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Steering Damper

M

mohazima

Just got it firing!
Joined
Aug 8, 2011
Messages
11
Location
New York, NY
I have an '09 V7 Classic with HyperPro progressive springs and shocks, bought from GuzziTech.

I've got the suspension dialed to my liking now but the front still feels a bit light at times and on bumps will have the tendency to wobble.

Been thinking about a steering damper. Anyone have any experiences with them? Know who makes one for this bike?

Or is the suspension just not setup correctly?

I admit that the setup has been a trial and error process for me.

Thanks
 
I haven't tried a steering damper, but I did get a set of Ricor Intiminators:
wildguzzi.com/forum/index.php?topic=44780.0
Ken
 
Hi there,

I too did the Hyperpro upgrade (fork springs & oil and rear shock spring) and was very pleased with the result. I'm not a backroad blaster but I have taken it through some seriously rutted roads and it's much smoother than I thought it would be. In fact, I do a little curb hopping and the front wheel impact has really lightened up too.

This upgrade works for me!

Anthony
 
I'm not sure of the V7C behavior, as they've got the 18" front wheel in contradiction to the 17" Breva dito. I had a clear case of shimmy some years ago though, and was also into the steering damper thoughts.
It all disappeared when I ditched the lousy Lasertech tire(s), and got a pair of Michelins instead.
Might be worth a try.
 
Manufacturers for very good reasons always set up handling on the cautious and safe side, so that means for the average person...who ever that is! I've not had any problems with the front end even with a 5 weight fork oil being a little lighter than standard, so I would first check you have the right amount of oil in each fork leg. I used Hagon progressive springs and they are set up with a 150mm air gap from the oil to top of the fork tube rather than a measured amount. I would suspect yours would be approximately the same. You can always try a heavier oil if you find the damping too soft, but go up one step at a time until you get it right for you.

Next, which should have been first! Check your tyre pressures are correct both front and rear, usually around 33/36 psi, but obviously you can alter these to suit yourself. A tyre change can often improve the handling. I ditched the Metzlers ASAP For Bridgestones.

Rear shocks should be exactly the same preload and if you have it, equal amounts of damping rebound. As the unit are new I'm assuming there is no damping fluid leaking out?

I'd be very cautious about fitting any steering damper as often they can mask the problem rather than solve it. They may have a place on quick steering sports bikes such as Ducati or an MV, but I don't think the V7 fits that description.
 
I don't know how many miles are on the tires but I would replace front & rear with a good set of rubber & have them filled w / nitrogen......
 
A Daytona steering dampener & new tires almost totally solved my problems.

DSC02131.jpg
 
Guys, thanks for all the responses, they're helpful.

Sorry I didn't respond until now. I thought I'd get an email when there was action on this thread but I guess that's not the case!

My bike has the crappy Lasertechs on and I'm sure that's a big part of the problem, but the suspension is still too tight, especially riding NYC streets. I get rattled to death and it affects my confidence in taking corners that may have bumps.

I think the heart of the problem is that I'm running 15w oil in the forks. I decided on this weight because I thought that the Hyperpro kit sold with a 25w oil and wanted to go lighter incrementally. Now I'm not sure where I got the 25w number from and have discovered (by reading the manual, duh) that the stock weight is 7.5w. So that's going to happen.

But I still can't figure out how to adjust the rears. I have the manual but it just doesn't make much sense for me. Anyone with any experience with these shocks and how they got them setup right now, your knowledge is greatly appreciated.

And minimike, how did you fit that steering damper on your bike? Did it require any custom fabrication?
 
Firstly before anything else, sort out the oil in the front forks then whatever tyres you choose at the right pressures.

Right, it's best to start off with the rear dampers on the softest preload, that's with the springs fully extended. This is done either with a pair of threaded collars or cams adjusted with a C spanner. They must be set the same. The same applies to the rebound damping and this is usually done either with a screw turned in and out or a marked dial. Keep to the softest setting first. Adjust the preload by stiffening it up to suit your weight and riding style. Only you know what that is. Once that is how you like it now you can sort the rebound setting. This controls how quickly the rear springs settle back to normal after absorbing a bump. Too soft and you'll pogo off down the road. Too stiff and your spine will come out the top of your head. You'll know when it feels right.

As I said previously, don't be too quick to fit a steering damper as it can mask an incorrect set up which can bite you in the arse when you least expect it. I've never felt the need to fit one on my Classic and that's been over some really indifferent road surfaces.

Lastly, take your time to sort it out and once you get a good base setting you can experiment a bit. (Then go back to the first one you liked!) Good luck.
 
Rear shocks are not adjustable - exept for preload - and the standards are of a; errh, they are not top-of-the line shocks to put it in a modest way.
You may consider buying a pair of shocks of better quality than the standards which I think are Sachs - the early Brevas were delivered with no-name shocks which later were changed to Sachs whith little improvement. I bought a very satisfying pair of Wilbers back then, but they've become quite expensive, so I suggest you to have a chat with Todd here about a pair of YSSs, if you really want to improve the roadholding of your V7C. Also a change of front fork springs for linear springs would be an approvement for driving on the roads of New York, I'm sure. I've been there. :dry:
There are descriptions found everywhere how to set the sag.
 
Holt said:
Rear shocks are not adjustable - exept for preload - and the standards are of a; errh, they are not top-of-the line shocks to put it in a modest way.
You may consider buying a pair of shocks of better quality than the standards which I think are Sachs - the early Brevas were delivered with no-name shocks which later were changed to Sachs whith little improvement. I bought a very satisfying pair of Wilbers back then, but they've become quite expensive, so I suggest you to have a chat with Todd here about a pair of YSSs, if you really want to improve the roadholding of your V7C. Also a change of front fork springs for linear springs would be an approvement for driving on the roads of New York, I'm sure. I've been there. :dry:
There are descriptions found everywhere how to set the sag.
Click to expand...

Actually, the suspension is all Hyperpro, bought from Todd originally.

The springs are progressive. Are you saying linear is better than progressive for rough roads? I'm going to give the stock weight a shot and see if that helps things out a bit. I'll search the forum on how to set sag.

And the rear shocks are adjustable, I just haven't been able to figure it out. Using the c-wrench, I'm not able to turn the collar at the top of the shocks and I'm wondering if there's a trick to it that I'm not getting and that I haven't been able to find in the instruction booklet, which is pretty general. Based on the shocks I have on my Bonnie, I know to turn the collar to adjust the load on the springs but I've pushed so hard, I almost damaged the teeth of the collar so don't really want to force it any more.
 
OK Mate. Progressive springs are definitely better.... linear are just cheaper, and that's why the manufacturers use them.

Since you bought the dampers from Todd, why not ask him to help you out with the adjustment problem? Failing that contact Hyperpro and explain your problem to them. Not all problems can be solved by email, sometimes you've got to get your hands on the sucker! Good luck, afraid I'm all out of suggestions now.
 
Paxo said:
OK Mate. Progressive springs are definitely better.... linear are just cheaper, and that's why the manufacturers use them.

.
Click to expand...

Have to disagree. Linear are necessarely neither cheaper or worse, but the choice for average driving on different surfaces. Progressives are fine if you know your surfaces and do have adjustable forks. Modern SB forks are not known to be adjustable, AFAK. :silly:
 
Sorry Mate, you're entitled to your opinion but I have to disagree. Progressives work over a much wider range of conditions which makes them a cheap upgrade for the less sophisticated forks fitted to all manufacturer's budget range bikes, and that includes the V7's. Having changed the springs of at least five bikes over to progressive's I can say without any doubt, in my opinion it is one of the easiest and cheapest ways to improve handling.

Triumph, BMW, etc. use forks with both preload and rebound front and rear on their more expensive models as the customers expect nothing less than perfect handling on a premium priced bike. I expect the same is true of dearer Guzzi range; I don't know that for certain because I'm not really interested in those. Nobody would pay the extra for these to be included on a £6-7,000 Guzzi. You could go right over the top and get your forks rebuilt with fancy internals, but with only about 40bhp it's a waste so why would you bother? And that's probably how the engineers and accountants at MG feel.

For me the proof is in the pudding. Standard forks, rear dampers and tyres... at 70mph on a long bend the bike would wallow and pitch like a drunk. Changed all three and now it doesn't. Cranked over on a tight bend, it just goes around. Bad surfaces and it stays on line. I don't need any more proof than that. Sorry, but in this case you're just wrong.
 
Well, what can I say?
I do hope we can agree on that we disagree, and maybe also that low- and mid price motorcycles not necessarely are equipped with top-of-the line components.
Neither was the expensive previous BMW I had.
I've been motocycling for about 40 years, 90 % extended touring, and I gave you my experiences of optimating my bikes for my needs. :)
 
No problem, we'll agree to disagree! Both with similar amount of experience just reaching different conclusions. Enough said on the subject. I just hope the guy who started all this gets his bike fixed in the end :)
 
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