Difference between R18 FE

kils

kils

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I met another R18 rider here in the Netherlands at an event today. What I saw was that there was a difference between the same engines and I then went to look for whether this was an option if you buy the engine but what turns out it is not, there are then 2 versions of the engine made? It concerns the steering damper on my R18, it is present but not on the other. The jiffy's are also different, just look at the pictures. Can someone explain that?IMG_6782.JPGIMG_6783.JPGIMG_6784.JPGIMG_6785.JPG
 
I have the Classic ( ie screen & panniers ). It has the steering damper and the second type of side stand. The side stand design might be due to the different exhaust design.
 
kils said:
Tony do you have floorboards? Cause that is what I think the reason
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No I don't have floor or footboards. Just the standard footrests. My bike is the Classic so has the more conventional silencers rather than the fishtails. I wondered if that had impacted on the design of the sidestand.
 
kils said:
I met another R18 rider here in the Netherlands at an event today. What I saw was that there was a difference between the same engines and I then went to look for whether this was an option if you buy the engine but what turns out it is not, there are then 2 versions of the engine made? It concerns the steering damper on my R18, it is present but not on the other. The jiffy's are also different, just look at the pictures. Can someone explain that?View attachment 1837View attachment 1838View attachment 1839View attachment 1840
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That is a really compact (small) steering damper. It either does not do much (e.g. 'judder'-damper for no hands on the bars at low speeds), or it will not last long, or both (-:
 
kils said:
Or it last for ever and you should not be that negative.
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A steering damper is the motorcycling equivalent of an industrial vibration snubber. It allows slow long strokes while arresting quick short ones. Don't get lost on a tangent to the bedroom now (-: The smaller it is, the less effective it will be and/or the harder it will need to work (aka the shorter it will remain effective). It is commonly fitted on light-weight sport/superbikes as well as on quick-steering adventure bikes and sport-tourers with rakes of less than 27 degrees. Never on cruisers. The R18 sports 32.7 degrees of rake, 5.9 inches of trail, and a 68.1-inch wheelbase - proper cruiser parameters. A half-decent steering damper will feature at least three times the cylinder length of that on the R18.

So it is probably a 'judder arrester'. Intended to prevent old men from panicking when they let go of the bars while on cruise control at lower speeds and the front end starts shimmying. The second-gen GL1800s are famous for that at around 40 mph or lower. The most effective cure is to fit a steering brace on those GoldWings.
 
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estoma said:
A steering damper is the motorcycling equivalent of an industrial vibration snubber. It allows slow long strokes while arresting quick short ones. Don't get lost on a tangent to the bedroom now (-: The smaller it is, the less effective it will be and/or the harder it will need to work (aka the shorter it will remain effective). It is commonly fitted on light-weight sport/superbikes as well as on quick-steering adventure bikes and sport-tourers with rakes of less than 27 degrees. Never on cruisers. The R18 sports 32.7 degrees of rake, 5.9 inches of trail, and a 68.1-inch wheelbase - proper cruiser parameters. A half-decent steering damper will feature at least three times the cylinder length of that on the R18.

So it is probably a 'judder arrester'. Intended to prevent old men from panicking when they let go of the bars while on cruise control at lower speeds and the front end starts shimmying. The second-gen GL1800s are famous for that at around 40 mph or lower. The most effective cure is to fit a steering brace on those GoldWings.
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Good tech Estoma. In my years as a motorcycle tech I've never seen a steering damper much larger than what came on my R18 (which has cruise control). The old Kawasaki two stroke tripels going back to the late 1960s had 'em and they worked just as you describe. Many road racers bought the same items from a Kawasaki dealership and installed them on all sorts of Superbikes in the 70s, 80s and 90s. I've installed a few myself. In fact, I've always kept one in stock, for the guy who asks for it. The later model Euro bikes eventually came out with slightly more compact dampers, but they were not a lot less bulky. The newer dampers mostly are shorter in stroke, but larger in body diameter. My Ducati 900SS had one and, with such quick steering on a light weight machine, it was a good thing. Cresting a hill or hitting a washboard surfaced road, while on the gas can make the steering "lively". Heck, one day I wished for a steering damper on my Yamaha 1900cc Roadliner, when I moved out to pass a slow car. The road surface wasn't great and the 'Liner had enough power to make the front end light at about 65 MPH. Tank slappers on a BIG cruiser, in the passing lane, while alongside a car, are not fun. I suspect that BMW has decided that a steering damper was a good idea on a machine with cruise control, because the rider may become complacent while on cruise and relax his grip on the handlebar.
 
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David R said:
The proper repair for a gold wing with steering head shake is replace the steering head bearings and torque properly. Found out my self.
David
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It's absolutely true that worn or untorqued steering head bearings can cause a variety of handling problems including speed wobble/weave/"tank slappers". But a motorcycle with new, properly torqued bearings can suffer "tank slappers" when the conditions conspire for it.

Modern sportbikes OFTEN come with steering dampers because, in the pursuit of fast handling, they typically have minimal steering rake and trail. A steering damper can reduce the severity of the wobble or even keep it from occuring (IF the initiation of the wobble isn't excessive). But even bikes with lots of rake in the forks can loose steering control if the front tire becomes unloaded, suddenly goes from unloaded to heavily loaded and/or the road surface causes hard left/right steering inputs. The single BEST way to minimize the likelihood of a tank slapper is to retain a good grip of the bars with BOTH hands, simply because your hands and arms serve as a pretty good "damper" against head shake. Every time I see a rider going down the road with no hands on the bars, I cringe and hope that he gets home safely.

Unfortunately I've experienced tank slappers more often than I care to recall. Having the grips ripped from my hands as the bars become a blur is terrifying and for that reason I've put steering dampers on a few of my own bikes (in addition to insuring that the steering bearings are "like new" and properly maintained). As a rule, the more relaxed steering geometry of cruisers makes the problem a lot less common (see Estoma's excellent tech above). Personally, I suspect that BMW put a damper on the R18 because they're afraid riders will set the cruise control and then relax their grip on the bar.

www.rideapart.com

Ask RideApart: Defining a Tank Slapper

We discuss what defines a tank slapper. With videos for examples, we show out-of-control bikes and how to save yourself from one.
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www.cycleworld.com

How to Not Get Tank-Slapped

The tankslapper is a force to be reckoned with. It’s a rapid back-and-forth oscillation of the handlebar, often increasing in force and amplitude. Here's how to deal with them.
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You are absolutely right. I guess they revised the design for the CLASSIC version because the specs are quite a diff. The front tire is smaller but fatter also, they added cruise control and the rear brakes are totally diff.
kils said:
I met another R18 rider here in the Netherlands at an event today. What I saw was that there was a difference between the same engines and I then went to look for whether this was an option if you buy the engine but what turns out it is not, there are then 2 versions of the engine made? It concerns the steering damper on my R18, it is present but not on the other. The jiffy's are also different, just look at the pictures. Can someone explain that?View attachment 1837View attachment 1838View attachment 1839
kils said:
I met another R18 rider here in the Netherlands at an event today. What I saw was that there was a difference between the same engines and I then went to look for whether this was an option if you buy the engine but what turns out it is not, there are then 2 versions of the engine made? It concerns the steering damper on my R18, it is present but not on the other. The jiffy's are also different, just look at the pictures. Can someone explain that?View attachment 1837View attachment 1838View attachment 1839View attachment 1840
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View attachment 1840
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Interesting, I saw pictures of the standard R18 (non FE), solid black. it too has a steering damper. Really curious why at this point. I wonder if they are hedging their bet that people aren't adjusting the rear suspension preload when riding with a passenger.
 
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