Lansdowne Fork Damper Kit (2009)

Reggie said:
I don't know if it's my imagination, but I seem to be able to squeal the front tyre under braking with less effort than before! Could this be associated with less dive or am I imagining it :?: Now when I hit a series of bumps in the road you can just feel the forks reacting to them now with a soft thud, whereas before, although not a problem, you would have felt it quite noticably with slight jolting through the bars.
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You are not imagining it Reggie, as I also noticed there was far less fork dive under heavy braking, so the whole braking process feels more controllable.
 
Hi.Lab.Reggie as you well know ,weight transfer under braking increase's with fork travel, placing more friction on the front tyre .At the same time the rear is reducing friction,the new dampers can resist braking dive [far greater than standard unit's depending on settings] so in effect theres less "down force" on the front.[thats why your tyre squeals Reggie} But as your rear retains it's "weight" theres less tendancy of a rear end skid when both brakes are applied. Its a case of getting the right balance,Duncan Fitchett as is dampers set to give less dive under hard braking.., But is co- rider at Goodwood liked more front end down force.Duncan dialed in his requirements...and presto! He was happy. So it's a matter of testing and finding what suits your riding style. Please remember to ADJUST THE DAMPERS IN A RESPONSABLE MANNER, A LITTLE AT A TIME. Happy riding. Best wishes John
 
Having just fitted a pair of John's modified fork dampers i have to admit these are very nice - my bike, after trying all the typical bandage fixes on the stock dampers, finally handles and responds like i think it should. i found the best combination for me was about 1/2 a turn on both compression and rebound at first test w/ 10 w oil

i gave it a spirited run over the roads that previously had the old set up banging about and complaining - this time it was sweet - easy to push the bike more and feel the road much better

two thumbs up!
 
Hi there
I'm sitting here reflecting on what might have been....



Well without John's dampers it could have been very different. The first round of this years Lansdowne was at Donnington, one of my favourite tracks. Race one I was third behind Mike Russell and Glen English, race two I got lucky Glen went out with an ignition fault so I got my first win.

Next up Brands this is another good track for me, not a horsepower track a real riders circuit. I found myself off the pace of both Mike and Glen, two thirds was a bitter disappointment on a track I hoped to be very strong. I felt I couldn’t push as hard as I wanted, I felt the front end was vague and unpredictable. It was the age old problem back again highlighted by the blistering pace of the Lansdowne this year. :evil:

I realised then if I was going to be a contender I need to fix the front end issue once and for all. By chance I noticed John’s Damper kit on EBay, it was just what I wanted, so I thought what the hell I’ll buy it, not really knowing what I was going to get. I thank my luck stars, because I found John, a real old school chap and a bloody good engineer. On receipt of my bid to purchase I got a call from John asking me what I wanted to fit to dampers too. I told him it was for my Manx and relayed the story of running with near grease in the folks to stop patter and excessive dive under breaking. Leave it with me he said, I think I know what you need. About a week later I got a call… Your damper is ready, and I’ll come down and fit it, which he did as he knew I was out at Snetterton the next week.

At Snetterton I found I had the ability to adjust rebound and compression in the one leg and it improved things, three seconds places and a silly DNF plus a fastest lap was an improvement. After another long talk with John it was decided to put the dampers in both legs rebound in one and compression in the other…Perfect!.

Next race back to Donnington and the breakthrough I had been waiting for my first proper WIN and a real last lap job too, I went from first to third and first again in the last half a lap. For the first time all year my confidence was high and I was happy to push that little bit harder, and that was all I needed to be able to do. John was there to see me win too which was extra special. :lol:

I then went on to win again at Chimay and Castle Combe. Sadly next up Goodwood was a real downer I was partnered with Jeremy McWilliams, in free practice we where the fastest pairing and I was able to set up the front to his recommendation. Unfortunately I dumped it on a very slippery track in the lead, in front of 80 thousand people :oops: , thanks to Jezza’s monumental ride to the front, from the back of the grid after an engine problem in qualifying. Oh yes I bust my wrist when I high sided off too. :cry:

But that’s racing I’ll be back next year and I’ve just ordered two more sets of dampers from John, for my GBAccess team mate Mark Sharrock and another set for the spare bike. Thanks for your help John. :lol:
 
Hi to all, The joy and excitement Duncan as given me is the best thrill i have had in years, he is a great guy on and off the track. Is passion for racing is 100%. Precise and under control, he push's the 500 manx to lean angles that make me wince,and beating Glenn is no mean feat, he's a fantastic rider. He make's a great member for the Forum, and anyone with a passion for racing should go and see him....good luck for 2010, Best Regard John
 
he push's the 500 manx to lean angles that make me wince,
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I was there on the Friday and having seen the state of most bikes front and rear tyres in the pits I can only imagine how hard they were getting pushed. Not sure which was Duncan's but a few seemed to be running some odd combinations of tyre, one or two had classic looking Dunlops on the rear with AM21 fronts though several had AM26 fronts with AM18 rears. Would be interested to hear what Duncan was using.
 
Keith
Duncans tyres dont touch the ground!
See you on one of my Norton lunchtime parades next year? Lydden in April, Donnington in July?
all the best Chris
 
Chris said:
Keith
Duncans tyres dont touch the ground!
See you on one of my Norton lunchtime parades next year? Lydden in April, Donnington in July?
all the best Chris
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:lol: That explains it then! Will certainly try to make a classic round next year, just didn't have the time at Donnington. Happy winter spannering. Keith
 
I fit some of these in my bike last week. Bike isn't together to test them yet, but they are made well. John was nice and answered all my questions.
 
pelican said:
I fit some of these in my bike last week. Bike isn't together to test them yet, but they are made well. John was nice and answered all my questions.
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Are thse things available direct or just through evilbay?

I've pulled my forks apart 6 times this summer so one more time will be no big deal.
 
Coco said:
Are thse things available direct or just through evilbay?
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Our member john robert bould is Lansdowne, so just contact him directly, through the forum e-mail or PM service.
 
Hi John
& you will travel to which circuits to fit mine next season?
FOC of course?
Great offer to members of this site, hope you dont get run off your feet.
all the best Chris
 
john robert bould said:
To all members who wish to purchase the Lansdowne Damper Kit via this forum..I will give FREE POST to any Accessnorton member. world wide. I accept bank transfer or cheque. My email address is jrb19502005@yahoo.co.uk Best Regards John Lansdowne Enginnering
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This sounds good. I'm thinking early spring after I get an income tax return.
 
Hi. LAB, I think with final tuning these will perform as well as the more expensive Japanese "modified" types. I managed to keep the price low by producing a "NO FRILLS" package.[ BUT I AM REVIEWING COSTS, ] These's no fancy anodizing,packaging or "Bling"....just a well made product that gives good reliable results. Track or road , Designed to be hard wearing [Brass extra length] bearing, High tensile steel and machine cut fine threads. Being fully adjustable they allow you to quickly reset them to suit all road conditions. Thanks for your appraisal. John.
 
Perhaps a silly question but if one leg has all the compression damping and the other rebound, isn't the effect under either loading similar to running with oil in one leg only ? Isn't everything likely to try and twist ?

Is a fork brace recommended ?

Would it be normal to put compression damping on the disc side ?

It's certainly a nice unobtusive conversion.
 
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