Steering dampers

[CrazyDan]

Anyone ever give steering dampers a thought? Maybe the screen door pistons, or just stiff springs, attached from the forks to the frame, a half foot to a foot in.
It might help a bunch at high speeds to keep the wheel from twisting on us from dips and bumps, and maybe speed wobbles.
Thoughts?

 

[Spare_Parts]

Springs would do nothing. Thought I remembered seeing dampers for down hill bikes.

 

[Old Busted Hotness]

Definitely not a screen-door cylinder. Those are pressurized springs, like hatchback struts and they only damp on compression. Put one on your bike and it would push the bars into a hard turn. You'd have to fight to keep going straight.

 

[LewieBike]

Old school steering damper. ( behind the handlebar clamps.)

 

[Vikingimike01]

I was thinking about this a month back and looked for universal scooter ones I could mod to fit. Havent found anything

 

[GreasyChris]

I've seen this style before on a bicycle but doubt it would do much on a motorized bike.

Hebie 695/696 Steering Damper

Ive thought about using one from a real motorcycle,

 

[GreasyChris]

Just found this one.

 

[Vikingimike01]

Yeah.. I don't think that does all that much if the handlebars start shaking but not far..

 

[FurryOnTheInside]

This bike has a hopey damper.
It's begging for the motor, if only it wasn't carbon fibre.

I've never felt like I need a damper at the speeds I have (briefly) reached on bikes (~maybe 55 down smooth long hills). I don't think I will need one on my MAB; but I have no hot pipe obstructing where you can normally use your knees to steady the front of your frame. Or steady yourself on the front of the frame.. Maybe that's it actually: my jellylike mass wrapped around the frame and handlebar/ tit support is my steering damper haha!

I can see that you might want one if you want to sustain high speeds and you can't body hug your bike all the time.

I have needed a spring to stop the front turning all the way around while lifting or parking bikes with front panniers!
I would make it slack so it allows natural steering and only interferes when the steering reaches silly angles, therefore is not part of the same conversation really. ☺

 

[CrazyDan]

I've never felt like I need a damper at the speeds I have (briefly) reached on bikes (~maybe 55 down smooth long hills). I don't think I will need one on my MAB; but I have no hot pipe obstructing where you can normally use your knees to steady the front of your frame. Or steady yourself on the front of the frame.. Maybe that's it actually: my jellylike mass wrapped around the frame and handlebar/ tit support is my steering damper haha!

I can see that you might want one if you want to sustain high speeds and you can't body hug your bike all the time.

Hugging your bike to act as a steering damper gets tiring very fast. Watch or read a twist of the wrist vol 2 by Keith Code, the turning god.
A steering damper can help us tons, we just need something that can work for our needs. Bicycle dampers might be too soft to be worthwhile, motorcycle dampers might be too stiff. Has anyone used a steering damper on a MaB that worked as it should?