So I finally finished installing my new GPR dampner. I got new Protaper contour bars and GPR fatbar dampner kit. Can't wait to try it out.
GPR steering dampner
Started by Diamond DG, Jan 01 2012 07:24 PM
21 replies to this topic
Posted 01 January 2012 - 07:24 PM
So I finally finished installing my new GPR dampner. I got new Protaper contour bars and GPR fatbar dampner kit. Can't wait to try it out.
Posted 01 January 2012 - 09:25 PM
Nice bro!!! Looks sikk!! I want one to. Those are the best for the trails!! I hear once you have one you cant ride without it. Ive used them a few x and loved how sgable you feel flying down a tight rough rocky trail. Makes all the difference.
Posted 02 January 2012 - 09:35 AM
jayc250x said:
Looks good - GPR has really improved their damper cosmetics. Why a damper? Having headshake problems?
JayC
JayC
Yea they do a good job and they have a great race program. They will fix their product trackside if needed and they have a lifetime rebuild policy. I desert race my bike and headshake was a huge issue. Anytime you get up in the 60+ MPH in the sand washes it was un nerving. In the rocks it will be huge help too. I'm hoping it will help with fatigue in a long race too.
Posted 02 January 2012 - 04:24 PM
Ive always been told to run the clamps top nut alittle tight to help with the bars wagging.Anything that can stop the bars shakeing will help with arm pump.They look alot smaller than the use to:thumbsup:
Posted 02 January 2012 - 05:17 PM
I took them my 10 year old gpr dampner for service, they upgrade me for next to nothing!!!
Great service !!
Great service !!
Posted 02 January 2012 - 07:09 PM
Looks good, I run the V4 series that are about half the height. I use the under the bar mount. Reason for it: I have a tendancy to bend the longer posts.
It will reduce arm fatigue to a point, but if you crank it to high it becomes counter productive.
Just a question though: Have you done any suspension modifications to try and lessen the headshake? Adjusted sag, proper springs, revalve?
It will reduce arm fatigue to a point, but if you crank it to high it becomes counter productive.
Just a question though: Have you done any suspension modifications to try and lessen the headshake? Adjusted sag, proper springs, revalve?
Posted 02 January 2012 - 07:46 PM
All the guys running them say it helps them. Of course these are all desert racers I talk with. Won't help on a track but spend a couple hundred miles on your bike and any help lessing fatigue is welcome.
Yes Pumpkin, I have custom designed suspension for my weight and type of riding. Fortunately one of my sponsors is a suspension company. I ran the first race of 2011 on this brand new bike out of the crate on stock suspension and it was bad. The valving is way to stiff for desert. It did make it more stable with new setup and changing the junk stock front tire helped a bunch in the sand. Now I hope this is the final missing peice of the puzzle.
Yes Pumpkin, I have custom designed suspension for my weight and type of riding. Fortunately one of my sponsors is a suspension company. I ran the first race of 2011 on this brand new bike out of the crate on stock suspension and it was bad. The valving is way to stiff for desert. It did make it more stable with new setup and changing the junk stock front tire helped a bunch in the sand. Now I hope this is the final missing peice of the puzzle.
Posted 02 January 2012 - 08:02 PM
speedy1984 said:
Ive always been told to run the clamps top nut alittle tight to help with the bars wagging.Anything that can stop the bars shakeing will help with arm pump.They look alot smaller than the use to:thumbsup:
Well now that I have the Easton 35mm fat-bars and the Easton 35mm bar clamps, and the Pro Taper pillow tops, should all this help w/ vibration and head-shake, fatigue:cripple:? The clamps w/ be here tomorrow so I'll be testing them Fri/Sat at Highland Park:bonk:
Posted 02 January 2012 - 09:05 PM
I found this on a Sports medicine website:
High chance of reducing arm pump
Frequent riding.
Staying relaxed on the track, loosening the stranglehold on your grips, moving your fingers, and alternate between squeezing and relaxing your hands.
Using more legs and less arms while riding.
Medium chance of reducing arm pump
Avoid heavy weights in arm workouts.
Suspension set-up.
Wrist curls with light weights and high repetitions.
Forearm, wrist stretching.
Using aspirin as a blood thinner. (The blood thinning attributes of aspirin work best at low dose. One pill a day is all you need.)
Possible chance of reducing arm pump. Treatments that some riders believed helpful are sometimes diverse and contradictory:
Taking nutritional supplements, vitamins, magnesium, potassium, calcium?
Changing the bar type, composition, and position (some say up, some say down) .
Lever position (some say up, some say down).
Grip size and stiffness (some said smaller and stiffer grips helped, while others said a larger softer grip absorbs vibration and helped.)
Steering Dampers.
Gripper seat covers
Acupuncture
Magnets
Voodoo
I dunno, since we were talking about it, and I just saw this, I figured I'd share w/ the class:prof:
High chance of reducing arm pump
Frequent riding.
Staying relaxed on the track, loosening the stranglehold on your grips, moving your fingers, and alternate between squeezing and relaxing your hands.
Using more legs and less arms while riding.
Medium chance of reducing arm pump
Avoid heavy weights in arm workouts.
Suspension set-up.
Wrist curls with light weights and high repetitions.
Forearm, wrist stretching.
Using aspirin as a blood thinner. (The blood thinning attributes of aspirin work best at low dose. One pill a day is all you need.)
Possible chance of reducing arm pump. Treatments that some riders believed helpful are sometimes diverse and contradictory:
Taking nutritional supplements, vitamins, magnesium, potassium, calcium?
Changing the bar type, composition, and position (some say up, some say down) .
Lever position (some say up, some say down).
Grip size and stiffness (some said smaller and stiffer grips helped, while others said a larger softer grip absorbs vibration and helped.)
Steering Dampers.
Gripper seat covers
Acupuncture
Magnets
Voodoo
I dunno, since we were talking about it, and I just saw this, I figured I'd share w/ the class:prof:
Posted 02 January 2012 - 09:19 PM
I high-lighted the "lifting weights causes arm pump" myth because I have always lifted weights and had lean, but athletic type build. I've always heard about lifting weights and arm pump. So, when I got my 1st new bike last spring, i stopped power-lifting and went to circuit training, super sets, and just high reps, light weight, non stop for 30-50min workouts. I completely changed they way i trained in the gym since I got back on a bike, even got a trainer for 6 months. I kinda wanted to bulk back up (185-190# is my lean weight, 210# is my bulk weight) Whats everyone's opinions on weight lifting and riding? The HS season will be starting up here again in a few months and I wanna be in good race shape, so the few races I go to, I'll at least be able to make it through the whole race without pumping up real quick in the beginning because that always happens to me:bonk:....
Myth #1 – Lifting Weights Causes Arm Pump. Okay, one last time for those of you who were in the bathroom the last time I said this; lifting weights does NOT directly cause arm pump. I am not sure where the notion of this came from, but it is utterly ridiculous. Need proof? I have a good friend who is a body builder and races in the B class. He is mid-pack fast but has never had an issue with arm pump. Wonder why he doesn’t get arm pump? Well, he has great form on the bike and his cardio/muscular endurance is ski-high even though he has huge muscles. If you are still a believer in this myth, it’s my opinion that you have just found a convenient excuse for not going to the gym. No worries; just like the World needing ditch diggers, someone has to finish last! (More on Arm Pump)
Myth #2 – Warming up Before a Moto uses too Much Energy. This is another statement that I hear over-and-over. Let’s look at this a little closer by examining a few other sports. What does every team do no matter what the sport before a game? You guessed it; warm-up! As a matter of fact I’ll bet you can’t name a sport where the players don’t warm-up (motocross doesn’t count!) To think that you don’t need to warm-up before a race because it uses too much energy is like saying that you shouldn’t start your bike until right before the race because the parts will wear-out too fast. The same guys that blame arm pump on strength training are most likely the same guys that go straight from their lounge chairs chugging a 16 Oz. energy drink to the starting gate. Need more proof, don’t take my word for it, read what one of the top trainers in our sport has to say about it!
On June 22, 1997, John Dowd won the Southwick National with a 1-1 sweep as a member of Team Yamaha. John was 31 years, 10 months and 12 days old. (By the way, in 2006 John finished sixth overall at Southwick with 6-7 moto scores—at age 40!)
Myth #3 – I am too Busy to Train. All I can say about this myth is Bullshizzle. Instead of saying you are too busy; simply say you don’t want to train. We could get into a pissing contest as to who is the busiest, but the fact of the matter is, if you want to exercise you will; simple as that. Training on a busy schedule is actually very easy. In that loaded down day planner or fancy blackberry schedule 45-minutes, Monday, Wednesday and Friday to exercise. Use the exclamation point if you need to increase the importance and just do it. Tell your boss that a healthy employee makes a happy employee.
Myth #4 – My Body, Particularly my Back Hurts because I’m Getting Older. I can speak first hand on this myth because I have had a “bad" lower back all my life. My dad has it and so do I. The myth is that it get’s worse with age. I just turned 44 and my back is no worse now than it was when I was 18. In fact in a lot of ways it is better. Body pain (your back in particular) is one of the leading physical complaints aging adults present to physicians, coaches, and trainers, but it’s primarily due to muscle weakness and being overweight rather than age. Strengthening your body’s structural core (abs and lower back) while increasing your overall health and fitness will lead to a higher quality of life no matter what your age and have you competing at a high level well into your 60’s and 70’s…..relatively pain free!
Myth #5 – Long and Slow is Better for Fat Loss. Although this myth relates more to general fitness, I still get questions from overweight people all the time who think that long, slow exercise is the best way to lose weight. While it is true that long slow exercise draws its energy from fat, high intensity exercise burns more calories. At about 30 percent of your maximum effort, approximately 70 percent of your energy comes from fat and the other 30 percent from carbohydrate. But when you increase exercise intensity to 50 to 60 percent of maximum effort, the fuel mixture shifts so you’re burning about half fat and half carbohydrate. However, because your overall caloric burn rate is higher, you actually burn more total calories per minute and per hour than at the lower intensity. The result: More fat disappears from your body in less time. The simple way to think about this is calories in and calories out. If you burn more calories than you take in over a given period of time you will lose weight. To lose one U.S. pound (.454 kg) of fat, you must burn 3,500 more calories than you take in as food.
Here are a few extras from Coach Seiji and trainer Robb Beams
Coach Seiji:
Motocross athletes don't need to do anything other than ride.
More is always better.
Harder is always better.
Resting is for the weak. (Read Related Article)
Robb Beams: I think that one of the biggest myths is the lack of importance given to hydration - Do I need to worry about it? Or how to accomplish hydration properly. (Hydration Articles)
Myth #1 – Lifting Weights Causes Arm Pump. Okay, one last time for those of you who were in the bathroom the last time I said this; lifting weights does NOT directly cause arm pump. I am not sure where the notion of this came from, but it is utterly ridiculous. Need proof? I have a good friend who is a body builder and races in the B class. He is mid-pack fast but has never had an issue with arm pump. Wonder why he doesn’t get arm pump? Well, he has great form on the bike and his cardio/muscular endurance is ski-high even though he has huge muscles. If you are still a believer in this myth, it’s my opinion that you have just found a convenient excuse for not going to the gym. No worries; just like the World needing ditch diggers, someone has to finish last! (More on Arm Pump)
Myth #2 – Warming up Before a Moto uses too Much Energy. This is another statement that I hear over-and-over. Let’s look at this a little closer by examining a few other sports. What does every team do no matter what the sport before a game? You guessed it; warm-up! As a matter of fact I’ll bet you can’t name a sport where the players don’t warm-up (motocross doesn’t count!) To think that you don’t need to warm-up before a race because it uses too much energy is like saying that you shouldn’t start your bike until right before the race because the parts will wear-out too fast. The same guys that blame arm pump on strength training are most likely the same guys that go straight from their lounge chairs chugging a 16 Oz. energy drink to the starting gate. Need more proof, don’t take my word for it, read what one of the top trainers in our sport has to say about it!
On June 22, 1997, John Dowd won the Southwick National with a 1-1 sweep as a member of Team Yamaha. John was 31 years, 10 months and 12 days old. (By the way, in 2006 John finished sixth overall at Southwick with 6-7 moto scores—at age 40!)
Myth #3 – I am too Busy to Train. All I can say about this myth is Bullshizzle. Instead of saying you are too busy; simply say you don’t want to train. We could get into a pissing contest as to who is the busiest, but the fact of the matter is, if you want to exercise you will; simple as that. Training on a busy schedule is actually very easy. In that loaded down day planner or fancy blackberry schedule 45-minutes, Monday, Wednesday and Friday to exercise. Use the exclamation point if you need to increase the importance and just do it. Tell your boss that a healthy employee makes a happy employee.
Myth #4 – My Body, Particularly my Back Hurts because I’m Getting Older. I can speak first hand on this myth because I have had a “bad" lower back all my life. My dad has it and so do I. The myth is that it get’s worse with age. I just turned 44 and my back is no worse now than it was when I was 18. In fact in a lot of ways it is better. Body pain (your back in particular) is one of the leading physical complaints aging adults present to physicians, coaches, and trainers, but it’s primarily due to muscle weakness and being overweight rather than age. Strengthening your body’s structural core (abs and lower back) while increasing your overall health and fitness will lead to a higher quality of life no matter what your age and have you competing at a high level well into your 60’s and 70’s…..relatively pain free!
Myth #5 – Long and Slow is Better for Fat Loss. Although this myth relates more to general fitness, I still get questions from overweight people all the time who think that long, slow exercise is the best way to lose weight. While it is true that long slow exercise draws its energy from fat, high intensity exercise burns more calories. At about 30 percent of your maximum effort, approximately 70 percent of your energy comes from fat and the other 30 percent from carbohydrate. But when you increase exercise intensity to 50 to 60 percent of maximum effort, the fuel mixture shifts so you’re burning about half fat and half carbohydrate. However, because your overall caloric burn rate is higher, you actually burn more total calories per minute and per hour than at the lower intensity. The result: More fat disappears from your body in less time. The simple way to think about this is calories in and calories out. If you burn more calories than you take in over a given period of time you will lose weight. To lose one U.S. pound (.454 kg) of fat, you must burn 3,500 more calories than you take in as food.
Here are a few extras from Coach Seiji and trainer Robb Beams
Coach Seiji:
Motocross athletes don't need to do anything other than ride.
More is always better.
Harder is always better.
Resting is for the weak. (Read Related Article)
Robb Beams: I think that one of the biggest myths is the lack of importance given to hydration - Do I need to worry about it? Or how to accomplish hydration properly. (Hydration Articles)
Posted 03 January 2012 - 03:29 PM
Diamond DG said:
Yea they do a good job and they have a great race program. They will fix their product trackside if needed and they have a lifetime rebuild policy. I desert race my bike and headshake was a huge issue. Anytime you get up in the 60+ MPH in the sand washes it was un nerving. In the rocks it will be huge help too. I'm hoping it will help with fatigue in a long race too.
I don't buy it for use in the rocks, but most definitely a plus for high-speed desert racing. OTOH, if you're not talking about picking through gnarly rocky stuff, and are talking about smacking a rock at 60MPH - a most definite plus.
JayC
Posted 03 January 2012 - 08:55 PM
Goon, Thanks for sharing with class today. Knowledge is power my friend. The bars and grips may help with vibration but not stability. Suspension as Pumpkin mentioned, rake, trail, weight transfer and tire type and pressure have all to do with stability.Jay, technical rock stuff it may help some but yea mainly high speed.
I hate sand washes
Posted 01 February 2012 - 09:20 PM
Well like everyone told me. "Once you ride with one, you will never ride without." Made a big difference all the way around and raised my confidence level.
Money well spent!
Money well spent!
Posted 02 February 2012 - 05:29 AM
I have a Scotts under bar mount and have been really happy with it.
Posted 02 February 2012 - 08:28 AM
Diamond DG, on 01 January 2012 - 07:24 PM, said:
So I finally finished installing my new GPR dampner. I got new Protaper contour bars and GPR fatbar dampner kit. Can't wait to try it out.
Man that hting is sexy!! Where you been DG, haven't noticed you on here since the change..
