steering damper rebuild

[wiltshire builders]

Has anyone had go at re building a steering damper? I'm leaking. I've had a look on sprints' website and they don't seem to even sell oil/gaskets. I don't want to take it apart and not be able to do anything with it.

[R1chie]

Never had a go myself, but it could be worth speaking to Mark at MH Racing who could probably help you out.

See here>>> http://www.mhracing.com/index.htm

http://www.wiltshirebikers.co.uk/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1143034139

[finbar]

Had a Sprint damper ...excellent kit. They repair them at a very fair price.

[bobf279]

Excuse my ignorance but what is a steering damper?

[Mark_Able]

Excuse my ignorance but what is a steering damper?

On sports bikes, because of the more radical steering head angle/geometry, they can be prone to 'tank slappers'! This has nothing to do with unsavoury ladies sitting atop your fuel container. Basically, the handle bars will violently flap from lock to lock causing your wrists to slap the tank. It can be so extreme, especially on a bumpy road, that the rider loses control and departs company with said sports bike. However, a less radical steering set up is less desirable because the bike takes longer to turn into the corner (Harley Davidson), although much more stable. Answer, fit a steering damper to counter the effect of the steering flapping. Downside, it takes more effort to steer the bike, because you're fighting the damper. Better than fighting the bike though.... [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

[bobf279]

Thanks Mark

[wiltshire builders]

Never had a go myself, but it could be worth speaking to Mark at MH Racing who could probably help you out.

See here>>> http://www.mhracing.com/index.htm

http://www.wiltshirebikers.co.uk/cgi-bin/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1143034139
Yeah i was going to see Mark about the rear shock anyway so might as well kill 2 birds with one stone. Cheers!

[jonnydangerous]

i stripped my track day bike steering damper, standard yamaha one ( nothing fancy) and all it is is a rod with washer on it to create some restriction to movement, youll need to know the weight/spec of the oil, and leave no air gap (fill it up completely), or experiment with the weight of oil to your liking.

the seals can be bought from a decent seal/bearing supplier.

its not rocket science, and cheap to do if you do end up doing it yourself :-)
BUT then again im a bodger who has even repaired bike CDI's with parts from second hand car stereo's...... ;-)

[wiltshire builders]

Got a call from sprint today. Needed a new push rod total including postage £33. Not bad i thought.

[Mark_Able]

Lot cheaper than a new damper... [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

[bobf279]

good value