Warning! Opinions below! haha
I wouldn't argue that wearing one out is impossible, but a steering damper is exactly a shock valved at exactly 50/50. They aren't speed sensitive, so it's not even shim stacks that matter. Its small holes in a piston. The piston rod continues through the whole shock body to equal the surface area of the piston to ensure that. blah blah blah
The spec I like to use is from Monroe shocks. It's old but probably still accurate. They say that for every mile a car is driven, the shocks cycle over
one million times. Every MILE! Thats a lotta bumps!!
So, how long would it take to wear out even a cheap shock when it's only actuated during steering events? I bet a looooong time:eagerness:.
Don't make the mistake of thinking I'm arguing that a e-bay sourced copy from china is even close to as good as a quality unit (like from Ohlins). This is where the part failures argument applies. If I either was a racer, had unlimited cash to spend, or wanted to impress my biker buddies, that would be my only choice. That is what I meant by not going too cheap, you get a dead spot in the middle when the shock changes direction. Thats lame. If it dies in the middle of the ride to the store, you don't die, and you can buy
fifteen of them before you spent as much as ONE Ohilns.
I believe in quality parts. I believe in safety first. I'm the guy who spends the most money on the best tires, the best brakes, and the best gear. I have that $$ left to spend because I don't blindly throw it at brand names. Due diligence is the key to having a $100 steering damper that equals the performance of a $500 one.
What the heck is worth $500 in that thing! I got my 16" X 2.5"
bypass reservoir, coil-overs from king shock for that much each!
TPHAK:
To clarify, there is a huge grey area between the bottom barrel ($30) universal damper and the $500 bolt-on name brand. Personally, I'm not buying either one:tongue-new:
I would buy a quality (Japanese typically) steering damper shock that is the right length, Then I would tap my engine mount bolt, and buy a billet 43'' fork clamp. Stainless hardware from Fastenal, about $100. Boom.