Premium Member ULEWZ Posted June 13, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted June 13, 2015 So as some of you have read, I installed the Andreani fork cartridges in my F-Jay. I know of one other installing the Andreani fork cartridges and two that installed the Traxxion AK20s. So my question to you all. Do you feel the fork cartridges have negated the need for a steering damper? I find mine very stable at speed now and want to know if it is just me. A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Bikes: 2015 FJ-09, Seat Concepts seat cover and foam, Cal Sci medium screen, rim stripes, factory heated grips, Cortech Dryver tank bag ring, Modified stock exhaust, FlashTune with Graves fuel map, Cree driving lights, Aux power socket. 2012 Street Triple type R (Wifes) 2007 FJR1300 (Sold!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scuff Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 A Steering damper works by damping out the left and right oscillations of the steering. This is caused by the steep steering angle and light front end. Better damping in the forks may help with a bouncy front end, but it doesn't alter the steering caster angle or short wheelbase and engine power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris618 Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 So as some of you have read, I installed the Andreani fork cartridges in my F-Jay. I know of one other installing the Andreani fork cartridges and two that installed the Traxxion AK20s. So my question to you all. Do you feel the fork cartridges have negated the need for a steering damper? I find mine very stable at speed now and want to know if it is just me. My bike goes in this week for the Andreani fork kit install, so can't comment on fork kit yet. I used to road race a motard at Loudon, NH with 14mm triple clamps,16.5" front wheel and tall dirt height suspension. Front end would get light down the straight and coming over the hill, I raised the forks up in the triple clamps 5mm which put more weight on the front end which took out the wobble. Maybe try that first? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scuff Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 But sliding the forks up in the tripple clamps will reduce the wheelbase and reduce the caster angle. Both a recipe for increasing the steering wobble! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member ULEWZ Posted June 13, 2015 Author Premium Member Share Posted June 13, 2015 A Steering damper works by damping out the left and right oscillations of the steering. This is caused by the steep steering angle and light front end. Better damping in the forks may help with a bouncy front end, but it doesn't alter the steering caster angle or short wheelbase and engine power. That is what logic would tell you, but I find the wobble is greatly diminished with the new fork cartridges, that was my only point. At 75mph, if I induced a side to side wiggle through the bars, it would feel like the front end was loose and falling apart. With the new fork cartridges installed, that loose feeling is almost gone. I may buy a damper later on, but for now I no longer feel I need one. YMMV A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul. George Bernard Shaw (1856-1950) Bikes: 2015 FJ-09, Seat Concepts seat cover and foam, Cal Sci medium screen, rim stripes, factory heated grips, Cortech Dryver tank bag ring, Modified stock exhaust, FlashTune with Graves fuel map, Cree driving lights, Aux power socket. 2012 Street Triple type R (Wifes) 2007 FJR1300 (Sold!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris618 Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 But sliding the forks up in the tripple clamps will reduce the wheelbase and reduce the caster angle. Both a recipe for increasing the steering wobble! 5mm is just enough to weight the front end and give stability. Took away the wobble and head shake for me on my motard. I haven't noticed any on my fj. Might be worth a try as a cheap alternative to buying a damper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brmidd Posted June 21, 2015 Share Posted June 21, 2015 So as some of you have read, I installed the Andreani fork cartridges in my F-Jay. I know of one other installing the Andreani fork cartridges and two that installed the Traxxion AK20s. So my question to you all. Do you feel the fork cartridges have negated the need for a steering damper? I find mine very stable at speed now and want to know if it is just me. No you aren't imagining it, it does make a difference. I also raised my forks and increased the rear shock height to get more weight on the nose. There have only been a couple of times I have got the steering wobble and it was in A mode full throttle sitting straight upright. I'm on the fence about the GPR, if I flash it then I will probably get one. There have only been about 3 times I have been on the limiter and it was irritating, just not $349 worth of irritation. If I do Road A this year I imagine I will fell differently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest branthopolis Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 So as some of you have read, I installed the Andreani fork cartridges in my F-Jay. I know of one other installing the Andreani fork cartridges and two that installed the Traxxion AK20s. So my question to you all. Do you feel the fork cartridges have negated the need for a steering damper? I find mine very stable at speed now and want to know if it is just me. No you aren't imagining it, it does make a difference. I also raised my forks and increased the rear shock height to get more weight on the nose. There have only been a couple of times I have got the steering wobble and it was in A mode full throttle sitting straight upright. I'm on the fence about the GPR, if I flash it then I will probably get one. There have only been about 3 times I have been on the limiter and it was irritating, just not $349 worth of irritation. If I do Road A this year I imagine I will feel differently. LOL! I can't even imagine being limited to 115 on the back straight at Road A.. I was hitting 150 (indicated) on my SV1000n and the GixxerKwackiRRR1000's were passing me like I was standing still... HUGE speed differential... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brmidd Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 EXACTLY! @branthopolis I would feel like I was parked on the straights. I might just do Tally and then I might quit trying to ride this bike like a SS and just enjoy it for what it is. The boss lady said I can have a Crossplane R1 if I'm good this winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest branthopolis Posted June 22, 2015 Share Posted June 22, 2015 EXACTLY! @branthopolis I would feel like I was parked on the straights. I might just do Tally and then I might quit trying to ride this bike like a SS and just enjoy it for what it is. The boss lady said I can have a Crossplane R1 if I'm good this winter. You have a very tolerant boss lady.. Tally, Jennings, or even Barber would be a hoot on the FJ.. Leaned over most of the time and no super long straights.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
efjay Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 I don't know where the heck you guys find a straight road to hit the limiter safely from both safety and cops.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjsracing Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Only need about 1200ft (< 1/4 mile), in stock trim, to hit max speed. 2015 FJ-09, 2016 1290 Super Duke, 2017 150 XC-W (primary ride), 2012 DR650 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotboot Posted June 27, 2015 Share Posted June 27, 2015 Texas. Wide open nothing but straight. Hit the limiter in any gear you like....nobody cares. Nobody there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lamwayne Posted August 10, 2015 Share Posted August 10, 2015 I believe headshake is induced by suboptimal front-aft weight distribution; a steering damper would mask the problem but not a solution to it. An suspension upgrade is the proper way to address the issue. Just like ULEWZ did, I choose that path too. I find the stock bike would headshake in situation where the front end does not have enough weight (e.g. accelerating hard uphill) or when the steering angle is too steep (e.g. going downhill and brake hard so the front travel is used up). The rider’s riding position on the bike also contributes significantly to the front aft balance. Also the bike has very wide handle bar and the arms would catch wind at high speed; if one’s grip on the handlebar is too tight, the movement would be magnified by the handle bar leverage and manifest as wobble/headshake. The headshake on my bike was gone after a few simple and relatively cheap changes: 1) moved the handlebar mount forward (i.e. weight the front) 2) switch to a stiffer constant pitch spring (0.9kg/mm) 3) and readjust the for-aft suspension balance (i.e. setting proper sag) Speaking of headshake only, my current setup of Ohlins FGK237 fork kit is no better that the setup above because there is none in both case . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member fanowater Posted August 11, 2015 Premium Member Share Posted August 11, 2015 I completely changed out the suspension (Penske rear, Traxxion AK-20's) and after carefully adjusting it and moving to a larger/wider windscreen, the front still isn't wobble free (better, but not perfect). The wide Parabellum touring screen did really help a lot. So, I think the wobble is mostly due to the aerodynamics of the bike and that enormously wide bar - too much turbulent air is inducing the wobble at elevated speeds. Steep steering geometry helps too, but this bike is worse than my fully naked Speed Triple was - which would wobble above about 90 mph. Where I live going over 85 mph for any length of time is guaranteed to get you a ticket, so a little wobble while doing a high speed blast pass it tolerable. Below 85 mph any wobble is due to our 'smooth' roads here in California. I wonder if the hand guards are part of the problem? The bike should have a steering damper though and I will most likely add one when I can swing it. 2015 FJ-09 2006 Triumph Daytona 675 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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