K1200R Steering Dampener

[LesKoh]

Need some help here and will need to tap your collective wisdom on this 'evil' topic where much has been said but with no definitive or conclusive answer. The K1200R and S have a steering dampener factory fitted and I've come to my own unscientific-by-the-seat-of-my-pants conclusion that this is what's causing the sluggish steering at slow speeds that leads to the weaving/wobbly feeling folks are complaining about. I'm tempted to remove the dampener as I feel that it'll improve things a bit (in fact, some folk have done so and say it helps) but am just wondering about the safety aspect of it. I've also heard that Ohlins have just come out with an adjustable dampener that will fit the K12R but no specifics as yet. If true, this might be the perfect solution. Is it worth a go to chuck the dampener?

[boxermania]

lesKoh.....I can't answer your question regarding the K bike, however I can expand a bit on the use and intent of a steering damper

Normally they where applied to bikes with short wheelbase that by design were dificult to keep going straight at low speeds, hence the idea to add some drag to the steering. I remember my Ducati Monster....definitely needed one.......

In your case the K bike has a fairly long wheelbase so that in itself will slow the steering at low speeds.....the damper I'm certain has to do with the specific design of the front suspension.

I'm not one to tell you what to do or not do, but I would check before I do anything..........a head shake at elevated speeds is not on my list of favorite things to look forward to.......please keep us posted, it's the first time I hear about it.

[DJ Down Under]

Now let me see..."sluggish steering at slow speeds "...or...speed wobbles and tank slappers at speed....Hmmmm...what would I rather..:rolleyes:

Actually Leslie..I say go for it..take the thing off...I would hate that slow steering feel at slow speeds.

Maybe put it back on for track days or high speed rides...btw...is a high speed ride possible in HK...:D

DJ

[arkline]

There must be aftermarket dampeners that behave a bit differently, based on the suddeness of the action in turning...That is the behavior at slow speeds would be different from those at high speeds. Scotts used to make something along those lines that was really adjustible, but not for Beemers, I'm afraid.

[BobFV1]

Les -

If the factory damper is not adjustable and it is causing the steering to feel sluggish, I would either remove it or replace it with an adjustable one. If you are not doing and high-performance riding (track days, hoonish street racing) I would try the bike with no damper first and see how it works. I suspect that with the long wheelbase and properly inflated tires and well-tuned suspension, you will be fine on that bike, but take it easy at first.

If you can afford replacement with an Ohlins without a significant financial hardship, go for it, but if the fairly high price of that accessory is a stretch (it would be for me) then try the bike sans damper for a while.

Let us know how it goes.....

Oh - you might ask Dean-O what damping system they are running on the Power Cup K-bikes. I suspect it is the Ohlins.

[Bones]

I haven't ridden the K1200, but have looked at it closely. Why would they put a steering damper on a bike with such a long wheelbase, you ask? Perhaps, because the design of the front end shows the bike has a very steep head angle. Whether or not this would cause the bike to headshake, I can't say.

Clearly, if you try removing it, ease into things and see what you feel. I am betting you find that while you don't have head shake per se, you do find that stability is lessened at speed. I say this because I found the R1150R (no steering damper) to have overall intrinsic stability, BUT if you gave the bars a bit of uneven input at speed, the bike would wobble quickly and significantly. So, I learned to not do that! I had an 850R before that with a non adj. steering damper and I recall that there was less of that effect at speed.

This means one of two things to me:
1. It worked for its intended purpose.
2. I had know idea what the hell I was doing at that point.

Bikes with more rake and trail will be real stable at speed and quite resistant to shake at speed, even if you wiggle the bars.

On sport bikes, the steering damper is primarily to deal with head shake under acceleration when the front gets light. The idea is that quick inputs are damped, slower inputs (more usual at slow speeds) are not damped, so the steering won't feel sluggish.

I have a guess that if the stock damper on the K is helpful at all, that you won't want the bike to be without it. But I am making some real ASSUMPTIONS about a bike I haven't ridden. And you know what happens when you A S S U M E.

We will all be interested to hear about what you find. Keep up posted.

Jeff

[LesKoh]

Great stuff guys, and thanks a bunch for the insight and advice. My thoughts are if the damper was put in, it probably must have been for a reason. The long wheelbase of the bike would convince me that the damper's not quite necessary but prudence was likely dictated for those 'just in case' situations; but then again, I don't quite know enough about what effects the new Hossack suspension together with the rake and trail angles have on the new front end. My previous R1150R was as nimble at low speeds and as sure-footed at freeway speeds as a bike this size could be, so the switch to the K1200R took some adjusting. This thing tracks like its on rails at higher speeds but crawling around in the city or getting around traffic will give your arms a good workout. I don't think the problem with the wobblies/weaving I'm experiencing is as bad as some others have reported but it's noticeable. Could live with it but I'm thinking I'd like to get the most enjoyment out of this beast, though not at the expense of personal safety.

Track days around here mean shipping the bike across the Chinese border and that in itself is a big hassle. Most folks here keep a second bike up at the track and just make the day or weekend trip up for their adrenalin boost. I'll take the KR up there when I can get some time (like a whole weekend) away from home. In the meantime, I get my share of some 'brisk' riding locally (Yes, DJ, it is possible to do some fast riding here if you know where and when to give it a little more juice. Having a sacrificial lamb up front to scope the route does help!!:D), not 'banging it off the rev limiter' fast, but enough to feed the addiction!

I'll go take a closer look to see if the darn thing can be removed and/or replaced without too much hassle, and if it looks like it won't involve major surgery, I'll be inclined to give it a try. Will also have to check on those adjustable Ohlins as well...oooooo, could be mucho dineros here!

Thanks again fellas, will keep you informed.

Leslie

[fnfalman]

I have a friend who's a mechanic at BMW Motorrad USA. I asked him about the KS and KR steering damper issue and he said that a lot of them were made out of tolerance and that's what cause the sluggish respond and the wandering issues. Take it for what it's worth.

I find it hard to believe that for something as long and as heavy as the K bikes you really need steering dampers. Those things would come in handy under heavy acceleration when the front wheel goes light, but otherwise they are not needed. Maybe BMW thinks that with that much power and torque, people would get happy with the throttle and induce headshake.

My BMW dealership's service manager said that BMW also fits steering dampers on heavy bikes because of the weight transfer when they brake. That doesn't sound right to me though.