Hi there, I don't post here much, but I thought this would be on of the best places to ask my question. I have a 2004 F4i that's mechanically bone-stock. I have one season of riding experience under my belt (this is my first bike), for a total of about 7,000 miles, 95% of which were driven on the street or inner-city highways. My riding style has been very conservative but is getting slightly more agressive as I am now more comfortable with going WOT, and leaning the bike on the ramps during the day when I can see clearly, etc. I plan on taking the FAST racing school and might do a lapping day or two next season, but for the most part, my bike is a "daily-driver" and spends its time riding in a civilized fashion in the city. I probably sound like I'm 60, but I'm only 25 I swear!

The reason for my post/poll is that I want to minimize the chance of getting a tankslapper. I've seen videos and it's not pretty. I don't do any stunts, and my bike has yet to see a track day. I don't know if my suspenion is well set-up but I know it needs to be "tuned". My bike is soft, too soft, even though the settings are almost on the stiffest. What I mean by that is that it nose dives under braking and transfers too much weight backwards under acceleration, unless I am tucked in. I believe it's related to the shocks, but I have no mechanical expertise to know what I'm talking about and will get a professional to fix my settings and replace the oil in the shocks, or whatever else must be done.

With all that said, and once that's all done, am I still succeptible to getting a tankslapper and should I therefore get a damper? Let me know your thoughts. Also, I don't need 32798734928 adjustibility settings; I want the horizonal damping, but don't want to lose maneouvrability and handling (i.e. I don't want the bike to be harder to turn/countersteer). My bike already feels much heavier and definitely not as flickable as my buddy's 07 600RR that I've driven a few times now (his is stock too)!

Thanks!

 

Good post ~ I'm curious too. Tankslappers; the thought does cross my mind when doing 80+ mph. on the hwy.

 

You don't just get tank slappers. Everything has a Cause and Effect. Effect = Tankslapper, Cause = front wheel clearing ground and landing un-straight. The cause can be from a wheelie, debris in the road, or sometimes uneven road surface like ruts caused by heavy tractor-trailer use(I've actually had one of those and it was by far the most scary yet awesome save). I voted no as I have over 50k miles between my bikes in just 3-4 years and have experienced only a couple of tank slappers which were easily overcome by throttling through it. What generally causes the crash is the panic and reflex to back of the throttle or worse grab the brakes.

 

ugghh, front wheel coming off the ground is not the only way to have a tank slap effect. Hopefully someone here can help you, I dont known the answer but good post.

 

No. It will change the way your bike rides, and from the sounds of it you don't want that.

Keep your tires in good condition and properly inflated, get your suspension tuned for your body weight and riding style, and you'll be fine. I've never been close to a tank slapper and I do normal street riding, hard street riding, canyon carving, occasional wheelies, etc.

 

No, you don't need one. I bought one, and it ends up on the lowest setting 99% of the time. Spend your money on having the suspension set up for you. For the price of a damper you could probably do that and spring for some SS lines or something that will have a true benefit.

 

You are in dire need of getting your suspension adjusted for your weight and riding style.Should cost ~$40 toget done by a pro motorcycle race suspension guy.

I went through the exact same thing- the stock suspension is set VERY soft andafter getting it dialed in my bike felt 100% better. There is no need for a steering damper unless you are riding really, really hard.

 

Thanks for the replies - keep them coming!

I am wondering to what extent are F4i's more forgiving and therefore not requiring a damper as much as other sportbikes, such as an R6 for example.

 

My experience with the front end shaking due to wheelies, gravel, grooved / uneven road, is just to keep a firm grip on the bars and throttle through it. I think some people go to panic mode and hit the brakes or try to correct for it and thats when it goes south.

I have been in the throttle hard over heavily grooved pavement, like a bridge when they are repaving, and the asphalt is really rough, and the front end starts to shake pretty good. Just hang on and cruise through it.

The only way I can see it getting too bad is wheelie and then coming down with the bars turned.

 

The F4i seems very well behaved to me. But the R6 has a similar "fusion" of suspension components that provide for a well-integrated ride.

The key, as mentioned already, is getting things sprung and valved for your weight.

For me, I'm 155lbs, and every bike out there pretty much is set up for my weight. (generally OEM setups are for a 150-170lb rider)

I installed a Scotts damper on my 02 and I am very happy with it. Whether or not it changes the way the bike rides, depends on how you have it set up. Mine is set up in the middle, meaning it gives me some "large hit" protection, but also gives me some "wobble" damping (for lack of better terms) if you tune it down all the way, there is basically no damping on regular handlebar turns while riding, and the "big hit" protection is maximum, best suited to preventing tank slappers.

No, you definitely don't need one for street riding. I already had one, so it was only an investment in a mounting kit.

I have a mounting kit set up for this bike, and my dirtbike, so when I ride in the desert, I just swap the unit over.

All I can say is, it definitely gives you additional confidence, I like the feel of it, and feel it helps me control mid-turn countersteer input, and reduces mid-turn wobble in the bars.

If you can afford one, get one! (A Scotts damper that is) I can't speak for the rail-type dampers, or the GPR dampers.

the blonde weasel