This paper presents control and response characteristics of a continuously variable ER(electrorheological) damper for small-sized vehicles. The ER damper is devised and its governing equation of motion is derived from the bond graph model. The field-dependent yield shear stresses are distilled from experimental investigation on the Bingham property of the ER fluid. The distilled data are incorporated into the governing system model and, on the basis of this model, an appropriate size of the ER damper is manufactured. After evaluating the field-dependent damping performance of the proposed ER damper, the skyhook control algorithm is formulated to achieve desired level of the damping force. The controller is then experimentally implemented and control characteristics of the ER damper are presented in order to demonstrate superior controllability of the damping force. In addition, response characteristics of the damping force with respect to the electric field with fast on-off frequency are provided to show the feasibility of practical application.