Photo: Kirk Spiegel
Here's one nifty prototype which aims to rid the motorcyclists of the very dangerous tank slappers, or wobbling, if you wish.
The present steering dampers have a passive principle: hydraulic pressure, and they consist of a piston in an oil chamber. The openings in the piston only allow a certain volume of fluid to pass through, and in the moment the pressure exceeds the specified one, the damping factor is felt as a force which opposes the one turning the handlebars.
Kirk Spiegel, the inventor of the Electronic Steering Damper, says his prototype does pretty much the same job, only incredibly faster and more accurately. His unit analyzes the road conditions as provided by the bike's steering system 700 times a second and needs only 3 milliseconds or less to react.
Reaction is provided in the form of damping or steering opposition according to the violence of the initial action, making the Electronic Steering Damper self-adjustable for both high speed and low speed riding. We'd love to see Kirk's invention making it through and entering mass production, as it would mean a dramatic change in riding, road racing and off the road, as well.
Kirk Spiegel, the inventor of the Electronic Steering Damper, says his prototype does pretty much the same job, only incredibly faster and more accurately. His unit analyzes the road conditions as provided by the bike's steering system 700 times a second and needs only 3 milliseconds or less to react.
Reaction is provided in the form of damping or steering opposition according to the violence of the initial action, making the Electronic Steering Damper self-adjustable for both high speed and low speed riding. We'd love to see Kirk's invention making it through and entering mass production, as it would mean a dramatic change in riding, road racing and off the road, as well.
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