True-Track Steering Stabilizer
Road Master
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,145
Likes: 98
From: Colorado Springs
In the 41 years that I've been riding, I've never experienced a tank slapper. Nor have I known anyone who has. However, that is not the only instance where a good steering stabilizer is useful. If you've spent much time on a batwing, you'll have experienced a wobble or an oscillation, caused by the design of the fairing, in some wind conditions. This is a very large fairing for a fork mount. I can't think of another bike with as large a fairing that isn't frame mounted. It catches a lot of wind. When the wind isn't coming straight at the fairing, it can/does cause an uncomfortable oscillation. This is the main advantage of a Road Glide.
While this problem isn't great, I'd consider a steering damper of the right design (small unobtrusive) for the right price.
Last edited by ocezam; Apr 24, 2012 at 07:55 AM.
Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45,429
Likes: 2,897
From: Bedford UK
ocezam, I agreed with you about batwings and having ridden behind one for about 15 years have found they catch the wind sometimes. However Mrs B and I went on a fortnight's tour with a bunch of BMWs and were amazed at how much some of them were moving around, either in windy conditions or at speed, compared with us. I came away realising that we ain't so hard up behind a batwing! The only bikes I have owned that had factory fitted steering dampers were Velocettes and BMWs and I did fit one to my MZ stroker, but have never felt the need on any of my Milwaukee marvels.
Road Warrior
Joined: Dec 2008
Posts: 1,639
Likes: 2
From: Australia
You've got a lot of good riding experience behind you and I've learned some things from a few of your posts. However, you should maybe consider that you haven't seen and done it all.
In the 41 years that I've been riding, I've never experienced a tank slapper. Nor have I known anyone who has. However, that is not the only instance where a good steering stabilizer is useful. If you've spent much time on a batwing, you'll have experienced a wobble or an oscillation, caused by the design of the fairing, in some wind conditions. This is a very large fairing for a fork mount. I can't think of another bike with as large a fairing that isn't frame mounted. It catches a lot of wind. When the wind isn't coming straight at the fairing, it can/does cause an uncomfortable oscillation. This is the main advantage of a Road Glide.
While this problem isn't great, I'd consider a steering damper of the right design (small unobtrusive) for the right price.
In the 41 years that I've been riding, I've never experienced a tank slapper. Nor have I known anyone who has. However, that is not the only instance where a good steering stabilizer is useful. If you've spent much time on a batwing, you'll have experienced a wobble or an oscillation, caused by the design of the fairing, in some wind conditions. This is a very large fairing for a fork mount. I can't think of another bike with as large a fairing that isn't frame mounted. It catches a lot of wind. When the wind isn't coming straight at the fairing, it can/does cause an uncomfortable oscillation. This is the main advantage of a Road Glide.
While this problem isn't great, I'd consider a steering damper of the right design (small unobtrusive) for the right price.
You can see from the vid the type of steering head movement that a damper is designed to stop. If you set the valving on the damper to slow steering head movements that are much slower (eg your batwing wobble) then you will also damp inputs from the rider, which can be dangerous. If you need to swerve to miss a pot hole or something the damper will stop you moving the bars fast and might cause you to crash. No supplier is going to make a damper like that because they will get sued.
As I said you should barely be able to notice a damper is fitted if it is set up right.
Save your money and just accept that batwing wobble is a feature. Either that or step up to a King.....
Road Master
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,145
Likes: 98
From: Colorado Springs
What you say about batwing wobble is true, it happens, but my point still stands. A steering damper will not stop this wobble, this sort of movement will not be fast enough to make the valving on the damper work.
You can see from the vid the type of steering head movement that a damper is designed to stop. If you set the valving on the damper to slow steering head movements that are much slower (eg your batwing wobble) then you will also damp inputs from the rider, which can be dangerous. If you need to swerve to miss a pot hole or something the damper will stop you moving the bars fast and might cause you to crash. No supplier is going to make a damper like that because they will get sued.
As I said you should barely be able to notice a damper is fitted if it is set up right.
Save your money and just accept that batwing wobble is a feature. Either that or step up to a King.....
You can see from the vid the type of steering head movement that a damper is designed to stop. If you set the valving on the damper to slow steering head movements that are much slower (eg your batwing wobble) then you will also damp inputs from the rider, which can be dangerous. If you need to swerve to miss a pot hole or something the damper will stop you moving the bars fast and might cause you to crash. No supplier is going to make a damper like that because they will get sued.
As I said you should barely be able to notice a damper is fitted if it is set up right.
Save your money and just accept that batwing wobble is a feature. Either that or step up to a King.....
Road Captain
Joined: Oct 2006
Posts: 624
Likes: 9
From: Orangevale, Calif.
Honestly, who needs one?
Steering dampers are for bikes with steep rake and short wheelbase that can make the front wheel go very light powering out of a corner. When the front wheel is light and the bike is leant over thats when a tankslapper can start and thats when you need a damper.
I owned a Suzi TL 1000 R, I know what that feels like!
No harley tourer (even my 124") meets the criteria for getting into a tankslapper. The front geometry just isnt susceptible to it.
However the above is the engineer in me talking.
If I was a marketing person I would be looking at how I could make a really cheap steering damper for tourers, and looking at making as much margin on it as possible. There will be no shortage of people who will buy it trying to solve a problem that they dont have or even understand.
Steering dampers are for bikes with steep rake and short wheelbase that can make the front wheel go very light powering out of a corner. When the front wheel is light and the bike is leant over thats when a tankslapper can start and thats when you need a damper.
I owned a Suzi TL 1000 R, I know what that feels like!
No harley tourer (even my 124") meets the criteria for getting into a tankslapper. The front geometry just isnt susceptible to it.
However the above is the engineer in me talking.
If I was a marketing person I would be looking at how I could make a really cheap steering damper for tourers, and looking at making as much margin on it as possible. There will be no shortage of people who will buy it trying to solve a problem that they dont have or even understand.
I was looking at the dates also, lol. But back to the subject I'm always interested in anything that is proven to work at speed. Sometimes I ride in the three digit area (not often), and anything that would enhance the handling there would be nice. I can't see it helping with my normal riding, up to about 90 mph my bike handles just fine.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 1,943
Likes: 3
From: NYC
so far... read anything yet as to when you would need a dampener and when you would not. I do a lot of riding in NYC's pot hole'd and layered over repaired roads, so as you drive your hands are counter steering to compensate for the lumps and bumps in the road. So it would seem to me...that a steering dampener would act as a shock absorber and minimize this to some degree in as much as how shocks do. I took a look a a basic dampener that looked like a typical dog bone with a cylinder in the middle. it looked like it would do the trick, but seemed a little tight to install. need to relook the youtube video on this.
6th Gear
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 12
Likes: 1
[QUOTE=ocezam;9710178]You've got a lot of good riding experience behind you and I've learned some things from a few of your posts. However, you should maybe consider that you haven't seen and done it all.
In the 41 years that I've been riding, I've never experienced a tank slapper. Nor have I known anyone who has. However, that is not the only instance where a good steering stabilizer is useful. If you've spent much time on a batwing, you'll have experienced a wobble or an oscillation, caused by the design of the fairing, in some wind conditions. This is a very large fairing for a fork mount. I can't think of another bike with as large a fairing that isn't frame mounted. It catches a lot of wind. When the wind isn't coming straight at the fairing, it can/does cause an uncomfortable oscillation. This is the main advantage of a Road Glide.
Just to let you know a Road glide ultra with the Pizza box in the back with one person brand-new from the factory goes into a full tank slapper When slowing down
Harley refuses to recognize the problem and the dealer says it's a known issue
I was also told that if that pizza box was removed that would allow enough weight on the front end so that it wouldn't do that.
I was told that If you over torque steering column and reduces it greatly And can possibly eliminate the problem.
It sounds to me like Harley has an instability problem
My thought is maybe because of all the lawsuits they don't want to correct a problem because that would admit they were wrong,
Or they just plain don't care because they're too cheap to spend the money and solve the problem And they figure they're the only American game in town.
If anyone gets chance to test one out on a demo ride please post it and any information you have I like to hear feedback
Other than that I really like the ride and I'm still considering getting one except that tank slapper issue it's got to be solved Somehow.
In the 41 years that I've been riding, I've never experienced a tank slapper. Nor have I known anyone who has. However, that is not the only instance where a good steering stabilizer is useful. If you've spent much time on a batwing, you'll have experienced a wobble or an oscillation, caused by the design of the fairing, in some wind conditions. This is a very large fairing for a fork mount. I can't think of another bike with as large a fairing that isn't frame mounted. It catches a lot of wind. When the wind isn't coming straight at the fairing, it can/does cause an uncomfortable oscillation. This is the main advantage of a Road Glide.
Just to let you know a Road glide ultra with the Pizza box in the back with one person brand-new from the factory goes into a full tank slapper When slowing down
Harley refuses to recognize the problem and the dealer says it's a known issue
I was also told that if that pizza box was removed that would allow enough weight on the front end so that it wouldn't do that.
I was told that If you over torque steering column and reduces it greatly And can possibly eliminate the problem.
It sounds to me like Harley has an instability problem
My thought is maybe because of all the lawsuits they don't want to correct a problem because that would admit they were wrong,
Or they just plain don't care because they're too cheap to spend the money and solve the problem And they figure they're the only American game in town.
If anyone gets chance to test one out on a demo ride please post it and any information you have I like to hear feedback
Other than that I really like the ride and I'm still considering getting one except that tank slapper issue it's got to be solved Somehow.
Last edited by kornflake; Jul 25, 2013 at 10:16 AM.