@Dave
My 883 while still stock was enjoyable to ride thru the canyons. My only dislike was the throttle is very touchy and any bumps or bounces even just slight movement caused me to be jittery on the throttle. As far as the steering went it was fine. I don't know if a damper would have made a difference. But like my current setup on the savage the 1200 I rode was hard tailed with a 5" stretch and 3" drop seat. The bikes handling characteristics were drastically changed. I built the bike for the owner and rode it thru Santiago canyon minus a damper so I had a feel for it. He later installed a kit and after seeing it I asked to do a portion of the ride to see the difference if any. I definitely felt a difference. The flop was all but gone. It laid over smoother and you weren't fighting the steering during switchback transitions.

One of the main selling points for most damper companies like ohlins or Scotts is rider fatigue. The damper absorbs front end movements and not the rider. This cuts down on having to ride heavy handed on the bars during long trips (something I have to do because of my setup) and it absorbs smaller imperfections in the road like rain grooves. This is my main focus for the damper. I don't think I'll ever be doing high speed canyon runs, though I've been told I push the bike way further than anyone I ride with say they'd be comfortable doing on a rigid.

Gary_in_NJ wrote on 08/03/15 at 06:09:24:


That depends on the reason for the need for steering adjustment.  I'm not just talking about ordinary corrections for maintaining a smooth line.  I suppose I should've clarified that.

Gary_in_NJ wrote on 08/03/15 at 05:40:24:


Any bike can wobble.  The video below can explain that for me.  This is not necessarily indicative of an underlying problem.  I have two reasons for my interest in a damper...First, is that I like to ride one handed sometimes and often with a light touch.  Sure, I could stop riding like that and it would be a no cost solution but I don't want to.  Second, is the atrocious condition of the roads in Houston.  The broken pavement and shoddy tar snake repairs in our roadways here can lead to a herky jerky steering situation that wouldn't be remedied by a steering stabilizer but would be dampened, which is the point.

I don't agree that the S40 is a slow steering bike.  For it's design I'd say it's responsiveness is anything but slow.  Many cruiser style bikes usually can't achieve the S40's lean angles either.

I do agree that a damper won't help with tramlining.  I think a good set of properly inflated tires might be the answer for that.  There's always going to be some though.

https://youtu.be/fvsDIq3WwVA?t=4m25s

Thanks Sero I do like it. I planned to do the same setup just opposite side so I can use the horn mount holes. I got that style damper as well as the remote reservoir style. Gonna try them both and see which I like more.

I'm curious if he got the damper before or after the brace and what insight he might share regarding the difference before and after.  Of course, if he added them at the same time then we'd have to attribute the positive results to both.  If he added the damper before the fork brace we might assume that the damper wasn't sufficient and likewise if he added it after the brace then we might assume the brace wasn't sufficient to achieve the desired effects alone.


It's not everyday that I see complete analytical thought processes.
Refreshing..

Rylee,

Looks like you did a good job.

How about posting some closeup pics of the bracket you made and how you have the other end fastened to your bike.

Kenny G

I'll get some better shots of how I mounted it plus a few pics of the bolt on mount I made for those not able to weld. I'm doing a big ride Saturday morning and I'll have some good feedback from that. As far as the roads I ride everyday the improvement was immediately noticable.

Sad to say but I've posted the bike for sale. I have my eye on an 06 model with no miles and original owner that's bone stock. Time to start over and build another one. This time around I wanna do a voodoo vintage board track frame and swap the engine over. Gonna go longer and lower and have some fun with their frame switching it up a bit. Not sure if I'm going to go this route style wise yet or not. The sale has sparked good interest thanks to a few companies that have reposted the bike on instagram. If your on instagram you can check it out on the @bobbers_n_choppers page.

I rode my Cafe' bike around for a year without a front fender.  When doing the work to convert it to a Cafe' I just ran out of winter and wanted to spend the summer months riding....not working on a fender mount and fork brace.

The next year I installed a TKAT front fork brace and fender.

I really didn't notice a night/day difference in the way the bike handles.  I did however notice that I got a lot less water and grit thrown into my face.

I know what you mean.  I've actually been considering putting a skirted front fender on mine to reduce the blowback.