Suzuki steering dampers

[Marcus]

A few months ago I changed to 15w oil.

All was good

2 weeks ago, I did a mates bike. All was good

But straight away it felt heavier then mine.

Measured both bikes, mines a bit steeper and assume it would be heavier?! Checked air pressure and at the time it was about the same, same gauge and tyres. Well he had a 2ct front and I had a normal PP.

I rode it last week, its heavier. I bled it the same way I bled pans, mine, his etc.

Would the oil deteriorate that quickly???

I am getting head shakes again, no big deal but I put it down to a tyre thats actually giving me drive.

Thoughts?

[jasonbw]

Less stressing, more riding :) ?

[Marcus]

Rode today and yesterday

Not stressing, it doesnt really bother me as its only a shake and not slapping and especially now I can just give it more throttle and lift the front to elimiate any head shakes ;-)

Problem solved and I didnt get my hands dirty

[Bigdog]

Sounds like you might have air in the damper.

[Chaser]

That's an easy thing to fix. Clearly you have not balanced out the dampner. You need to re-bleed, turn the unit 12 degrees to the left and move it in and out 4 times only. Turn to the right, raise your left hand and shout "what the fuck is this" After that, it will be fixed.
Alternatively, I could just be talking shit.....again! Basically I have no idea.

[jasonbw]

ok, I might have something more constructive to say.

First off, your post is going back and fourth without putting information around the key points so we can understand them, what is this meant to mean: "Measured both bikes, mines a bit steeper and assume it would be heavier?!"

You seem to say his bike steers heavier, but why do you suddenly switch back to talking about 'you' are getting headshakes.. is that on his bike?? Write slower, more point form fact and that'll help us help you.

I'll try to assume though the problem is that when you bled his and your dampers, they felt exactly the same, now his is heavier. Is that right?

When the front end is raised by way of supporting the frame, does it still feel different to yours?

The two main things that will effect the resistance to turning the bars when supported off the ground are:

Steering head tightness
Steering damper


So either something in your(his?) steering damper has changed (or your mate has done too many stoppies forcing hard chatter through the stem as per your other posts)

Get both bikes side by side and try this.

Setup bike so its supported by the frame, so the steering can easily be turned
Remove dampers
using a pull scale (like a fish weight scale), hook to a bar end and measure the force required to just start to turn the bars
repeat with other bike, if the measurement is different then your steering head is too tight/loose (note, what measurement should it be, check your manual, potentially around 200-500grams)


This will show you if the head bearings are effecting your judgement

If its not the bearings then go for a ride then bleed the dampers, is the oil in one bubbly, i.e. had lots of cavitation? That would indicate it wasnt bled properly and the oil wont have a chance of being smooth.

Last resort is there may be a rebuild required for the damper. Chat to Zeno about it.
Hope this helps

[Marcus]

Im not really complaining- as I said it doesnt worry me. Just noting what I have noticed as there are a few guys on here that have the same steering damper and might have noticed the same thing.

I have noticed that the stock seals do leak a bit. I guess over time it will leak enough to suck air back in?

My mate only did it once so I could see how close to bottoming it comes

[jasonbw]

No probs, text is hard to convey attitude but rest assured, not having a go at you, just trying to put info to text.

[dungbeetle]

sumthing else that will make it tight when on a headstem stand is the stand itself. mine is really really hard to steer when its up on the stand:p

[zenodamper]

Hey hey, it's another oily one! ha ha

OK, no. 1, if there was air in it, it would be squishy and then damp, as the piston would be essentially jumping through the air pocket afore finding resistance... However, the air could heat - though this is highly unlikely eh! Like how fast does it commonly osscilate?

As to one being different to the other - well, this is reasonably likely - yes the casting will be more than likely identical across the board; but let's not forget that the piston is made from brass..... hmm...

As another side - and I think Marcus is just into the discussion element here, and not being overly neurotic (well, I hope) - did you use the exact same brand of "15wt oil"?

If I were a betting bod, I would put it down to tolerances - no biggy...

Though why use such a viscous oil - personally I detest stiffness in steering....

[jasonbw]

sumthing else that will make it tight when on a headstem stand is the stand itself. mine is really really hard to steer when its up on the stand:p

ohh good point, on my CBR its free like its on bearings, on BigB's Zed its rough as rocks. Best to strap it from the frame.

Cancel that, the frame might break. :p

[dungbeetle]

Cancel that, the frame might break. :p


pfffffft......

[jasonbw]

:)

Actually, you're dead right... methinks I'm mistaking the easy steering movement with my old CBR6 where Id attach the lifter behind the stem (into the frame)... damn... all sounded like a good plan till then.. I'll update the post.

[Turtle]

That's an easy thing to fix. Clearly you have not balanced out the dampner. You need to re-bleed, turn the unit 12 degrees to the left and move it in and out 4 times only. Turn to the right, raise your left hand and shout "what the fuck is this" After that, it will be fixed.
Alternatively, I could just be talking shit.....again! Basically I have no idea.

:lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: