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MSC Moto RM3 Steering Damper


Windblown

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Installed the kit today.  Here's my thoughts - The good & bad.

 

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The T700 is a stable bike and doesn't NEED a steering damper however I run steering dampers on most the bikes I ride in occasionally technical & unpredictable terrain where objects hidden from sight in the leaves or mud will do their best to rip the handlebars from ones hands at speed. In the past I've relied on Scotts stabilizers for this task but have often wondered about the MSC Moto units and since I liked their mounting system design on the T700 I opted to give them a try. 

 

Parts arrived in a well packed and organized in the box and initial inspection revealed nice machining and fit & finish. Damper action felt smooth and the damping action ramped up quickly with a spin of the dial. 

 

Set to work and got the tank and handlebars off to get underway.  The first very minor niggle was I ran into was with the directions for installing the pin holder assembly which bolts to front gas tank mount. The directions said to rotate the assembly as far forward as possible but in doing do the pin was not in the same plane as the steering stem which didn't seem right. I chalked that up to a small variance in fit and rotated it backwards so it was in the same plane and made a note to check and adjust as needed later.

 

Pin holder rotated back a bit from what the instructions called for so it was in the same plane (or nearly so) as the steering stem. 

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Went to mount the base plate for the RM3 but it would not sit all the way down onto the triple and was rocking back and forth, note the gap between bottom of base plate and top of triple.

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The problem was that the base plate which had a radius cut into it to sit properly between the OEM bar risers was hitting the shoulders of the stock handlebar riser base molded into the top triple. I had to take the grinder to the base plate and remove more material to get it to sit properly in the space available. 

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It sits right now after a bit of impromptu grinding...

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All ready to bolt up the Damper.  

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In the process of doing the final assembly I discovered why the installation instructions called for the pin assembly to be rotated so far forward. It has to be in order for the pin to slip up into the arm on the Damper.  They needed the base of the pin assembly to come further forward or they needed a longer arm on the damper.  For some reason they did neither and opted instead for what I would consider a "patch job" solution.  It doesn't impact the function, but it does bug me they didn't go to the trouble to address it in a nicer way.  

 

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All done and buttoned up.  I like the subdued colors.  Doesn't scream "Look at me" 🙂

 

My initial impression? Could have been a 10 out of 10 but due to having to break out a grinder during install I'm dropping that to a 7 out of 10. Maybe if it blows me away in use I can bump that up.  

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Edited by Windblown
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@Windblown Your experience with the MSC Moto damper mirrors mine almost 100%. I didn't make a stink about it thinking it was a one off just related to my particular install.  Thanks for confirming it wasn't just me.  Happy with the product and performance,  but their execution of the install and QC on the mount definitely needs improvement. 

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"Men do not quit playing because they grow old, they grow old because they quit playing" Oliver Wendell Holmes - Mods - HDB handguards, Camel-ADV Gut guard, 1 finger clutch, The Fix pedal & Rally pipe, RR side/tail rack, RR 90nm spring & Headlight guard, Rally seat, OEM heated grips- stablemate Beta 520RS

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3 minutes ago, AZJW said:

@Windblown Your experience with the MSC Moto damper mirrors mine almost 100%. I didn't make a stink about it thinking it was a one off just related to my particular install.  Thanks for confirming it wasn't just me.  Happy with the product and performance,  but their execution of the install and QC on the mount definitely needs improvement. 

 

Likewise, I appreciate hearing your experience.  If it had been a kit for a brand new bike or a first run of a new product I'd have likely held my tongue but given it's an established kit for a bike that's been in production I felt it fair to point out it's not 100% perfect. 

 

Glad to hear operationally it's performing well! I look forward to giving it a workout. 

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I installed a Scott's stabilizer on my bike with a Triple Clamp mount. No issues like you guys ran into. 

 

I do like the looks of the black unit with blue adjuster a lot better. 

 

I'd bet that both of these units perform quite well and there are less differences in feel than similarities. 

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11 hours ago, Hollybrook said:

I installed a Scott's stabilizer on my bike with a Triple Clamp mount. No issues like you guys ran into. 

 

I do like the looks of the black unit with blue adjuster a lot better. 

 

I'd bet that both of these units perform quite well and there are less differences in feel than similarities. 

 

I imagine that's true to a large extent.  Scotts has their Road damper and their Offroad damper. IMHO from having used both I'd say they are largely interchangeable in that either can be used in either environment.  The offroad version with its no damping return to center has a slight advantage in the woods and rocks where one is actively steering back and forth a great deal at a near constant pace.  The road version with active damping in both directions seems a bit more effective controlling headshake at speed. Given how I use an ADV bike I'd say it's a toss up which one suits me better.  5 years ago I'd have said offroad model all day long. These days I'm more inclined to think the road model might be my preference if forced to choose. 

 

Enter the RM3 which promises a bit of both worlds and states that the return to center action on theirs is variable. Hmmm... We'll see. 🙂

 

Oh, and speaking of the base plate,  I happened across a video this morning from Far&Further of an RM3 install on a T700 and at the 5:30 mark in the video you can see he ran into the exact same issue with the fitment of the baseplate in that it rocked back and forth. I suspect based on the packaging he showed at the beginning of the video and the fact that the video is two years old it was an early production model of the kit but evidentially MSC Moto never addressed the issue. All rather curious.  I shot them an email in case they can offer any insight.  

 

 

 

 

Edited by Windblown
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58 minutes ago, Windblown said:

 

I shot them an email in case they can offer any insight.  

 

 

 

 

Hah, so did I based on your similar issues.  I'll post up any response,  but not holding my breath as I sent them a question last September and never received a reply.  Wondering, did Polaris buy them too and has implemented the same customer service degradation plan they have done with Klim? 😉

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"Men do not quit playing because they grow old, they grow old because they quit playing" Oliver Wendell Holmes - Mods - HDB handguards, Camel-ADV Gut guard, 1 finger clutch, The Fix pedal & Rally pipe, RR side/tail rack, RR 90nm spring & Headlight guard, Rally seat, OEM heated grips- stablemate Beta 520RS

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I was about to pull the trigger on one of these but seems for the price it should fit without breaking out a grinder. Interesting that Camel ADV sells this and says on their website "no cutting or grinding required"?

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11 hours ago, kainic said:

I was about to pull the trigger on one of these but seems for the price it should fit without breaking out a grinder. Interesting that Camel ADV sells this and says on their website "no cutting or grinding required"?

I just received an email response from the US distributor, Lindeco Genuine Powersports out of Florida,  where I bought my MSC Moto damper. Cory @Camel ADV was out of stock at the time and put me in touch with them.

 

The email reply from Lindeco stated they weren't aware of any fitment issues, which I guess means they don't pay attention to the reviews on their own website as I clearly stated it was not a straight bolt on process.

 

They asked for pictures of my issue, which after rereading @Windblown problem above, which was a bit different as my mount hole that fits over the steering stem was too small for it to seat fully, but did not have interference with the bar risers. I sent them pictures to illustrate the problem and also linked this thread so they can see the fitment issue regarding the bar risers as well.

 

Since even the US distributor doesn't even know they have a problem,  I would reserve passing  judgment on the Camel-ADV website information as they get it directly from the manufacturer. 

 

I will update this when I hear back from Lindeco.

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"Men do not quit playing because they grow old, they grow old because they quit playing" Oliver Wendell Holmes - Mods - HDB handguards, Camel-ADV Gut guard, 1 finger clutch, The Fix pedal & Rally pipe, RR side/tail rack, RR 90nm spring & Headlight guard, Rally seat, OEM heated grips- stablemate Beta 520RS

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On the OEM set-up, there is a washer between the triple and the stem nut. Do you have the washer between the triple and damper mount or between the damper mount and nut? The instructions don't mention the washer at all. I've emailed MSC about this question previously and they didn't reply. Being that you're having to grind stuff, I'd say the washer is supposed to be between the triple and damper mount.

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Bits and pieces for your adventure bike. Camel-ADV.com

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This was my issue,  in that the mount hole for the steering stem wasn't large enough for the mount to seat on the triple clamp. The picture shows the height was way more than a washer would fill, but I can see in @Windblown case, having the washer under the mount might help.

 

 

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"Men do not quit playing because they grow old, they grow old because they quit playing" Oliver Wendell Holmes - Mods - HDB handguards, Camel-ADV Gut guard, 1 finger clutch, The Fix pedal & Rally pipe, RR side/tail rack, RR 90nm spring & Headlight guard, Rally seat, OEM heated grips- stablemate Beta 520RS

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4 minutes ago, Camel ADV said:

On the OEM set-up, there is a washer between the triple and the stem nut. Do you have the washer between the triple and damper mount or between the damper mount and nut? The instructions don't mention the washer at all. I've emailed MSC about this question previously and they didn't reply. Being that you're having to grind stuff, I'd say the washer is supposed to be between the triple and damper mount.

 

Thanks for chiming in Cory.  It fit better but not perfect with the washer sitting under the damper base plate.  I too thought about leaving the washer under the plate however seems to me the washer should be placed under the stem nut to serve it's original purpose rather than be used as a spacer with no washer under the nut (especially if  tightening to the OEM specs).  As you say though, the instructions don't mention it one way of the other.  It's all bolted down and tight with nothing cockeyed now so I'm good to go.  I'm no stranger to breaking out grinders and cutters and bending stuff to fit when I'm trying to fab something but when I pay for someone else to do it I like to see it come ready to bolt on.  Obviously that's not a reflection on your products which I have had zero issues with BTW. 🙂   

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25 minutes ago, Windblown said:

 

Thanks for chiming in Cory.  It fit better but not perfect with the washer sitting under the damper base plate.  I too thought about leaving the washer under the plate however seems to me the washer should be placed under the stem nut to serve it's original purpose rather than be used as a spacer with no washer under the nut (especially if  tightening to the OEM specs).  As you say though, the instructions don't mention it one way of the other.  It's all bolted down and tight with nothing cockeyed now so I'm good to go.  I'm no stranger to breaking out grinders and cutters and bending stuff to fit when I'm trying to fab something but when I pay for someone else to do it I like to see it come ready to bolt on.  Obviously that's not a reflection on your products which I have had zero issues with BTW. 🙂   

 

I'll email MSC again and get some clarification. You definitely shouldn't have to be griding stuff. 

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Bits and pieces for your adventure bike. Camel-ADV.com

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Hello everyone!

Andres here from LGP Powersports. We are the distributor of MSC for the western hemisphere.

 

First, thanks to all for taking the to email us, document, send pictures, and post. Seem this is a great community and makes me want to get a T7 of my own as I love this type of community aspect. Have even decided between sports cars based on the community/forum/tech know-how of the owners of those cars.

 

What I can say is that previous to late last week, we were not aware of absolutely any fitment issues with MSC dampers, either on the T7 or any other bike. Maybe we did miss seeing a review.

Sometimes its hard to understand what the issue is since everyone had different names for the different parts.  But from the info I see here, plus the emails we have I will personally set up a call with MSC Australia to review. Will report back ASAP!

 

If anyone would like to send additional info, my email is andres@lgp-powersports.com 

 

I can confirm that the post and pin are not designed to be 90* to each other.
image.png.7fd30a9ca4f803e9941b70fa33a06f6c.png

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1 hour ago, LGP_Andres said:

Hello everyone!

Andres here from LGP Powersports. We are the distributor of MSC for the western hemisphere.

 

First, thanks to all for taking the to email us, document, send pictures, and post. Seem this is a great community and makes me want to get a T7 of my own as I love this type of community aspect. Have even decided between sports cars based on the community/forum/tech know-how of the owners of those cars.

 

What I can say is that previous to late last week, we were not aware of absolutely any fitment issues with MSC dampers, either on the T7 or any other bike. Maybe we did miss seeing a review.

Sometimes its hard to understand what the issue is since everyone had different names for the different parts.  But from the info I see here, plus the emails we have I will personally set up a call with MSC Australia to review. Will report back ASAP!

 

If anyone would like to send additional info, my email is andres@lgp-powersports.com 

 

I can confirm that the post and pin are not designed to be 90* to each other.
image.png.7fd30a9ca4f803e9941b70fa33a06f6c.png

 

Thanks! Look forward to hearing what you find out.

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I have had mine on since April 2020.

I didn't have any fitting issues at all.

I wonder if the top triple clamp is a slightly different casting from those supplied to Australia?

Alcohol! No good story starts with a salad.

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Update from MSC  in the land down under (Australia).

This is a new issue/situation for them also. The kit was designed soon after the Australian launch (End of 2019) of the Tenere 700 and they have not had any issues since. They are getting their hands on a 2023 Tenere to check what may have changed. Based on those findings, if the kit needs to be updated it will and customers will get, free of charge, updated parts.

 

Will report back ASAP.

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@LGP_Andres. Thanks Andres for the update. 

 

"Men do not quit playing because they grow old, they grow old because they quit playing" Oliver Wendell Holmes - Mods - HDB handguards, Camel-ADV Gut guard, 1 finger clutch, The Fix pedal & Rally pipe, RR side/tail rack, RR 90nm spring & Headlight guard, Rally seat, OEM heated grips- stablemate Beta 520RS

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On 3/23/2023 at 12:09 AM, Windblown said:

 

The road version with active damping in both directions seems a bit more effective controlling headshake at speed.

 

 

 

I wonder if you could use the low speed circuit to good effect in such cases?  One thing I have found is that it quashes all that 'jigger' back and forth going down rough roads, it's a real calk and cheese between having a damper and having your arms as the unwilling damper.

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2 hours ago, winddown said:

 

I wonder if you could use the low speed circuit to good effect in such cases?  One thing I have found is that it quashes all that 'jigger' back and forth going down rough roads, it's a real calk and cheese between having a damper and having your arms as the unwilling damper.

Sitting here trying to image this. It seems like the amount you'd have to adjust the low speed circuit to account for that jigger would probably have a pretty big impact on just normal handling.

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10 hours ago, winddown said:

 

I wonder if you could use the low speed circuit to good effect in such cases?  One thing I have found is that it quashes all that 'jigger' back and forth going down rough roads, it's a real calk and cheese between having a damper and having your arms as the unwilling damper.

 

Can't say for certain. Headshake is usually a pretty high speed affair. In either case I suspect damping half the cycle is better than none, just not quite as effective.  Small bit f headshake doesn't raise my eyebrow much but what comes next if it starts amplifying sure does... 😬

 

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15 hours ago, random1781 said:

Sitting here trying to image this. It seems like the amount you'd have to adjust the low speed circuit to account for that jigger would probably have a pretty big impact on just normal handling.

 

I think you would be right there.  Either way I haven't read any reports here or on other forums, like the advrider T7 problem thread, of any speed wobble issues.  A one way damping feature would be just extra insurance if you popped the front on the road and dropped it back at an angle say, or clipped a nasty pothole.  That T7 problem thread is a hoot btw,

 

Quote

 

--Every time I open this thread I’m reminded of yet another reason I’m glad I went with a T7.

Most of 63 Pages Are jokes about consumables and flat tires, or “it’s too snowy to ride”.

 


 

Quote


You’re telling me. I work at a KTM/Husky dealer and have to listen to/deal with 790/890/901 problems

almost on the daily. It’s REALLY hard not to be smug about the total lack of problems with my T7 emoji23.png

 

 

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On 3/26/2023 at 10:42 PM, LGP_Andres said:

Update from MSC  in the land down under (Australia).

This is a new issue/situation for them also. The kit was designed soon after the Australian launch (End of 2019) of the Tenere 700 and they have not had any issues since. They are getting their hands on a 2023 Tenere to check what may have changed. Based on those findings, if the kit needs to be updated it will and customers will get, free of charge, updated parts.

 

Will report back ASAP.

Any update on this?

 

"Men do not quit playing because they grow old, they grow old because they quit playing" Oliver Wendell Holmes - Mods - HDB handguards, Camel-ADV Gut guard, 1 finger clutch, The Fix pedal & Rally pipe, RR side/tail rack, RR 90nm spring & Headlight guard, Rally seat, OEM heated grips- stablemate Beta 520RS

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