Scotts Steering Damper installed! :)

Why did you choose the Scotts over something like the Ohlins? I only ask because I have been considering one myself.... and I didn't know that Scotts made one for the VFR...although I hadn't looked very deeply at all. Was it just looks and the style of the dampner, or was it something different?

 

:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsupamn They look good.....:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup:

 

About why chose Scotts. There are a number of stabilizer makers like ohlins, gpr, and more. One thing I like about scotts is it has a whole separate high speed damper circuit. You can turn the thing basically off but if you hit it hard it will still dampen. I have not tried any others and unless evidence shows one to be better I will stick with Scotts on future bikes.

 

I took the photo to show the gear indicator but the Scotts damper is there also. I parted mine together used to save some bucks so it is not as pretty anyway. Change the oil on a used one and it is good as new.

 

The Scott's units are made by Ohlin's for Scott's performance. There aren't very many damper made for the 6th gen VFR, i believe this is the best one offered at the price point of just under $400 with the most features. I looked over at GPR but soo many complaints about oil leakage steered me away from that brand.

 

sweet looking job on the damper and thanks for the phone number where I can get one

 

The suspension parts are stock, just only adjusted sag/preload for my weight, otherwise there is no other adjustments besides the rebound on the back shock. Really been thinking of RC51 forks and CBR954 rear shock swap. :biggrin:

 

At your weight, you need to do some suspension work to get at minimum "normal" performance from your bike.

I have the same Scott's damper on my F4i, which also has an Ohlins out back and a worked front end.

I also put an Ohlins on the rear of my VFR, and re-sprung the front. Also raised the forks 9mm in the trees and changed over to tapered roller head bearings. Those suspension changes on my VFR had a similar effect that you're saying you got from your damper.

If I were a betting man, I would say that by installing the damper, you've effectively swept your suspension problems under a rug. I'll place most of my money on the fact that until you respring your suspension for your weight, your geometry(per what the factory intended) will be completely out of wack as you ride.

I'm not trying to be harsh, just think about that for a bit.

 

So a stock 6 gen needs a suspension rebuild to best combat headshake/tank slap? I just wrote off a factory fresh VFR on a low speed corner due to massive headsheak and was about to buy the damper thinking it was the answer to all my problems (along with an 'advanced' riding course :redface. The crash was not bad, but the cost of OEM fairings was out of this world.

 

^^^^^^

As Seb and MD said, the suspension generally needs upgraded on a VFR.

The problems described about headshake and not holding a line can be from a wide variety of things but the stock suspension sucks. I weight 180 lbs and the bike felt 'off' if I had it pitched way over. Not anymore with springs, oil and valves.

I don't think a steering dampner is bad, but sweeping problems under the rug is on track.

My 2 cents.

BZ

 

Wow - in my own little fantasy world I had ruled out the whole stock suspension being poor . I weigh 185 (85kg) what would you suggest I bolt on to avoid crashing into more walls (I even got mild headshake under acceleration)?

 

Hmmm...I don't think bolting anything on your VFR will help with crashing into walls.

I suggest you 'look through the turn', no matter what, to avoid the walls.

BZ

 

No, it was vicious tank slap in the middle of a very tight corner. No skidding or slipping and the speed / positioning was about right coming into the corner - a novice rider would should have come out of that with ease. Road surface was OK but not smooth (this is eastern Europe so lots of tramlining). By the time the handlebars had stopped wobbling (I was still doing <15 mph), I had the choice of either a) a definite slide or b) a definite wall-strike head on (with a second or two more for braking, and possibly then getting away with a new fr wheel tire rather than fairing).

But I was getting headshakes often on acceleration too (especially two up), but seemed easier to recover from.

 

I would have to agree w/ Bubba on this.
I own stock 6th gen, my weight is 160lbs I have rear shock set at second from full soft and two lines showing on fork preload adjuster. ( main issue w/ VFR is soft front springs )
Now most humans weigh more then me so this is a problem for the stock springs.

Not to put anyone down ( Scotts S/D is on my wish list and thought it would be really needed after 19mm tail riser but bike is still stable with mod ) but the money would have been better spent on gold valves and fork springs and rear shock spring rated for your weight.

Now some other issuse I have found - Metzler M-1 front tire wobbled a bit at low and high speed, this was replaced with new M-3 and wobble is gone but now feels a little loose at low speed ( goes away at around 20 mph ) I think this is due to sharper tire shape that most sport bike / track day tires are using now. so part of stability issue could be the profile of your front tire combined with front springs being too soft as well as front tire / rear tire out of alignment - this is easy to ck with two long straight edges, sqaure and tape measure.

Once again my weight is suited for the stock springs and are fine for the street and yes I ride very hard ( you should see the pretty blue stripes on my tires after a good ride ) - but both the front forks w/ stock set up and rear spring would have to go into the trash for any kind of track day if you want to push the bike to the extreme limits.

 

Please don't take this the wrong way, but it sounds to me like you are an inexperienced rider that's pushing too hard given your surroundings and bike setup, or you're just exaggerating.

Did you have your trunk on the bike with items in it when this was occuring? If what you felt was amplified when you added a passenger, logic should point out that your rear preload was too light, and/or your front too stiff. This can be rectified to a degree by setting your suspension sag properly. Proper sag numbers can only be achieved when the bike is sprung correctly for the rider + bike weight. This is extremely important and has a great effect on the front/rear balance of the bike.

Another cause could be poor corner entry/exit; trying too hard instead of riding "the PACE". Do a google search for The Pace by Nick Ianetch and have a nice read.

As you can see, with proper suspension balance, a VFR can corner very, very well, even when weighted with luggage. My VFR did not have a damper installed when this pic was taken:

 

Seb, AWSOME PIC - mind blowing

 

Staggering picture, I'd never have believed you could do that on a VFR.

No, I'm an old hand, held my bike license for >15 years now, although I went through a long bikeless period. I was not pushing the corner hard - but, went into the lean immediately after releasing the brakes (non ABS), which may be a factor, or the road surface had a bump. Lean angle max 45 degrees. Then the the headshake... split second decision to use pavement rather than slide. The biggest frustration for me is that I can't work out what the cause was, but I can rule out 'pushing it' (beyond my abilities, let alone the bike's, especially now that I've seen your picture, wow. :smile.

The top box was empty at the time... but... I never adjusted the suspension since picking it up from the showroom in March :redface:, having accepted the dealer's word that he'd set it up for my bulk. I guess that was a mistake. Especially since I then went on to do two-up without changing anything.

Are you saying that if I play around with stock suspension, I don't need to replace anything to prevent another episode of tank slap? No need for the damper??

Thanks for the reading tip - will definitely do that (or sign up for a course - too much training can never hurt)

 

Repsol:

You'd be amazed what a VFR will do.

With a little training, confidence and know how you can blaze on one.

Last track day me and fellow VFRW brother 'betarace' were out together. He's on a stock 3rd gen and was smoking riders who had way better equipment. And he is not as lite as me (sorry beta LOL).

Go to our profile pages and you'll see pics.

I second your idea of rider training.

BZ