Electronic steering damper....

[TimF]

Have a read of this. I'm sure it'll spark some debate.

Regarding steering dampers, my feeling is that these are not necessary on streetbikes. They are a "band aid" approach to fix chassis problems on some bikes. They are just like a shock absorber used to slow down steering inputs on race bikes, which normally have very steep fork angles to speed up handling. In fac, in street use, a damper can slow down steering inputs too much.

If the bike isn't designed correctly, the factory will sometimes resort to installing a steering damper to help prevent side-to-side oscillations of the handlebars, which can sometimes occur when the huge amounts of power are applied coming out of turns or in other instances. Some owners install them more or less to look like a racer, but in 99% of street riding, they're an unnecessary complexity.