[thekubiaks]

I took the stock steering damper off of my K7 and installed an Ohlins damper. I also purchased a device from ebay (danosperformance.com) called a steering damper eliminator (which eliminates the code generated when you disconnect the factory steering damper).

I learned a couple of things that might help those interested in doing the same mod and also save some time. :cheers

First, to get to the steering damper, all you have to do to remove the stock steering damper is remove the (2) 10mm bolts holding a semi rectangular black plastic plate on the forks right above the front tire and directly below the steering damper. You don't have to take all of the fairings off (like I did :blink) Then, remove both fairings from the left side of the bike. Also take the black air intake guide off (1 pop rivet)

Remove stock damper, install Ohlins, super easy. I reused the nut from the stock damper to secure the bolt supplied with the Ohlins on the banjo fitting. Before you tighten down the two hex head screws on the center bracket of the Ohlins, loosely attach the Ohlins and do some full side to side turns with the front wheel to ensure full motion.

Now for the Steering Damper eliminator. It would have been a 5 minute job but the instructions were vague with respect to the correct plug to attach the eliminator too. After reading the instructions, I immediately zero'd in on the factory steering damper solenoid plug (that is not the one you want). The one you want is on the left side of the bike right under where the intake channel was sitting and right next to a big clear wire bundle cover. The white plug has two wires on each side. The side you want has a brown and white wire. While pulling slightly on the back of the wire, stick the nail into the front of the connector as shown in the instructions (If you are yanking on any part of the install, you are doing something wrong, the whole operation only requires light pressure). The male wire pulls right out of the back (do this on both wires) Then transfer these two wires to the supplied connector. Take a minute to study how the wire "clicks" in. The rest is pretty easy with the instructions. I just wasted a lot of time taking off too many fairings and screwing around with the wrong connectors.

Track day tomorrow (wx permitting) Can't wait to try the Ohlins. I had too much wiggle under hard acceleration last track day with the factory damper... YMMV

 

[Jer]

Great info for others interested. Thanks!

 

[William N]

I took the stock steering damper off of my K7 and installed an Ohlins damper. I also purchased a device from ebay (danosperformance.com) called a steering damper eliminator (which eliminates the code generated when you disconnect the factory steering damper).

I learned a couple of things that might help those interested in doing the same mod and also save some time. :cheers

First, to get to the steering damper, all you have to do to remove the stock steering damper is remove the (2) 10mm bolts holding a semi rectangular black plastic plate on the forks right above the front tire and directly below the steering damper. You don't have to take all of the fairings off (like I did :blink) Then, remove both fairings from the left side of the bike. Also take the black air intake guide off (1 pop rivet)

Remove stock damper, install Ohlins, super easy. I reused the nut from the stock damper to secure the bolt supplied with the Ohlins on the banjo fitting. Before you tighten down the two hex head screws on the center bracket of the Ohlins, loosely attach the Ohlins and do some full side to side turns with the front wheel to ensure full motion.

Now for the Steering Damper eliminator. It would have been a 5 minute job but the instructions were vague with respect to the correct plug to attach the eliminator too. After reading the instructions, I immediately zero'd in on the factory steering damper solenoid plug (that is not the one you want). The one you want is on the left side of the bike right under where the intake channel was sitting and right next to a big clear wire bundle cover. The white plug has two wires on each side. The side you want has a brown and white wire. While pulling slightly on the back of the wire, stick the nail into the front of the connector as shown in the instructions (If you are yanking on any part of the install, you are doing something wrong, the whole operation only requires light pressure). The male wire pulls right out of the back (do this on both wires) Then transfer these two wires to the supplied connector. Take a minute to study how the wire "clicks" in. The rest is pretty easy with the instructions. I just wasted a lot of time taking off too many fairings and screwing around with the wrong connectors.

Track day tomorrow (wx permitting) Can't wait to try the Ohlins. I had too much wiggle under hard acceleration last track day with the factory damper... YMMV

 

[William N]

What’s the difference from the plug that came from the damper to the plug by the left side of the bike, the white plug you were talking about. Isn’t it all connect to each other as I’m looking at it now.

 

[BillV]

This thread is 14 years old and both posters haven't been here in ten years. I can't find the eliminator on Dano's site, so it may be discontinued. You can install an eliminator on either connector (the connectors are different). I think the Dano's eliminator connected to the connector beneath the air duct so as to reduce clutter around the damper, which is somewhat cramped. I don't know what the OP's comments about "the nail" is about. I think that the Ohlins damper plugs into the front harness in place of the damper. I think that the Healtech does the same. The eliminator is just a big resistor.

As far as I can tell, the wiring diagram in the service manual has an error. It has the damper leads as W & B in the front harness. My notes say that they are actually Br & B, though the last pic on 8-7 looks more like W & B.

 

[William N]

This thread is 14 years old and both posters haven't been here in ten years. I can't find the eliminator on Dano's site, so it may be discontinued. You can install an eliminator on either connector (the connectors are different). I think the Dano's eliminator connected to the connector beneath the air duct so as to reduce clutter around the damper, which is somewhat cramped. I don't know what the OP's comments about "the nail" is about. I think that the Ohlins damper plugs into the front harness in place of the damper. I think that the Healtech does the same. The eliminator is just a big resistor.

As far as I can tell, the wiring diagram in the service manual has an error. It has the damper leads as W & B in the front harness. My notes say that they are actually Br & B, though the last pic on 8-7 looks more like W & B.

thanks for the reply. I bought the eliminator and plugged it into the plug that came off the damper up front. Didn’t work. And the plug off the eliminator doesn’t fit on the plug that’s on the side of the bike. Basically I depinned the eliminator and cut off the female connector from left side of the bike. Tapped that in with the eliminator taped it up then plugged it into the male connector on leftside of the bike. Crossed my fingers and SD went away. 🙏🙌 but F1 light on. I gota see what’s that about now. Smh

 

[BillV]

"cut off the female connector from left side of the bike"
Too late now but that doesn't sound like a good thing to do. You could have depinned the eliminator and installed it on a mating connector for the harness (like the one below). Cutting up the OEM harness is almost always a bad idea.

Here's why I think the front damper leads are Br & B: