not he should use one!! I don't have one myself but I personally like the gpr, I don't mind the lsl but I like fact that the gpr is up and out of the way.

 

[oh9bolt]

When I get around to it im going to do this.

Metallist's Bike

F spending $300+, this isnt a supersport bike that needs it, imo.

 

[Rhino1]

That looks like a decent, ingenious mount, Oh9. Is that a kit or just some custom brackets with a generic (Lockhart?) damper?

I'm thinking that mount might work with a Storz (Ceriani) or Hyperpro damper. Details please! Thx!

 

[JOEL9]

Jeeze Rhino! way to rile everybody up lol

 

[oh9bolt]

http://www.buellxb.com/Buell-XB-For.../Greetings-to-all-I-am-a-new-forum-member./2/

I have a buddy with a extra stock damper that he got when doing a GSXR suspension swap on his SV, it mounts to the fairing stay the same way on the SV.

 

[Rhino1]

Wow. Stunning work and amazing ingenuity! Looks like I can buy a generic fork clamp mount, then make the bracket to hold it onto the steering stem/fairing mounts.

 

[BuellyBagger]

I got a GPR about a year after having a head shake incident. Caused by going downhill, wide open throttle on a rain grooved road. It was easy enuff to recover from; just slowly rolled outa the throttle (was doin about 125-130 i think) the bike shooked down to about 85 very vilantly and then slight application of the rear brake it smoothed right out. It made my bung hole pucker and made me nervous to go over 100 for quite some time. It never did ne thing of the sort ever again but i went ahead with the stabilizer just as peice of mind that if i blast around a car and hit a goofy spot in the rode im not gonna end up in the ditch.

 

[BuellyBagger]

Love my GPR BTW clean and simple

 

[firefighter1c57]

I'm thinking that mount might work with a Storz (Ceriani) or Hyperpro damper. Details please!  Thx!

It might. I left the Storz out for a reason. I had one on Buell #1. A pretty mild low side bent the end of the rod making the bike unrideable. Other damage was broken mirror, broken end of brake lever, broken right peg, and the header dent. Other than I couldn't straiten the bars, it was fine. Had to have it towed home.

Coming home tonight from bike night, truck in front of me hit a piece of firewood in the road, cut stick about 20" in length about 4", bounced up and spinning in the road in front of me, I swerved and it spun the same way. Clipped it with the front tire and it went into a head shake. My 6 year old son was on the back with me... Man, I NEED a steering damper on this bike.

 

[winnetka]

Talking about steering dampers is like talking about oil and tires. Some people have their opinions that they "know" are right and everyone else is wrong no matter what! They want to yell it loud and proud. They must think that a steering damper is like training wheels for the bars, like it's supposed to fix a problem with the rider or a problem with the bike. Whatever dudes.

Steering dampers are for safety and it also improves the feel at the bars at any speed, fast or medium or slow. I've got a GPR. It makes lane-splitting easier to control in tight situations. The GPR on an XB9SX is a pain in the ass to install because of the cross bar it's got to fit under. It's easy for the arm to bind. When it's aligned just right it works really good, but there are probably better options out there. I like the photo from oh9bold. Very nice.