Guest Squashed Nose Posted October 28, 2002 Share Posted October 28, 2002 The steering damper on my bike lost its fluid several months ago (I have been waiting nearly three months for my dealer to come up with a replacement under warranty. I could have walked to Italy and back in less time!) Anyway, if I hadn't found the oil all over the inside of my fairing, there is no way I would have noticed any difference. The steering geometry may be radical by MG standards but it is hardly ground breaking. What on earth is the steering damper doing on the bike in the first place? I haul the bike over far enough to grind the kickstand (and that's after cutting away half the rubber stop) and have never experienced anything nasty from the front end. Is it merely a fashion accessory? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichMaund Posted October 28, 2002 Share Posted October 28, 2002 Being an Italian bike, it IS a fashion accessory! But I see them as good to have also. If you are leaned way over and smack a set of railroad tracks in the middle of the curve, you will be glad to have it. (If it has been set properly.) We have a road like that locally. I use that corner to test suspension setups. With the damper set lowest on my V11S, it'll wobble once before recovering. I have found that the case on many of my bikes. With the damper adjusted so that some light resistance is felt side to side when the front wheel is off the ground, the same corner/tracks doesn't upset it at all. Mine did weep fluid shortly after it was new. Guzzi refused to warranty it since most of them leak, it is considered normal. I took the end cap off of mine, drained the fuild (I measured it! But right now can't remember what it held. ), and refilled it with Power Steering Fluid with seal swell in it. The stuff is made to stop weeps in hydraulic steering systems. It took some time to take effect, but it worked. Now it weeps just a tiny bit. Just enough to gather some dirt over time. But I no longer find droplets running back along the tank after a hard freeway run! I'd say they are necessary. It was worth my time to repair mine and keep using it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ragin' Pit Bull Posted October 28, 2002 Share Posted October 28, 2002 I like having the steering damper. On smooth corners it isn't necessary, but corners aren't always smooth. And since I'll be using my Le Mans at the racetrack next year, I may even upgrade to the Ohlins unit found on the Scura and Rosso Corsa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest hyper Posted November 5, 2002 Share Posted November 5, 2002 I had a couple of nasty head shakes on my rosso while riding aggressivly on rough roads, the steering damper was set on full soft. I have crashed twice in 30 years of riding because of headshakes and I was lucky not to crash as the shake was quite violent. I turned up the setting to approx. half way and on the same road all seems good. Around town I turn the damper to full soft but when you get silly and start to ride hard turn it up a notch. I think it would be a mistake to remove the damper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Guest Posted November 7, 2002 Share Posted November 7, 2002 I had the good fortune of watching Moto Guzzi's return to this year's Isle of Man TT races. Their Tenni had a noticeable wobble at the Rhen Cullen section where, bikes wheelie at well over 100 mph. I later found out that the brace that supports the steering dampner had snapped. Granted, most of us don't do the ton at the I.O.M. (maybe in our dreams) but, I'd wager that the steering dampner does do a bit of good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jtucker Posted November 7, 2002 Share Posted November 7, 2002 If you find that you need the steering damper cranked up to get a stable ride, then it is possible that you need to do some suspension tuning. A steering damper can certainly compliment a well set up bike, but a damper can also mask serioius suspension problems. I found that after I adjusted my suspension settings, I was able to back the steering damper all the way off and still have a very stable ride. __Jason 00 M900Dark 00 V11 Sport Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ragin' Pit Bull Posted November 7, 2002 Share Posted November 7, 2002 If you find that you need the steering damper cranked up to get a stable ride, then it is possible that you need to do some suspension tuning. A steering damper can certainly compliment a well set up bike, but a damper can also mask serioius suspension problems. I found that after I adjusted my suspension settings, I was able to back the steering damper all the way off and still have a very stable ride. __Jason 00 M900Dark 00 V11 Sport That's a very good point especially since the preload on our bikes are hard to get to with the stock airbox. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janusz Posted November 8, 2002 Share Posted November 8, 2002 All you need to do is take a gas tank off and a sctewdriver and small hammer does an easy job. Do not forget dabble some oil between the ring/spring as per Shop Manual. The factory wrench is totally useless. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gthyni Posted September 29, 2003 Share Posted September 29, 2003 I add a reply to this old thread instead of starting a new, Previously I have mentioned that I removed the stock Bitubo steering damper and found the bike much "lighter" to handle with no loss of stability. But there is always the danger of tank slap when running without one. Late in this season I mounted a Öhlins damper on my V11 and I can only say it is great. With loose to medium setting it is not noticeble, it is just like running without. This is what we want added safety and no ill effects. Pricey, yes. Luckily I found a 2nd hand damper at a resonable price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al_roethlisberger Posted September 29, 2003 Share Posted September 29, 2003 Do you recall the dimensions or cross-reference(which ones from other bikes fit the V11) for the Ohlins you used? Knowing this would be helpful for those that may need to replace a defective Bitubo unit, and can find a nice used Ohlins on eBay from another bike. thx! al Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldini Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 I have had damper on my Scura set to lowest setting since new & was thinking of removing it.The bike hasn't shaken it's head & I'm interested to see. On my LM11 I removed the damper & sawed off the bracket too ! It regularly shakes it's head quite dramatically light over crests but settles down after 3 or 4 oscillations. I like to feel what's going on...The V11 feels pretty stable. I dunno - but I feel a damper just masks other problems. Suspension set up like Jason says. Gythni - did you actually get any headshakes when you were running V11 without a damper? Rich - The earlier V11's had steeper head I think, less stable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docc Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 Apparently only the 2000 an 2001 had the nervous geometry. I find the damper helpful as the tire wears and cups. With a new front tire I go back to the zero setting on the damper. With a new tire and no damping the bike feels 150 pounds lighter! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gthyni Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 al: I use an universal damper, partno SD 100 it has 120 mm stroke, but since the bitubo only has 80 mm stroke it points out a bit (no biggie) I think an univeral Öhlins with 90 mm stroke should be the ultimate choice, partno SD 110 baldini: no head shake, but friends of mine have had sudden scary experiences on otherwise stable bike. Better save then sorry, and since the unit from Öhlins does not restrict me at all I feels like a good investment. I put the 2003 Öhlins catalog on my site for your pleasure . Warning! Not suitable for sensible persons, this is hard core bike porn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldini Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 Docc, F Diablo is half worn & no cupping!(not many miles either but...) KB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrt Posted September 30, 2003 Share Posted September 30, 2003 Apparently only the 2000 an 2001 had the nervous geometry. I have an '01 sport and it's stable like a rock- I backed the steering damper off in the first week I had the bike. I've just never needed it. The handling did improve marginally when I softened the front and rear suspension (from stock). Cheers, Jason Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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