Steering Damper '86 LeMans info .

[mcdammitt]

On my '86 LeMans, any suggestions on steering damper?  Any one know the original length and stroke?
Thanks
-Scott

[guzzisteve]

http://www.mgcycle.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=197_199&products_id=735

[yogidozer]

are you able to tell the difference if you have one on or not? usually not

[pressureangle]

are you able to tell the difference if you have one on or not? usually not

My '85 LMIV damper was finished, I never did get around to installing another one- went 35,000 miles without. It does, however, have an 18" front wheel and steel clamps, making it doubly stable and hard as a pig to steer. I don't care since I don't live in the mountains. Never felt the need to put one on it.

That said, I highly recommend that you have one. Because you never know you need it until you need it.

[Sasquatch Jim]

 If you have one and don't know whether or not it works, then it works.
 If you are on the ground after a tank slapper, it didn't work.

[Carlo DeSantis]

That said, I highly recommend that you have one. Because you never know you need it until you need it.

This ^^^^^

Best,

Carlo

[flower_king001]

I have owned a 86' Lemans for over 20 years. My damper feel apart on the Dragon 5 years ago and took it off. Never noticed any difference so I never replaced it.

Brian

[double.d]

I rode once without a damper and it felt odd................ .......... twitchy. There would be a lot of varying factors for people to say it either needs or does not need one but i'll verify what has already been said, if the bike came with one there will be a good reason.

[wirespokes]

I rode once without a damper and it felt odd................ .......... twitchy.

Does yours still have the 16" front wheel? What shape were the tires in - rear needing replaced? Front questionable?

[Stevex]

In the early eighties I had a steering damper-less Le Mans 2 go into a tank slapper.
The road was excessively bumpy and the end result wasn't pretty.
Guzzi fit them for a reason, you might only ever need it once, but if it's not fitted...

[kirby1923]

I had my CX go into some pretty wild gyrations once. It was with fairly wavy slightly rough pavement with high lean angle at triple digits (well close anyway, too fast)...
It had the stock damper (friction) and I had it lose.(low friction)

Since then I have installed a hydraulic damper with 3 different settings. I went to the same road and couldn't duplicate...happy, no surprises like that please.

Sourced damper from MG cycle, and required no modification on the bike to install.

FWIW