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Project Honda CRF450 - GPR Stabilizer - Testing the "Magic Black Box" & DH1 Upper Triple Clamp

Publish date: May 1, 2002
By: ORC STAFF
Source: Dirtbike at Off-Road.com

Many products come and go in the motorcycle industry, some products are innovative, but just didn't receive the proper marketing, and others just don't work, period. But the concept of a steering damper was an idea that has changed the way that off-road riders, look at a section of rough, rocky trail. In all reality, the GPR stabilizer is worthy of employment at any outdoor motocross track as well.

The Tech Info

The "Black Magic Box". GPR has engineered an almost mandatory device which greatly helps keeping a rider in control.

Each stabilizer is CNC machined and assembled by hand. This assures the best quality control possible. The stabilizers are made of 6061-T6 aircraft aluminum, hard anodized both inside and outside reducing wear and prolonging fluid life. The GPR folks claim their damper contains very few moving parts, reducing the possibility of breakdown. Can it be fine-tuned for rougher conditions? How are adjustments made? First off, there are 6 main adjustments available at the big, round dial on top of the stabilizer unit. The settings can be incremented from the stiffest setting (6), to the "free" setting (1) with one click.

Rendezvous with GPR at Adelanto

DH1 makes a great looking machined billet aluminum upper triple clamp and bar mounts system.

I met up with front-man Randy Norman, co-owner of RS Norman Manufacturing, at this year's Best in the Desert Adelanto Grand Prix. "Randy...you 'got time to do the install the morning?' I questioned. "I've got nothing but time, bring it on over," blurred Randy. (It was early in the morning, and Randy was about to embark on a busy day of installations, which he does at every event). Shortly thereafter, I returned with the ORC 450, ready to swap the $2 stock bars and upper triple clamp, with the DH 1 clamp, and GPR stabilizer (and of course, a worthy set of oversize bars). As Randy started spinning wrenches on the 450, he began to talk about some of his thoughts toward motorcycle racing and how he supports the sport. "My biggest thing is rider support, I don't advertise, but rely on contingencies I provide, and just being at every race I can, weekend in and weekend out. Its just mostly word of mouth, and getting my products on rider's bikes; that is the best advertising," explained Randy. After approximately 30 minutes, Randy had the stock upper clamp replaced with the billet DH 1 Racing unit, the new bars were installed, and best of all, the GPR stabilizer was now at home on the ORC 450.

"Dirtbike Cruise Control"

Randy and the rest of the GPR crew can be seen at numerous races every weekend throughout the year helping out any rider in need.

The difference is immediately noticeable. Right from the ORC office, there exists one of the most rocky and rough 2 mile sections of trail on earth. In means of testing, I began the course in the #1 setting (the "Off" setting). As soon as I clicked the dial to "1", the CRF immediately did one of those infamous front end swaps as a result of a lurking, hidden rock. "Whoah....ok...that's enough of that," I snapped. Click click click.....I quickly dialed the GPR up to the # 3 setting, which suddenly made my heart rate drop greatly. I felt as though I could safely run almost a gear faster in this specific section of rock laden trail. One of the most frightening experiences while blasting down any high-speed trail, is when the front end smacks a rock which is embedded into the ground with no chance of moving. This will abruptly force the handlebars to one side with little warning, resulting in a painful high speed get-off in most cases. BUT with the GPR stabilizer, the possibility of that happening is almost minimal. But stabilizers aren't just for off-road desert use. I have used the GPR stabilizer at numerous MX tracks like Glen Helen, Mesquite, Cedar City and many others with great approval. Maybe it just gets to be a crutch, but I just feel safer with the damper on board. Whooped out high speed motocross tracks are where the GPR unit excels. It maintains great stability through any rough sections on the motocross scene.

We took a little extra time to custom fit a Factory 909 cross bar pad for a little extra protection.

What settings are typically used? Usually I keep it right in the middle, between # 3 and the # 4 setting; this is used almost everywhere. The # 6 setting barely moves, and would only be good for a fifth-gear-tapped straight, but once a turn came up, you'd blow right though it. During the Lake Havasu City WORCS race I started out in the third position, but moved it toward the "desperate measures" position of nearly # 5; which really was not necessary, but I needed all I could get toward the race's end. The downer? It is somewhat difficult to adjust the stabilizer while truly on the move. The adjustment dial needs to be taller for an easier "adjust on the fly" characteristic. A rider's hands should always be on the bars anyway, but adjustments to the stabilizer can be made after slowing down to a comfortable, controlled pace. The DH1 upper triple clamp with bar mount is a well thought out piece of billet aluminum, having clean and concise lines. The company offers a standard or "tall" rise bar mount for those of us that are tall and need all the room possible.

Race's End

The little device does truly instill that much more confidence in the rider. There is a reason why almost all off-road motorcycles, if equipped properly, are setup with a stabilizer. While they are not the cheapest bolt-on product available in the motorcycle industry, they are one of the wisest investments any rider can make. Coupled with a DH 1 triple clamp, it is a great way to attack the unexpected. Either way, just buy a stabilizer....it is highly recommended. Its nothing more than an excellent preventative product which can help you go faster.

Page Two

Page Two - the Installation Process

GPR Stabilizer Prices as tested: $375.00 DH 1 Triple Clamp Price as tested: $174.95
Holeshot	Endo
Provides extended feeling of control though nearly any off-road situation; rocks, whoops, washes, sand, etc. Adjustable on the move with a dial on top Damping can be adjusted from the setting with the most resistance to the lowest resistance with one click Fit and finish is excellent. Great track-side support at numerous races all over the West coast, along with a few select GNCCs. Not just for off-road; device works great for any MX track also.	Some people may prefer a stabilizer with a "zero to center" characteristic. This means when the bar returns back to the straight position, there is no resistance in damping; or damping only results in a deflective action. You should just ride both styles to determine which feels best. Not really an "adjust on the fly" device. The dial is difficult to grab and turn while riding aggressively. It forces the rider to slow considerably before making an adjustment (but on the contrary, most riders set the damper to a position and leave it there).