Steering damper on a busa?

C

CopMagnet5oh

Registered
i got a 99 busa with some weight savings, 33k miles on it, with factory damper ( good condition, i inspected last year ). i had the rear raised 1" and running 180 pilot power rear tire. i like turns and ride aggressively. I am 150lbs + gear, and got +5 rear sprocket. bike made 159rwhp and 97rwqt. had the suspension set by a good rep. shop /pro racer for my weight ( me sitting on the bike, last year )

Short turns/ low speeds are not an issue, but longer turns/higher speeds i can feel the whole bike wobbling, specially when the pavement isnt all that great.

So, my question is: will i benefit by installing the aftermarket steering damper on my bike, or is the problem isnt related to that ? I had two different suspension settings and both resulted in that wobble, i thought maybe my rear settings were adjusted too hard and not giving it enough room/time to respond to the uneven pavement when the bike is leaned over all the way, but thats just a guess. local shops are willing to help to the point where you come back with an issue, then they want nothing to do with you.

thanks guys!

- Kons
 
Your twitchy problem is due to the rear being a bit to tall. Try dropping the rear back down a half inch and I'm sure your troubles will be solved. Did you by any chance drop the front any or install a 60 series front tire?
 
stock size front tire, and i had the same problem before i raised the rear, shouldve mentioned that. Stock height on the front.
 
thought of that too, i had the forks taken out, completely inspected and rebuild with new factory seals, didnt change anything. ( cost me big bucks for nothing really )
 
CopMagnet5oh said:
thought of that too, i had the forks taken out, completely inspected and rebuild with new factory seals, didnt change anything. ( cost me big bucks for nothing really )
Click to expand...

that sux, sorry to hear that. damn, the only components that would cause that would be the tire alignment, suspension or front end but seems you checked all that.
sometimes when I take a corner fast I get a wobble/bounce but my suspension was set up for a light guy (im heavier) hope someone chimes in with some better suggestions man
 
So this head shake problem was an issue before you had your race guy set up your suspension?

I am assuming you have a PP on the front as well?
 
yeah, same tires, PPs, and had the same issue ever since i had the bike ( 3 years ). and i had Dunlops bt014 i think on it when i got the bike originally and it was same deal.

set the susp specifically to get rid of the shake, and rebuild the forks after the susp sett didnt help. but it feels like the rear of the bike wobbles under your as* at full lean. i may get someone to ride it at the track during on of the days where theres someone there to set the suspension, and let them ifgure it out themselves rather me explaining it.???
 
Whomever decided to raise the back an inch to get rid of the head shake did you no favors.

Headshake is a result of poor geometry. I'd have to play with it to figure it out. Most likely someone at some point has been fiddling with the suspension and has something out of whack.

Your BTO14's were made by Bridgestone which has no bearing on your ailment. My guess is your headshake occurs on corner exits under power? That is usually a result of a short trail. Raising the rear or lowering the front decreases the trailing length even more.

I don't really know where to tell you to start. You need someone who knows how to run down the problem. A trackside suspension vendor may be your best bet. In my experience shop mechanics don't really savy suspension all that well. You may want to check the head stock bearings. Sloppy worn bearings could be the culprit.

What I do know is adding an aftermarket damper is merely adding a bandaid to the problem. Correcting the core of the problem is the proper approach.

Good Luck. Keep us posted as to what results you get.
 
i dunno why i said dunlop when i was clearly Bridgestones, lol.

the rear wasnt raised to solve that problem, but as an attempt to make the bike turn quicker. i had an R6 before and lowered the front end 10mm, which made some difference, but on a busa there isnt that much clearance as it, so i decided to raise the rear instead and give it more clearance as a bonus. ( and it did make a difference, so i wont go back so stock settings/ ride height )

i got mechanic to check head bearing as i though something was clunking time to time when i go over bumps, but they said everything was good to go, now to think about that, i should ask a different shop to check my head bearing, cause i still havent figured out the clunking noise. and that was the same shop who set my suspension ... ( i had a fight with them over something else, as they kept $300 worth of parts they said they needed to fix my bike, and ended up not using them and kept it, until i found one bearing still in my trunk, and asked them and only then they returned all the parts to me )

dunno what else i can tell you guys so you can help me ...

thanks!

- Kons
 
and the shake occurs all through the corner when the suspension is completely compressed ( max lean ), so if its a 360 ramp, and i go in hard and keep the speed through the whole turn equally, ill feel that same shake the entire time, as soon as the bike straightens out the shake goes away, even under full power.
 
I have an 08 and I'm 173 lbs and around 195 with my suit/boots. I have the same problem, just not nearly as bad. I've ridden alot of bikes and tires over the years. The Busa under my weight even with a good stock suspension setup likes to dance a little with me. With my wife on the back it handles perferct, the extra weight makes it feel solid and planted. Better tires and adjusting the suspension on the side of the road are the only way.
I'm no suspension guy, but I do have some of Dave Moss's videos:laugh::(An introduction to Sportbike Suspension, and Twiddlling Knobs)laugh:and years of mistakes to learn from.
Seriously, check out his videos, they are really good. I'de played with suspension for many years and did ok, but those videos gave me alot better understanding. My suspension is much better now. The bike still dances a little at high speed corner exits, but not nearly as much. I have alot more confidence because the bike handles so much better. If your front and rear suspension aren't set to where they are working together, or even if your chain's too tight, it'll never ride right.
 
My thoughts are that the steering head may be loose, you can determine that yourself if you have the ability to suspend the front of the bike. Second, what do you know about your front fork springs, fluid and adjustment? Third, I didn't like a 180 on my bike at all....for me it seemed to amplify the fact that my rear is 1" taller....in a negative way. When I went to a 190, I loved it. Like Tufbusa says, suspension guys at the track are light years superior to dealer techs in terms of dialing in your scooter. It took me almost 2 years of track days to arrive at optimal suspension adjustments, so many guys are too excited to ride and therefore don't devote enough time with the trackside expert(I sure fell into that trap until I learned how important suspension is for performance and safety).
Having said all that, I've never had a wobble at any speed so I tend to think it's a malfunction over "just adjusting it properly".
If you go to an aftermarket damper, it's great to have BUT do it only AFTER you get the gremlin out. Good luck with the troubleshooting, you're already well on your way. Raydog
 
I havent had a steering damper on mine for the last 4 years.

Sitting upright and taking a lot of weight off the front wheel
makes it a bit light on the steering at times but wide bars
make it easy to tame.

I've been looking at going shorter or taller at the rear, better
turn in / ground clearance / wheelies, but making the front too
unstable is something im very aware of. Didnt think 1" lift would
be too bad as the Busa's arent radical steerer's anyway ?
 
Tony Nitrous said:
I havent had a steering damper on mine for the last 4 years.

Sitting upright and taking a lot of weight off the front wheel
makes it a bit light on the steering at times but wide bars
make it easy to tame.

I've been looking at going shorter or taller at the rear, better
turn in / ground clearance / wheelies, but making the front too
unstable is something im very aware of. Didnt think 1" lift would
be too bad as the Busa's arent radical steerer's anyway ?
Click to expand...

Like I said, the only effects I noticed are good....slightly quicker steering, more ground clearance, appearance and brakies are probably a little easier. Stability has never been an issue for me, at all speeds and intensity.
 
Thank's.
Raising the rear is the easy bit, raised a few Bandit 12's in the past.

Playing with the idea of a shorter arm too,
Had a GSXR600 arm but it wasn't a good fit a full height.
Just a bit of fun trying things and seeing the difference.
Thanks Raydog.

Tony.
 
Like RayDog says, you have some underlying issues you need to sort out. If I had that project I would begin by putting the suspension back to factory stock. Ride height, compression, rebound, everything before searching for the problem. Then play with one setting at a time. Could be as simple as tires. I had an 04 GSXR1K that hated dunlop tires. I had head shake in every corner and couldn't get rid of it. One of my race friends gave me a set of Pirelli's to try and the problem was instantly solved. You'll simply have to deal with one thing at a time until you figure it out. Only after the headshake is under control should you change your stock suspension settings.

Oh,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, one thing you can try is loosen your grip on the bars. I have seen guys with issues such as yours as a result of having a death grip on the bars. Try turning the bars loose once the bike is leaned over and see if the shake continues. I'd try that before I made any adjustments.
 
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