• 4 Stroke Husqvarna Motorcycles Made In Austria - About 2014 & Newer
     FE = 4st Enduro & FC = 4st Cross

  • Hi everyone,

    As you all know, Coffee (Dean) passed away a couple of years ago. I am Dean's ex-wife's husband and happen to have spent my career in tech. Over the years, I occasionally helped Dean with various tech issues.

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    Thanks for your patience and support!

FE/FC Steering damper options for FE501S

G

Grumdrig

Husqvarna
I spent some time looking a steering dampers and the Motosportz looked good until I realized it seems to be no more, as of a few years back. I couldn't positively determine whether Ohlins has one for this bike or not. So is Scotts the only option standing? Scotts I'm sure is good but I think I would like the form factor of the others better, if they existed.

I'll probably go under bars with the Scotts since the bars seems a little low when standing anyway, unless someone here can tell me there's an alternative to consider that actually exists.
 
I have used the Ohlins/Scotts but actually prefer the GPR. I read some chatter about the sweep return to center on the Ohlins having zero resistance, but I can't say I ever noticed it. I just ordered the GPR V2 for my 501FE since it incorporated a lift of about 1.2 inches. The ultra thin GPR4 doesn't raise the bar at all, may even slightly lower them depending on your make/model. I have two 525 with the same set up and two asphalt track bikes currently using the GPR. One nice feature, send it in to refresh and the do it free. I never fiddle with the high speed adjustment on the Ohlins; the GPR high speed circuit is integrated with the low speed dial - like tire and oil opinions, this just my first hand experience/preference.
 
To be clear Ohlins does make their own and the Scotts is the older design Ohlins. Two very different designs. In the end if you feel your bike needs one any would work. Just need to decided how much adjustment you want, dampen back to center or not. BTW Scotts road bike design does dampen back to center if you like this brand and needed this feature.
 
On my 2015 FE501s I have the BRP underbar mount for the Scotts. I'm using the softer BRP polymer vibration cushions. I really like the increased bar height (I'm 6ft). The Scotts seems fine but I haven't ridden others, so I can't compare.

Dave
 
I run the "BRP" under bar sub mount and a "Scotts" damper, same as DWK above on, my '15 FE 501. I use the blue isolator mount bushings. This set up raises the bars approximately 60mm. I'm 6ft. and like the bar height much better than the stock riser height.

I run a "GPR" under bar sub mount on the complete "KTM" 4860 open chamber fork set up and front wheel, I have converted onto my '09 G450X BMW and it works very well indeed. It doesn't raise the bars that much. It had been on the original BMW front triple trees with the stock 45mm "Zokes" that got removed. All I had to do was make a call to "GPR" to change the sub mount base plate itself to set it up on the KTM trees. I can't say I prefer 1 over the other.

However I can say, once the BMW gets in the sand washes. Even with a buddy of mine who had never ridden the bike before. It was gone. The steering damper makes that much of a difference on that bike especially. The G450X is very well suited to sand anyway. I told him what to do with the adjuster knob as soon as he hit the sand wash. He apparently did what I told him. I was eating sand off the back of one of my own bikes for a few miles. It was a very humbling and gritty experience. LOL !

I won't ride a dirt bike here where I live without a steering damper/stabilizer.

My buddy won't either. He put one on his WR450F a few weeks later, so he must have liked it !
 
Amen on steering dampers, I even had one on my 650 XR. I rode the 501 about 100 miles without one on my regular aerobic 50 mile loop with a little bit of everything and it did ok, but I'd characterize the steering as nervous. I was hoping to take it out today with the GPR but the collar they sent didn't seat right on the frame so I have to see what GPR thinks. I've put them on a handful of KTM's without a hitch. I'm sure we'll get right. Took my 525 this am and it was noticeable different- I can't count how many times I've felt my front tire going away on a high speed turn and the damper saving it. Although different valving, the GPR on my asphalt track bikes have been flawless. I just can't find a downside to using a damper.
 
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