RGM Damper

I've been looking to improve the damping on the front end of my 74 Norton and after playing with oil levels, oil weights and fork springs I bought a pair of RGM alloy (lighter) fork dampers with hopefully better damping. The difference is significant enough that I would recommend the upgrade for best bang for the $$$! While not as compliant as my Aprilia Futura, the the sharp edge bumps don't knock my teeth out and high speed oscillation seems to be much better controlled. Progressive fork springs, 150cc 20 weight.

Bob,
Must respond here, I know you did'nt get the performance from my Lansdowne kit you wanted,and oddly my Commando with the kit in will not produce the same feel as my 98 honda, comparing Aprilla Futura to a 60 year old design is just silly!
I have had two complaints in 360 sets sold world wide..all i can say is 358 thumbs up...2 thumbs down.
I have just sent another 6 pairs to the holland norton works who have tested these ,Constant fits them as a upgrade...I would bet your forks are bent .

Facts, I have these dampers in 12 race bikes..last years Lansdowne winner .
Tested and fitted to S.Tonges winning Manx
Tested by Norton Tec Adviser John Dunn who was truely impressed..read is test on my web http://www.lansdowne-engineering.com with others.
Tested by this forum member and repected Lab, reggie, mike gray..and many others.

Norton forks over time wear out,get damaged etc, I rebuilt a Norton fork properly for a friend, fitted brand new sliders,stanchions ,yolks , they work well..but not up to my Honda :lol:
Simply fitting New damper to worn, bent forks will not fix them :!:

Have fun, and if you dont want stutter bump feed back ,fit your Aprilla Futura forks :!:

Lastly i was asked to replace a set of maxtons in a Seeley Bsa, I sent the dampers off and a few days later the owner called me to say the forks felt very harsh with a grating sound.

I collected theforks and found the bottom machine damper seat was way out! the damper was "bent over" that far the rod was binding and causing the slider to jam.
i re-machined the fork leg and this corrected the problem...see the picture!

The owner did not notice the damper top nut was that far leaning over [rod allmost touching one side] and had to force the rod/top nut over with quite an effort. when i pointed this out he replied " Yes i did notice that" but carried on assembling them :!: and he works for a leading kawaski dealership....as the workshop forman :!: :!:
When i asked him why he didnt do any thing to correct the issue.." he shrugged his shoulders and said " Jap bikes dont have silly issue's like that, every thing i deal with is spot on"

Norton engineering ...god have mercy upon us!

With all do respect Robert, I compare Ms Peel Roadholders above hi dollar elite forks and part of the reason is the closer sealing-fit of alloy damper tubes and thicker 10 mm damper rod with a bit of a waist in it mid sag level, which is also somewhat adjustable, ie: sag and waist, for progressive functionality. Bmwbob, might try completing his cheap Roadholder upgrade by contacting Greg Fauth, who fought me tooth and nail on my claims for 4 months, til he found a bad machined lower fork or bush, then got in my camp producing it for others. I salute the success of the Lansdowne cartridges and feel bad if my forks can outperform it by a good margin, as implies some what wasted effort/money/inventiveness, plus how easy it is to improve on factory issue. Maybe best solution is one half Landsdowne and one half hobot and one part JSMotorsports? One issue on hobot Roadholder's is they will reveal the need of a fork brace to tolerate the twist loads they can induce. Take this as your level of being allows but there is a definite safety factor for those pressing their luck over various surprise surfaces. I've got to off road on rough stuff so like the ~1.5" taller stance with a stronger spring spacer but weaker spacer retains stock sag level while still allowing the effective top out hydraulic stop w/o the extra long bushes or bush slider extension inhibitors. One thing about going around rather fast is the forks extend not compress so better contact maintained on hi power leans on rough stuff if the fork can expand more than stock. Extra lean clearance also will be noticed. There is no issue I've found on nil over lap of bush leverage at full extension striking holes that throw bike up off surface as helmet bounced off the yokes in smacked horror.

BTW try up to 175 ml of fluid for more compression bottoming tolerance, but no more or can hydro lock, after a short while, when air pocket pumps out.

Steve,
Not everyone leaps into the Graand canyon,or scales rain forrest's , most enjoy "just normal riding" on tarmac..
when fitted and adjusted correctly the lansdowne kit will make the forks more complient , your increased length is great when you ride out of the back of a aircraft at 30.000 feet :lol:

Well your comment shows lack of understanding of my remarks or head in the sand, no sweat to me and do wish your product well but hobot forks are best appreciated on pavement, the off road part is just extra icing on the cake. It was my great surprise, tires to suspension to discover what made off road secure to travel paid back in spades on stable surfaces and visa versa. Pay attention to your various users feed backs, there are clues in there to improve your offering or change its basic design. In this post he switched back to simpleton Roadholder damper design, my point is why stop there, if you really want even more secure no issue forks. Hell you have sold me to try someday seeking track day time records as hobby next decade, so an objective to me shoot out to come on Ms Peel. As i said I don't know what I'll end up with and if yours gives Peel an edge will broadcast it to the world for you. If not then will just post the times w/o special internals.