ST2/ST4 steering damper installation notes

for those who find steering dampers important, fortunately Ducati Performance dampers for the ST are still available.

They're pricey - $400. But they're quite nice, and the damper is very adjustable. The quality is excellent, and the fit is perfect....if you have an ST4s.

For the ST2/4, some modifications are required, and the instructions are photocopied and vague. So here's what I figured out:

1) assemble the whole unit from the comfort of your living room. There is a washer - thick for ST4 and thin for ST4s. I had to try both to find which one worked better.

2) on the bike, the mount requires two washers. The kit comes with a pair for the ST4 and a pair for the ST4s. Easy to figure out which is which - the ones that fit are the ones you want.

3) The two studs that mount next to the key cylinder are sized for the ST4s and its anti-theft antenna. They are too long for the ST2/4. I ended up stacking five washers per stud so that the nuts can hold down the other mount (black aluminum base).

So if you pre-assemble the unit then all you need to do is set up the four mounting points on the bike (two on the triple clamp, two next to the key cylinder), attach the damper assembly and you're good to go.

It doesn't say where to clamp the tube - tighten it so that the "fj" logo appears in the clamp window, as pictured above.

Finally, the plastic that covers the key cylinder must be trimmed to clear the mounting base. In the photo above, I hadn't trimmed it yet, so it's just wedged in there.

I personally find this to be $400 well-spent; I like very stiffly damped handlebars and I feel much more comfortable throwing the bike over into a lean on fast turns. YMMV.