FZRSupport: the FZROnline Archive

I'm looking for advise on what type of Steering Dampeners are best suited to the FZR400. I've never had a Bike with a Dampener on it before & I think that I'd like to try it out.

Are there any of the newer Sports-Bikes that have a compatible Dampener that I might find at a Parts Yard or on eBay?

Or is there an FZR400 specific Dampener that everyone likes?

How do the usually mount up to the Bike & what do they usually cost?

As you can probably tell... I don't know very much about this subject. Any advise at all will be greatly appreciated.

Thank you
~JM~

I don't believe any of the new style units are going to work on the FZR400 without some work.

The units that most choose are the Daytona style dampers - they use a ring around one of the forks.

Here is what I used on my FZR600 ::

<ob pedantic> The device in question is a steering damper. A steering dampener is a spray bottle filled with water. </pedantic>

The Fizzers don't really need dampers, especially at street speeds. You'll just slow the steering and interfere with parking lot handling.

A steering damper isn't something you try out to see if you like it. If your bike is shaking its head or trying to tank slap then you firstly need to sort the suspension. If it still does it then try a damper

Sounds like something that I don't really need then. I've seen them here & there on various types of Bikes & thought that I may need one for this type of Sports-Bike.

Well... At least I know how to spell it correctly now. LOL.

Thanks
~JM~

It's more of a piece of safety equipment for racing. Head shake is more likely on a high hp bike. The most frequent circumstance is under hard acceleration when the front wheel lifts / gets unloaded. As the front wheel strikes the pavement it may begin to oscillate back and forth, which can get quite nasty, even going from stop to stop. The damper reduces this effect.

This ^^^
I do recommend one if you are racing or doing trackdays though. It's the kind of thing that you don't want to have the thought: "Hmmm, a steering damper would be very useful right about now." as you and your bike perform a wonderfully choreographed cha-cha.