steering damper for xj 550 seca

hi can anyone help me i am wanting to fit a steering damper to my 550 seca is there a kit out there anyone can recommend and have fitted , the roads in the uk are very poor and a damper would help me as i can quite easily get steering wobble, any help would be appreciated .

andy

 

Have you inspected the headstock bearings and races?

 

^^+1 your head stock bearings maybe loose or upgrade to taper head bearings. The bike had not been. Wrecked. At some point ( bent fork), check and replace both front wheel bearings., is front tire balanced. .back to forks are they both full? These are all items that can cause a shimmy.

 

We say tht, because there are bad roads here too.

 

a flat tire will dampen your steering

 

just my reply ,

tyres new and correct pressures .
headstock bearings new and adjusted .
front forks fully reconditioned and are working perfectly .
rear shocks are old but working ok.

i just want to know if i can get a damper and fit it i do drive the bike hard .

andy

 

The reason we're asking is that Yamaha never offered a steering damper as an option (though they did on other models).
If everything checks out on the bike, then you'll need to fit an aftermarket unit. You might need to have a clamp made for the frame, or the damper tube, or maybe both. I dont' recall seeing any "universal" units that have both clamps of the correct size.

 

Would warn swingarm bushings cause a wobble?

 

Yes.

 

new bushes fitted i rebuilt the bike from the ground up everything was replaced and has only done 1000 miles i will have a look at an after market set up .

thanks for the replys .

andy

 

tyres balanced?
wheel bearings new?

if so I would look at the work you have done make sure everything is tight that you loosened.
loose pinch bolt?

 

hi everything it torqued up correctly , every bush and bearing has been replaced NOS it cost a small fortune . i have checked everything over and over have even laser aligned it all ,

just to let you know here in the uk i work as a master technician for daf trucks and have been repairing cars /vans /trucks all my life so i do know what i am doing .

i just want to stop it getting a tank slapper every now and again i do ride the bike quite hard and most of it on small country lanes so very tight and bendy.


andy

 

I'm not wanting to insult your skill level or knowledge, but there are details that are specific to motorcycles that do not come up on other vehicles.
Keep in mind that many of us ride under the same conditions that you do, and do not experience any headshake.

Fitting a steering damper is not a bad idea, but it's still worth double-checking your work and looking at areas that you may have not considered. Fork alignment can contribute to headshake, as can (surprisingly) the make and model of tire you run on the front, air pressure (front and rear), and wheel balance. Fork oil weight is another factor. You might consider running a heavier weight fork oil to help improve damping. The value given in the book is for riders who have been blessed with lightness (a trait which I used to have).

I have a background in industrial machine maintenance (though in a former life), and my default state is to find and fix an underlying problem before applying any other type of solution (except when there is a time-constraint that would shut-down production unnecessarily). Bandaids work, but leaving the underlying problem (if one exists) unresolved can often contribute to reduced service life of the affected components.

TL/DR: Fit a damper, but have another look at things this winter.

 

I am a professional A&P aircraft mechanic , worked on cars/motorcycles for over 35 years , I know high speed "tank slapping" is not right , where I would start is checking the front tire for balance and possible tire is slightly cupped , have you replaced wheel bearings. My 750 is as smooth at 55 as it is at 85 mph with no shimmy.

 

All of the above advice/suggestions have relevance. Some install steering dampers to temporarily mask other issues.
If your good on all accounts then install one. Your not going to find a kit for the XJ550. You'll have to get creative or have someone do some fabrication work for you.
A poor fitting damper can work against you if fitted wrong. If you install one, make sure the damper works over the full range of the steering arc from lock to lock. No binding, period
I have an adjustable one on my 550 and like the feedback it gives during cornering maneuvers. Steering sort of becomes self centering with a damper and makes the bike feel very solid. I do run different front forks and 17" wheels so my steering is a little twitchier than a stock bike...

 

using NOS wheel bearings may be the issue depending on how old stock they are

 

Oh man the things i’m reading about this headshake issue is flat out terrifying me. Ran factory new fj600 that had it bad= steering dampner.
Raced an FZ750 took no chances= steering dampner. Look all: if you gonna go fast on the street be atleast as safe as we were on the track: regular wear item checks, tire air pressure(the most neglected thing ever!), and yes a steering dampner. Better yet: if you gonna go fast, go fast on a track! Oh: the damn wobble usually kicks in about 90mph, so if ya get it, you got your hands full and ass full of rash.

 

mine isn't perfect and I have improved it a little since then, pictures in original thread are old ive added some more recent ones. definitely buy or make a nice fork tube clamp then fabercobble the other pivoting mount. mine has been on for a few years now. in my situation with the luggage and fork mounted fairing (if moves with the fork) on interstate it wasn't as sure footed as I wanted it to be. I then later learned they made one for the 750 (at least) for when you got the luggage. maybe not required but I say one on ebay once with install instructions and it mentioned how it was part of the touring pack.

https://www.xjbikes.com/forums/threads/aftermarket-steering-damper.101886/