Steering damper: features, purpose, installation

Motorcycle steering damper

• Why do you need a damper on a motorcycle?
• How to choose a damper for a motorcycle steering wheel
• Cost of damper for motorcycles

In the modern world, there are motorcycles with various design features. Many motorcycle models are far from ideal. After all, manufacturers cannot foresee everything. During the operation of the motorcycle, the owners themselves determine what should be added to their bike so that riding it is comfortable and safe, and so that it lasts for many years.

The steering wheel plays an important role while driving. It is allowed to direct the movement of the vehicle along the way. However, in many motorcycle models, this part of the motorcycle equipment has its drawbacks, which consist in poor-quality fastening. For this reason, on the road the steering may fail and an accident may occur. Therefore, you should purchase dampers for your bike.

Steering damper for motorcycle

Dampers for motorcycles are used in situations where:

• the driver knows for sure that he will squeeze maximum speed out of his motorcycle.
• the driver is confident that he will take part in sports motorcycle competitions.
• the driver sees that his steering is not working well.

In order for the damper to work properly and securely fix the steering, it must be installed correctly. This will make you feel comfortable and safe during the journey.

Installing the damper is an easy task. Any motorcyclist can handle it. For this purpose, detailed instructions are attached to each such product. It will allow you to securely fix the steering wheel so that it does not become loose while driving.

Additional dampers for the car

I

these shock absorbers are nothing more than a shock absorber, but only smaller in size than those used in suspension. By installing them on the engine and steering box, you can achieve a significant reduction in vibrations.

What is noteworthy is that many car owners, especially domestic ones, install shock absorbers on the steering of the Mercedes Benz itself and no major repairs are required.

As for engine shock absorbers, these devices are currently being produced for some models. These shocks come with all the instructions and hardware to install them. In addition, there are universal shock absorbers that can be installed on any car.

They come with a minimal set of fasteners. But how to install it on a car, the car owner himself will have to think about.

This way we will learn how shock absorbers are installed on a car. First, let's look at a vibration damping device for the engine.

How to choose a damper for a motorcycle steering wheel

A motorcycle steering damper is an important device that should be in the arsenal of any motorcyclist. Many manufacturers offer this type of product in various versions.

When choosing a damper for your bike, it is important to pay attention to the following:

• motorcycle model

All dampers have different types of fastening. Therefore, it is very important to take into account the model of motorcycle equipment when choosing them. This is the only way to choose a damper with the optimal mount for your bike.

Attention: Dampers for motorcycle models other than yours will not securely fix the handlebars. As a result, the situation will not change.

• optimal damper stiffness

In the shop, it is very important to take into account the stiffness of the damper. It should be made of neither too hard nor too soft material so that the steering wheel is securely fixed.

• length adjustment

When purchasing, it is very important to pay attention to whether the damper can be adjusted in length in order to fit it to the characteristics of your bike.

Many damper manufacturers specialize in producing universal products. They can be customized to fit various models of motorcycles. However, it is still better to give preference to those products whose manufacturers make dampers that have mounts for certain models of motorcycle equipment. The motorcycle steering damper must securely fix it, and this can only be achieved through the presence of the correct fastening.

Installing a steering damper on a motorcycle

Cost of damper for motorcycles

Every modern motorcyclist should be prepared for the fact that purchasing additional elements and spare parts for a motorcycle can cost a large amount. Dampers from different manufacturers have different prices. It can reach several tens of thousands of rubles.

On average, in our country, dampers for different models of motorcycle equipment cost approximately 18 thousand rubles. You can choose your own option for each motorcycle model individually.

However, it is worth noting that the more expensive your vehicle, the more you will have to pay to equip it with everything you need. Dampers for imported motorcycle models and expensive models of sports bikes cost owners from 50 thousand rubles.

Without a damper, the motorcycle will incur higher costs if the steering fails. After all, carrying out repair work along with purchasing new spare parts will cost much more than purchasing one small element that prevents breakdown.

What is a motorcycle steering damper used for?

Should I install a motorcycle steering damper or not? This question comes up all the time among motorcycle fans. Often opinions on this matter differ. Because in this tuning it is not the quality of the damper that is considered important, but the quality of the motorcyclist himself.

Based on the results of road tests of bikes, the stability of vehicles at high speed is constantly assessed. So, some motorcycles yaw, while others move as if on rails.

Stability of motor vehicles.

The bike constantly yaws, but the amount of this varies and depends on a number of factors:

• condition of the roadway;

• tire wear;

• speed;

• suspension geometry.

The wheel and front fork perfectly eliminate surface unevenness, but the vehicle suspension only works in the vertical plane. Therefore, if the motorcycle hits a bump, there will be a slight displacement of the wheel even in the horizontal plane. If you need MTF xenon, then you should visit the website www.autoglim.ru.

If the wheel of a motorcycle rotates strongly, then it has a gyroscopic effect, therefore, it tries to return to a neutral position corresponding to the tilt of the vehicle. However, while it is spinning, another bump may come across, and again the wheel will move a little. This is a normal process that occurs constantly when the vehicle is moving.

When a motorcycle rides on a flat surface, the motorcyclist does not feel all these vibrations: the impression of a straight ride is created. Of course, if the gyroscope does not return the wheel to a neutral position, then we cannot talk about any “hands-free” movement. It follows that, in principle, the motorcycle has stability, and it constantly tries to maintain a straight ride.

But it remains stable until someone tries to turn the steering wheel sharply. And while the bike has the correct weight distribution along the axes, the gyroscope puts up strong resistance when trying to change the position of the axle, which is what happens when the rider turns the handlebars.

The effect of the gyroscope increases with increasing speed of turning of the body, therefore, the higher the speed, the more difficult it is to turn the steering wheel of a motor vehicle. If you try to change the position of the gyroscope axis with a sharp movement, this will result in damped oscillations with a large deviation.

The situations that cause these vibrations vary, but usually they depend on the unloading of the front wheel. At such a moment, the danger of a sharp shift in the horizontal plane is especially likely.

Today, these problems are solved with the use of steering dampers. These are small devices that are similar in design to shock absorbers; they are able to dampen unnecessary vibrations of the fork. With the help of a steering damper, sharp vibration of the fork in the horizontal plane is removed. This device will also prevent these vibrations from forming.

Under typical conditions, a good motorcycle steering damper is unnoticeable and does not create any additional drag when riding. However, he is obliged, he is constantly ready, in order to remove strong hesitation at a crucial moment.

Basically, dampers need to be installed on modern sports bikes with their powerful engines that easily lift the bike onto the rear wheel with the rider, and small fork angles, as well as providing them with sharp handling. It goes without saying that the sharper the handling, the more the fork is affected by uneven road surfaces.

Of course, the device will not be able to completely damp out vibrations, but it can significantly reduce their amplitude and frequency. In this case, you don’t have to rely solely on the damper, because if the driver makes mistakes, for example, holding the steering wheel very tightly, then the bike will behave unstably and with the device.

Motor damper: what is it?

At the moment of gear shifting, maximum vibration amplitudes occur in the engine. This is especially noticeable in high-revving engines, which are mainly used in luxury and sports cars. Thus, an engine shock absorber is a miniature version of a conventional shock absorber and acts as a vibration damper. This is due to the fact that the upper rod begins to move towards the chamber with oil under pressure. This happens quickly at first and slows down over time. Shock absorbers are usually attached to the studs of body parts in the support bearing mounting area. The upper end of the device is attached to the block in the pillow area.

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Let's start with the theory. Any system can vibrate like a string. And like a string, any system has a certain resonant frequency. If external influences in their frequency approach the resonant frequency of the system, then the amplitude of its oscillations quickly increases - resonance occurs. A classic example of such a situation is a bridge along which a company of soldiers was marching. The frequency of their step coincided with the resonant frequency of the bridge, and the increased vibrations destroyed the structure. In the nineteenth century, several bridges fell because of this. After which the military were forbidden to keep pace on bridges.

The body of a motorcycle is no exception. This is also a system subject to resonance. And external vibrations (provoked by uneven roads or an unsuccessful landing from a wheelie) can rock it until it completely loses stability and controllability. Wobbling - a very unpleasant word for a motorcyclist - means an increasing swaying of the steering wheel to the right and left, and this often leads to a complete loss of control (and, as a result, to a fall). It is possible to reduce the likelihood of wobbling. First of all, for this it is necessary to maintain the motorcycle chassis and suspension in good condition. Worn or improperly adjusted shock absorbers increase the dangerous effect. But even a completely new motorcycle does not guarantee resistance to resonance. The steering damper is designed to help. In general, this part differs little from a hydraulic shock absorber, but has several important features.

A classic steering damper is a tube filled with oil with a rod and piston inside. The body is attached to the motorcycle frame, and the stem is attached to a rotating part of the steering system - usually a fork leg or triple clamp. As the piston moves, oil flows from one cavity to another through a small hole. If the piston damper has the ability to be adjusted, it means that the flow area of ​​the hole through which the oil flows can be changed.

Most piston dampers are linearly adjustable. That is, the resistance of the damper in a normal situation, at a slow speed of rotation of the steering wheel, will be the same as when wobbling occurs. In other words, the damper is either too tight for comfortable taxiing, or too light to save you from unexpected bumpiness. For a track, this compromise is acceptable, because you won’t have to turn the steering wheel there. If the track does not have an ideal coating, you can tighten the damper more tightly. But for driving on roads it should not be overtightened.

Perhaps the only exception to this type of damper is the Hyperpro RSC series units, whose resistance increases with speed, allowing you to combine comfort and safety.

Much later than piston dampers, petal (rotor) dampers became widespread. Until the era of widespread introduction of computer design and CNC machines, their creation remained extremely expensive. But now the price of rotary dampers is comparable to the price of the best piston dampers. While there are no obvious disadvantages, rotor systems have three tangible advantages. The first is a significantly wider range of adjustments. Secondly, they are more compact and easier to install (if you have the right adapter). And third, rotary dampers do not suffer as much in falls as piston dampers. This is why they were loved by crossmen who had not previously used dampers at all.

How to choose a suitable damper? In the sports spare parts market, the rule still works quite reliably: more expensive means better. By choosing products from the most famous manufacturers, you can count on excellent results. What is the difference? Weight, fastening strength, as well as clarity and transparency of adjustments are what make a good damper stand out. But these qualities will be primarily appreciated by racers. For road motorcycle riders, the accuracy of adjustments is not important. The main thing is that unnecessary vibrations are extinguished at the right moment. Therefore, mid-price dampers are also suitable. I would exclude very cheap products as not entirely reliable.

Moving from theory to practice, you need to prepare for surprises. First of all, in our homeland such slow-selling goods are rarely found in stock and, as a rule, by accident. Therefore, the store usually takes an advance payment and delivers the part to order. And having received the long-awaited item, the client often wonders why he can’t get on the motorcycle. The nuances of the year of manufacture and model version can play a cruel joke. After all, sometimes there are many inaccuracies in the catalogs of tuning manufacturers, and the professionalism of online store employees is lacking. Therefore, check the order yourself (it’s a good idea to find on the Internet those who have already purchased such units and see them with your own eyes or ask them to take measurements). And it’s even better to buy such things where they can be installed. Then the installation problem will not become just your headache.

Steering column damper, what is its purpose?

This option can be found in factory models of sportbikes, and on the race track you are unlikely to find a model without a damper. Cross-country motorcycles are also equipped with them. Someone will throw up their hands, saying - what, why?

A damper is a device that helps smooth out steering wheel vibrations. This is not a panacea for wobbling, but a useful gadget for short and nimble motorcycle models whose forks do not have much forward reach. Additional help for beginners who, in any incomprehensible situation, begin to either struggle with the steering wheel or distort it.

The principle of operation is close to the operation of shock absorbers; it is not for nothing that Damper is translated as “damper”. One part of the device is attached to a stationary part of the motorcycle, usually the frame. The second part is attached to the steering column, mainly to the yoke. Mounting options vary by manufacturer and model. Before buying a damper, you will have to spend a lot of time to choose the right one and not make mistakes with the fasteners. In any case, the vibrations of the steering wheel are transferred to the damper, which, as it were, absorbs it.

By structure there are:

• Rod ones, they are also telescopic
• Rotary
• Spring
• Adjustable
• Not adjustable

Long forks are inferior to short forks in handling, but forks with greater offset and weight suffer less from shaking. Considering the wheels, which on choppers and tourists are much more massive than on sportbikes or cross-country bikes, the heavy steering base itself partially serves as a damper. The weight makes the bike more stable, allowing it to hold up more confidently when the handlebars shake.

Some motorcyclists complain that with the installation of a damper it has become more difficult to control the motorcycle, because the turning radius has increased and the steering wheel is less responsive. A standard complaint when the pilot has poorly configured the system or has not yet experienced it.

The damper is useful because it gives the pilot's hands a rest. Yes, this is exactly the case when you allow yourself the luxury of letting go of the steering wheel and straightening your stiff back, without fear that the axle will turn sharply due to minor shaking or unevenness of the road.

Damper calibration allows you to tune in to a specific driving pattern. The less the damper is tightened, the easier the motorcycle steers. Leaving the settings at minimum is a good choice when driving in dense traffic between rows or when pulling out of a parking lot, as an option when the road conditions are bad and low speed.

Reading → Damper - a remedy for sausage.

Well, you are the proud owner of a motorcycle! Care for him, look after him. There is more and more experience, desires and needs are growing every day! There is a need to drive, to test your strength, trying to perform various “tricks”... and then a problem arises, the more you start to drive “restlessly”, the more you are faced with the problem of “sausage”. The motorcycle always “yaws”, only the magnitude of this yaw can be different and depends on many things: suspension geometry, road surface condition, speed, tire wear... The front fork and wheel together perfectly handle uneven surfaces, but the motorcycle suspension works exclusively in the vertical plane. And when hitting an uneven surface, a slight displacement of the wheel also occurs in the horizontal plane. All this is absolutely natural and always happens when the motorcycle is moving. When driving on an ideal surface, all these vibrations are so insignificant that the pilot simply does not feel them. After all, if the gyroscope effect did not force the wheel to return to the neutral position, then there would be no talk of any “hands-free” driving. But all this is so as long as you do not try to turn the steering wheel sharply, and as long as the motorcycle has the correct weight distribution along the axes. The gyroscope strongly resists attempts to change the position of the axis, which is what happens when the pilot turns the steering wheel. The gyroscope effect increases as speed increases, so the higher the speed, the more difficult it becomes to turn the motorcycle.

The very first thing that influences the appearance of this effect is the length of the fork. The longer the fork and the greater the angle of the fork, the less chance of getting a sausage. For example, a street bike is very convenient to ride around the city; due to the vertical fork, we get excellent maneuverability, but this reduces controllability at high speeds.

This whole mess lends itself to a simple physical description. As soon as the front wheel loses contact with the road surface, due to the appearance of bumps, holes, or if the engine is over-throttled, it flies above the ground, but when it returns back, the position is not always accurate, and as a result, even a small displacement of a couple of millimeters can significantly impact the handlebar at the moment of landing. When the motorcycle wheel receives a push, vibrations are transmitted to the fork, and therefore to the handlebars. The steering wheel throws from side to side several times (wobbling), the amplitude of vibrations can be such that the steering wheel will turn from lock to lock. It is impossible to hold the steering wheel at this time, and attempts to do this only aggravate the situation, as they provoke new vibrations. Of course you straighten the steering wheel and continue driving. But at this moment, most motorcyclists are trying to grab the steering wheel as tightly as possible, and therefore, leaning on the steering wheel, you transfer all the vibrations and impacts of the steering wheel to the body of the moto - and here it is - the familiar sausage! The steering wheel oscillates from side to side and the amplitude of the oscillations progresses, that is, if it has already begun, then it will be almost impossible to extinguish it! This often happens to inexperienced drivers who, due to their fear, cannot do the opposite - add gas!

In common people, the phenomenon of sausage is called “sausage”. It also has an exact name - the shimmy effect. Shimmy is an intense oscillatory process that can be damped using a damper.

To overcome this frequent phenomenon, smart people came up with such a device as a damper (the name damper comes from the English to damp - “to dampen”). How does it work? This is a regular shock absorber that is installed across the axis of rotation of the steering column. Several damper options have been invented:

Progressive dampers - they are smart))) and only work when those very dangerous vibrations occur. Those. it works on its own - you have to wait for some time until after the instability occurs, this smart object will stop it. Such electronic dampers are sometimes installed standard on some models of motors - for example, Honda. The computer tells the damper how hard to tighten the steering wheel. But if the damper is broken, then the sensor specially installed for this case will not even allow the engine to start. Such devices have advantages - the steering wheel can be turned easily and the motorcycle is controlled very well when maneuvering at low speeds.

Today, there are two dominant types of steering dampers: telescopic-linear (Ohlins, HyperPro, Matris, Toby) and rotary (Scotts, WSC, WER, Ohlins). The design of such dampers is based on a container filled with oil and a movable partition dividing the container into two chambers. There are also special holes (valves), the size of which is adjustable. The partition moves inside the container, changing the volumes of the two chambers and thereby forcing the oil to circulate through the holes. The amount of damping is adjusted by changing the size of the holes (sometimes also their number) through which the oil passes: the smaller the hole, the higher the degree of damping and vice versa.

Telescopic-linear shock absorbers are very similar to conventional shock absorbers and work on their principle: a rod on which a piston is attached moves inside the cylindrical damper body. It performs the function of that very moving “partition”. The hollow tube is filled with oil in which a rod with bypass valves runs. That is, passing oil through the valve to the right and to the left, it moves quite tightly and therefore when the damper begins to sag, the damper cannot begin to rotate the steering wheel quickly and therefore even the beginning of oscillations is no longer possible on its own.

Rotary dampers work on the same principle, but they are not at all similar to telescopic dampers. But here, instead of a rod, a plate with valves moves. Such dampers have a much more robust design and are more resistant to damage from falls (telescopic ones fail in any more or less serious), therefore they have proven themselves primarily on off-road motorcycles. The rotor damper housing is most often mounted on the upper cross member of the fork, and its movable axis is connected to the frame using a lever.

Let's talk about dampers.

Hi all. In general, I bought myself a litR1 and am happy as an elephant.)) Of course, I read about the sausages and felt them, but as I later realized, they were flowers. A couple of weeks ago, I was playing around outside the city, periodically shooting in sharp acceleration (with the throttle) and lifting it onto the rear wheel. At one of these moments, I turn on 2nd gear, unscrew the handle, the front wheel rises 20 centimeters, while I accelerate very quickly, smoothly add gas so that the wheel does not fall, my idiotic smile hides behind the mirror visor. I'm happy and satisfied with myself. I hear from the sound that there will be a cutoff soon, I don’t turn the handle anymore, I keep it as it is, I wait for the front wheel to drop. Willow Wobbly(((I was just oh...eating, I didn’t even think that such vibrations could exist, I couldn’t hold the steering wheel, I felt like the moth was twitching under me. I was just scared and didn’t do anything. Everything settled down by itself. After That's why I was afraid to turn the knob sharply for 3 days. And I thought about the damper. Can you share which one you have installed? Are you happy with it? Which one do you want to install? Where is the best place to buy? Maybe someone sells it?

I caught it myself a couple of times on Drozd during sharp acceleration))) invigorates))

Learn to sit correctly

on a motorcycle. Read books.

Learn to sit correctly

on a motorcycle. Read books.

Believe me, the first thing I learned was to sit correctly, then to brake correctly, but I was afraid to turn it until the last minute. What will landing do if there are bumps in the road and you didn’t see them? I know that your hands should be on the steering wheel and not held, and even when accelerating and when the speed is well over 200, I only grab the tank with my knees. Or do you think that the damper is a waste of money?

Or do only first-season players find themselves in such situations? But those who have the correct posture and who read books do not know such troubles. Is it worth it yourself, or have you never found yourself in such situations? Did you slip on the markings when overtaking? When the rear wheel skids and then suddenly catches.

I came across a very informative and instructive article on the pages of the moto blog swissblog. A guy named Alexey talks about his physical features of this process, very accessible and simple.

Source

Steering damper: why is it needed and how to install it. Cost and selection criteria.

...Not many people know what a steering damper is; let’s say, many people don’t need it. Apparently, therefore, this is not such a common and mandatory element in the steering of a car.

Why do you need a steering damper?

If we touch on the question of why a steering damper is needed, then its tasks, first of all, are to absorb sharp and minor steering impacts from the car driving over uneven roads. A damper is a kind of buffer that absorbs shocks transmitted to the steering wheel from the wheels through the steering. If you remember, when driving over bumps, all the holes and stones “respond” by moving the steering wheel and additional oscillatory forces on your hands and fingers that hold it. It is to dampen such vibrations that a steering damper is installed on the steering wheel. The secondary task of the steering damper is to return the steering wheel to 0 degrees, that is, to maintain straight-line movement of the car. This is partly a plus, partly a minus. Yes, it will become easier for us to maintain the straight direction of the car’s movement, but it will also become more difficult to quickly control the steering wheel and quickly change the trajectory of movement, especially if we do not have an electric or hydraulic booster.

What is a steering damper based on its design?

In fact, the steering damper is a shock absorber, single- or double-acting. If the shock absorber is single-acting, in addition to it there is a spring. This assembly is very much reminiscent in its design and operation of a strut used in a car suspension.

What cars are equipped with a steering damper?

From the above, we can draw a practical conclusion for which cars this steering damper is suitable and even irreplaceable. First of all, these are cars that often drive on rough roads. Here, most of the readers will grin sarcastically and say that such a damper is recommended for all cars in our country. But speaking seriously, these are, of course, full-fledged jeeps and heavy cars, where the effort is significant and hand fatigue from constant shaking is increased. And so, after we have found out why a steering damper is needed and what cars it is usually installed on, we will consider the option of installing it on a car.

How to install a steering damper (example and installation rules)

Typically, a steering damper is installed between movable steering rods coming from the wheels and fixed elements, this can be a body, frame or axle. In this case, we will give an example of installing a steering damper on a UAZ car, between the linkage and the body. The option is not entirely successful, since the main rule during installation will be minimal movement of the parts relative to each other on which the damper will be installed. The whole point is that if we place a damper between the body and the rod in the place where the movement of the body relative to the rod is maximum, then the damper, due to its rigidity, will tighten the steering rod and accordingly steer the car when driving over bumps in one direction, which is unacceptable. Also, in the case of such an installation, it will be possible to observe a constant change in the angle between the damper axis and the planes of the parts to which it is attached. Another rule is that the damper should not limit turns from side to side, that is, the maximum turning angles should remain unchanged. And of course it must be securely fixed in place.

Steering damper purchase cost and selection criteria

The cost of a steering damper ranges from $70 and up. The price may include an adjustment for the brand of the product or its applicability to a specific vehicle. The cost will also be affected by the design, with a spring or not. And now in more detail about the basic operations of installing a steering damper. One of the main criteria when choosing a damper is to take into account its force, which is regulated for each of the products on the market. So, if we have an ordinary SUV weighing about 2.5-3 tons, then this is one group of dampers; if the car exceeds 3 tons, then another. Let's pay attention to this when we buy a steering damper for installation.

How to install?

Now that we know what device we are talking about, it’s time to figure out its implementation in the automotive system. You can install the damper on the steering rod with the help of specialists or yourself. Since the first method does not need a detailed description, let’s look at how to attach the damper with your own hands.

Most often, the steering damper is installed in the space between the moving rods. But often this device is mounted between the rod and the body. However, with this option you need to be careful. If the mechanism is fixed in a place where the body stroke reaches its maximum level relative to traction, the damper, due to the rigidity of its design, will slightly steer the car on bumps. This is an unacceptable defect.

When installing, make sure that the presence of the damper does not change the amplitude of rotation of the axes. It must remain the same, otherwise it will reduce the ability to control the vehicle.

Fastening

So, now you are ready to equip your car with a damper. Let's get to work. First you need to take a corner that should be welded to the place where you decide to mount the device. There should be a hole on the corner for fastening.

We weld the same fastener to the rod. Let us remind you that you need to carefully select the welding location. The rod should continue to move freely after installing the damper.

Installation

After this we can install the damper. Each end is inserted into a mounting hole and secured there.

If you purchased a universal device, you will not have to weld anything additional. It is enough to attach the clamps.

We remind you that the device must be mounted as perpendicular to the draft as possible.