Hydraulic steerring damper

Tom Gaynor

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This isn't a new thread, but I can't find the old one.

I made a new bottom plate yesterday, and by luck (or believe judgement, if you're kind) found the maximum radius from the steering axis which allows the bike to go lock to lock leaving the desireable 1/4" of stroke at each end of a Kawasaki damper. The eye of the damper is just behind the front springbox.
I've scanned it, and will send the details to anyone who sends me their private email. The screen view is very faint, but it prints clearly.
 

Paul Adams

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Re Steering damper

Hi Tom.
I would be interested in you design for a hydraulic steering damper. I need one on my enclosed D.
Cheers
Paul Adams
 

rapcom

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Steering damper on an enclosed D

Hi Paul,
I have the generic Kawasaki type fitted to my Knight, if you'd care to look any time. Whilst it will stop a tankslapper, it unfortunately does nothing to stop the swaying which plagues the enclosed D, which occurs in a different plane. The only answer is to ride slower ! I never take mine over about 65mph, it becomes too dangerous. Robbie Blackwell advised me that removing the windscreen stopped the swaying, but I suspect that all it did was to remove the reference point of the top of the windscreen right on your eye-line, so you didn't see the movement.
I suppose the only real way to stop the swaying would be to fit a sidecar !
 

Robert Watson

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I have not ridden a series D much, I'll be the first to admit, however I was asked to take one for a test as the owner felt it wasn't behaving quite properly at anything over about 50 mph. Sure enough he was right, the front end felt loose. I reached down and tightened up the steering damper, which was dead loose, and proceed to run it up past the ton and it felt quite stable. I haven't driven one miles down the road, but the owner did drive it across North America a couple of years ago - all motorway and much of it above 75 mph. Roll on.

Robert
 

rapcom

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Was that an enclosed or open D, Robert ?
If it was an enclosed one, I commend your bravery. I would love to ride an enclosed D as good as that, and I would like the opportunity to compare a good one and a bad one, to hopefully find out what the differences are. It may be something as subtle as the shape of the windscreen, or the length of the handlebar muffs. One recommendation given to me was to load as much as possible into the tank bag, to get the weight further forward, but I don't know the weight of the rider concerned. I believe the origin of the problem is aerodynamic.
Has anyone ever solved the problem ?
 

Robert Watson

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A very strong running Prince it was! Mind you there was no side wind.
I recall one trip in accompanyment with that same machine coming up Hwy 97 in Oregon heading to cross the Columbia River, with substantial cross winds. My Rapide leaning 10 degrees from vertcal to keep in a straight line at no more than 60 mph, and real fun when a large transport passed the other way giving about 70 ft of no wind - you had to be ready. A long tiring day and the Prince - even at 55-60 mph becomig a smaller and smaller speck in the rear view mirror. No fun on any bike

Robert
 

Fransvin

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VOC Member
Hello , here a voice from Holland about riding a Knight and must admit after more than 10 years ownership and quite some travels on the continent and several End to End in UK, I must admit that I have a kind of love and hate affair with the bike, I installed also the steering damper after some strange things but on straight roads I do easily over 85 miles and the tactics in cornering is as follows: go a gear down and open the throttle and let hte bike pull all teh bend otherwhise strange things can happen and you will end after the corner not in the area you want to be, but it is still the best travelling bike of the fifties and yes the screen is also a bit too high for me so a lot of turbulence in my helmet, but I learnt to live with it a bit.
You could alter a few things, strengthen the frame and get the front hood of the steering but what is left than of the bike!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

Tom Gaynor

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Enclosed Vincents

Fransvin: something often forgotten is that people now are MUCH bigger than they were then. Charles I of England was described as "a man of immense stature". He was about 5 foot 10 inches tall. In Holland you'd have called him short****. (Or, if suitably obsequious, "Your Sublime Short****").
I was brought up on "huge" Graham Walker, the biggest man in the team, winning the 1931 (?) TT on a 250 Rudge. Graham Walker weighed 12 1/2 stone, 173 lb. That isn't huge today. Dammit, I weigh that......
So change the screen. PEI would have approved. If he'd thought "one size fits all" he wouldn't have made footrests, brake pedal, gear-lever, all adjustable.
 

Tom Gaynor

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VOC Member
This is a test

It worked. I must now look for innocent words with, buried in their hearts, words that American software providers are terrified to print. You can understand their terror: when Janet Jackson accidentally displayed a **** (and now you don't know whether "Vin-nanny" is protecting you, or if I'm taking the piss) civilisation nearly ended.........
 
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