One of the winter mods I did was to install a Storz/Ceriani Steering Damper. There's been a lot of chat recently about front end speed wobbles and tank slappers, so I figure this is a good time to do a quick write-up.

The weather here has been pretty bad so the review is incomplete as I've only put a little over 100 miles on.

Originally, I planned to put on an Ohlins model, but they don't have mounting hardware for HD so rather than have something made up, I went with the model sold and manufactured by Storz/Ceriani. Storz was great to work with and helped select the parts that I need to mount the unit on my 2000 FXDL with a front end converted to a 49mm mid glide.

The mounting instructions were pretty straight forward. The brackets (as I hope you can see in the pics) are really well designed and manufactured for a perfect fit on the dyna. The damper body itself is also well constructed and has a 16 position adjustment **** to set the desired level. They suggest starting with only 1 or 2 clicks.

On my first ride I set it at level 2 and the bike handled great through the turns. I then brought the speed up to 100 MPH and rock solid. No wobble at all. In the past I would sometimes start feeling a bit when pushing 100. With the traffic conditions, I didn't want to go any faster.

The second ride, traffic was a bit better so I got it up around 110 and still no wobble. No need to adjust the tension beyond 2 clicks. Same as today at a similar speed. When the situation improves (warmer weather, no traffic, no radar) I will see how it does at WOT. Until then, I have nothing but praise for how the steering damper performs. It seems to be a great product for stabilizing the bike at higher speeds.

 

100% man i LOVE mine!!! one of the top 5 things i have done for sure

 

Don't shoot me but I gotta that looks fairly ugly on your bike, very big and obvious. I have seen smaller and neater looking ones that mount in less obvious places.

I'd also be a tad cautious about dampers as they can mask problems with the bike such as loose steering head bearings, unballanced tyres, cupped/worn tyres, binding brakes, old fork oil etc. A bit of a wobble caused by any of these things is better fixed than masked.

Just my 2c.

 

that it bad ***

 

Glad to hear it made a difference; I need something like that...would prefer one like the trikes have, under the trees...another project...

 

Thanks for the write-up. Looks like a solid unit. Definitely on the short list of mods.

 

LOL. I've heard worse comments than "fairly ugly" Would never "shoot" you for giving your honest opinion. Maybe a smaller unit might look better, but having the control **** on the end of the shaft in a reachable position is a big plus.

Good point about masking problems. I don't think this is the case here as the front end and related parts are all new, as well as containing some pretty amazing components, in particular Ohlins cartridges. The stability and handling of the bike are top notch.

The reason I installed the damper was to add one more element of stability for higher speeds and harder launches. I think it's more a matter of when you're pushing the performance envelope a bit and having the damper to stabilize the front end under those conditions. Sort of like why many sport bikes with excellent suspension and handling characteristics have dampers.

 

Thanks, Joe. For the few miles I've put on so far, I'm liking it a lot!

Hell hound and Odious, I appreciate the comments.

Sharkey, under the trees would look cleaner, would just be tougher to tweak when riding. Where this one is mounted lets me easily increase and decrease the damping tension based on the ride.

 

Have you thought about just masking off the shaft and giving it a quick coat of spray-can black? sorry, don't know the right terms for the pieces, but if the stationary bit were black it would blend in with your downtubes pretty well, and wouldn't be a possible eye-sore

 

Thanks for the suggestion, but I actually like the way it looks. Storz sells one with a black anodized body, but I opted for the silver.

My sense of style and what looks good must really suck! hahaha