Wind is going to blow you around whether you have a damper or not. Dampers are designed to keep the steering as smooth as possible.

The bike feels different with no gas because the center of gravity has changed. Same reason the bike feels different based on your body position.

There are virtually no cons to a steering damper aside from the cost. Proper tuned suspension, tire pressure, and riding style/experience will keep incidents that a damper prevents to a minimum. However most people enjoy the added benefit and performance. Plus it's another dope mod to put on your list for bragging rights

 

It depends on riding style / habits and maybe road surface. I have a Matris steering damper just because it came with the bike. Most times (normal road riding) you can't really feel the difference. I haven't taken the bike to it's limits yet and probably would never, but I suspect thatdampers are mostlyfor the derangedor the posers.

 

Yes, added stability on a motorcycle is for posers.... *rolls eyes*

 

Which part of "normal road riding" requires additional stability components on what isone of the most refined bikes in the world?

 

I read somewhere that a damper is an excuse for a poor design, but that was some Honda ideology crap.

 

woah. this got hi-jacked. look for scotts, harris, hyperpro RSC, ohlins, and GPR. those are all good dampers and worth the price IMO. there are two types. rotory and piston. i have no experience with rotory so i won't pretend or repeat something other people have said. but i do have a hyperpro RSC and my GSXR750 had an ohlins. they make a very big difference in stability. it's safer to ride when you're pushing the limits of the road you're riding. i live in PA and we have a lot of twisty roads but they are up and down hill at the same time. there's a lot of crests in the apex of the turns that really **** with you (mentally and physically) when you're pushing it. having an adjustable damper will inspire your confidence and make your bike a little more stable in the event of an emergency meneuver. But, depending on how you have it set, it may make low speed turning or flickability at speed more difficult. make sure you've got the best tires you can buy before you spend the money on a damper because they're not cheap. I paid $160 for my hyperpro RSC on ebay and the mounting kit was $200 from their site. if you wait on ebay you can find one for under $200 usually with a mounting kit from a different bike that you can sell back. make sure the mounting kits are available somewhere first for that type.

 

1) I'm sorry, but the F4i is not one of the most refined bikes in the world.

2) EVERY part of normal road riding could be benefited by a steering damper. And I already said that most of the time, adjusting other parts of your bike and riding, which costs much less, will be sufficient for most people. But I'm also trying to prove the point that dampers are not useless and for "posers". I don't understand how someone would have that opinion. Like I said, they put them on stock motorcycles for a REASON.

 

Ok what is a refined bike to you? To me it means that it has been developed and improved over a number of years, where defects and blemishes are ironed out from one generation to the other. I fully agree with you that adjusting other parts will be sufficient to most people - hence my posers comment and yours

Quote:

Plus it's another dope mod to put on your list for bragging rights

. I do understand that dampers will give some benefits in certain situations; especially when going hard and on poorly surfaced roads. Also, the only stock dampers on bikes I've seen are Fireblade, 07RR and something from Suzuki. These are track biased bikes in my book - no normal road riding then.

 

In order for sportbikes to be so responsive they have to be somewhat unstable. A steering damper may not be needed on the street in most conditions, but from what I see out there many of us are maniacs on the road and a little extra stability can't hurt even if for 99% of the time the thing just sits there and makes the bike a little less responsive. After all, when you are moving fast andpushing bike, what is a little extra effort anyway, you aren't gonna bend the bars right?

I know the 1000RR with its HESD feels sooooo stable when moving fast that dampers are a good idea if I knew my F4i would feel like the 1000rr under the same circumstances, I might consider pissing away $350 too. I'd get the Ohlins for no other reason than the name.

 

A couple folks have stated their hatred for the Gen1 HESD.