Is a steering damper necessary?

From what I understand is they help when pulling hard out of turns. Sounds like you're not doing much of that. But its one of those things, its better to have and not need, than need and not have... maybe.

Good point. Maybe I'll just keep saving and see how I feel by then. Thanks

I have a hypepro steering damper on my 07, my bro's 05 doesn't have a damper, and I'd say the front end feels way more secure on my bike. The damper is for tank slappers, and those can happen even at cruising speeds. I'd say save for the damper as it's one of the few safety pieces for our bikes that can prevent a crash.

if your bike didn't come with one from the manufacturer like the hondas and gsxr's then i wouldn't even ride without one. you try doing a wheelie or just get on the gas hard enough to get the front a little light and you'll start tank slapping. if it hasn't happened yet, give it time and it will. when it does you'd better be able to keep a super clear head under pressure and pray that you have the open room to get it settled down.
gear and other safety equipment should be the first things you drop money on. like he said, better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

does the brand matter then?

Court Jester said:

if your bike didn't come with one from the manufacturer like the hondas and gsxr's then i wouldn't even ride without one. you try doing a wheelie or just get on the gas hard enough to get the front a little light and you'll start tank slapping. if it hasn't happened yet, give it time and it will. when it does you'd better be able to keep a super clear head under pressure and pray that you have the open room to get it settled down.
gear and other safety equipment should be the first things you drop money on. like he said, better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

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they happen because of rider error...not the front end being light
wheelie with front wheel crooked = rider error
too hard on the grips = rider error

they just hide your mistakes

I havent had the need for one, and I dont plan on buying one anytime soon.

plan on doing any wheelies? then yes.

It all depends on your style of riding. If all you do is just cruise and putt around on the street and don't accelerate hard then there really is no need for a steering damper. If you push the limits on the street or track or stunt then it's a good idea to get one.

I would say 100% yes, i've had my share of scary moments at high speeds and had about 3 wobbles occur when hitting bumps on exit ramps at night.

If you ask me, they shouldn't sell this bike without one! I got mine a couple of weeks ago and diffrence was night and day! Even with the ridculous price tag them come with, I think it was worth every penny!

i wont ride another bike without one... i love the feeling of mine, both on the street and the track.

You can always make some kind of plate holder for free... i didnt check what year you have but there are plenty of options on that.

I'll just get one so I have an excuse to get up to the speed limit as quick as possible. :*tongue

lunchbox101 said:

they happen because of rider error...not the front end being light
wheelie with front wheel crooked = rider error
too hard on the grips = rider error

they just hide your mistakes

Click to expand...

Exactly what I was gona say. I had a Scott on my '04 and thought it was definitely a necessity. However, on my '05, and with a lot more experience and practice/training I don't feel as dependent to get one on this bike for now.

If your going to get one I would suggest Scott. The quality was second to none. i think it also has more adjust ability than others but I may be wrong.

I am going to get the GPR V1...the price is killing me though. The front end is really light and somewhat scary when you hit long ass tar snakes or bumps at 60+mph

After installing a damper its like night and day. I can ride the bike so much harder now it seems. If you ever get a tank slapper coming out of a turn you will change your mind very quickly about needing one. I say get one before a fender eliminator.

I don't feel they are necessary. I do get tank slappers and wobbles or what not. What I have found and learned is that most of the time it is because of rider error. If you have a death grip on the bars they will slap you silly. If the road is bumpy and you are on the gas and have to much grip on the bars they will again slap you silly. The faster I go the less of a problem it seems to be. The reason being is that every time the bars would slap I knew to relax my grip. This helped me relax which in turn helped me go faster without even realizing it. Getting the suspension set up correctly will also help a bit too. But nothing can beat relaxing the grip on the bars. I will not spend the money on a steering damper unless the rules in racing say I have to have it, or it will finally become the 100th of a second I need to beat the guy ahead of me on the track.

lunchbox101 said:

they happen because of rider error...not the front end being light
wheelie with front wheel crooked = rider error
too hard on the grips = rider error

they just hide your mistakes

Click to expand...

Tank slappers are far from rider error. A tank slapper is caused when the bike's geometry is not interacting with the conditions present as designed. When a bike's self-correcting steering nature that allows one to ride hands-off overcorrects inducing a harmonic oscillation that builds in intensity until the left-right-left motion is so fast/great that the bike looses control.
This can be cause from about 100 different things. Poor suspension set up, wind, intermittent areas of traction, uneven tire wear, tire out of balance, tire out of round, improper alignment, loose bearings, frame flexing, or simply the front wheel loosing contact with the pavement and catching up or trying to keep up with the speed of the rear tire. The list is pretty much endless.
If it hasn’t happened yet; give it time. it will.

i think its better to learn without one then maybe get one i've never used one and never had a problem plus i think its kind of annoying @ low speeds

i've ridden with and without one the only thing it helps to do is lighten your wallet