Ohlins Steering Damper Group Buy! (My K8 install experience w/pics)

[skydivr]

The below is my install experience for the group buy (paying it forward):

https://www.hayabusa.org/forum/group-buys/101246-ohlins-steering-damper-group-buy.html

First, thanks to Tufbusa (Steven) for his many PM's, emails and even a great phone conversation on Sunday afternoon. What a great resource and you can tell that he really enjoys it!

To set the stage, I have a 2008 Blue (yes, the fastest color ) with a 3/4 inch Genmar Riser and Helibars. Stock brake lines, so they are stretched out pretty tight.

My steering damper arrived withing a few days of the purchase (shipped from CA to TN). The damper that arrived was model # SD 121, which is a generic damper that fits several different models (including the Gixxer 1K). It took me a week to get a cold day off to do the install. Tuf had given me some good email instructions about installing, and between his email and the K8 Manual Sticky https://www.hayabusa.org/forum/gen-ii-busa-information/79087-k8-manual-download.html I didn't think this would be above my ability.

In any case, here is what I received:

Since this was a generic damper, no bike-specific instructions were included. The damper comes with a generic bracket, two replacment metric allen bolts and a metal spacer that goes between the joint on the damper rod and where it bolts onto the fork clamp. The spacer lifts the eye of the rod slightly so it makes no contact directly with the damper, and adjusts for there not being a bolt on top of the OEM Damper. Yes, it's scratched which will become apparent further down in this post.

There are six pins holding the chin plate under the nose cowling on; take a small screwdriver and push the center of the pin in, then the entire pin comes right out. Five of the pins are clearly visable (two right under the headlight on the nose, and four underneath. One of them (top left) is behind the edge of the cowling so it's not as visible as the others (still, no problem).

Here are the ones in the nose

Two on the left side (the rear one is hidden behind the red circle); those two holes are for alignment only..

The nose cowling comes right off. Between the two forks there is another dust cover with two bolts (10 mm i think) which must also be removed to gain access to the damper area.

Once the covers are removed, here is a pic of the OEM damper. Note the space between the stock damper and the brake line and brake line routing tang (this will come into play soon). Remove the bolt from the rod FIRST (you will need a socket AND an open end to get this off).

Once the stock damper is removed, here are the two dampers side by side.

 

[skydivr]

And HERE is where I think there is going to be a problem. In the next three pictures, you can tell that when I align the the dampers by the mounting bolts, that the Ohlins damper rod does not line up with the OEM model. I also notice the damper body is closer to the frame bolt, which means the entire damper will be sitting closer to the triple tree than the OEM model:

Also, there were some parts on the OEM damper that got a little confusing; there were two dust caps on the OEM damper mount to prevent dust from getting into the joint (greased). I am going to reuse them with the Ohlins damper. Here are the OEM parts:

Here is where it gets interesting. When I put in the Ohlins damper, I noticed that is sitting much closer than the OEM damper; the brake line tang bracket/tang is rubbing on the damper; the rod of the damper is either touching or almost touching the fork tube. Even when adusting the damper body, it never gets in a position where all is clear. This does not look right to me.

The below pic shows two things: 1) the tang is scratching the damper body (ergo the scratchs); and 2) I had not yet figured out what the spacer was for, it goes between the damper rod and the mounting bracket.

 

[skydivr]

Here are a few more pics as I tried to maneuver the damper around to find a place where it would properly fit. Note that my brake lines are pretty tight. Tufbusa tells me that they have used this adapter many times, and bending or moving the tank or adjusting the line would probably fix it. However, since I have the Genmar/Helibar combo, I really don't have that option.

In the end, I get frustrated, so I put the OEM damper back on and closed it up.

I talked to Tuf later that weekend; he recommended that I bend or move the tang/lines or purchase some after-market lines which would be longer and therefore easier to move. I decided I would wait until Monday and talk to Ohlins about it.

On Monday, i talked to Ohlins. They new exactly what I was talking about. While the model damper I have WILL fit, they made a different, longer bracket for the K8's to fix this exact problem, and shift the damper further outbound to clear all the lines. The part number for this bracket (only) is #2230-04; I don't know what the full model # is. The bracket only was list from Ohlins $124. So I called and talked to Ken and Ken's Racing. Ken offered to take my bracket in return on trade and reduced price for the correct bracket. Told me it would be about $75 but I am not sure yet. I have sent him my bracket already so will be awaiting the K8-specific mounting bracket to arrive to finish this post. I would rather have the model-specific bracket, even if it costs me a little bit, than to 'engineer' the one I have for correct fitment.

Many of you may not experience this problem. It may not be one at all if no risers, or if you have already modified your brake lines. I'm sure once I get the correct bracket this won't be a big deal. Hopefully I've done a decent job explaining this mod (can I say "sticky"?)

 

[BusaWizard]

You've done an excellent job, thanks so much. I haven't tried installing mine yet, I have the Galfer SS lines. I'm going to wait and see what your new bracket looks like. They should have supplied the proper bracket with our kit, after all we specified it was for an 08, there shouldn't be an additional charge.

 

[critterdoc]

This is the first bike I have owned that has a steering damper, and I have to say I am very impressed with the bike's high speed stability. So, I have to ask, please excuse my ignorance, but why change the damper at all?

 

[BusaWizard]

I haven't had any problems with mine either, nor did I on my 04LE. This was more of a want than a need, if it's going to be more of a hassle than it's worth, I may sell it.

 

[raydog]

This is the first bike I have owned that has a steering damper, and I have to say I am very impressed with the bike's high speed stability. So, I have to ask, please excuse my ignorance, but why change the damper at all?

Because, as stated by others, Ohlins is the "gold standard" of suspensions and damper units. Also, it is fully adjustable and OEM is not. I really don't know about Gen II, but the OEM Gen I unit is light years inferior to the Ohlins. Doing the mod to the Gen I unit does, however, improve its damping ability significantly. If you use your bike for different applications (LSR, drags, touring, track use, etc.) adjustibility is really a plus. Raydog

 

[mike1180]

Thanks for the write - up.
It is awesome.
I wish it had gone smoother for you.
That thing should just be a bolt on replacement IMO.

 

[skydivr]

If my bike had been stock (no risers), or aftermarket lines, it might not have mattered. In fact, If i had been willing to mess with it a little, it might have worked out fine. But if there is a specific 08 kit, then that's the kit I'd like to have. I'll reserve my comments when the correct bracket comes. Just hope this helps the rest of you when you go to do this mod. Your application might be JUST FINE.

 

[Caperj]

Awesome write up. I would not change the stock I have ownwd many bikes and see no issue with the stock one.

 

[Tufbusa]

Great Job Keith! Excellent demonstration with photos and easy to understand.

I may point out there should be no problem if your bike is stock. If the brake line clamp obstructs the movement of your new Ohlin's damper, simply bend it slightly to accomodate the damper. However, if you have bar risers the brake line may be stretched to tight to accomodate any adjustment needed. If so, the only way to accomodate the damper is aftermarket brake lines. In Keith's case with a 1 inch riser, he would need an additional inch in the brake line. Or,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, you can buy a longer mount through Ohlin's.

The unit works just fine with the generic mount. The reason we got the killer deal is Dan had these sitting on the shelf in his warehouse. If he ordered the 08 specific dampers from Sweeden, our sweetheart deal would not have been quite so sweet.

If any of you have a problem of any sort with the damper mount, please feel free to contact me or Dan. We'll be happy to take care of you.

Thanks again Keith for the excellent thread!

 

[BusaWizard]

OK thanks, was there a problem clearing the forks?

 

[skydivr]

It was awfully close, didn't go much further because I'd already made the decision that I didnt' like it the way it was.

Front Forks on the K8 I understand are bigger thank previous models which closes the available gap.

 

[BusaWizard]

On your advice, would you recommend installing the longer bracket?

 

[Jza]

great post mate

 

[zx9r]

Is this still available?? I sent an PM a couple weeks ago..

 

[skydivr]

When the longer bracket comes, I'll update this thread and you'll be able to see the different it makes - then you can make your own decision based on your individual setup.

 

[EarlyBird]

Good write up!

 

[FastLaneKen]

I decided to install a Scotts Damper instead. Pretty cool and I can adjust it on the fly. Only paid $350 including shipping

All I had to do was remove the stock damper.
Note: I did not remove any of the plastics I just used an allen wrench and a socket since you can reach both nuts from underneath.

 

[skydivr]

But, that's where I mount my GPS, and my camera, and....