ok guys let me hear your stories,good ,bad,price,quality etc

 

Never had a bad one. Matris, scotts, oe suzuki. Mostly its personal preference and you get what you pay for. Most people get one and don't need it.

 

most people won't ride hard enough to need them. i personally think its just more bling for the bike.

it just keeps the bike more stable for those quick turn-ins and for carving those esses at 90+mph, i doubt the most street riders will do this.

 

i have scotts, and let me say it has saved me from some pain and medical bills quite a few times. i have a 954, which is known for the front end to act nervous at high speeds or under hard acceleration, so this is one of the first aftermarket pieces i bought after buying the bike. during last thanksgiving day i went out for a ride with some friends, and it was quite windy. we're squids, so we were messing around doing wheelies in an empty industrial street. while i had the front wheel up a gust of wind pushed the bike to the side causing me to land a little sideways, at which time the bars went into a tankslapper, but i quickly felt the scotts damper pick up on it and control it (it stiffened and straightened out). god only knows what would have happen if i didn't have the damper.

some people don't think they need a damper until they've soiled their pants after experiencing a tank slapper.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by georgiajdm &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">most people won't ride hard enough to need them. i personally think its just more bling for the bike.

it just keeps the bike more stable for those quick turn-ins and for carving those esses at 90+mph, i doubt the most street riders will do this. </TD></TR></TABLE>

Have you ever road with a steering damper? I took it off my TLR just to feel the difference and on bumpy roads the damper really helps keep the wheel straight and makes the bumps smooter on the arms. for a steering damper

 

Wow i would never ride without one...."bling"?? you must not ride very hard....it makes a huge differnce, i had an ohlns i got used, loved it, howver i've heard there isn't much differnce between them but i'd highly recommend one

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by georgiajdm &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">most people won't ride hard enough to need them. i personally think its just more bling for the bike.

it just keeps the bike more stable for those quick turn-ins and for carving those esses at 90+mph, i doubt the most street riders will do this. </TD></TR></TABLE>

What are you talking about? Pretty much anyone can benefit from a steering damper and it only takes one tank slapper to more than pay for itself. Ohlins is ohlins. I like scotts, especially since I commute and do hard riding in the mountains since it has a slow speed adjustability and high speed so you dont have to worry about dropping your bike doing a u turn. GPR is a really nice alternative and its cheap.

 

i also heard that ohlins makes the dampers for scotts... the truth behind that, i'm not sure.

 

totally not true...i'm not trying to prove you wrong or something but unless you have riding with a scotts you wouldnt know...it makes a huge difference from stock on any bike...to tell you the truth if you really know how to use it...it doesnt matter if you are going 10 mph or 160.....it makes a difference...and it makes you feel like a better rida......SCOTTS or OHLINS....i got a scotts on my 03 r6...

 

Guess I'm wrong. No, I have never ridden a steering damper equipped bike so I personally don't know.

My suggestion was based on conjecture from other boards that didn't recommend dampers.

 

djquickstart11:

on getting a damper. The 03 R6 definately needs one. I've had that thing get pretty twitchy on me numerous times. Both accelerating out of turns and messing with stoppies. I would hate to land crossed up on a wheelie w/o a damper on that bike! Here's a short clip on a stoppie almost gone wrong. I let off the brake as soon as I felt the shake.

http://www.we-todd-did-racing....DE%3D

 

i dont have one myself, but i've ridden my friends 2000 ZX-6 before and after he got a scotts. i just took it around the block and i was trippin out on how much of a difference it made to the whole feel of the bike. I LOVED IT!!!!! just cant afford one for myself rite now... eh...

ALL MOTA - ur braver than me man... attempting a stoppie with a minivan headed rite for ya.... be careful...

 

Have a Hyperpro on my 00 R6 and the 01 TLR has one stock. I threw the hyperpro on the r6 after I got a TS so bad that it actually pushed my brake pads in somehow.. Kind of hard to explain, but after the TS, I reach for some brake and lever goes all the way to the bar - had to "pump it" back up.... Anyway, since putting the hyperpro on, no problems....

A friend of mine had a Matris on his bike and some how all the threads stripped out on a ride - Don't know if I'd blame Matris or the installation since I don't know much about either.

Can't beat a scott's either...

 

Same thing happened to me on the freeway. I got into a mean TS and when I went to exit the freeway, I reached for the brakes and the brake handle went all the way to the bars. I had to squeeze it a couple times to get the pressure back in. It was pretty scary. Im going to invest in a steering damper real soon, but damn they are expensive.

 

Matris is excellent. I have nothing but praise for it, and its a beautiful piece...not to mention it's pretty rare (The M4)

 

I know the scotts is small and compact, now does the matris style damper get in the way at all?

 

I have never ridden a bike with one however I hear from many people that they do help and that the R6 is a perfect candidate for one.

 

I have a 954 and due to the nature of the beast, I got a GPR stabilizer for my bike. I opted for this model over the scotts because the GPR has a single adjustment screw that can be moved on the fly. Good for me, because I ride street and then I hit the canyons on the weekends.

Never thought I would ever use it, but just the other day I was accelerating up a slight incline, the bike hit a real small bump, and the front end got a little light. Well after the front end got light, I got the GP shake. (If you watch GP racing, you know what I mean) The GPR did it's job and I was able to control the bike.

Best $350 I ever spent.

 

rough estimate on prices?

 

Eh, from what I have read you don't really need it unless you are on the track or stunting, just adjust your suspension accordingly. It'll save you from a tankslapper and probably smoothen out your ride a tad though.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Kris &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Eh, from what I have read you don't really need it unless you are on the track or stunting, just adjust your suspension accordingly. It'll save you from a tankslapper and probably smoothen out your ride a tad though.</TD></TR></TABLE>

From what you read??? Some people ride pretty hard on the street you know. Couple that with poor pavement conditions and the extreme steering angles on the bikes these days - you're probably asking for it.

By all means, learn how to adjust your suspension correctly, but it's only going to help you if you ride that much harder. Why do you think many of the newer bikes coming out come stock with them?

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by dennis &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Some people ride pretty hard on the street you know.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Well, I would consider aggressive riding like track riding...hey if you think you need it and want to spend $400 on a steering damper go ahead, but you really don't need it unless you are riding hard or stunting. I look at dampers like gear...it's good to have when you need it.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Kris &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

Well, I would consider aggressive riding like track riding...hey if you think you need it and want to spend $400 on a steering damper go ahead, but you really don't need it unless you are riding hard or stunting. I look at dampers like gear...it's good to have when you need it.</TD></TR></TABLE>

wait til you are in a turn and a piece of road is broken and chunked out and your front tire hits it.... then tell me you dont need a damper on the street, oh wait, thats right, if you're lucky you wont be dead. dampers arent like gear, they help stabalize the bike a LOT, even when riding straight the bike has a different feel. if you don't have one then i don't see how you can comment because you have no experience.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by immortal &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">

wait til you are in a turn and a piece of road is broken and chunked out and your front tire hits it.... then tell me you dont need a damper on the street, oh wait, thats right, if you're lucky you wont be dead. dampers arent like gear, they help stabalize the bike a LOT, even when riding straight the bike has a different feel. if you don't have one then i don't see how you can comment because you have no experience.</TD></TR></TABLE>

Well from what I have seen and heard in that situation a damper would'nt help. Anyone have any comments or am I wrong? If you were to hit a hole in the road while you are in a turn regaurdless of a damper or not I think you would loose it.

 

wrong, it can and will save your *** in many situations. it keeps your bike stable under every condition. granted sometimes no amount of technology or hardware will be able to save you, but sometimes and most of the time it can. after riding my 954 without one and with one, i'm never going to own a 1000cc bike without one. when i had my f4i i never felt a need for one because my front end never really felt light when i would accelerate hard out of a corner. on my 954 i've popped power wheelies while i'm still leaned over coming out of a turn. it all depends on how aggressive of riding you do. it also helps with wheelies and endos if that's your thing. for $350-500, its worth every cent.