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Steering Stabilizer....?

SlickT

Tuned and Synch'ed
Joined
Aug 11, 2010
Messages
50
:?: Just a quick question after a search didn't show answers.

Does anyone have a steering stabilizer on their Griso and if so which do you recommend?
 
I have four Guzzi's, none of them have a steering damper. Two came with them from the factory but handling was improved by removing them.
I can't imagine why you would want one, but Ohlins are the nicest I have used. I also am a big fan of Scotts rotary steering dampers. The are very trick but harder to mount. Either way I would be surprised if there is a bolt on kit for a Griso, there would not likely be a big enough market to justify the development costs. You will probably have to make something work using a generic mount kit.
 
If you really want one, I'm a dealer for Matris products, and I believe they offer a kit similar to below. I can find out more once they re-open end of this week. Be forewarned, they are expensive. Contact me direct e-mail for more info; Todd at GuzziTech.com
 

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From experience, steering dampers are only required for bikes that have poorly set up suspension.
The exception being IOM TT, but those blokes are nuts.

My Ducati Hypermotard would shake itself violently at town speeds over small corrugations, it was very popular amongst owners to lower the rear ride height (to increase rake/trail) and add very expensive steering damper kits.

That doesn't solve the problem, it just puts a band aid on it.

I ended up using a different weight fork oil and spent a day tuning the suspension, later on I raised the rear ride height to make the bike steer quicker but such was the poise of my suspension it never shook it's head again.

Same with my Bellagio, poor quality ride and lack of compliance also meant piss poor handling. I've used a longer Griso shock to speed up the turn in. But my suspension guy said the standard Sachs shock off the Griso was absolute crap with regard to the shim stack and damping rates.

I weigh 92kg (about 205lbs). Bellagio felt stiff, rough, harsh, hard etc. It had a 9.0kg/? spring and the Griso had a 9.6kg/? spring on it. I now have an Ohlins 11kg spring on my Bellagio and the ride is all smooth and compliant.

Why? Because the compression and rebound damping are now correct for the spring rate which is correct for the weight of the bike and rider.

DON'T BUY A DAMPER, FIX YOUR SUSPENSION FIRST.
 
ghezzi said:
DON'T BUY A DAMPER, FIX YOUR SUSPENSION FIRST.
I agree 110% with this, but often some people just want one.
 
Muchas gracias folks. Looks like I do not need one. I have dialed my suspension and was comfy with the ride, but a buddy of mine, Aprilia and MV Agusta rider, said I was nuts with no stabilizer. He obviously never rode a Griso. He made me question; hence my post.
 
GuzziMoto said:
I have four Guzzi's, none of them have a steering damper. Two came with them from the factory but handling was improved by removing them.
Was one a California by chance? I have a 2011 Black Eagle and I swear my 38 year old T handles better, firmer & more secure. The 2011 sometimes likes to "dance" a bit on some roads that the T takes in stride. I have been thinking about pulling the stabilizer off just to see. I've diddled the front fork adjustments and the rear shock adjustments and played with tire pressure to the point were I'm ok with it but I just feel it could be a whole better.

Thanks for the post. Trout
 
No, the two that had steering dampers but were removed was a red frame V11 and a '93 Daytona, two spine frame bikes.
The V11 would wobble because the steering damper would bind, causing resistance when you tried to turn but then would break free causing you to constantly be over steering.
The Daytona just steered lighter and handled nicer without it as opposed to with.
 
My Bellagio handled like shit, would buck and kick and wallow off bumps when pushed. Clicking and winding knobs will not fix the problem. The basic internal valving/shimming is all wrong.

Griso owners can achieved a lot by adjustment (there are posts on it here) but those who reap the greatest rewards have spent their money on quality suspension componenets - not steering dampers.

The spring is basically to keep your gonads off the rear tyre, heavier gonads = heavier spring required.
Compress a spring of a known kg/ rate and it will now have a known amount of stored energy that wants to react by expanding again very rapidly. Rebound damping is to control that rate of expansion

There are two aspects to compression damping, high speed and low speed. Not the speed of the bike but the speed or rate the suspension compresses.

High speed damping controls the rate of compression when you hit a big bump as high load impacts will collapse a heavy spring (bottom out) very easily. Bellagio (& I suspect Griso) high speed compression damping is so hard that even with the spring preload wound off (soft) the ride was still harsh because the oil could not flow or move.

A single compression damping adjuster on most shocks only controls low speed damping which is more likely to come into play when cornering, as you lean the centrifugal forces gradually increase and the suspension starts to load up and compress, slowly. (High speed damping can only be altered by re-valving/shimming)

As previously mentioned my Hypermotard 1100s with Ohlins suspension needed revalving because of this anomally.
 
Other than canyon riding an adjustable steering damper can be really nice in gusty winds. Even though I put a Scott's damper on my KTM690 mostly for off road, a huge added benefit was settling down this relatively light 350lb bike on the highway in windy situations. So if I was to go touring on my V7iii I could see that having an adjustable damper would come in handy for high wind passes like out in Coachella.
 
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