Steering Damper Upgrade? 2016 R1200RT

[lasnin]

Hello:

Has anyone upgraded their steering damper on their RT? Just curious on riding experiences if you have.

TIA!

 

[rlst84u]

Like a new bike!

Hello:

Has anyone upgraded their steering damper on their RT? Just curious on riding experiences if you have.

TIA!

Greetings!
In April I bought a 2018 RT and had it shipped to my home. I thought the new front tire was not balanced correctly because it vibrated a lot starting at 25 and evened out to a nuisance vibration around 50. It also was really squirrely going on clover leaf ramps. After two attempts to rebalance, it was the same so I took it in to my BMW Certified mechanic. Turns out the steering damper provided no resistance, and they put “entry level touring tires” on the bike that really sucked. After replacing the steering damper and putting on Dunlop Road IV tires, the problem was solved and it is like a brand new bike!! I did about 3,000 miles to the Rally and back, and was grinning every mile!

 

[lasnin]

Greetings!
In April I bought a 2018 RT and had it shipped to my home. I thought the new front tire was not balanced correctly because it vibrated a lot starting at 25 and evened out to a nuisance vibration around 50. It also was really squirrely going on clover leaf ramps. After two attempts to rebalance, it was the same so I took it in to my BMW Certified mechanic. Turns out the steering damper provided no resistance, and they put “entry level touring tires” on the bike that really sucked. After replacing the steering damper and putting on Dunlop Road IV tires, the problem was solved and it is like a brand new bike!! I did about 3,000 miles to the Rally and back, and was grinning every mile!

Thank you, & glad that you got the bike back to where its performance should be! Was the new steering damper a BMW OEM replacement, or was it an upgraded brand like Ohlins?

TIA

 

[bc1100s]

.... After replacing the steering damper and putting on Dunlop Road IV tires, the problem was solved and it is like a brand new bike!!

So what was the culprit - tires or steering damper?

 

[topophilia]

lasin,
An even more important question is who is a BMW certified mechanic in your area? I'm near Madison and don't know anybody closer than Beaver Dam.

RJ

 

[lasnin]

Ozzie’s BMW in Chico

lasin,
An even more important question is who is a BMW certified mechanic in your area? I'm near Madison and don't know anybody closer than Beaver Dam.

RJ

Thanks, I have access to a quality BMW Dealership in Chico with great mechanics and staff, so that’s not my concern. I’m looking more for experiences with after market dampers such as Ohlins….

 

[rlst84u]

Thank you, & glad that you got the bike back to where its performance should be! Was the new steering damper a BMW OEM replacement, or was it an upgraded brand like Ohlins?

TIA

It was an OEM that I got on e-bay from someone parting out a 2015.

 

[rlst84u]

So what was the culprit - tires or steering damper?

It was the tires for the wobble, and the damper for the lack of control on on ramps (and in the wind when passing trucks!)

 

[Rainman48]

There are no Ohlins products - period, for your year (or near model) RT. There are other brands however if you look.

I suspect most of the time, the problems are choice of tires and tire pressures. My '16 RT works just fine with the OEM steering damper (so far), ridden hard, (even lifted a few times), in all sorts of situations and with different tire brands and models. In other words, I have never had the bike react to anything resembling a head shake or twitchy-ness that wasn't the tires, and there are almost no reports of other wethead RT owners complaining about bad steering dampers.

I'm not endorsing BMW's choice of dampers - there's no adjustment in them, and there is certainly a possibility that my OEM damper might go TU at some point. I have a Ohlin's damper on my S1K, and it's far better than the OEM damper, and I can tell the difference - even with the same tire model being used, on the track. Ohlin's is a brand primarily used on the track and in racing, and actually needs rebuilding over time when used for that purpose. To put an equivalent brand on a wethead, you'd be paying for a racing brand name on a street/touring bike. That's overkill, IMHO.

 

[rlst84u]

lasin,
An even more important question is who is a BMW certified mechanic in your area? I'm near Madison and don't know anybody closer than Beaver Dam.

RJ

It is Big Mikes in Beaver Dam. Jason Weber was the service director at Mischler’s and runs Big Mikes now. He brought the BMW Certified tech (Mike) with him, along with the Harley certified tech. Fabulous people!!

 

[lasnin]

Thank you!

There are no Ohlins products - period, for your year (or near model) RT. There are other brands however if you look.

I suspect most of the time, the problems are choice of tires and tire pressures. My '16 RT works just fine with the OEM steering damper (so far), ridden hard, (even lifted a few times), in all sorts of situations and with different tire brands and models. In other words, I have never had the bike react to anything resembling a head shake or twitchy-ness that wasn't the tires, and there are almost no reports of other wethead RT owners complaining about bad steering dampers.

I'm not endorsing BMW's choice of dampers - there's no adjustment in them, and there is certainly a possibility that my OEM damper might go TU at some point. I have a Ohlin's damper on my S1K, and it's far better than the OEM damper, and I can tell the difference - even with the same tire model being used, on the track. Ohlin's is a brand primarily used on the track and in racing, and actually needs rebuilding over time when used for that purpose. To put an equivalent brand on a wethead, you'd be paying for a racing brand name on a street/touring bike. That's overkill, IMHO.

Thank you for your feedback! Yep, my 2016 R1200RT is amazing, and no steering problems…. I’m just curious about any “improvement” in riding/handling if I were to “upgrade” the damper …. I’m more likely to change out the OEM damper on my 2021 R NineT Pure with the Ohlins. Of course, that’s a totally different riding experience than the RT!

 

[rlst84u]

There are no Ohlins products - period, for your year (or near model) RT. There are other brands however if you look.

I suspect most of the time, the problems are choice of tires and tire pressures. My '16 RT works just fine with the OEM steering damper (so far), ridden hard, (even lifted a few times), in all sorts of situations and with different tire brands and models. In other words, I have never had the bike react to anything resembling a head shake or twitchy-ness that wasn't the tires, and there are almost no reports of other wethead RT owners complaining about bad steering dampers.

I'm not endorsing BMW's choice of dampers - there's no adjustment in them, and there is certainly a possibility that my OEM damper might go TU at some point. I have a Ohlin's damper on my S1K, and it's far better than the OEM damper, and I can tell the difference - even with the same tire model being used, on the track. Ohlin's is a brand primarily used on the track and in racing, and actually needs rebuilding over time when used for that purpose. To put an equivalent brand on a wethead, you'd be paying for a racing brand name on a street/touring bike. That's overkill, IMHO.

In my case, the tech diagnosed the steering damper when the front wheel was off the ground and it provided zero resistance. It was as if the oil drained out of it (if that were a thing). It was markedly different — and the way it should be — with the new one installed.

 

[coachz]

Tractive

I've been running upgraded yacugar dampers from Beemershop.com on my 1250rt and my 1250R and really like the adjustability to get the feel I want. Pretty reasonable cost for something that you interact with the entire time you ride every single time you ride.

https://www.beemershop.com/product/...-and-r1200gsa-liquid-cooled-2014-on-2635.html

 

[lasnin]

Thank you!

I've been running upgraded yacugar dampers from Beemershop.com on my 1250rt and my 1250R and really like the adjustability to get the feel I want. Pretty reasonable cost for something that you interact with the entire time you ride every single time you ride.

https://www.beemershop.com/product/...-and-r1200gsa-liquid-cooled-2014-on-2635.html

I just upgraded the steering damper on my 2021 R NineT Pure to Ohlins, and I have been spending lots of riding time on it. When I switch over to my 2016 R1200RT I do notice the difference in steering feel! I know that it’s a different bike & ride, however the difference is there. Therefore, I like you will be replacing the damper on my RT with the Yacugar product! Thanks for the great feedback! Ride safe!

 

[kbasa]

Thank you for your feedback! Yep, my 2016 R1200RT is amazing, and no steering problems…. I’m just curious about any “improvement” in riding/handling if I were to “upgrade” the damper …. I’m more likely to change out the OEM damper on my 2021 R NineT Pure with the Ohlins. Of course, that’s a totally different riding experience than the RT!

If you're not getting any head shake, your damper is fine, Ohlins or not.