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- Nov 20, 2004
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Lansdowne Fork Damper Kit
OK, well, I saw this on UK eBay and thought why not give it a go?
So I got the kit from Lansdowne (John Bould) which took less than a week to arrive, and it all looked to be very well made.
Description
The kit consists of two complete damper assemblies which are a straight replacement for the standard damper tubes, rods and cap nuts.
One assembly controls compression damping, and the other, the rebound. The damping rate of both units is adjusted by altering infinitely variable needle valves within the dampers, so can be set from zero to practically solid damping, using small Allen key socket adjusters in the alloy cap nuts, which form part of the assembly.
John e-mailed me the fitting instructions, he also e-mailed me some other helpful suggestions, and also sent me a plate spanner for the cap nuts, and he has certainly taken an interest in how I've been getting on.
Fitting
Fitting the dampers was quite straightforward, and was just a case of removing the front wheel and damper retaining bolts, unscrewing the cap nuts, and pulling out the old damper assemblies which can be done without removing the fork sliders, or dropping the forks out, unless other work needs to be done,-which in my case I removed the sliders as I also wanted to fit the RGM extended upper bush kit.
The fork springs are transferred to the new damper units, and the assemblies dropped into position and secured with new countersunk screws and collars, 180cc/ml of SAE10 fork oil (as recommended by John) was added to each leg, and the cap nuts tightened.
Adjustment
John recommended setting each damper adjuster to approximately 1 turn out from the fully closed position to start with, which felt about right for the compression damping when pumping the forks, but I found that to be a bit too soft for the rebound as the forks would top out each time they extended, so I ended up setting the rebound adjuster to about a quarter turn open where it felt about right and the forks no longer topped out.
Road Test
Riding my normal 'test route' around my local bumpy back roads and lanes, I was immediately aware that the fork action was far better than it had ever been before! The forks were noticeably smoother and more compliant over all road surfaces and I found myself travelling somewhat faster over that ground than I normally would!
I think the initial settings were not too far out, although I'm still experimenting with the fine adjustment at the moment.
Conclusion
Does the kit work? And is it worth the money?
In my opinion, YES, as it seems to be very well made, and I'd say this kit is a definite performance improvement over the standard setup, and anyone who is thinking of upgrading their forks or replacing old worn fork dampers should consider fitting this kit and contact John at Lansdowne for more information (and NO, I'm not getting paid to say this!).
(I also invited John to join in, and if he wishes, to answer any questions or comments that anyone may have about the kit).
OK, well, I saw this on UK eBay and thought why not give it a go?
So I got the kit from Lansdowne (John Bould) which took less than a week to arrive, and it all looked to be very well made.
Description
The kit consists of two complete damper assemblies which are a straight replacement for the standard damper tubes, rods and cap nuts.
One assembly controls compression damping, and the other, the rebound. The damping rate of both units is adjusted by altering infinitely variable needle valves within the dampers, so can be set from zero to practically solid damping, using small Allen key socket adjusters in the alloy cap nuts, which form part of the assembly.
John e-mailed me the fitting instructions, he also e-mailed me some other helpful suggestions, and also sent me a plate spanner for the cap nuts, and he has certainly taken an interest in how I've been getting on.
Fitting
Fitting the dampers was quite straightforward, and was just a case of removing the front wheel and damper retaining bolts, unscrewing the cap nuts, and pulling out the old damper assemblies which can be done without removing the fork sliders, or dropping the forks out, unless other work needs to be done,-which in my case I removed the sliders as I also wanted to fit the RGM extended upper bush kit.
The fork springs are transferred to the new damper units, and the assemblies dropped into position and secured with new countersunk screws and collars, 180cc/ml of SAE10 fork oil (as recommended by John) was added to each leg, and the cap nuts tightened.
Adjustment
John recommended setting each damper adjuster to approximately 1 turn out from the fully closed position to start with, which felt about right for the compression damping when pumping the forks, but I found that to be a bit too soft for the rebound as the forks would top out each time they extended, so I ended up setting the rebound adjuster to about a quarter turn open where it felt about right and the forks no longer topped out.
Road Test
Riding my normal 'test route' around my local bumpy back roads and lanes, I was immediately aware that the fork action was far better than it had ever been before! The forks were noticeably smoother and more compliant over all road surfaces and I found myself travelling somewhat faster over that ground than I normally would!
I think the initial settings were not too far out, although I'm still experimenting with the fine adjustment at the moment.
Conclusion
Does the kit work? And is it worth the money?
In my opinion, YES, as it seems to be very well made, and I'd say this kit is a definite performance improvement over the standard setup, and anyone who is thinking of upgrading their forks or replacing old worn fork dampers should consider fitting this kit and contact John at Lansdowne for more information (and NO, I'm not getting paid to say this!).
(I also invited John to join in, and if he wishes, to answer any questions or comments that anyone may have about the kit).
..AMAL USE THIS CONTROL .NOT IMPROVING ON THE DESIGN IN 90 YEARS! THE DAMPER USE'S THE BEST MATERIALS, BRASS TOP VALVE HOUSING EXTRA LENGTH BEARING SURFACE.,BRASS PISTON, HI TENSILE COLD DRAWN TUBEING. C.N.C ALLOY TUBE SUPPORTS. DESIGNED TO LAST...MADE TO DELIGHT. 65 SETS IN BIKES WORLDWIDE...100% POSITIVE FEEDBACK...QUOTE'S " FANTASTIC PRODUCT" .."FORK'S NOW SWEET" .." MUCH MORE COMPLIENT" AND DUNCAN'S POSTING ON THIS FORUM SAYS IT ALL. ALL THE BEST JOHN. P.S PRICE WILL INCREASE IN THE NEW YEAR......READ LUDWIGS COMMENT " HOW HE MAKE'S THESE AT THIS PRICE?" COST IS £215 POSTAGE FREE [LIMITED OFFER] I EXCEPT PAYPAL AS WIRED TRANSFER CAN BE TRICKY....ALL REMITANCE TO; 
