will modifying the frame pass tech?

I feel compelled to reply hehe,
1) your hawk does 116 down the front straight at RA not 110 :twisted: , I was after all following you hehe

2) Jen isn't slow at RA at all.....looking forward to chasing ya down 03 CBR to 07 CBR this year :twisted:

3) ( the serious one) Chasis geometry has more to do with needing/not needing a damper than anything, look at the rake/trail numbers and compare it to a bike deemed near unstable (an R6 for instance) and there's a rough measure of how bad you really need one, I don't think I'm all that slow at RA, not nearly the fastest there but I get around fairly well on the CBR - other than the rumble strip excursion coming out of 5 that thing has never shook it's head at me anywhere on that track or BHF or ABNorth.... now an 05+ WILL do it, the 03-04 model had a very stable geometry that they went away from not long after...so I use rake/trail as a rough estimate on a damper

4) (back to silly) hey jen, what bump in turn 1 (grin) and ya that crest is ahhh fun....I hold 4th a bit long to get over it and 5th is gone in a heartbeat hehe

 

here's a question.

08 R6
rake 24 degrees
trail 3.8 inches

90 gs500 the way it came from the factory.
rake 25 degrees
trail 3.7 inches

I have modified my GS with to be 1.25 inches taller in the rear with a longer shock. If my math is right I'll have the same rake as an 08 R6 and even less trail.

From the numbers it looks like I need one, but if you guys say I don't (since I'm just a novice and would be lucky to hit 100 on the straights) should I just sell it? Maybe I should just flip a coin.

 

If you feel better with one...... put it on. The last thing you need is a lack of confidence wondering if you should have put one on.

 

good point. That's what I'm going to do then. thank you.

 

No prob.

Even if it provides nothing more than a "placebo" effect, if it is one less thing to think about on track, that is that much more attention you can pay to your riding and lines. And that is always a good thing

 

I might as well put my opinion in the mix!

Like a slipper clutch...
A steering damper is a "Band-ade".

If your bike can not be ridden Hard without one, your doing it wrong.
How can I make such a statement?
I had my new GSXR-1000 at Daytona, with out a working Damper on it. (Feb '09)
I didn't crash, or die .

To many people turn up the stiffness on their damper, to hide a poorly setup bike.
Using the damper as a band-ade like this, only slows down the bike and the rider.

Sure, I'm an experienced racer, so throwing out you damper isn't the best choice either.
If your damper is set to a stiff setting, it might be masking bigger suspension problems.

On a GS500, its eye-candy
On a modern 600+, its a safety net, or a Band-ade.


XIII

 

I would agree 100% with X. Since everyone else got to put their 2 cents in. I ride a GSXR1000 and geometry and set up is of the most importance. I ride with my damper on almost zero. When you enter a turn and get the bike one its side, relax your grip to almost zero. You can feel the difference between the front and back of the bike by the way the bars move in your hands. If if feels like a push or a tuck. Alot of times people will have the dampers turned up so stiff that it doesn't let the bike do what it is supposed to do.

Just my .02

 

I agree with this, if it makes you worry about one less thing, then it's worth it. Just make sure it's not cranked so tight you can't move the bars.

 

agreed on the setup..i rida an 08 R6 the "unstable" kind i have a good set up on a stock suspension and on my GPR i keep the setting at like 6 of 20

 

I think the best advice I saw was simply put as (what ever helps your confidance).

I will do what ever is resonable to make me feel better. There will always be someone faster or slower. I see it both ways. The only track I have been to is Tally and I have been there 6 weekends with STT. I'v bought new tires and watched george run minute flats on my take-offs. But I felt better on new tires. Thats what I do untill I learn and build the confidance to do more. I have a 06 gsxr 750 and I don't even know if my dampner has even done anything? I will say that I like that its there.