Steering stabilizer

red_leader
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red_leader 10/14/2019 5:42pm
10/14/2019 5:42pm
smv ryder wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2018/11/06/300491/s1200_26841557_10102336526070242_1563295050858243131_o.jpg[/img] Mine is re-valved for offroad and racetech gold valve installed. I love it, like Joe I took mine off my old bike and installed it...


Mine is re-valved for offroad and racetech gold valve installed. I love it, like Joe I took mine off my old bike and installed it on my new one. I had to weld a bung on because of the Neken triple clamps but when I get my new bike I will install it that way again.
I love this! I have the SFS as well to help my wrists out.
Anyone have more details?
Do I have to take the bike apart to get it welded? Like steering head bearings? Or just weld it in place?
Is there a special bung you buy or is it custom ground?
Thanks guys!
smv ryder
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smv ryder 10/14/2019 7:28pm
10/14/2019 7:28pm
red_leader wrote:
I love this! I have the SFS as well to help my wrists out. Anyone have more details? Do I have to take the bike apart...
I love this! I have the SFS as well to help my wrists out.
Anyone have more details?
Do I have to take the bike apart to get it welded? Like steering head bearings? Or just weld it in place?
Is there a special bung you buy or is it custom ground?
Thanks guys!
Here is my build on thumpertalk, page 25 is when I started it.
https://thumpertalk.com/forums/topic/1201125-2015-fc350-build/page/25/

There is also another topic on vital.
https://www.vitalmx.com/forums/Moto-Related,20/Steering-stabilizer-on-1…
ktmwoods
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ktmwoods 10/14/2019 9:21pm
10/14/2019 9:21pm
GPR on my 2017.5 Factory Edition 450. Incredible performance and adjustability.
fpandjic
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fpandjic 10/14/2019 10:21pm
10/14/2019 10:21pm
Do you guys notice running stabilizer? I have one on my YZ450F '19, but it seems the same to me.

The Shop

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FWYT
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FWYT 10/14/2019 10:56pm
10/14/2019 10:56pm
fpandjic wrote:
Do you guys notice running stabilizer? I have one on my YZ450F '19, but it seems the same to me.
I have the Showa damper on a couple of my bikes and I love them. Takes out just enough of the
jitter headshake. Not sure if it would be my first choice for Baja or something, though.

I did change the oil to something much heavier, though. The trick with getting this set up to work is to refill the Showa damper with fresh, more viscous fluid. Again- you will HAVE to tune the Showa damper to your liking! If you leave it as-is, you will probably be disappointed. The stock oil is garbage and the unit itself has a somewhat limited range of clicker adjustments. Meaning that from full soft to full firm (about 12 clicks, I think) it doesn't go full easy to full resistance. You have to get the fluid viscosity in the ballpark first and then sorta fine tune with the clickers.

Changing the oil in the damper is super easy!!! All you do is remove the circlips from both the piston shaft and the reservoir. On the reservoir side, screw in a bolt into the plastic cap and gently pull it out. Remove the spring underneath. Insert another bolt into the piston below it and gently also pull that out.

On the shaft side, gently pull that out. Clean everything well. Place the damper in a vice and fill the reservoir side. Insert the piston being careful of the seal. You want to have no air underneath the piston. Then install the spring and cap.

Moving over to the shaft side, fill the body with fluid and insert the shaft kinda at an angle so any air escapes. Slowly depress and gently push through it's stroke and make sure you have no trapped air.

Actually, the hot ticket is this; that damper holds hardly any oil at all. So get a small container with the fluid you are going to use and submerge the whole unit disassembled. THEN put in the piston and shaft. No air!

As far as what weight fluid, I first used 7.5wt fork oil. But when I put it on the bike, the damping affect even at full stiff was not firm enough. So I took it apart a couple times till I got it in the ballpark of what I was guessing would be a stiff-enough feel at a full-firm setting. Using my highly scientific methods, I was using about a 4:1 mixture of 7.5wt fork oil and 20/50 motor oil. I'm sure the Showa engineers would recoil in horror but, hey, I'm the non-scientist, not them! hhahahahhahahhahhahha

Note: this link on Thumpertalk has a good how-to for changing the fluid: http://www.thumpertalk.com/topic/541149-how-to-service-2008-steering-da…
tttrailhunter 10/15/2019 2:43am
10/15/2019 2:43am
FWYT wrote:
I have the Showa damper on a couple of my bikes and I love them. Takes out just enough of the jitter headshake. Not sure if...
I have the Showa damper on a couple of my bikes and I love them. Takes out just enough of the
jitter headshake. Not sure if it would be my first choice for Baja or something, though.

I did change the oil to something much heavier, though. The trick with getting this set up to work is to refill the Showa damper with fresh, more viscous fluid. Again- you will HAVE to tune the Showa damper to your liking! If you leave it as-is, you will probably be disappointed. The stock oil is garbage and the unit itself has a somewhat limited range of clicker adjustments. Meaning that from full soft to full firm (about 12 clicks, I think) it doesn't go full easy to full resistance. You have to get the fluid viscosity in the ballpark first and then sorta fine tune with the clickers.

Changing the oil in the damper is super easy!!! All you do is remove the circlips from both the piston shaft and the reservoir. On the reservoir side, screw in a bolt into the plastic cap and gently pull it out. Remove the spring underneath. Insert another bolt into the piston below it and gently also pull that out.

On the shaft side, gently pull that out. Clean everything well. Place the damper in a vice and fill the reservoir side. Insert the piston being careful of the seal. You want to have no air underneath the piston. Then install the spring and cap.

Moving over to the shaft side, fill the body with fluid and insert the shaft kinda at an angle so any air escapes. Slowly depress and gently push through it's stroke and make sure you have no trapped air.

Actually, the hot ticket is this; that damper holds hardly any oil at all. So get a small container with the fluid you are going to use and submerge the whole unit disassembled. THEN put in the piston and shaft. No air!

As far as what weight fluid, I first used 7.5wt fork oil. But when I put it on the bike, the damping affect even at full stiff was not firm enough. So I took it apart a couple times till I got it in the ballpark of what I was guessing would be a stiff-enough feel at a full-firm setting. Using my highly scientific methods, I was using about a 4:1 mixture of 7.5wt fork oil and 20/50 motor oil. I'm sure the Showa engineers would recoil in horror but, hey, I'm the non-scientist, not them! hhahahahhahahhahhahha

Note: this link on Thumpertalk has a good how-to for changing the fluid: http://www.thumpertalk.com/topic/541149-how-to-service-2008-steering-da…
why wouldnt you buy 15 or 20 w fork oil?

engine oil aint hydraulic oil

even Im recoiling in horror.
1
AJ565
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AJ565 10/15/2019 6:10am
10/15/2019 6:10am
fpandjic wrote:
Do you guys notice running stabilizer? I have one on my YZ450F '19, but it seems the same to me.
It doesn't help on straight line stuff. You really only notice it in rutted turns. Run a few laps with it on then take it off and see if you feel it. It helped stop my bike from trying to climb out of the rut. I've let other guys ride my bike without telling them about it and they noticed it too.
FWYT
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FWYT 10/15/2019 7:41am
10/15/2019 7:41am Edited Date/Time 10/15/2019 7:43am
FWYT wrote:
I have the Showa damper on a couple of my bikes and I love them. Takes out just enough of the jitter headshake. Not sure if...
I have the Showa damper on a couple of my bikes and I love them. Takes out just enough of the
jitter headshake. Not sure if it would be my first choice for Baja or something, though.

I did change the oil to something much heavier, though. The trick with getting this set up to work is to refill the Showa damper with fresh, more viscous fluid. Again- you will HAVE to tune the Showa damper to your liking! If you leave it as-is, you will probably be disappointed. The stock oil is garbage and the unit itself has a somewhat limited range of clicker adjustments. Meaning that from full soft to full firm (about 12 clicks, I think) it doesn't go full easy to full resistance. You have to get the fluid viscosity in the ballpark first and then sorta fine tune with the clickers.

Changing the oil in the damper is super easy!!! All you do is remove the circlips from both the piston shaft and the reservoir. On the reservoir side, screw in a bolt into the plastic cap and gently pull it out. Remove the spring underneath. Insert another bolt into the piston below it and gently also pull that out.

On the shaft side, gently pull that out. Clean everything well. Place the damper in a vice and fill the reservoir side. Insert the piston being careful of the seal. You want to have no air underneath the piston. Then install the spring and cap.

Moving over to the shaft side, fill the body with fluid and insert the shaft kinda at an angle so any air escapes. Slowly depress and gently push through it's stroke and make sure you have no trapped air.

Actually, the hot ticket is this; that damper holds hardly any oil at all. So get a small container with the fluid you are going to use and submerge the whole unit disassembled. THEN put in the piston and shaft. No air!

As far as what weight fluid, I first used 7.5wt fork oil. But when I put it on the bike, the damping affect even at full stiff was not firm enough. So I took it apart a couple times till I got it in the ballpark of what I was guessing would be a stiff-enough feel at a full-firm setting. Using my highly scientific methods, I was using about a 4:1 mixture of 7.5wt fork oil and 20/50 motor oil. I'm sure the Showa engineers would recoil in horror but, hey, I'm the non-scientist, not them! hhahahahhahahhahhahha

Note: this link on Thumpertalk has a good how-to for changing the fluid: http://www.thumpertalk.com/topic/541149-how-to-service-2008-steering-da…
tttrailhunter wrote:
why wouldnt you buy 15 or 20 w fork oil?

engine oil aint hydraulic oil

even Im recoiling in horror.
Because it was just laying around and I didn't have any proper fluid handy. Just went , screw it, let's see how this works. 😁😁😁😁
red_leader
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red_leader 10/15/2019 12:19pm
10/15/2019 12:19pm
thanks!
Very cool guys.
It's interesting it doesn't do anything while the bike is pointed straight.
You'd think a little resistance would be helpful.

Luxon MX
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Luxon MX 10/15/2019 12:25pm
10/15/2019 12:25pm
red_leader wrote:
thanks!
Very cool guys.
It's interesting it doesn't do anything while the bike is pointed straight.
You'd think a little resistance would be helpful.

It's all about the motion ratio. With the bars straight, the damper doesn't hardly move when you turn the bars. That's why it won't do anything for headshake. The more you turn the bars, though, the more is moves, and the more it dampens the steering.

Pit Row

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