Which mounts better - GPR or Scotts

[Roy Salmon]

I am outfitting an 07 EC 300 and need to figure out what Stabilizer to use on Gas Gas. This is my first GG build. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[jeffd]

As far as I know - GPR uses a similar form factor to the ohlins and they are interchange-able; So, there is no difference in terms of mounting the damper.

The scott's damper is actually an ohlins damper - it is marketed in the united states under the scotts name. My feeling is, that like all ohlins stuff, it is technically superior. It has more options for adjustability and I would go with this one if i were you... You can adjust "sweep" and seperately adjust the low and high speed dampening.

I previously had an ohlins on my bike - for tight woods, I would totally dial down the low speed and set the sweep up so that it only worked when the bike was going relatively straight. My goal was to have the damper assist in stabilizing the bike when heading straight across a bunch of roots or in a rock field. Turning down the low speed and adjusting the sweep made it so that I could throw it over into a corner more quickly when the going was tight.

Most dampers will damp 'away from center" and not back to center; This is meant to keep the bike from deflecting and to allow the rider to easily point it back on track if it does deflect (both the scotts and wer damper work this way). I was previously under the impression was that the gpr damps both away from center and to center - not sure if this is right or not, but something you should confirm for yourself.

jeff

[jeffd]

FYI - I just looked at the FAQ on GPRs website - it does damp in both directions. e.g. away from center and also back to center. In my opinion, it is more desirable to have no dampening back to center - like ohlins/scotts and wer dampers. If I were solely riding desert - it wouldn't be as big an issue for me, but if riding both desert and switching over to tight woods, I think the scotts/ohlins would suit your needs better.

"...the damping progressively gets back to 100% incrementally as you are getting closer to center and the damper is automatially rebuilding it's internal compression. You will have have progressive and increased damping back toward center, while other rotary dampers feature a zero return to center, where they give the rider no damping once the unit has turned itself off until the bars are at zero degrees. There are rocks on both sides of the trail, so the GPR Stabilizer w/ minimal damping towards center once the sweep brake turns the damper back on has become one of the many trademark features our stabilizer is known."

So, in summary, the scott's/ohlins damper differs from the GPR in that...

1. It has a seperate high speed damping circuit and adjustment.
2. It has adjustable sweep (you can adjust how far away from center the damper is active).
3. It dampens only away from center to reduce rider fatigue and increase rider response (to get bike back to straight).


jeff

[GMP]

I've had a Scotts for nine years on several bikes, been rebuilt a few times. I also agree with Jeff and set mine up as he describes. I run the large knob so I can eaisly crank in more low speed damping when exiting the trees onto a sand road. Also be aware that the less low speed damping you dial in, the more effective the high speed is. IMO, the high speed is what makes the damper, it is what will save you from bad things eventually. The GPR has no high speed circuit.

As far as mounting, the only advantage I see for the under bar mounts is a shorter tower (inherently stronger). Its no safer because the bar clamps are just as high as an over bar damper would be, relative to the grips. Plus, you now have fewer bar bend choices, as they must be a lower bend for an average height. JMO.