steering dampener

[kip]

steering dampener went kaput

offers zero resistance

anybody replaced one?

is it a "beemer only" part or is there a better aftermarket part?

any input will be appreciated.....

[amarider]

Contact Raffy (http://www.motogear4you.com/)

[parishollow]

sells rebuilt ones. New ones are expensive but not hard to change out. You can do it yourself.

[eatanner]

There's a pretty good chance you'll need to gently heat the bolt so it will release without messing up the head. This is one of the places BMW adds a bit of sticky goo.:bmw: sells rebuilt ones. New ones are expensive but not hard to change out. You can do it yourself.

[zaphod]

I saw this while looking for Wilber shocks. Looks real nice.

http://piratesk12site.net/Hyperpro.htm

[kdog]

I saw this while looking for Wilber shocks. Looks real nice.

http://piratesk12site.net/Hyperpro.htm

Wow, finally an aftermarket damper for the LT! Looks awesome.

But that price! :eek:

Regards,
-joel

[mjordans2000]

Wow, finally an aftermarket damper for the LT! Looks awesome.

But that price! :eek:

Regards,
-joel
Actually they aren't that much more than stock. I paid about 280.00 for mine and this one looks worth a few extra dollars.

[kdog]

Actually they aren't that much more than stock. I paid about 280.00 for mine and this one looks worth a few extra dollars.

Are the stock ones that high? I replaced mine a long time ago. I remember choking on the price a bit, but didn't think it was that high. Wow. LT parts prices having really increased over the years.

So yeah, I'd MUCH rather spend an extra $60 and get the Hyperpro. Shoot, I've probably got 50K at least on my currently stabilizer. Hmmmm.... How to sneak this by the wife...

-joel

[kellenbenz]

Here is the link to the Hyperpro site direct...looks like their prices are a bit cheaper. Not sure it that mounting kit is extra though.


http://www.hyperprousa.com/catalog.php?cat=Dampers&make=BMW&model=98&model_name=K1200%20(GT/LT/RS)%20(OEM%20replacement)%2099-

HTH,

Ron



But that price! :eek:

Regards,
-joel[/QUOTE]

[Dean_BMW]

These look like they may even be a little less expensive.

http://www.exoticsportbike.com/k1200_(gt_lt_rs)_(2003).htm

[kdog]

I guess you need the damper plus mounting kit. That's $350 from Exotic Sport Bike, and even more from Hypercc direct. Pirates Lair's price includes the mounting kit, so they actually appear to have the best price at $340.

Regards,
-joel

[Dean_BMW]

As long as you have me thinking about it, how do you determine if the dampener is not up to par? Mine offers very little resistance when you turn the wheel unless you turn it several degrees rapidly. Small back and forth movements, do not seem to offer much resistance.

[Dean_BMW]

I called exotic... they said that the $269.99 price is the complete kit, and they do have them in stock.

[kdog]

I called exotic... they said that the $269.99 price is the complete kit, and they do have them in stock.

Bingo! Somebody ought to tell the Pirate and give him a chance to beat that price. :)

BTW, the behavior that you describe is just what the dampers are supposed to do. They should have very little effect on slow directional changes, and offer a lot of resistance on sudden movements. There's probably nothing wrong with your damper.

I don't know how critical they really are on our bikes. I remember when I changed mine, I couldn't notice any difference. I was wondering if it would change the tendancy to get that 40 MPH headshake you get with worn tires, but it really didn't. We've heard of (crazy) folks on this list who've taken them completely off the bike to improve slow speed handling. As far as I know, they didn't kill themselves. The thing to worry about is whether the damper prevents high-speed wobbles on our bikes. Personally, I don't think LTs are prone to those. However, I wouldn't want to test that theory. In short, if your damper isn't leaking, and it still inhibits sudden directional movements, I suspect it's fine. Whether these exotic dampers would improve handling is anybody's guess. But they sure do look cool. :cool:

Regards,
-joel

[RaffyK]

The Lt will wobble at high speeds (100-110 mph in a wide sweeper type turn) if you have a trunk rack bag installed. BTDT a couple of times. That's my clue to back off the throttle. It's also scary.

[Dean_BMW]

The Lt will wobble at high speeds (100-110 mph in a wide sweeper type turn) if you have a trunk rack bag installed. BTDT a couple of times. That's my clue to back off the throttle. It's also scary.
I'll take your word for it! :)

[Dick]

steering dampener went kaput

offers zero resistance

anybody replaced one?

is it a "beemer only" part or is there a better aftermarket part?

any input will be appreciated.....
BMW ON classified has an ad for a new one at $175.00 --- in Parts column on page 116.

[bushj1]

has one for around $400 and is "pro" rather than "re" active

[kdog]

has one for around $400 and is "pro" rather than "re" active

Proactive? What's that mean? It takes action BEFORE your wheel moves? :eek:

[tnk12lt]

Hit a 8-10 inch wide "tar snake" on a 95 degree day doing 85mph on I-90 through South Dakota. You'll find out whether the damper works.
My bars went through about 10 very fast and violent oscillations before it diappeared. I give the damper the credit for making it go away.

[Holy Cow]

OK, I am going to ask a stupid question.

There has been lots of talk in different threads about Tar Snakes. What I have seen in Indiana is the pavement will crack and they will spray a bead of tar over the crack to prevent water for entering and causing a pot hole during freeze/thaw cycles.

But, you are talking 8-10" wide. I guess I haven't seen on of those and am now wondering if I am even thinking about the right thing.

[tnk12lt]

Yep, that's a tar snake. In some places they just grow them to bigger proportions. It may have been closer to 4-6 inches but as a fish story goes. It got away.
This was going east on I-90 just before the bridge crossing the Missouri River in S.Dakota. They were big and unlike most others, they were thick.

[dandiver]

FYI

From a previous post: At very low speed, I had a slight front end wabble to went away at highway speed. Stopped at a local BMW dealer in Ft. Myers and they determined, before looking, that my dampener had gone bad after only 20,000 miles. After looking at the steering dampener, they found that it was completely loose and the locking nut was missing. They replaced the nut and said I was good to go.

Still had the low speed problem and found after 150 miles, through this board, that my rear tire was low!

There is a wealth of knowledge here.

[kip]

ok guys......as usual thanks for all the info and input

i will try out that hyperpro one and let you guys know how i like it

how do i know mine is bad? prior to stc weekend my bike was rock solid at any speed (rarely go over 100)

while at ironhorse i noticed my rear tire was worn out so i went over to wheelers in robsinsville and got a new tire....as it turned out all the guy had was bridgestones.....i was running metzlers.....so....i wound up getting 2 new tires....

on the way home from ironhorse i noticed there was a little more movement on the front end than normal......i attributed some of it to the different tires...

over the next couple of days on my commute i noticed that at higher speeds (70+) there was significant wobble .....seemingly wind related....

i checked (looked at) the steering damper and there wasn't any oil leaking or anything like that and i have continured riding the bike to work each day but there is definitely much more movement .....

ive checked air pressures and all that and to me it just seems like the damper offers no resistance or very little at any speed.....the steering is noticeably "looser" at lower speeds also.....

anyway, something is not copasetic and im thinking that damper is a good place to start.....

thanks alot for pointing out where's the best source for one. ill get it and put it on and see how it goes.

[Dman]

Kip
The steering damper does nothing until the handlebars are turned.
From your description it sounds more like "something" with the tires. (Apparently no problems noted before the tire change.)

Good Luck

[Steve_R]

Hey Kip, It sounds more like a balance problem than a damper problem. And it wouldn't be the first time that balance has caused that problem. Just another idea before spending that kind of money.

[hgantz]

The original damper on my '99 LT has been leaking spooge for a few months. I checked Chicago BMW and their discounted price for a new damper is $224. Standard BMW list price is $283. I called my local dealer and asked how much he would sell one for. We agreed on $250. The local dealer ordered it Monday morning and it was in my hands Wednesday evening.

I swapped out the old one for the new one last night and it took about an hour, mostly because I'm slow and I spent some time detailing out the two halves of the front fender seeing as how they had to be removed from the bike anyway. You will need an allen wrench for the end attached to the bike frame and a torx bit for your socket wrench for where the body of the damper attaches to the casting under fender. I had just enough room to remove the torx fastener without removing the front wheel which I hate to do unless really necessary. I didn't have any trouble overcoming the factory applied thread locker on the fasteners.

If you have the BMW shop manual, it's all covered on page 31.6. I don't remember the allen wrench size or the torx bit size cause I have CRS and I'm at the office now, not in the garage. :-) If you have the tools, it's a straight forward job. If you can't get the torx driver on the fastener that holds the damper body to the fender mount casting, you are stuck.

Good luck.

[kip]

i guess it could be something to do with the balance.....but that wouldnt explain the much looser low speed steering....

i guess i can get the front tire rebalanced and see.....before i spend the dough...

im still riding it every day but at higher speeds its just moving around on the road entirely too much.....

[rlv]

i guess it could be something to do with the balance.....but that wouldnt explain the much looser low speed steering....

i guess i can get the front tire rebalanced and see.....before i spend the dough...

im still riding it every day but at higher speeds its just moving around on the road entirely too much.....
I had Metz 880 on my 06 when i purchased it.
Found them to be a real slick tire on wet pavement.
The rear tire always seemed like it was hunting the front tire.
Changed them to Bridgestone Bias tires at 3000, and never looked back.
Bridgestone tires are a totally different ride.
Love them, and the rear knows exactly where the front is.

[Curtis]

Wilbers also has a steering damper and this is what Klaus says about it.

We have the steering damper for the K 1200 LT available. The price is $ 320.00 + $ 10.00 for S&H.
It installs on the original position, but requires a special bracket which comes with it.
The color is black and it is adjustable with 22 clicks.
You have to remove the front wheel for the installation.

I would expect it to be of the same quality etc as the Wilber shocks.

Curtis

[meese]

Hey Kip,

The Bridgestone tires have a much more rounded, sportier profile than the Metzelers. They will feel a bit looser, because they are much easier to turn in. They are very predictable, and handle great once you know what to expect. To me, the Metzelers always felt sluggish, like they were a bit flat, even when new and aired up properly.

[hgantz]

Shame on me for not checking with Klaus before I ordered a stock BMW replacment damper. A local club member told me about the Wilbers damper -after- my BMW part arrived. The local club member is very satisfied with his Wilbers steering damper.