Inexpensive Steering Damper

[TheJimmyEnglish]

I've tried the search but couldn't pull up anything relative to what I'm looking for. I'd like an inexpensive way to dampen the steering. Either by a anti-vibration bar end, steering damper or rubber injection into the bars. Would just like to know others thoughts about what would work best for less $.

[dubojr1]

I've never heard of rubber injection. That could be interesting. What are you trying to overcome? Steering vibration?

[bdavison]

First, we need to know what you are trying to eliminate.

Bar-ends and steering dampers are two different things. Bar end weights help to get rid of vibration in handlebars, such as from engine vibration. Steering dampers help against road induced oscillations in the front end...such as tankslappers.

Are you trying to get rid of vibration in the handlebars that is making your hands uncomfortable, or are you trying to get a squirrly front end back under control?

[TheJimmyEnglish]

Yes I'm trying to reduce vibration for my camera mount and the buzziness from the bars actually makes my right hand tingle and numb up after 30 minutes of riding. I was thinking of Butyl Rubber Caulk into the bars cause thats what worked on my brothers Harley but they have different bars.

[TheJimmyEnglish]

Originally Posted by bdavison

First, we need to know what you are trying to eliminate.

Bar-ends and steering dampers are two different things. Bar end weights help to get rid of vibration in handlebars, such as from engine vibration. Steering dampers help against road induced oscillations in the front end...such as tankslappers.

Are you trying to get rid of vibration in the handlebars that is making your hands uncomfortable, or are you trying to get a squirrly front end back under control?

No squirrly front end. Only bar vibration.

[dubojr1]

An expensive damper will not fix that concern to my knowledge. The caulk trick might though. I'd be interested in hearing the results with that.

[Alex]

One suggestion in this thread.

[headshrink]

Now that is certainly an interesting and intriguing product.... never seen it before.

Generally speaking, people focus on good gloves, grips, bar-ends, more frequent breaks, looser grip on the bars. I have even heard of people sealing BBs in the bars themselves.

If you like to spend a lot of money on interesting farkles like the before mentioned Vibronator, go for it, take pictures, and report back.... you will be on the cutting-edge of farkle mania

Personally, I think a combination of the common/cheaper solutions will be just as good, and you may even end up a better rider (refining the finer things like grip on the bars). I put a Throttlemeister on mine, and really like it. These are pretty beefy bar-ends, that add a good amount of weight, but still attractive.... not to mention it's primary function (throttle lock). If you are getting buzzing in your hands, you are probably doing a bit of cruising, so a throttle lock might be a nice bonus. Kill two birds with one stone, if you will.

[TheJimmyEnglish]

Yeah I'm looking for an inexpensive fix. Like under $50

[Bosgarage57]

a lot of guys with open bars (crusiers and the type) have put shotgun shot in their bars to weighten them down. I dont know if theres anything you can do with these bars becuase they taper or not? Itd be nice to know, becuase I get bad vibs as well.

[TheJimmyEnglish]

I'm going to try the rubber caulk as soon as I can get my stock bar end screw out. I will document as I go and if it fixes the issue I will post a DIY.

[TheJimmyEnglish]

I just hope it doesn't ruin my bar ends cause I'm reusing these when I get my woodcraft clip-ons.

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by TheJimmyEnglish

the buzziness from the bars actually makes my right hand tingle and numb up after 30 minutes of riding.

is it possible you're gripping it too hard? (that's what she said)

[dubojr1]

Originally Posted by TheJimmyEnglish

I'm going to try the rubber caulk as soon as I can get my stock bar end screw out. I will document as I go and if it fixes the issue I will post a DIY.

http://www.ninjette.org/forums/showp...38&postcount=2

[setasai]

Tri gave me grip puppies to try out. They make the grips larger but the extra foam is supposed to help with vibrations. What it helped me most was being able to grip the bars lighter. Feels wierd if you're not used to it but I guess it kinda works.

I'd also check all your engine bolts too. Some might be loose.

[dubojr1]

Originally Posted by setasai

Tri gave me grip puppies to try out. They make the grips larger but the extra foam is supposed to help with vibrations. What it helped me most was being able to grip the bars lighter. Feels wierd if you're not used to it but I guess it kinda works.

I'd also check all your engine bolts too. Some might be loose.

I've tried the grip puppies thing. I just couldn't get used to them. To me it was like trying to wrap my fingers around a 20 oz. bottle...

[bdavison]

The ninja doesnt vibrate that much to begin with. If its vibrating a lot, Id check the engine mount bolts first. If they loosen up, it will vibrate like a harley. A steering damper wont do much for this...better to stick with bar end solutions.

If you are trying to get vibration out of the camera mount...try not mounting it to the bars. Suction cup it to the gas tank or something. You could also use a higher quality mount like the RAM mount.

As far as your hands going numb, work on your body positioning. You shouldnt have the weight of your torso on the bars, and if your wrists are in the wrong position, that too affects how your hands feel on the bars.

[TheJimmyEnglish]

Originally Posted by bdavison

The ninja doesnt vibrate that much to begin with. If its vibrating a lot, Id check the engine mount bolts first. If they loosen up, it will vibrate like a harley. A steering damper wont do much for this...better to stick with bar end solutions.

If you are trying to get vibration out of the camera mount...try not mounting it to the bars. Suction cup it to the gas tank or something. You could also use a higher quality mount like the RAM mount.

As far as your hands going numb, work on your body positioning. You shouldnt have the weight of your torso on the bars, and if your wrists are in the wrong position, that too affects how your hands feel on the bars.

I have the RAM mount. Also have a black windscreen so I can't mount it on the tank. It's only just enough vibrate to numb my fingers and make the video wavy.

[headshrink]

I was also thinking about checking into how your engine is running. I THINK your vibrations should be smoothing out at freeway RPMs. They would inherently be at a higher frequency, but probably shouldn't be as strong as lower-mid range. Is your bike totally stock, or did you rejet, pipe, etc? I'm asking this to understand if playing with the engine MAY have played a roll in the vibrations..... However, SOME feeling in your hands is likely normal. This week, make a point of griping your bars lightly, and see if that makes any difference.

[TheJimmyEnglish]

Originally Posted by headshrink

I was also thinking about checking into how your engine is running. I THINK your vibrations should be smoothing out at freeway RPMs. They would inherently be at a higher frequency, but probably shouldn't be as strong as lower-mid range. Is your bike totally stock, or did you rejet, pipe, etc? I'm asking this to understand if playing with the engine MAY have played a roll in the vibrations..... However, SOME feeling in your hands is likely normal. This week, make a point of griping your bars lightly, and see if that makes any difference.

Yeah I dont grip the bars hard. Just enough so my hands dont slip off.

[alex.s]

maybe your front wheel isn't aligned. can you wiggle your elbows

[setasai]

Originally Posted by TheJimmyEnglish

I have the RAM mount. Also have a black windscreen so I can't mount it on the tank. It's only just enough vibrate to numb my fingers and make the video wavy.

Is the RAM mount on the mirror bolt or handlebars? I have mine mounted to the mirror bolt and then it sticks out sideways so that the camera view is between the windscreen and mirror. It works ok. Not as fun as helmet POV but still sweet nonetheless.

[TheJimmyEnglish]

Originally Posted by setasai

Is the RAM mount on the mirror bolt or handlebars? I have mine mounted to the mirror bolt and then it sticks out sideways so that the camera view is between the windscreen and mirror. It works ok. Not as fun as helmet POV but still sweet nonetheless.

The empty mirror bolt on the clutch control.

[setasai]

Originally Posted by TheJimmyEnglish

The empty mirror bolt on the clutch control.

I was talking about the one on top of the dash on each side. It's connected to the frame, not the handle bars. Also, try different orientations of the RAM mounts. If you have it lined up with how the road bounces, it'll vibrate more. What kind of camera are you using? Some camera's have image stabilization that doesnt work well with high frequency vibrations like a motorcycle.

[TheJimmyEnglish]

Originally Posted by setasai

I was talking about the one on top of the dash on each side. It's connected to the frame, not the handle bars. Also, try different orientations of the RAM mounts. If you have it lined up with how the road bounces, it'll vibrate more. What kind of camera are you using? Some camera's have image stabilization that doesnt work well with high frequency vibrations like a motorcycle.

Do you have a picture of the mounting point your taking about?

[kamikaze]

I've got one of these mounted to the left mirror bolt:

http://www.gpscity.ca/ram-mount-mini...am-b-272u.html



from that you can attach any length of arm to get the cam where you need it. I actually use a 5.25" arm and an iPhone 4 cradle for GPS duties, and then i bought one of the 1/8" threaded ball mounts for use with my Flip video cam.