I would really LOVE to, but I haven’t been able to test it much myself. I rarely get to ride as there is no MX or XC culture where I live and practically no tracks outside of turn tracks I make. I’ve been doing other suspension setup, so it’s been hard to tell if changes to handling are the suspension or the damper. I will say, the stock damping adjustment is not very sensitive to changes. I’m considering a revalve kit, but with my limited riding, just having a hard time getting motivated to do anything to the bike outside of just enjoying twisting the gas the few hours of ride time I do get here and there. This is the one area of my life I’m not particularly happy about and it’s motivating me to change the status of the riding culture around here. Unfortunately there’s no instant results or gratification that come from that, outside of the gratification of helping the next generation of riders around here, so they can actually ride and not just dream about it like I do. I may not get the ecstasy of riding, but at least I’m involved with the sport I’ve always loved 🤙
Great video I’m just curious does this prevent headshake on landings? I’m a bit of a beginner on the motocross bike and sometimes I’m not on the gas when I land. That being said I would like a steering stabilizer to prevent headshake on some of those landings.
It’ll take the edge off some of the rapid movements, but designed a little more for softening edges of ruts etc… doesn’t work like a real stabilizer like a GPR or something. Might help for what you want, but having someone help you with your bike setup would probably help you more to be completely honest with you. Probably need to stiffen your front end a bit so it’s not hammering into and staying in the bottom of the stroke. It’s defecting because the energy has nowhere to go because there’s no suspension left and the travel in the tire is used up too. The energy has to go somewhere. Often the same reason a bike will swap in the rear unless the rebound damping is too slow. “Suspension is packing” if you’ve ever heard that term. It’s different than “bottoming out” which is the “clank” for lack of a better term.
I really like how it’s mounted and tucked away, but if you do get one, get the revalve kit. The stock adjustment doesn’t do a whole lot. I almost never get to ride this bike (15hrs in 20 months) or I would have already bought/or had it revalved. I did switch heavier fluid (7w if I recall) for more damping.
@@Runk3lsmcdougal If I remember correctly, the “mm” is the body size, so more volume. The bigger one (24mm) would be better for higher speed off-road stuff (XC/Desert) and the 20mm for MX where the speeds are lower and you’re just taking the edge out of the ruts and chop. Don’t put too much stock in the validity of this info… it’s going on 2 years since I was digging into it 🤣 When set up, it should work good. A lot of the factory teams ran/run them. They weld posts to the steer tube instead of using these brackets. Dungey’s KTMs for sure (probably his Suzukis before that). I’ve seen posts welded on Yamahas, Kawis and of course Honda has been plagued with handling problems forever, so they came stock on those machines. My stock fork is a WP 4CS valved for XC. It has lackluster performance for my use and ability. I like rough tracks, but my wrist doesn’t. It’s very hard/expensive to get suspension service in my area, especially for a bike I never get to ride. I bought this as sort of a bandaid and so I could likely take with me from bike to new bike. I really like the idea of it assisting, being light and hidden. Something like a GPR is superior, but pricey and overkill for what I need.
@@JohnHowerton137 well dude I hope you get back on the bike soon and I appreciate all the info, I hope you try some cool products and make some more videos like this because your really good at it. I was looking into this to help prevent head shake while going straight and from what I'm getting from the info is a steering damper won't really help that
@@Runk3lsmcdougal it absolutely will. That said, a lot of other factors come into account when dealing with headshake: 1.) Set all your clickers back to the setting in the manual as a base setting starting point. Ride the bike. One end of the bike at a time… do like 5 clicks one clicker one direction ride… then like 5 clicks the other direction. Do that with both compression and rebound circuits. Chances are it will paint of picture of what direction you want to go. 2.) Adjust your rear sag to the spec in the manual. KTM is usually 105-115mm depending on the bike model and riding conditions. “More sag” (say the 115mm end of things) squats the rear end like a trophy truck and creates better high speed handling. Less sag like maybe 100mm would be used to “stink bug” the bike more and cause it to steer sharper for something like supercross or tight trails. It will also increase front end nervousness at high speed. 3.) Make sure your forks aren’t slid up too much in the clamps. Some people do this to “Lower” the bike. All it does it make it handle shitty. The forks should be closer to flush for high speed stuff and maybe raised as little as 5mm to make it steer sharp. I usually prefer mine 0-2mm depending on how I want the bike to handle. 4.) If the rebound is too slow (+) in the front of the bike, the suspension will “pack” in the bumps. This means the suspension isn’t recovering (rebounding) from the previous, hits before it gets to the next hits. When it does that, the front end stays low in the stroke will deflect… causing it to shake. Same in the rear. If it “packs” it will swap side to side. If it bucks, the rebound is too fast (-). 5.) Your riding position. This could potentially be No. 1 on the list, but I’ve never seen you ride and also usually encounter horrible suspension setup when evaluating riders. So it could be a mix of both 🤣 Watch this video: th-cam.com/video/WYWUpQEO42k/w-d-xo.html it covers the basics. Also go follow Ryan Hughes. If you have all this stuff in check… then go buy a stabilizer. If you’re doing real high speed (50mph+) desert whoops or something, the GPR 4-5 is probably a better choice of damper. I’m not injured or anything currently, just don’t have places to ride ☹️ Too many NIMBYS, Envo turds and Gov here.
I noticed you have the 4cs forks😱 what’s your say on them? I have them on my 250 exc and must say they take the fun out of riding😡 have ordered some new cartridges from slavens racing and waiting for them to be able to deliver. Have been waiting a while now😒
Electric Braaap don't really have enough time on this bike (40min 🤣) to know, but the Freeride has the XPLOR. Basically same issues but crappier valving. I think it depends on what you're doing. They're obviously not awesome due to the simplicity and lack of valving, but I think a lot of the problems for the weekend warrior are rider setup and lack of understanding. It felt ok-ish first ride. Slow stuff seems to be fine, but the faster you go the lack of valving starts to shine. I only had 2 laps on my settings that felt like were working pretty well before my accident. I'll have a better answer for you in the coming months, but for now I think they'll be ok enough for my needs with correct setup. I was only running 105mm sag. I'm going to run 110mm. Sag is very important on KTMs. Probably 90% of why people say they suck. My Freeride stuff should be sick now, but I'm still prob a month of healing away from making a video about how it works 😞
I like the Freeride Suspension for what I use it for. It’s really plush and dampens all roots and rocks like a hero. The 250 with the 4cs on the other hand... I feel every bump up in my arms and the bike bounces and shifts direction all the time.. front wheel traction is totally gone. It feels better on the faster stuff and on the Mx track though.
Electric Braaap def has a more MX style valving and spring rate. I like it well enough so far. If I had a complaint it would be that it is a little soft initially. Kind of opposite of your complaint. I like a little better hold up. Freeride is great on little bumps. I don't really have any complaints with it for what it was designed for. What I use it for on the other hand is a different story 🤣
Electric Braaap you get those in your bike yet? I didn’t see the first time that your bike was an EXC. The XC is definitely better than my EXC was. After putting around (not cleared medically to ride) on my new Freeride setup, I’m not feeling as thrilled about the 250 setup 🤣 Without question XC setup is better than my EXC was, and it seems appropriate for cross country racing applications. I just like the feel of MX suspension better. I smash into shit like Barcia (my least favorite rider) rather than flow like Ferrandis. I don’t like the bike riding lower in the stroke and mushy on top, but I get the concept. The problem is, when you adjust the compression up to ride the 4CS/XPLOR stuff higher in the stroke... it get’s harsh. We’ll see how much and where I ride this bike the most before I get too excited about changing it. If it’s MX (likely) it’ll probably get sent off... when I’m not broke. I’m going to have a decent amount of medical bills eating into my motorcycle money for a while. Honestly an SX would be the better bike for me, but the XC is just a little more universal for my life. And as much as I liked the idea of the EXC and being able to ride it anywhere being street legal, it was heavier/heavier handling, 250 is harder (impossible) to find, the motor isn’t nearly as snotty, and the suspension is not even close to adequate for how/what I ride. I got away with the Freeride stuff a little longer because it’s not above 35mph most of the time. Funny enough, it may become my primary MX bike. LOL! We’ll see. Only wish I knew how to get five more horsepower out of it.
John Howerton Yes, I received and mounted the new lucky cartridges. The bike acts totally different now. I’m able to hold direction over roots and rocks way better and they are also way better at bigger bumps and jumps. Now I start trusting the bike 🙂
@@JohnHowerton137 I’ve been riding everyday since but two days ago was nearly gutted by a titanium foot peg. What’s a chest protector? You pay for style
@@boburwell9921 they can get a little hard to breathe with sometimes. My point is I don't think the chest protectors help much, maybe even make it worse. I don't wear them much unless I'm in rocky stuff and mostly then to save my shoulders from getting cheese grated. In your case though... might have helped 🤣
@@boburwell9921 I'm also a big Arai fan, however in the last 15 years I'd argue that a lot of mfgs closed that huge gap Arai had. For sure they make nice shit. I was literally the only shop employee who knew enough/could sell them.
desmonchild priced a steering damper kit lately? $480 is a decent value. The GPR is $540 and I didn’t really want it up on the bars. Scotts is $530-$760. The WER which is what I ran back in the day... it’s $430 and kind of janky by today’s standards.
Im installing one and the bottom mount is Hitting the fender, did you have to trim the plastic or anything? In your demo it's missing the front fender?
@@mxfreaks I'll try and get back to you on that when I can get my hands on it, but until then, try mounting the arm in front and/or back of the lower bracket and or flip that piece around. It was one of those combos. That mounts it up straight if I remember. Nothing needs to be cut.
@@JohnHowerton137 you nailed it in your first comment, I had the thing flipped around so it was hitting the fender more than it should have been, appreciate the help. I haven't rode it yet but can't feel any resistance, ill try to do the racetech revalve with thicker oil and see if that helps!
Can you make a vid about how to adjust it to your speed and your type of riding (preferably a track setup) thx 🙏🏻
I would really LOVE to, but I haven’t been able to test it much myself. I rarely get to ride as there is no MX or XC culture where I live and practically no tracks outside of turn tracks I make. I’ve been doing other suspension setup, so it’s been hard to tell if changes to handling are the suspension or the damper.
I will say, the stock damping adjustment is not very sensitive to changes. I’m considering a revalve kit, but with my limited riding, just having a hard time getting motivated to do anything to the bike outside of just enjoying twisting the gas the few hours of ride time I do get here and there.
This is the one area of my life I’m not particularly happy about and it’s motivating me to change the status of the riding culture around here. Unfortunately there’s no instant results or gratification that come from that, outside of the gratification of helping the next generation of riders around here, so they can actually ride and not just dream about it like I do. I may not get the ecstasy of riding, but at least I’m involved with the sport I’ve always loved 🤙
Seems like a great upgrade. Will be waiting for your review when you'll get better!
john doe I really like the concept of it. Really light and clean.
Great video I’m just curious does this prevent headshake on landings? I’m a bit of a beginner on the motocross bike and sometimes I’m not on the gas when I land. That being said I would like a steering stabilizer to prevent headshake on some of those landings.
It’ll take the edge off some of the rapid movements, but designed a little more for softening edges of ruts etc… doesn’t work like a real stabilizer like a GPR or something. Might help for what you want, but having someone help you with your bike setup would probably help you more to be completely honest with you.
Probably need to stiffen your front end a bit so it’s not hammering into and staying in the bottom of the stroke. It’s defecting because the energy has nowhere to go because there’s no suspension left and the travel in the tire is used up too. The energy has to go somewhere. Often the same reason a bike will swap in the rear unless the rebound damping is too slow. “Suspension is packing” if you’ve ever heard that term. It’s different than “bottoming out” which is the “clank” for lack of a better term.
What about the adjustment knob? Right (in) for more resistance, left (out) for less resistance.
Been a while but I believe so. I ended up changing the oil in mine (thicker I believe) which made a difference.
Awesome video on this. Might invest into one myself
I really like how it’s mounted and tucked away, but if you do get one, get the revalve kit. The stock adjustment doesn’t do a whole lot. I almost never get to ride this bike (15hrs in 20 months) or I would have already bought/or had it revalved. I did switch heavier fluid (7w if I recall) for more damping.
@@JohnHowerton137 mines for a KTM 350, any difference in the 20 to 24mm lengths? They seem to both fit
@@Runk3lsmcdougal If I remember correctly, the “mm” is the body size, so more volume. The bigger one (24mm) would be better for higher speed off-road stuff (XC/Desert) and the 20mm for MX where the speeds are lower and you’re just taking the edge out of the ruts and chop. Don’t put too much stock in the validity of this info… it’s going on 2 years since I was digging into it 🤣
When set up, it should work good. A lot of the factory teams ran/run them. They weld posts to the steer tube instead of using these brackets. Dungey’s KTMs for sure (probably his Suzukis before that). I’ve seen posts welded on Yamahas, Kawis and of course Honda has been plagued with handling problems forever, so they came stock on those machines.
My stock fork is a WP 4CS valved for XC. It has lackluster performance for my use and ability. I like rough tracks, but my wrist doesn’t. It’s very hard/expensive to get suspension service in my area, especially for a bike I never get to ride. I bought this as sort of a bandaid and so I could likely take with me from bike to new bike. I really like the idea of it assisting, being light and hidden. Something like a GPR is superior, but pricey and overkill for what I need.
@@JohnHowerton137 well dude I hope you get back on the bike soon and I appreciate all the info, I hope you try some cool products and make some more videos like this because your really good at it. I was looking into this to help prevent head shake while going straight and from what I'm getting from the info is a steering damper won't really help that
@@Runk3lsmcdougal it absolutely will. That said, a lot of other factors come into account when dealing with headshake:
1.) Set all your clickers back to the setting in the manual as a base setting starting point. Ride the bike. One end of the bike at a time… do like 5 clicks one clicker one direction ride… then like 5 clicks the other direction. Do that with both compression and rebound circuits. Chances are it will paint of picture of what direction you want to go.
2.) Adjust your rear sag to the spec in the manual. KTM is usually 105-115mm depending on the bike model and riding conditions. “More sag” (say the 115mm end of things) squats the rear end like a trophy truck and creates better high speed handling. Less sag like maybe 100mm would be used to “stink bug” the bike more and cause it to steer sharper for something like supercross or tight trails. It will also increase front end nervousness at high speed.
3.) Make sure your forks aren’t slid up too much in the clamps. Some people do this to “Lower” the bike. All it does it make it handle shitty. The forks should be closer to flush for high speed stuff and maybe raised as little as 5mm to make it steer sharp. I usually prefer mine 0-2mm depending on how I want the bike to handle.
4.) If the rebound is too slow (+) in the front of the bike, the suspension will “pack” in the bumps. This means the suspension isn’t recovering (rebounding) from the previous, hits before it gets to the next hits. When it does that, the front end stays low in the stroke will deflect… causing it to shake. Same in the rear. If it “packs” it will swap side to side. If it bucks, the rebound is too fast (-).
5.) Your riding position. This could potentially be No. 1 on the list, but I’ve never seen you ride and also usually encounter horrible suspension setup when evaluating riders. So it could be a mix of both 🤣 Watch this video: th-cam.com/video/WYWUpQEO42k/w-d-xo.html it covers the basics. Also go follow Ryan Hughes.
If you have all this stuff in check… then go buy a stabilizer. If you’re doing real high speed (50mph+) desert whoops or something, the GPR 4-5 is probably a better choice of damper.
I’m not injured or anything currently, just don’t have places to ride ☹️ Too many NIMBYS, Envo turds and Gov here.
Good day may i know when can buy this damper 😊
ride-engineering.com/Damper-Mounts_c_112.html?viewall=1
Nice and good seeing you on your feet again!
Any opinion on the Scott for the 690?
Oliver Freeride personally I’d get the GPR V4. Real clean, simple, low profile.
@@JohnHowerton137 Thanks John, appreciated!
Any idea guys what is the perfect bracket for steering damper for my ktm SMR 450
I’d probably go with a GPR on that bike if it was me. These are more for motocross.
I noticed you have the 4cs forks😱 what’s your say on them? I have them on my 250 exc and must say they take the fun out of riding😡 have ordered some new cartridges from slavens racing and waiting for them to be able to deliver. Have been waiting a while now😒
Electric Braaap don't really have enough time on this bike (40min 🤣) to know, but the Freeride has the XPLOR. Basically same issues but crappier valving.
I think it depends on what you're doing. They're obviously not awesome due to the simplicity and lack of valving, but I think a lot of the problems for the weekend warrior are rider setup and lack of understanding. It felt ok-ish first ride. Slow stuff seems to be fine, but the faster you go the lack of valving starts to shine. I only had 2 laps on my settings that felt like were working pretty well before my accident. I'll have a better answer for you in the coming months, but for now I think they'll be ok enough for my needs with correct setup. I was only running 105mm sag. I'm going to run 110mm. Sag is very important on KTMs. Probably 90% of why people say they suck.
My Freeride stuff should be sick now, but I'm still prob a month of healing away from making a video about how it works 😞
I like the Freeride Suspension for what I use it for. It’s really plush and dampens all roots and rocks like a hero. The 250 with the 4cs on the other hand... I feel every bump up in my arms and the bike bounces and shifts direction all the time.. front wheel traction is totally gone. It feels better on the faster stuff and on the Mx track though.
Electric Braaap def has a more MX style valving and spring rate. I like it well enough so far. If I had a complaint it would be that it is a little soft initially. Kind of opposite of your complaint. I like a little better hold up.
Freeride is great on little bumps. I don't really have any complaints with it for what it was designed for. What I use it for on the other hand is a different story 🤣
Electric Braaap you get those in your bike yet?
I didn’t see the first time that your bike was an EXC. The XC is definitely better than my EXC was. After putting around (not cleared medically to ride) on my new Freeride setup, I’m not feeling as thrilled about the 250 setup 🤣
Without question XC setup is better than my EXC was, and it seems appropriate for cross country racing applications. I just like the feel of MX suspension better. I smash into shit like Barcia (my least favorite rider) rather than flow like Ferrandis. I don’t like the bike riding lower in the stroke and mushy on top, but I get the concept. The problem is, when you adjust the compression up to ride the 4CS/XPLOR stuff higher in the stroke... it get’s harsh.
We’ll see how much and where I ride this bike the most before I get too excited about changing it. If it’s MX (likely) it’ll probably get sent off... when I’m not broke. I’m going to have a decent amount of medical bills eating into my motorcycle money for a while.
Honestly an SX would be the better bike for me, but the XC is just a little more universal for my life. And as much as I liked the idea of the EXC and being able to ride it anywhere being street legal, it was heavier/heavier handling, 250 is harder (impossible) to find, the motor isn’t nearly as snotty, and the suspension is not even close to adequate for how/what I ride.
I got away with the Freeride stuff a little longer because it’s not above 35mph most of the time. Funny enough, it may become my primary MX bike. LOL! We’ll see. Only wish I knew how to get five more horsepower out of it.
John Howerton Yes, I received and mounted the new lucky cartridges. The bike acts totally different now. I’m able to hold direction over roots and rocks way better and they are also way better at bigger bumps and jumps. Now I start trusting the bike 🙂
Broke ribs here bud from 50mph high side. Bone death ☠️
Yeah, they suck! 🤣 I think my total for the year span of 19-20 was 10 or 11 🤦♂️🤷♂️ All while wearing chest protectors 🤔
@@JohnHowerton137 I’ve been riding everyday since but two days ago was nearly gutted by a titanium foot peg. What’s a chest protector? You pay for style
@@boburwell9921 they can get a little hard to breathe with sometimes.
My point is I don't think the chest protectors help much, maybe even make it worse. I don't wear them much unless I'm in rocky stuff and mostly then to save my shoulders from getting cheese grated. In your case though... might have helped 🤣
@@JohnHowerton137 yes they don’t and look gay. But I do swear by Arai helmets. All others no matter the price concuss.
@@boburwell9921 I'm also a big Arai fan, however in the last 15 years I'd argue that a lot of mfgs closed that huge gap Arai had. For sure they make nice shit. I was literally the only shop employee who knew enough/could sell them.
Pretty cool for almost $500....really??
desmonchild priced a steering damper kit lately? $480 is a decent value.
The GPR is $540 and I didn’t really want it up on the bars. Scotts is $530-$760. The WER which is what I ran back in the day... it’s $430 and kind of janky by today’s standards.
Im installing one and the bottom mount is Hitting the fender, did you have to trim the plastic or anything? In your demo it's missing the front fender?
@@mxfreaks I'll try and get back to you on that when I can get my hands on it, but until then, try mounting the arm in front and/or back of the lower bracket and or flip that piece around. It was one of those combos. That mounts it up straight if I remember. Nothing needs to be cut.
@@mxfreaks check this video around the 4;50 mark th-cam.com/video/fMkz3NoTdfY/w-d-xo.html
@@JohnHowerton137 you nailed it in your first comment, I had the thing flipped around so it was hitting the fender more than it should have been, appreciate the help. I haven't rode it yet but can't feel any resistance, ill try to do the racetech revalve with thicker oil and see if that helps!