just finished installing the Scotts damper with the BRP rubber mounted sub-adapter on my KTM 350 exc was a decent amount of money but after watching your video I felt like it was money well spent!!!!!! Heading done to Hatfield McCoy Trails WV next week can't wait to feel the difference Great video and nice trail!!!
I've just put one on order and watching your video makes me feel better about the insane price I just paied in Canadian Dollars. Might save me from breaking another ankle because of a tank slapper like a month ago too!
I didn't know you could steer these things! I thought the handlebars were there to keep you from falling off the bike! :P Cool vid guys! These steering dampers are very intriguing.
Thanks for the video! I'm very worried about the sharply angled position of the throttle cable on the KTM, long term it will give grief, I can't believe it doesn't bind! I cringe when I look at it! Maybe the same riding ability, for you two, but I bet the KTM eats the KDX in every possible performance way
Yes, I think the cable looks more kinked in the video than it really is. The KTM probably beats the KDX in everything except on slow tough trails. The suspension on the KTM is stiffer due to it being an SX. Once the pace picks up, the stiff suspension is a benefit though. The KDX is an amazing bike considering how old it is. Thanks for watching!
First off, thanks for the video...second let me say I'm a big fan of the Scotts stabilizer...I have one on each of my bikes, a XR650R (309 lbs wet) and my new BMW F800 GS Adventure (509 lbs wet) and they work great. Just a note, not sure if you knew but when you turn down the slow damping, the high speed increases which means in tight stuff you turn it down to assist in fast turning and the high speed increases to help the bars from getting yanked out of your hands on rocks and roots...Take a look at all the bikes in line to start the Baja 1000 and see how many are sporting the Scotts...
Great commentary on your experience and impressed with your results. Those are excellent trails -- envious of the greenery from down here in dry, brown (burning) CA.
osimnod Yes, as you can see we were both shocked how well the Scotts works. We have also had an extremely dry summer. It happened to rain a few days before that ride. If you watch my video before this one we are riding the same trails in nothing but dust. Hopefully we all start getting rain soon! Thanks for watching :-)
+Samuel Chenelle Thanks, we are riding in Oregon. It is a place called the Upper Nestucca OHV area. It is between Portland and Salem in the Coast Range. It is not uncommon to ride half a day and only see one other group of riders.
Here's my question. I'm not gonna get high and mighty and say I'm a better rider. But I see people who buy these, and I see a bit of a trend. Obviously the highway bikes,no brainier good to have. But people who comment saying "oh yeah it works wonders for my 500 pound 'adventure' bike." And as good as a review as you guys were doing, didn't seem to stand up a lot (yes I know there's branches). I've been hitting trails for years. All over my home state Colorado, Utah, out in California, etc. Not once have I thought "I wish I had a device to help my steering". I'm really intrigued by these things. But I'm finding less and less of a reason to buy them. Balance and body placement has always been the bread winner. At least what I was taught. So, (and I'm not trying to sound like a dick, I'm just building up to a bigger question) who would you say the stabilizer is good for? The novice, the heavy, and those who -REALLY- like to take their time on a trail? I ride a 03 wr450f. So it's not THE heaviest. Also isn't the hardest to ride either (IMO). So is my question right? Is it for those individuals out there, or is it highly recommended for everyone? Does it produce less fatigue at the end of the day? Just want some better answers. Extremely torn on buying these
The Scotts has both high speed and low speed damping. I have the low speed damping almost turned off. The low speed damping would be useful to prevent a tank slapper at high speed. I agree in a dirt bike, unless you are going really fast, it would be useless. The high speed damping is what I like. It is most useful when going from 10 to 25mph on a rocky or root filled trail. Basically it keeps the wheel from deflecting when you hit something. At higher speed the bike just bounces over things so it is not useful. At lower speeds hitting a rock can cause the front wheel to deflect. On my 250 SX which is kind of twitchy, it made a huge difference. On my 300XC, I didn't really notice it. I would say they are great for someone riding on trails with rocks and roots on a bike that does not feel that stable. An experienced rider would not benefit as much as a beginner. For me, I think it helped with confidence as much as anything else. As you know having confidence makes things much easier. Not sure I would do it again on my 300 but it made a huge difference on the 250. Thanks for the question.
don't get one. you don't sound like you really want one anyway. your right body posision skill and all that your right on with that. i had one on an rmz450(typical suzuki still nervous at speed even after experimenting with sag. i'd let my friend ride it who had a hard time loosening up and it wanted to kill him! tankslappers all the time for him. he didn't get hurt so it was just funny). got a scotts and i thought i was cheating. clamed the bike at speed and everywhere else. i had it dialed down so i couldn't feel it so it felt transparent because i don't like a "damper feel" and it did nothing but save my ass from little minor stuff all the time. i'm a normal guy so i have alot of "suck" in my skill set for sure. now that i don't have that bike i've wanted one on every other bike i've had and have experimented custom mounting stock gsxr600 stabilizers behind the numberplate and have gotten them to work well right along with the gpr performance but its no scotts. get a scotts and your spoiled, ruined. everything else is less than. doesn't mean i can't enjoy the heck out of a bike without a stabilizer. but after you have one then you know and you can't unknow that then without some sort of brain injury. you never forget. oh these guys who clearly don't have experience with a scotts that say it wouldn't make a difference at lower speeds, b.s., it's like cheating a bit all the time. defenitely pays for itself many many many times over in saved hospital bills or copays for many guys.
+dieselworld I can't remember the setting however... I have the standard sweep. I turned up the high speed some and down the low speed. I have found I like the damper to help with deflecting of rocks and roots which is why I have the high speed turned up a it from stock. I have the low speed set so I cannot feel it.
+MrEnduro Yes, Mike thinks it is the best money he has wasted on his KDX. I recently purchased a KTM 300XC and installed a damper on it. It really helps on it as well but is not as noticeable as on the 250SX.
Hello, Mark! Nice vid! Say, will such stabilizer help one out in a situation when you hit a pothole on the road (roads of general usage)? You know ... so much vids on youtube where people having a crash because of potholes - the front wheel starts wobbling and off you go ... I'm speaking of superMoto class. Thx for your feedback!
It might help some but I have a feeling if you are crashing due to hitting a pothole, you are going to crash anyway... I still crash when hitting roots but it does help.
+adburger I forget the actual clicks, however I have the sweep that it came with, I have the high speed screw in a quarter of a turn and the low speed out several clicks from how it shipped.
+Cowboy2659 I would guess it raises it around an inch or maybe a bit less. I had raisers on it before adding the stabilizer. With the stabilizer I have a small raiser. I like to stand so I like my bars a bit higher than most people. They also have an option to mount the Scott above the bars keeping the bars low.
***** This was from several weeks ago. Everything looks like it is open although someone who was up there yesterday for the poker run said it was closed in the afternoon. Looks like it is open now from the Forest Service's website.
***** All of the loggers are on 1 o'clock shut down and I guess we are too. I cant find any information as a rider to tell us when we can ride or not, but I am in contact with several loggers who could keep me in the loop as to when they lift the 1 o'clock, or if the fire danger gets worse. It sure surprised us yesterday when they said everybody needed to be off the course by 1pm, I thought the woods were open again.
The Sick Horse Ranch I think we are OK to ride even though logging is done at 1:00pm. I used the following: www.oregon.gov/odf/pages/fire/precautionlevelmap.aspx It is my understanding we can ride in level 2 but not 3.
***** Oh man, I hope I didn't wave you off for nothing yesterday. :( I figured the event coordinators knew something I didn't. What a bummer, sorry about that Mark.
+Jared Udall We use Shark F9 intercoms. They work great if you only have one guy you regularly ride with. A set of two is under $150. The company has great customer support. They will link up with four units but it is a real pain to get more than two to work. Now that we are riding with more people, we are thinking of getting Sena unites.
+Chadd Chevrolet We are using Shark F9 units which we have used for several years. They work great for two riders but not so well with three or more. We have has a few issued with them which the company has been great to resolve. Great product. However, we plan on changing to Sena units this year so we can talk with other friends when we ride in larger groups. If you only ride with one guy I would get the Shark intercoms. If you ride with more, get the Sena - which is about three times more expensive.
+Mark Gunnison I only ride with one other person so the shark would most likely be best for me. I like the fact it has Bluetooth and can answer calls plus listen to my playlist on my phone not to mention the fm radio. Great price too I found. Thanks for replying. I'm going to get one.
Dampers Don't make your Bike Faster.... Are you Joking? But if you cut your fenders off you'll gain 6 or 9 Horsepower. $750. Gets you Oversized Piston bore and Full Exhaust.
Back when I made that video I was learning to ride root filled trails. I think the steering damper really boots your confidence when it comes to just hitting roots and letting the bike do its thing. I agree they are overpriced. However, gaining confidence when you are learning is a bit part of it and I think the steering damper does a great job. I'm not sure how useful it is now that I'm a better rider though.
![ลองสุ่มไอโฟน 990 โกงมั้ย? [ โกงมั้ยครับ ep.101 ] | DOM](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/bfsWe0j492k/mqdefault.jpg)
just finished installing the Scotts damper with the BRP rubber mounted sub-adapter on my KTM 350 exc was a decent amount of money but after watching your video I felt like it was money well spent!!!!!! Heading done to Hatfield McCoy Trails WV next week can't wait to feel the difference Great video and nice trail!!!
I can't hardly wait for my Scotts damper to show up. I was sold before we even got back to the truck.
TippytoeRider Same here. It will be interesting to see how much it helps your bike!
I've just put one on order and watching your video makes me feel better about the insane price I just paied in Canadian Dollars. Might save me from breaking another ankle because of a tank slapper like a month ago too!
I didn't know you could steer these things! I thought the handlebars were there to keep you from falling off the bike! :P Cool vid guys! These steering dampers are very intriguing.
The Sick Horse Ranch Yes, I was shocked how well it worked. It will be interesting to see if Make's KDX gets the same benefit as my KTM.
***** Yes it will, as an owner of many Kawasakis, including an 89 KDX200 I would love to see how Mike's bike fairs with all of his upgrades!
Thanks for the video! I'm very worried about the sharply angled position of the throttle cable on the KTM, long term it will give grief, I can't believe it doesn't bind! I cringe when I look at it! Maybe the same riding ability, for you two, but I bet the KTM eats the KDX in every possible performance way
Yes, I think the cable looks more kinked in the video than it really is. The KTM probably beats the KDX in everything except on slow tough trails. The suspension on the KTM is stiffer due to it being an SX. Once the pace picks up, the stiff suspension is a benefit though. The KDX is an amazing bike considering how old it is. Thanks for watching!
First off, thanks for the video...second let me say I'm a big fan of the Scotts stabilizer...I have one on each of my bikes, a XR650R (309 lbs wet) and my new BMW F800 GS Adventure (509 lbs wet) and they work great. Just a note, not sure if you knew but when you turn down the slow damping, the high speed increases which means in tight stuff you turn it down to assist in fast turning and the high speed increases to help the bars from getting yanked out of your hands on rocks and roots...Take a look at all the bikes in line to start the Baja 1000 and see how many are sporting the Scotts...
I did not know that - thanks for the tip!
Great commentary on your experience and impressed with your results. Those are excellent trails -- envious of the greenery from down here in dry, brown (burning) CA.
osimnod Yes, as you can see we were both shocked how well the Scotts works. We have also had an extremely dry summer. It happened to rain a few days before that ride. If you watch my video before this one we are riding the same trails in nothing but dust. Hopefully we all start getting rain soon! Thanks for watching :-)
Nice! It sure seems you are more confident at higher speed. Thanks for showing me the hardware when I visited. I was amazed how light that KTM is!
0utrider Zero Too had you are not having a better drive. Hopefully your luck improves :-)
I made it home safe enough. 2,500 miles added to the odometer. Thanks!
0utrider Zero Good. Hope the car did OK. You are welcome back if you are in the area again.
Thank you kind sir. The same goes for you!
sweet review ! Thanks for that!
Well made video. The trails looks amazing out there! Where is it at?
+Samuel Chenelle Thanks, we are riding in Oregon. It is a place called the Upper Nestucca OHV area. It is between Portland and Salem in the Coast Range. It is not uncommon to ride half a day and only see one other group of riders.
That's awesome. I'm amazed you felt a difference so quickly. Something to ask Santa for sure.
Ride AMAP Yes, they are not cheap but as far as bike mods I would say next to suspension it is at the top of the list.
Here's my question. I'm not gonna get high and mighty and say I'm a better rider. But I see people who buy these, and I see a bit of a trend. Obviously the highway bikes,no brainier good to have. But people who comment saying "oh yeah it works wonders for my 500 pound 'adventure' bike." And as good as a review as you guys were doing, didn't seem to stand up a lot (yes I know there's branches). I've been hitting trails for years. All over my home state Colorado, Utah, out in California, etc. Not once have I thought "I wish I had a device to help my steering". I'm really intrigued by these things. But I'm finding less and less of a reason to buy them. Balance and body placement has always been the bread winner. At least what I was taught. So, (and I'm not trying to sound like a dick, I'm just building up to a bigger question) who would you say the stabilizer is good for? The novice, the heavy, and those who -REALLY- like to take their time on a trail? I ride a 03 wr450f. So it's not THE heaviest. Also isn't the hardest to ride either (IMO). So is my question right? Is it for those individuals out there, or is it highly recommended for everyone? Does it produce less fatigue at the end of the day? Just want some better answers. Extremely torn on buying these
The Scotts has both high speed and low speed damping. I have the low speed damping almost turned off. The low speed damping would be useful to prevent a tank slapper at high speed. I agree in a dirt bike, unless you are going really fast, it would be useless. The high speed damping is what I like. It is most useful when going from 10 to 25mph on a rocky or root filled trail. Basically it keeps the wheel from deflecting when you hit something. At higher speed the bike just bounces over things so it is not useful. At lower speeds hitting a rock can cause the front wheel to deflect. On my 250 SX which is kind of twitchy, it made a huge difference. On my 300XC, I didn't really notice it. I would say they are great for someone riding on trails with rocks and roots on a bike that does not feel that stable. An experienced rider would not benefit as much as a beginner. For me, I think it helped with confidence as much as anything else. As you know having confidence makes things much easier. Not sure I would do it again on my 300 but it made a huge difference on the 250. Thanks for the question.
don't get one. you don't sound like you really want one anyway. your right body posision skill and all that your right on with that. i had one on an rmz450(typical suzuki still nervous at speed even after experimenting with sag. i'd let my friend ride it who had a hard time loosening up and it wanted to kill him! tankslappers all the time for him. he didn't get hurt so it was just funny). got a scotts and i thought i was cheating. clamed the bike at speed and everywhere else. i had it dialed down so i couldn't feel it so it felt transparent because i don't like a "damper feel" and it did nothing but save my ass from little minor stuff all the time. i'm a normal guy so i have alot of "suck" in my skill set for sure. now that i don't have that bike i've wanted one on every other bike i've had and have experimented custom mounting stock gsxr600 stabilizers behind the numberplate and have gotten them to work well right along with the gpr performance but its no scotts. get a scotts and your spoiled, ruined. everything else is less than. doesn't mean i can't enjoy the heck out of a bike without a stabilizer. but after you have one then you know and you can't unknow that then without some sort of brain injury. you never forget.
oh these guys who clearly don't have experience with a scotts that say it wouldn't make a difference at lower speeds, b.s., it's like cheating a bit all the time. defenitely pays for itself many many many times over in saved hospital bills or copays for many guys.
What setting were you using on low speed, high speed and sweep? I just installed on onemy '09 300 xcw!
+dieselworld I can't remember the setting however... I have the standard sweep. I turned up the high speed some and down the low speed. I have found I like the damper to help with deflecting of rocks and roots which is why I have the high speed turned up a it from stock. I have the low speed set so I cannot feel it.
Looked like you were ripping through those trails pretty good!
TWiGs ADV Yes, it was amazing how much the damper helped. Mike ordered one the following week.
+Mark Gunnison Has your buddy noticed the difference Mark?
+MrEnduro Yes, Mike thinks it is the best money he has wasted on his KDX. I recently purchased a KTM 300XC and installed a damper on it. It really helps on it as well but is not as noticeable as on the 250SX.
great review , what kind of bars do the KTM have
They are the stock bars I believe. I have an under bar mount for the Scott with a small riser so the bars are a bit high which I like.
Hello, Mark! Nice vid! Say, will such stabilizer help one out in a situation when you hit a pothole on the road (roads of general usage)? You know ... so much vids on youtube where people having a crash because of potholes - the front wheel starts wobbling and off you go ... I'm speaking of superMoto class. Thx for your feedback!
It might help some but I have a feeling if you are crashing due to hitting a pothole, you are going to crash anyway... I still crash when hitting roots but it does help.
Oh I see! So the risk is still high and it's the matter of your luck and quick reaction. Okay, thx! Your respond is helpful!
What setting were you using?
+adburger I forget the actual clicks, however I have the sweep that it came with, I have the high speed screw in a quarter of a turn and the low speed out several clicks from how it shipped.
How about the height of the bars with the dampener does it raise them a lot?
+Cowboy2659 I would guess it raises it around an inch or maybe a bit less. I had raisers on it before adding the stabilizer. With the stabilizer I have a small raiser. I like to stand so I like my bars a bit higher than most people. They also have an option to mount the Scott above the bars keeping the bars low.
Be gentle to those ferns !
Shut up hippie
Is this older footage or are you guys out riding right now? I'm not sure what is open
***** This was from several weeks ago. Everything looks like it is open although someone who was up there yesterday for the poker run said it was closed in the afternoon. Looks like it is open now from the Forest Service's website.
***** All of the loggers are on 1 o'clock shut down and I guess we are too. I cant find any information as a rider to tell us when we can ride or not, but I am in contact with several loggers who could keep me in the loop as to when they lift the 1 o'clock, or if the fire danger gets worse. It sure surprised us yesterday when they said everybody needed to be off the course by 1pm, I thought the woods were open again.
The Sick Horse Ranch I think we are OK to ride even though logging is done at 1:00pm. I used the following: www.oregon.gov/odf/pages/fire/precautionlevelmap.aspx It is my understanding we can ride in level 2 but not 3.
***** Oh man, I hope I didn't wave you off for nothing yesterday. :( I figured the event coordinators knew something I didn't. What a bummer, sorry about that Mark.
The Sick Horse Ranch No worries, I didn't have anyone to ride with so I was considering staying home anyway. I was able to edit this video instead :-)
Do both M&M now ride with a Scott's stabilizer?
Yes, we both have them. I also added one to my 2014 KTM 300XC. I found it was not as noticeable on the 300.
@@markgunnison I'm going to throw one on my KTM 200 this upcoming riding season.
Where are you riding I have to hit it look fun
What communication device were you guys using?
+Jared Udall We use Shark F9 intercoms. They work great if you only have one guy you regularly ride with. A set of two is under $150. The company has great customer support. They will link up with four units but it is a real pain to get more than two to work. Now that we are riding with more people, we are thinking of getting Sena unites.
+Mark Gunnison thanks for the info.
Where you guys riding at?
We are in the Upper Nestucca OHV area in Oregon. It is about an hour and a half to the southwest of Portland.
What are y'all using to talk to each other with?
+Chadd Chevrolet We are using Shark F9 units which we have used for several years. They work great for two riders but not so well with three or more. We have has a few issued with them which the company has been great to resolve. Great product. However, we plan on changing to Sena units this year so we can talk with other friends when we ride in larger groups. If you only ride with one guy I would get the Shark intercoms. If you ride with more, get the Sena - which is about three times more expensive.
+Mark Gunnison I only ride with one other person so the shark would most likely be best for me. I like the fact it has Bluetooth and can answer calls plus listen to my playlist on my phone not to mention the fm radio. Great price too I found. Thanks for replying. I'm going to get one.
+Chadd Chevrolet For the price it is a great value.
where is this?
We ride in Oregon. It is called the Upper Nestucca OHV area. It is to the southwest of Portland.
Dampers Don't make your Bike Faster.... Are you Joking? But if you cut your fenders off you'll gain 6 or 9 Horsepower. $750. Gets you Oversized Piston bore and Full Exhaust.
Back when I made that video I was learning to ride root filled trails. I think the steering damper really boots your confidence when it comes to just hitting roots and letting the bike do its thing. I agree they are overpriced. However, gaining confidence when you are learning is a bit part of it and I think the steering damper does a great job. I'm not sure how useful it is now that I'm a better rider though.
lol its cost over 500 bucks ,it better work ....
No doubt about that!
at these speeds it's waste of money...