• Steering dampers are also known as steering stabilizers is a device use to stabilize the side to side movement of the front end which is also known as wobble/tank slapper.
• A rider could get panic any time while riding which results in wobble and often ends up in accidents, in severe cases even death.
• There are generally three types of stabilizers, radial stabilizer, linear stabilizer and electronically controlled stabilizers.
• It comes 600 cc bikes or above, it comes in motor sports bikes, off roading bikes but not in cruisers.
• If your bike is not integrated with steering stabilizers you have after market options.
Steering damper or you can call it steering stabilizer, you can easily guess its function by its name. It is a device use to stabilize the unwanted side to side movement of the front end and in motorcycling this phenomenon is known as wobble/tank slapper.
A sports bike, when runs at high speed or makes a quick turn or faces a shock or while doing wheelie lands the wheel at an angle, it is more likely that the rider could get panic and which results in wobbling of the front end. Sometimes these side to side movement continues making a chain reaction of this movement which are one of the aggressive and terrifying experiences and often ends up in an accident, in severe cases even death. A steering stabilizer prevents this fast side to side movement of the bike steering making the front wheel to roll straight.
There are generally three types of steering stabilizers, radial stabilizers that are mounted at the top of the triple clamp, linear stabilizer that are mounted at the side or bottom of the triple clamp and the electronically controlled stabilizers that stabilize the wobble by sensing the bike’s speed. Despite of what type of stabilizer integrated in a bike, they all interrupt the fast oscillating movements but not the slow steering, that’s because it senses the rate of motion the steering make.
We can see the steering stabilizers in 600 cc bike or above because of the high horse power, short wheel base, light steering geometry which makes the wobble likely to happen, off road bikes also come with steering stabilizers as they have to go through uneven grounds which can deflect the front tyre, it also reduce the arm fatigue of the rider by reducing the effort to control the handle bars. Cruisers generally don’t come with steering stabilizers as they got weight, long wheelbase, long trail length and many other factors. Safety and stability are the concerns for installing the steering stabilizers in a bike but if your bike don’t have it, there are many after market options, but only if necessary.
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