Steering Damper and Tank Slapping
Posted: Thu Jul 11, 2013 3:15 pm
The bike has 74k on it. As late as 64k, I used a "cruise control" grip adapter to go hands-free on the highway...for a very long time, miles and miles. Lost that unit, bought another, and gave it a shot this week.
On smooth surfaces, it did fine for a short period. After a bump, I could see the wobble start and catch it before I lost the bike. Under cruise before, bumps didn't do a thing.
As I have read on other forums, the steering damper is a "placebo." I presume this is true for my '01 K12RS, but it was doing something in the past.
Yes, I have changed tires since I last used the device.
I should note that I can drive with three fingers resting across the throttle (no thumb) and never experience wobble. This makes me think that even a tiny, tiny bit of damper (like that of my fingers) would correct the problem.
Do you all recommend replacing the damper with another OEM unit? Is there something else to be done with the existing damper? Another fix?
Thanks!
On smooth surfaces, it did fine for a short period. After a bump, I could see the wobble start and catch it before I lost the bike. Under cruise before, bumps didn't do a thing.
As I have read on other forums, the steering damper is a "placebo." I presume this is true for my '01 K12RS, but it was doing something in the past.
Yes, I have changed tires since I last used the device.
I should note that I can drive with three fingers resting across the throttle (no thumb) and never experience wobble. This makes me think that even a tiny, tiny bit of damper (like that of my fingers) would correct the problem.
Do you all recommend replacing the damper with another OEM unit? Is there something else to be done with the existing damper? Another fix?
Thanks!