It feels like the whole bike is wobbling just a bit, and what takes getting used to?

 

if your bike starts wobbling at 90mph (other than little bit wind will do) there is probably another issue that a steering damper might hide but won't fix. Its really more for performance riding and stunting.

Most problems a steering damper is designed to prevent are easily preventable by proper riding techniques but not all. Sometimes just getting on the throttle hard exiting a corner can make the front end light enough to get some headshake, or accelerating over the crest of a hill, etc...

stunters use it for high speed stoppies, to keep the front end steady and it also can help prevent tank slappers when you slam the front end down from a wheelie

GPR dampers have 8 or 10 settings (not sure which the new versions have) and I like mine on 4.5 or so but if you try to ride around in a parking lot on that setting, its very easy to wind up on your butt. Even on the track I have to remember to set it back to 0-2 whengetting off the trackto make sure I don't crash in the pits (that would be embarrasing). 2 is probably a decent setting for the street for most riders and will do its job, I just like it a bit more stiff. You could easily ride around on 1 or 2 most of the time and set it up a bit before heading out to the twisties if you want. They're great dampers though, and GPR is pretty good about servicing them if you have an issue. Mine went out at Barber last year and they had it back to me in just a few days good as new. You definitely want to get it serviced every once in a while to prevent it from going out, not sure what interval they suggest but I do it once a year (its not expensive)

Scotts is a decent damper as well, it has high and low speed damping adjustments which sounds cool but GPR dampers are progressive so they do the same thing without seperate *****. Scotts only comes in Gold and I believe its a bit more expensive, no idea how good they are about service (its made by ohlins with a Scotts stamp on it, so I don't even know who you'd send it back to)

 

mmmm so it must be the wind huh? With 10k miles on it i wonder what else it could be.

 

quick question... i was riding my brother's 07 gsxr600 around and i noticed that on his bike i'm able to hold my lines much straighter than my f4i. is this due to a dampener/stabilizer that the gsxr600 has that our bikes dont? the reason i'm asking this is because when i'm on the freeway on the f4i, i always have the tendency to swerve around my lane (not drastically, sorta like wind pushes) and i'm not able to keep to bike consistently straight (or hold its line) at freeway speeds while i see my brother going 70-80 mph riding on the or right next to the painted lines (lane dividers) and resting his left hand on his leg able to keep a constant line. i always thought to myself, dang how in the f**k does he keep his posture on the bike while making go straight without being throw off even if there is wind.

would putting on a dampener on our bikes fix that problem that i have?

 

Exactly i have the same problem im constantly moving in my lane is it just the way our suspension is or what? Is this even normal or are we both crazy hahaha

 

ive had my f4i at 170 on the highway and it was as straight as an arrow.alot of it must depend on the rider i guess

 

most likely, your putting excessive steering inputs through the bars most likely by putting too much weight on them
a bike with a steering damper keeps those inputs from affecting the bike but if thats whats wrong its a problem with the way your riding the bike not a problem with the bike itself. A steering damper in that case only masks the rider errors

you shouldn't use the bars to support your weight (hard braking being the exception obviously), ideally the only pressure on them at all is intentional steering inputs

 

woody ill have to try that today on my way to work, for some reason to me it feels like the rear. But its also like the other guy described is the bike has a tendency of not being able to hold straight. It might be the road though, i don't think im putting any weight up front but ill try it and let you know.

Btw if an f4i goes 170 then i'm jesus lol

 

other than the price, what cons are there to getting one?