Steering Dampers and Fitting Kits
Eliminate Steering Weave and Wobble
Reactive Suspension offer steering dampers and fitting kits from Ohlins, along with fork clamps and spare parts. We also offer an upgrade for stock Ohlins dampers fitted to Aprilia's and Kawasaki's.
The steering dampers we supply have readily available spare parts. Should your damper be damaged, leak or require a service, the work is carried out here, in house. A lot of manufactucturers insist that their dampers are sent to Europe for service or repair.
About Steering Dampers
Anybody who has experienced a serious headshake or tankslapper will know what a frightening experience it is, especially if it's vicious enough to knock the pads back in the calipers.
More and more bikes are being built with steeper head angles to speed up the steering. The quicker the steering, the more likely it is that these problems occur. This is why many bikes are now fitted with a steering damper as standard.
Like all suspension stock suspension components, standard steering dampers are massed produced, poorly performing items, with no adjustment. The result is a damper that may feel OK at low speeds but too soft at high speed. Others can make manoeuvring at low speed hard work whilst being too stiff at high speed.
Stock steering dampers usually have no method of temperature compensation, so the damping fades with heat. Often they have air in the fluid giving a dead spot at mid stroke. The damper then has to move a certain distance before enough force is generated to create damping. Once that distance is magnified at the bars it can be possible to have a serious headshake or tankslapper before the damper starts working.
Steering Damper Servicing
The most common problem we see with Ohlins steering dampers is air in the damper. With heavy use air can be dragged in through the seals, collecting in the damper body. Air creates lag in the damper so the bars can move quite a long way before enough damping is generated to slow the movement.
Öhlins Steering Dampers
Öhlins steering dampers are pressurised to give instantaneous damping even on small movements preventing any headshake before it can develop. The design also allows for temperature compensation ensuring the damping characteristics remain constant at all working temperatures.
The Öhlins dampers have a wide range of adjustment and are available in different five lengths/strokes. Öhlins also have a range of fitting kits complete with a damper and mounting brackets, for bikes not within that range we can also supply Ohlins dampers with fitting kits from other manufacturers.
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