Hey guys, I am prepping a cbr250r for racing. In the rules it says all bikes require stabilizers. Is this still valid? If so does any one have experience putting a stabby on a cbr250? What is easiest/ cheapest?
I bought a cheap kit off Ebay and it wouldn't work as designed unless I dropped the forks through the triples about an inch. They had the fork clamp made to sit on top, above the clipons. I removed the ridge on the fork clamp and put it below the top clamp instead. I bought a piece of m8x1.25 threaded rod and a piece of plastic spacer stock with an ID of 5/16" or 8mm. Using a carbide burr and a file, I removed the ridge on top of the fork mount clamp. I cut the rod and spacer stock to length and mounted the clamp right below the top clamp. Turn the bars lock to lock and center it up. It does not interfere with the steering stops. I then got some m8 nuts and washers for the threaded rod and finished the damper install.
If you need help cutting the threaded rod there's a thread on here about that too. The damper kit was supposed to fit like this: But you can see that they took the right side clipon off to mount it.
Everything about that install and modification is just wrong and dangerous. With that set up your better off with out it. Surprised it passed tech or has it.....
Can you help both of us then? What can I do to improve it and make it safer? I haven't brought the bike through WERA tech but it has passed with other organizations, race or track day.
Is it for sure needed on these bikes? I know it says all bikes MANDATORY. But it is a little over kill for a 250...I am trying to go to Summit next weekend with it and got a old gsxr stabby and was gonna make some brackets...but prefer not too.
Can you mount it in the "old school" location, upper frame rail to one of the fork tubes? Think RZ350 or pretty much any bike in the '80s. You may require a long stroke damper to make it work.
https://weraclassifieds.com/ads/gpr-steering-damper-off-08-cbr600rr/ make an offer (if it will work for you)
Bike size has nothing to do with a stabilizer being useful. Small bikes can have issues same as any big bike.
I think this is the way I am gonna go. I'm going to see if one of the dampers laying around will work...make some brackets.
I have the same Ebay damper on my CBR...yes, I had to raise the forks in the clamp to fit it, but nowhere near an inch. Front end geometry still feels plenty conservative (at leat at the sub 100mph speeds these bikes hit). Damper was only like $160 and works just fine.
Disclaimer: I had to use aftermarket bars to make damper fit (also dirt cheap and a good idea anyway)
shit- just noticed your location...you can come over some time to see how I mounted mine and the rest of my setup if ya want. (no homo...)
I may have to take you up on that offer. I am going to try a few things tonight see if I can get either GPR stabby or a stick one mounted
Seems to me with the leverage the damper would have on that "extension" if you ever did get into trouble it would bend and possibly bind up causing more trouble.... Things like that (Good Quality Steering Damper) are precision machined parts that are designed to work under a lot of stress that can and will be exerted through the assembly. When that happens, and it happens violently, there's no doubt in my mind that the weak link (your threaded rod extension) will fail horribly. On a lighter note my son has been racing a Ninja 250 for 3 years+ now and never once experienced anything that warranted the use of a damper.... Is it possible, hell yes..... nessessary.... IMO No. I also don't think WERA requires them on the 250's/300's. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.
