This "magic wand" calms your machine! The Performance Damper can reduce fatigue on long trips! (Part 1)

The Performance Damper developed by Yamaha Motor Company is an item that has been attracting attention in recent years, with the number of compatible bike models increasing significantly. The product is marketed by Y'S GEAR for Yamaha models, and by ACTIVE for other manufacturers, with the exception of some models. Let us explain in detail what effect this short stick attached to the frame has and what kind of riders it is recommended for!

Significant increase in production volume, surpassing 3 million units in total!

Yamaha Motor (hereinafter referred to as "Yamaha"), a world-renowned motorcycle manufacturer, developed the "Performance Damper" after more than 10 years of research into automobile chassis technology. It was introduced as a world first when it was equipped on the Toyota Crown Athlete VX, which was sold in a limited quantity of 300 in 2001. Since then, it has been used in mass-produced vehicles by Toyota, Lexus, and other manufacturers.

In 2011, this technology was converted to a product for motorcycles and introduced as a stock option for the TMAX. Initially named "Power Beam", it became the "Performance Damper" in 2018, and Y'S GEAR, a Yamaha Group company that handles stock accessories and chemicals, has been expanding the lineup for this product as a Yamaha stock accessory. Furthermore, in 2021, they began supplying Performance Dampers to ACTIVE, a company that handles a wide range of Japanese and international brands and also extensively develops and sells their own original parts. As a result there has been an increase in compatible bike models that are not manufactured by Yamaha.

Yamaha announced that the cumulative number of Performance Dampers produced reached 3 million units in February 2024. After reaching 1 million units in November 2016, 2 million units were recorded in January 2020, showing the rapid spread of this technology over the course of less than 10 years.

How does a Performance Damper work?

If the Performance Damper were to be simply categorized, it would be refered to as a "motorcycle body vibration damper". The frame of a moving motorcycle is always being very slightly deformed by external forces, such as friction between the tires and the road surface or impacts from riding on uneven terrain. In general, motorcycle frames are made of metal, which does not have strong damping characteristics, so slight deformations are constantly repeated at a fixed frequency. For example, some riders may have experienced swaying or shaking when cruising at high speeds on small-displacement or older bikes, and frame deformation is one of the causes of this. Frame deformation also affects handling, even if the rider does not notice the effect to a large extent.

This is where the Performance Damper comes into play. When this damper is attached to one location on the frame via a bracket, it slows the rate of frame deformation and attenuates it quickly. Oil dampers are filled with high-pressure nitrogen gas and have a similar structure to the dampers used in suspension systems, but the major difference is that the Performance Damper has a stroke length (displacement) of less than 1mm. A wide range of technology is used to ensure stable and optimal performance in μm increments.