careful with my line selection so I’m not getting bounced (deflected) all over the place. In the first 300 metres of the trail, I noticed that I was not working very hard and I was not getting large amounts of negative feedback through the handlebars. I mentally relaxed and tried to focus on what was happening with the front end. There are two ways to describe it. First, it felt like it smoothed out the trail. Trail debris that I used to focus on I could now ignore. In fact, later in the day, I was purposely hitting things that I would normally try and avoid, just to see the effect. The front wheel would hit the debris and slightly deflect but not enough to destabilize the bike or cause me to react. After a while, I stopped being concerned with this debris. Another way to describe it would be to compare it to driving your car. If you have ever had the pleasure of owning a clapped-out 10 year-old daily driver you’ll know what I’m talking about. If you suddenly drive a brand new car, the front end of the new car seems so together. Rock solid, smooth, and firm. This is the feeling the damper has given me with the front end of my bike. Rock solid. With this feeling comes confidence, and slightly faster, subtle speed. In the hacked out sections, I could keep my speed up and although I was still getting beat up, it was nothing like it used to be. For this type of riding, I could have dialed up the damper settings but I did not want to mess with a good thing.
Towards the end of the day I was slowly losing the sensation of the damper. Obviously, the damper was still there and still doing its job but I was getting used to it and was riding without thinking about it. At one point during the afternoon, we were traveling at a good clip when my front wheel hit a rock that was hidden in the grass in the centre of the two track. The rock was quite large and it moved when I hit it. The front rim made a sickening sound as the front wheel stepped to the left and I though for sure I pinched my tube. As the bike was wildly pitched to the right, my body was thrown off-balance and I had that slow motion moment where I thought I was going down. Somehow, the bike recovered upright and I stayed on it. Was it the damper that saved me? Would this have been a nasty crash as speed if I didn’t have a damper installed? This may have been one of those moments where it saved my butt but I didn’t even notice.
SUMMARY
In my opinion, using a steering damper is a good idea. If you have sufficient experience, have a good feel for your bike and are starting to become a faster rider then a damper will be a worthwhile investment. Thanks to Lachappelle Racing Products for supplying a test damper. The GPR V1 Fat Bar damper with mount retails for MSRP of $516.95. You can contact Allan directly at 450-292-3170 or www.lachapelleracingproducts.com. ∆
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