Steering Damper?

Has anyone given thought to fitting a steering damper to the upper triple clamp? I'm not saying there's a problem or anything. Just wondering if it would make a difference.

I happen to have a brand new Ohlins 120mm damper which I purchased for my Daytona 955i, but never installed. I'm wondering what it would take to build a mount for the 961. Any suggestions on how to do it? :?

The Commando is an extremely stable ride that definitely does not need a damper! Unless you hack up your rear or drop your forks or somehow manage to make it twitchy it would be a complete waste of effort/ money!

I do not think John Snesd used one in his year of racing but he can chime in if I'm mistaken.

SBN offered one before the bikes were released. Can't remember seeing one lately. Maybe they will sell you just a mount, would look cool if that is your thing!

I will say this. There are times (riding any bike) when taking one hand off the handlebar for whatever reason you will encounter a bump in the road and get a big surprise, albeit for a second or so. That's the only situation where I thought a steering damper could be useful. Otherwise, it sure would look cool. :roll:

Hello Contours , The standard fitment for a steering damper would be a U bolt bracket clamping to the frame down tube just below the steering neck and the fork tube end would have a splitting horseshoe clamp . There are kits that will specify the diameters you need for your fork etc. Also a bracket can be devised that can use the lower triple clamp yoke bolts etc..

Steering damper with an Ohlin suspension? Seems like a bit of overkill. Sure, they don't handle as well as some of the racier bikes I've ridden, but still pretty damned secure in the twisties.

Got my 961 Sport out for a 12 mile jaunt last night. Started up on the first punch and ran quite smoothly the whole way. Once warmed up she idles so low - makes me think I'm sitting on a Harley. But down the stretch she holds the road so nice and tight. Except when I happen to get caught in a long crack in the pavement (there are so many). I realize this is typical of a lot of bikes. But I wonder if my alignment is slightly off after the sloppy adjustment I made on the drive chain last Fall.

If I were to re-do the adjustment does anyone have advice on how to start fresh? I don't think these adjusters are the friendliest I have ever worked with. :roll:

Yes of course . You must loosen up the adjusters and the axle nuts . Then once you pushed the rear wheel enough to get the chain good and loose you can start again. The idea here is to obtain the correct chain free play and get the wheel inline with the front. You simply need to measure the distance from the adjustment end of the swing arm to the adjuster that the axle runs through. Keep it the SAME on both sides , that's it. Use a mm marked ruler that helps a great deal. Also re-check the chain tension after tightening the axle and adjust again if necessary. Richard-7"s manual covered this so have a look at that too. And it helps me to measure chain free play with a small carpenters square keeping one of the flats against the swing arm and use the ruler on the other right angle ruler to measure it..

Thanks, Tony! I'll give that a try.