Scotts damper

[2strokeforever]

so i got my scotts damper today, and instaled it, i wont be able to ride it till friday, but just sitting on it and you can feel the high speed damping kick in when you crank on it really hard, the adjustable sweep is really cool, i cant wait to try it out
another nice thing is it looks like the rubber mounts wont be able to go crooked everytime the bike is laid over, because of the one piece lower mount
i took the honda one off, and will prolly give it to one of my friends,
it came to $600 canadian, i prolly couldve got it cheaper from scotts directly, but id rather support my suspension tuner for the extra few $$$
here are a few pics

notice the small shiny spots where the mount WAS hitting, theres barely any clearance, but i loosened the tank bolt and hit the stopper each way, and that centered it exactly

i also like how the post thing has ZERO play, unlike some over bar ones where its flopping around making the damper not able to do its job properly


notice it wont fit with my subtank bars, but ill buy a new narrower lower set, and toss the 1st elbow and tap the hole so it fits

ride report coming friday, but i set it with the low speed off and the high speed 1/2 turn harder and sweep 54 degrees, when turning the bars at normal speed i cant notice it , but if i crank it really fast like it would if i smoked a big rock, it slows it right down, kicks the crap out of the honda one that just makes it harder to steer and gives me armpump if its on at all unless im going 3rd pinned or faster

[2strokeforever]

its really hard to tell if its helping or getting in the way, but thats prolly because im in 8 inches of snow 3rd gear max , and it tightens up quite a bit in the freezing weather
so i wont be able to give a useful ride report for quite a while

[AlisoBob]

When you get it adjusted right, you dont even feel it..... UNITIL, you hit a cross-rut and realize it saved your ass......

T.V.O.E.

[britincali]

You'll never want to ride a bike without one. My GPR has saved me countless times and makes you faster.

[Rhino89523]

Man I never really got used to my GPR, I am selling the whole set up. I could not ride with it above 1 in single track or above 3 in the desert and going between the 2 trying to change it while riding wasn't happening so it was always on 1. Every once in a while if I crashed or whatever it would click over to a 6 or something and then I really couldn't ride and I would be looking at my front wheel and stuff until I figured it out. The last time it happened at Foresthill it kept bouncing me into this rut and I couldn't get up this rocky little climb, I was getting really irratated thinking I hated my front tire, realized the thing had rolled to a 6, spun it back to a 1 and drove right up. Decided to sell it right then. I think the scotts may be a better unit because of its adjustability, I would like the high speed adjustment I think. My GPR had 2.5 weight oil it comes stock with 5 wt. Everyone I ride with swears by the stabilizer and say they would never ride again without one and the Scotts seems to be the preferred choice.

[britincali]

I run mine between 3 and 6 (depending what im doing).

[redrocket190]

Mine is set as recommended for high speed and sweep, and then 8 clicks out on the low speed. Never notice it until the rare occasion I hit something really solid and it saves my bacon.

If you ever change your top triple clamp, check the handlebar mount spacing before you buy because some vendors have a narrower design and the handlebar mount bolts on the underside of the clamp interfere with the Scott post clamp.

[Rhino89523]

Mine with the weight oil I had in it was always left running at what would be .5 on a stock GPR. 6 would be like a 3 and that would make me feel like I lost control of the front end I would blow over bearms and do these foot dabs in sand washes. I did like it for hauling ass in a straight line with a bunch of whoops and rocks etc. but I struggle with it everywhere else. I came to the realization that the thing made me crash more than it helped. It did look cool, its the only thing on the bike that doesn't look like its been drug behind a truck...Oh and my new handguards, finally broke the old set.

[2strokeforever]

the scotts dosent really feel like its in the way, but in snow where your steering really fast all the time just to stay upright, and going slow its in the way, under normal slow trail riding i had the low speed set off and just the high speed on, and i couldnt tell it was there,
i had the honda one and hated it, tried the gpr and didnt like it, havent really tried the scotts in any faster trails, i was mostly 1st or 2nd, then the snow came
i think were it will make a big difference is 3rd pinned or faster, if someone had a thing that set the low speed dampening based on how fast your going, that would rock

also i ordered a trailtech computer (closeout $50)and a scotts big knob from scotts, well they were out of the trailtech computers so they refunded me for the computer and paid the shipping for the knob thing to canada
great customer service

[bearorso]

I've had my Unic damper since 1988 (I think), and used it on every bike I've had since then, both road and dirt, other than my trials bikes. I'd use it on them, but off course it doesn't have enough sweep for trials steering lock - I wish it did, then I could modify the steer stops on my CRE to get the lock I'd kill for.

Unic is the Ohlins, which became the Scotts. A Swedish bloke developed and made it, sold it for a time and then sold the design to Ohlins. Who then made it for/ sold it to, Scotts. Scotts eventually, I think, made it / had it made for themselves. I think the only design elements Scotts have ever contributed to it is their engraving, and various dial changes.

One of the best things I've ever purchased. Saved many, many crashes, on both dirt & road.

I run it generally virtually turned off on low speed, but with a very heavy high speed setting, to cope with tree roots, rocks and the many ledges that appear in corners here. Then turn up the low speed when I get into the faster stuff / sand. But half the time I forget, until my steep / low front end set up and 20" wheel gives me a scare - then I remember to dial it up.

I've just regularly changed the oil, never had to buy a single part and only last year had to machine up a new arm - this time, with a new stainless pin I made, I doubled the engagement of the arm and pin, so I guess I'll be making another arm in 40 years time, after the first one started to wear after only 21 / 22 years.

I don't know about the quality of the Scotts version, but the original Unic item has proved to be well made, though its dull gold anodising is nowhere near as blingy as the Scotts colour.

[2strokeforever]

so after removing my scotts damper i noticed my bike felt 30lbs lighter, even having it set with
full out low speed, min sweep and just enough hs where it barely goes on if i whack the bars to the side as fast as i can (on a stand)

so i figured it was the low speed, or drag, so i ended up filling the damper with magura blood (thin like water)
and re installed it, way less drag, but i can still feel a difrence taking it off, had to put the HS as hard as it would go to get it to where i wanted it, ended up going full sweep now that it had less drag to make the hs more effective
and of course low speed full out

i like it way better now, barely tell its on there till it saves you, where before it really made the bike feel heavy

and if i ever am gonna ride the desert the low speed still gets really stiff, but not as progressive, nothing, nothing, then it gets really sensitive the last 6 or 7 clicks

the only thing i want to change is to make the HS heavyer relative to the engagement speed, im thinking theres gotta be a spring in there that i can swap out for a lighter one to do that, or a thicker shim somewhere

i have contacted scotts about this and they said they have only tried diffrent fork oil, and couldnt help me with the hs damping adjustment
something i will play with over the winter

[Rhino89523]

I have heard the GPR guys say that the Scotts doesn't truely have HS dampening any more than the GPR does because it is all related to bar speed. Scotts saying they have only played with oil weight makes me think the GPR guys were right. I still always liked the adjustability of the Scotts, I just don't like the shape of their taint ripper adjustment knob.

[2strokeforever]

have heard the GPR guys say that the Scotts doesn't truely have HS dampening any more than the GPR does

they are 100% wrong, on the scotts after a certain bar speed you can hear a click and feel the HS turn on,retty hard too if you got it set that way

this is almost completely seperate from the low speed

[Rhino89523]

Nice keep us informed what you come up with, My findings with the GPR were almost identical to what you describe as a 30lb heavier front end, like I said before tore it off and never looked back. I do miss the dampner when I'm in the desert running it pinned through whoops but not enough to warrent putting another GPR on. If I could have basically a zero in low speed and some resistance pinned in 5th I might want one.

[2strokeforever]

If I could have basically a zero in low speed and some resistance pinned in 5th I might want one.

i agree if you could have one that turns off by what gear youre in that would be sweet
but how i have it now with the magura oil in there its just barely noticable if you take it on and off back to back
, but if you nail a rock the size of a cantelope it will turn on and you will be glad it did
but now thats sorted it raises the flexxbars too high so im not using it