[Gaum69]

I have felt solid wobble with my turban on tarmac a couple of times though that had me cautiously concerned.

Was that from opening throttle quickly?
Almost like while bike is standing and you blip the throttle, the whole bike moves.
One of the quirks I like about the air\oil engines.

 

[Topflight]

A tighter steering damper makes the bike harder to control at slower speeds. You can't use a light touch, it takes a firmer push/pull to move the bars so you get an over compensation and weave back and forth. Tighter works better at high speeds. The stock non-adjustable damper is very stiff. I took mine off and felt an immediate difference, much easier to turn around in parking lots, much easier to ride in the city traffic. The bike steers lighter, better. So I knew I wanted an adjustable one. It's nice to have a damper when you hit the open roads, and an adjustable one will give you the most benefit because you can get exactly the feel you want. Generally you'll find one setting that you like for everything and leave it there. But if you know you're going to be on the racetrack, or on a Fast highway for a long time it's easy to reach down and crank up the setting. But be careful because when you slow down without loosening the damper setting it can cause you to wobble and crash.

I have the Ohlins and love it, one of the best options I've bought.

I have to agree...I love my Ohlins adjustable steering damper

 

[Vetrean]

Don’t death grip the handlebars and most bikes that are prone to tank slaps will tank slap a lot less. Just sayin

 

[vagueout]

My 1150 and 1200 adv bikes don't have a steering damper, certainly don't need one in my experience, the Turban and Scrambler likewise have 19" front wheels, i can't see the need for one , when my turban is re-launched in the coming weeks, i will at some point remove the factory item and find out for myself.

 

[gristle]

On my ride last Saturday, before the fires got going, I rode around 380 miles. Everything from high speed blasts, to dragging pegs at high and low speeds, to blasting down loose gravel roads, to dodging trucks on the interstate at 85 mph in very blustery conditions. No steering damper. No issues.

YMMV

 

[Oscar]

I was having difficulty with slow speed handling, specially u-turns, and after reading all the steering damper-related threads I decided to remove the OEM damper and give that a go. It's made a big difference and improved not only slow speed handling but the bike seems more nimble turning and swerving. I've had it off for a couple of weeks now.

I was considering whether to leave it like this or fit an after market damper. I think I will get an after market one to be on the safe side. I'm trying to decide between the Hyperpro RSC and the Ohlins. On paper it seems the RSC would better suit what I want which is to get very little / no intervention at slow speeds, like now with no damper, and for it to be there to mitigate risks at high speed. For example, I'm hoping to take the California Superbike L1 course at Phillip Island when that's next scheduled (I had a booking last year cancelled due to covid) and I think having the steering damper would be useful then.

Any further advice appreciated.

 

[CerealOwner]

I was having difficulty with slow speed handling, specially u-turns, and after reading all the steering damper-related threads I decided to remove the OEM damper and give that a go. It's made a big difference and improved not only slow speed handling but the bike seems more nimble turning and swerving. I've had it off for a couple of weeks now.

I was considering whether to leave it like this or fit an after market damper. I think I will get an after market one to be on the safe side. I'm trying to decide between the Hyperpro RSC and the Ohlins. On paper it seems the RSC would better suit what I want which is to get very little / no intervention at slow speeds, like now with no damper, and for it to be there to mitigate risks at high speed. For example, I'm hoping to take the California Superbike L1 course at Phillip Island when that's next scheduled (I had a booking last year cancelled due to covid) and I think having the steering damper would be useful then.

Any further advice appreciated.

My thought process was the same as yours, Oscar, and I ended up going with the RSC.

I never actually rode the bike without the damper, but when installing the RSC, with the front end completely in the air and with the ability to turn the front fork lock-to-lock with no resistance from the ground, I found the feel of the RSC at its lightest setting to be very close to the feel of the fork without the damper.

And in riding the bike I found that, compared to stock, the RSC at its lightest setting did provide quicker steering at those really slow, parking lots speeds. And a bit more flickability in the twisties. Not drastically lighter and quicker, but noticeable.

What about higher speeds? I haven’t had a chance to get the bike up to its maximum (about 140 mph), but I did run it up to 115 or so, with the RSC at its lightest, most minimal setting, and the bike was dead stable. Just as it’s always been.

Of course - now - I wish I’d taken the time to test the bike with no damper. I wouldn’t be surprised (and have no reason to doubt what others have said on this) if it was just as steady at its maximum speed even with no damper at all. I think the bike is just a really good, stable design, and yet quite willing to flick from side to side, for a fairly big, heavy machine.

So do I actually even need it? Again, I can’t say 100 percent for sure. But it’s nice to know that it’s there (with its progressive response) if called for...

Hope that helps!

 

[Oscar]

Thank you @CerealOwner for sharing your practical experience. This is very helpful! I'm now more convinced the RSC is the way to go for me. Cheers!

 

[CerealOwner]

Thank you @CerealOwner for sharing your practical experience. This is very helpful! I'm now more convinced the RSC is the way to go for me. Cheers!

Sure thing, Oscar.

I was going to mention: another thing that helps for those tight U-turns is to work on key techniques: dragging the rear brake, slipping the clutch and keeping the revs up, and weighting that outside peg.

This fellow has some good tips: How to do a U-turn on a motorcycle and why it's important to practice ~ MotoJitsu - YouTube

 

[Oscar]

Sure thing, Oscar.

I was going to mention: another thing that helps for those tight U-turns is to work on key techniques: dragging the rear brake, slipping the clutch and keeping the revs up, and weighting that outside peg.

This fellow has some good tips: How to do a U-turn on a motorcycle and why it's important to practice ~ MotoJitsu - YouTube

Thanks @CerealOwner ! Yes absolutely, technique is key. I found that removing the damper gave me more confidence at slower speeds thus allowing me to practice more and improve the technique. Before I was getting frustrated fighting the steering and was not very keen to keep practicing. Thanks for the tips and encouragement.