Damper question

1vanvenci5

1vanvenci5

Registered
First of all, I have search and read almost all Damper related topics in the forum and in some other places that Google lead me. Still have some question. In most of the threads they talk about filling the damper with 50w, 40w, some 80w or 90w... What kind of oil/fluid are you talking about? I mean, what kind of oil/fluid do I have to use.

Gear oil? Suspension fluid? Transmission fluid? motor oil? I mean, there's no 50W in gear oil, there's only 80w/90w. I have read in a major lubricant manufacturer web site that the gear oil 80w or 90w it's equivalent in viscosity to a 50w motor oil... Is that (90w gear oil) the one you're talking about?

Also, if gear oil is the one I need to use, what you guys recomend? 75w-90; 85w-140; 80w-90... these are the one's I have access to. Or if it's not gear oil the one for the damper, can someone point me in the right direction? I'll appreciate it. Thanx!

PS.- I'm usion OEM damper. Thanx again!
 
Do yourself a favor and buy an aftermarket adjustable damper. You won't be sorry.
 
An aftermarket will be the best bet.....but.........if you live on a budget and need to save for one then I understand because I am in the same boat. There is always something out there you want. For now, simply replace the oil in the damper with your motor oil of choice and re-install. I will be doing this myself this winter when I do my HIDs. I will be using 50w, at least until I can order a GPR.
 
Although an aftermarket damper is a more advanced alternative, I am pretty happy with my stock damper filled with 90W fully synthetic gear oil (which has the viscosity of around 40W - 50W of motor oil), and pretty sure it would've prevented a tankslapper I've gotten into some years ago. I would not use motor oil because it's not designed for this function - gear oil only.

A good way to feel the effect of the damper is to lift the front of the bike in such a way that you can freely move the handlebars. Obviously you need a stable setup so that the bike doesn't fall. With your old damper, swing the handlebars side to side as rapidly as you can to feel the resistance. With stock damper, the resistance will be miniscule. With heavy oil, or an aftermarket damper, you should feel noticeably more resistance.

There are drawbacks to using heavier oil - it's viscosity changes with temperature - gets thicker with lower temperatures. After I filled my damper with heavier oil, I put it in the freezer (10 deg F) for a few hours, and then compared the resistance. It was noticeably harder to move it by hand. However, once on the bike, you get a better leverage moving the damper via handlebars. I've ridden in very cold weather (up to 20 deg F), and had no issues steering the bike.

A lot depends on what kind of riding you do. For example, if your riding involves very quick steering inputs, then a real aftermarket damper would benefit you.

All of the above is just my opinion. Good luck in whatever decision you make. One thing is true without any doubt - you gotta do something with the stock damper.
 
I swapped out the oil in my damper with a thicker 1 and it made a noticeable difference but still doesnt compare to a quality aftermarket steering damper. Another question to ask is how frequent do you ride and whats your riding style? The reason I ask is I know guys who just ride around town and occasional highway trips who have never tweaked or replaced their factory dampers and they have racked up serious miles with no complaints
 
Thanx to all. An aftermarket damper is not an option right now so I'm using the OEM damper for now...

IG.: I read your post about the freezer experiment and all, actually I belived one of your posts was the one leading me to a external web site about gear oil... 90w then? wich one is the one you got: 75w-90; 85w-140; 80w-90?

#1busa: I use my Busa as my primary metod of transportation, dialy about 30 miles, city most of the time, freeway a couple of days per week and highway once every two weeks or something like that. So yeah, the Busa needs to be above perfect condition or else... :banghead:

Any more information or tought about the damper oil change would be much appreciated. Thanx again! :bowdown:
 
An Ohlins unit will fit in the stock location with a bit of creativity.

Steering Busa 006.jpg

Steering Busa 006.jpg
 
aftermarket IS the way to go IF you ride track or do alot of twisties, whch is not what most people buy a busa for ( and yes they can be very good at those). I put 80/90 gear oil in mine 7 years ago and it cost me about $5 NOT $400+. It took all the vibes and shakes out and turns nice and smooth.
 
I just changed the oil to a heavier weight..i have not rode the bike but pushing the damper by hand it made a difference..especially if u have some air pockets in the damper to begin with..then new oil really makes a different..when i started the damper was really easy to move by hand and u could hear the air pockets in the fluid, which made it inconsistent when moving it back and forth..i had 30 weight shock oil,so whats what i used..just make sure to get all the air pockets out ..u will know because it will be the same running that in and out by hand..
 
I went with a heavier oil at first on the stock damper which was good as I ride as a commuter a few days a week and weekend canyon ride here and there. Then as I went through this "dash mod" phase I wanted an adjustable like my old f4i gpr. So I went overkill and got this sweet hyperpro top mount. I love everything about it.

IMG_00000018.jpg
 
I've got the heaviest - 80w90. Remember it's only around 40w-50w if compared to the viscosity of motor oil, so it's not that terribly thick. I don't know why different grading scale is used - just causes confusion. I ride aggressively and do occasional track days. Although not the fastest rider, I've never had a problem not being able to steer the bike as quickly as I wanted to. Also, a lot of folks don't realize that probably 95% or more of the resistance a rider experiences trying to quickly turn the handlebars - comes from the bike itself, and not the stock damper filled with heavier oil. What this means, if you are applying 20 lb of force with the stock damper (or aftermarket damper which provides low resistance unless it's a very quick rate of change), you would need to apply a force increased by 5% with the stock damper filled with heavy oil. This leads us to a whooping 21 lb. Well, to me personally, it would make no difference - applying 21 lb effort to the handlebars vs. 20 lb effort.

1vanvenci5 said:
Thanx to all. An aftermarket damper is not an option right now so I'm using the OEM damper for now...

IG.: I read your post about the freezer experiment and all, actually I belived one of your posts was the one leading me to a external web site about gear oil... 90w then? wich one is the one you got: 75w-90; 85w-140; 80w-90?

#1busa: I use my Busa as my primary metod of transportation, dialy about 30 miles, city most of the time, freeway a couple of days per week and highway once every two weeks or something like that. So yeah, the Busa needs to be above perfect condition or else... :banghead:

Any more information or tought about the damper oil change would be much appreciated. Thanx again! :bowdown:
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