Steering damper

Discussion in 'Technical Help' started by Mikem, Nov 23, 2015.

  1. Mikem

    Mikem New Member

    May 2, 2015
    2
    3
    West Sussex
    My 2001 Bonneville has been shaking it`s head quite badly when crossing white lines or any kind of banding on the road. I thought it might be the tyres but I`ve never had any trouble with Avons before. I`ve read somewhere that it`s a common thing with the Bonneville. Has anyone out there cured it with a steering damper, or should I just change the tyres?
     
  2. sprintdave

    sprintdave Nurse, think it's time for his medications.

    May 25, 2014
    1,682
    750
    Birmingham
    check your pressures first.My Sprint is very sensitive to even a small drop in pressures.recommended for my bike is 36 and 41 but I have increased both by 2 psi and it doesnt white line any more.
    how old are the tyres? are they squared off ? what avon tyres are they? are they a recommended fitment for your bike? ( I had avons on my sprint when bought it and it felt bloody awful, have PR2s on now and much better, apparently PR3 or 4 are much better still
    when I had a cb750 with a damper on, it made the bike feel skittish,personally I dont like them ,prefer to have a looser feel to the steering.
     
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  3. Mikem

    Mikem New Member

    May 2, 2015
    2
    3
    West Sussex
    I have AVON Road rider tyres and I check the pressures every weekend. The back one is squared off and due for replacement. They don`t like wet manhole covers either.
    I might try some Michelin or maybe Metzeler.
     
  4. sprintdave

    sprintdave Nurse, think it's time for his medications.

    May 25, 2014
    1,682
    750
    Birmingham
    most people swear by the michys. the back tyre being squared off may well be your main problem
     
  5. thebiglad

    thebiglad Old fart, still riding !

    Sep 25, 2013
    5,072
    1,000
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    When I had my tuned 2010 T100 I ran a couple of sets of Avon AM26 and found them to be all round excellent. The pressures were checked regularly though.
     
  6. steve lovatt

    steve lovatt Something else

    May 12, 2014
    9,242
    1,000
    North Yorkshire
    Tyre pressures are critical. I always ran the Bonnie a couple of pounds over spec and do the same with the Trident.
     
  7. sprintdave

    sprintdave Nurse, think it's time for his medications.

    May 25, 2014
    1,682
    750
    Birmingham
    Steve it is interesting you run your Trident tyre pressures over spec a bit too as my Sprint handles like a different bike with a couple extra in, which i found out purely by accident. It handles absolutely crap with even a couple of pounds below the recommended pressure as well,it white lines awfully and wants to go in a straight line all the time
     
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  8. steve lovatt

    steve lovatt Something else

    May 12, 2014
    9,242
    1,000
    North Yorkshire
    That is also true of the Trident Steve, it handles like a pig if below the recommended pressure settings, but a couple over transforms it. I first heard about increasing pressure by 2psi over book when I had the Bonnie but to be fair, it never affected the Bonnies handling like it does the Trident.
     
  9. crispey

    crispey crispey creme de la creme

    Nov 6, 2014
    7,280
    1,000
    Uk
    when I bought my 2nd hand "new" tiger the other day, I did the right thing and took her straight to a petrol station to check the tyres. they were both a bit on the low side so brought them up to correct psi. next day took her down to Gosport and took her on some twisties and fast dual carriageway, I was not happy with the handling, front wheel was trying to steer heavily into slow corners and when I took a roundabout at reasonable speed I drifted across into the inside lane!! I thought maybe it was all down to different riding position but then I'd tried the xc which was fine, maybe it was the different wheel size? Anyways when home I noticed that the wet mark on the tyre was quite wide so I put my trusty compressor on the tyres to check the pressure...it was about 7-10 psi low on both, must have been a faulty one at the station. Pumped em up, took her for a test ride round surrey, in the rain, and her handling was sublime, no white-lining , no drifting or over steer, almost got my knees down on some corners!! Actually that's a lie!! but all round so much better. I quite like the bike now [​IMG]
     
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  10. crispey

    crispey crispey creme de la creme

    Nov 6, 2014
    7,280
    1,000
    Uk
    yeah they all get blown out of proportion
     
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  11. thebiglad

    thebiglad Old fart, still riding !

    Sep 25, 2013
    5,072
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    Central France
    You dopey bugger :p:D:D:D:D:D:D:):):)
     
  12. Sprinter

    Sprinter Kinigit

    Aug 17, 2014
    5,995
    1,000
    uk
    So when and how do I decide my tyres are squared, being as I understand the principle.
     
  13. thebiglad

    thebiglad Old fart, still riding !

    Sep 25, 2013
    5,072
    1,000
    Central France
    I would say more than anything it's the feel of the bike when you turn into a bend or series of bends. If it 'flops' in, you've got a squared-off back tyre. Also take into account the age of the tyre - if it's more than say 4 years old and it's 'floppin', definitely change it.
     
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