Anti-vibe Bar Mount

meosborn · Aug 11, 2009

There has been a lot of talk over the years about bar ends and TBS (authorized or not) as well as retorquing motor mounts. Has anyone tried to go the route of an anti-vibe bar mount?

There are a few products that are out there for different bikes and a couple of different solutions that I have seen but nothing for the FJR.

I'm sure that has a lot to do with the fact that the FJRs vibration isn't particularly significant or that it can be mostly solved with a heavy bar end but I was wondering if there might be other options/solutions.

For instance, what I've been pondering is a simple rubber pad mounted under each bar mount. Obviously it couldn't just be a piece of innertube since I would want quite a bit more stability than that type of rubber could provide but there are some pretty high quality vibration dampening types of rubber that are available and they may provide a good amount of dampening as well as being structurally sound.

Thoughts? Am I completely crazy for thinking about putting a flexible pad under the bars?

Ignacio · Aug 11, 2009

Try bar snake site:fjrforum.com at Google and it's been discussed a number of times.

meosborn · Aug 11, 2009

Ignacio said:
Try bar snake site:fjrforum.com at Google and it's been discussed a number of times.

I've seen the bar snake information before and I was under the impression that it is essentially another bar weight. Just a different method of adding weight. I'll check again but that wasn't exactly what I was thinking of.

Thanks for the "Try searching" suggestion though.

Ignacio · Aug 11, 2009

meosborn said:
I've seen the bar snake information before and I was under the impression that it is essentially another bar weight.

You didn't say you had looked at it so I thought I'd suggest it. Like the fourth and fifth hit I saw.....it talked about vibration reduction. The 3 or 4 years I've seen bar snakes talked about...it's always been about vibration.

meosborn · Aug 11, 2009

And I definitely appreciate suggestions.

I guess what I was trying to say was that I was asking for any thoughts on attempting a vibe absorbing pad mounted under the bars specifically. I do know that there are a lot of other options (bar end weights, bar snake, grip puppies, gel padded gloves, etc...) but I'm considering trying this approach out and I'm looking for some possible concerns/thoughts from the forum members before I go and kill myself making a stupid mistake that should have been obvious from the start.

Who knows, maybe I'll find out something interesting. Even if the only thing I find out is that it's a bad idea, at least I'll be able to let anyone else that is interested know what I've found out.

C&C · Aug 11, 2009

Not sure if this applies, but I believe that the engine is a stressed member of the frame, so any rubber mount would need to be fairly stiff/stout in order to maintain structural integrity and not compromise handling.

user 213 · Aug 11, 2009

Someone else tried the rubber pads under the handlebars. The problem seemed to be that it made the steering feel very unstable and if you tightened the pads down enough to avoid that, the vibration reduction was lost.

Lets start over - What's the problem bothering you?

meosborn · Aug 11, 2009

C&C - I don't think that rubber pads under the handlebars would affect the structural integrity of the frame. That being said, any rubber pad included in the steering structure would most definitely have to be pretty stiff and/or stout.

OCfjr - I guess it's the general vibration above 4500 that bothers me. It's not horrible but I wonder if I could make it less. I know that there are a lot of different solutions out there and I just thought I had an opportunity to try something different out and let everyone know how it works. I haven't been able to find anything about that other attempt but I would be interested to know what type of rubber was used. There are many different types out there with many different properties, not that I want to try them all. The concern about unstable steering is definitely a factor.

Don't get me wrong, I love my FJR and don't really see the vibration as a major problem. But, when a bike works this well, I tend to try to find the areas that could be smoothed out a little more and get to work. Hence the Rick Meyer seat (I'm considering a Russel now after reading so much about them over the years), the PCIII, the tire pressure monitor, V-Strom handguards, etc.. Just little things to make it that much better.

If the vibrations were horrible I would be considering another bike or doing extensive modification to fix the problem. Right now, I'm only talking about putting a little rubber pad under the bars and wondered what good information is out there to help me not make a stupid avoidable mistake.

C&C · Aug 11, 2009

Oops, my bad; I read (dyslexic, of course

) that the poster was going to try a rubber mount on the engine mount.

user 213 · Aug 11, 2009

meosborn said:
OCfjr - I guess it's the general vibration above 4500 that bothers me.

You misunderstand. I realize vibration is your concern. What problem is this causing you? Numbness? Blurred vision? (ok, reaching on that one) Seriously, what is bothering you enough that you feel the need to try and reduce the vibration over 4500 rpms?

meosborn · Aug 11, 2009

Sorry, I added to my previous post before I saw this last one. Does that explain my motivation better?

To further answer your question though, I do have numbness problems occasionally. No blurred vision though.

But really, do I need to have anything more serious to want to make an 'improvement'? It just sounds interesting to me. Not to mention relatively simple.

TruWrecks · Aug 11, 2009

Have you tried softer grips yet? That can help isolate your hands more without affecting the steering mounts.

To be effective, you would need to isolate the base mount and all bolt contact surfaces.

user 213 · Aug 11, 2009

meosborn said:
Sorry, I added to my previous post before I saw this last one. Does that explain my motivation better?
To further answer your question though, I do have numbness problems occasionally. No blurred vision though.

But really, do I need to have anything more serious to want to make an 'improvement'? It just sounds interesting to me. Not to mention relatively simple.

I read your addition. No, you don't need anything more serious. I applaud your desire to make changes that improve the bike for you. Try the pads and see what you think. It seems that we both agree this is a minor issue.

I was just trying to identify if there was some other issue you were attempting to address. Wrist numbness, for example, is often about angles rather than vibes. Changing the angle of the bars solved that issue for me.

meosborn · Aug 11, 2009

TruWrecks said:
Have you tried softer grips yet? That can help isolate your hands more without affecting the steering mounts.
To be effective, you would need to isolate the base mount and all bolt contact surfaces.

I have tried different grips (not grip puppies yet and they are probably a near future option), I had Top Gun bar ends (one fell off, probably improper torque or lack of locktite), TPS, 'Unauthorized' TPS, PCIII maps and suspension settings. The biggest difference has been made just by practicing the MYRP but the bar ends did help as well. Mainly, this thread was started just to explore a different option than those I have read about over the years.

I hear you on totally isolating the mount and bolt contact surfaces. Something like this:

would be the best I'm sure but I haven't seen one for the FJR.

Besides, if it isn't serious enough for me to invest in bar risers, then it definitely isn't serious enough to have something like that made.

I just think that maybe this could be a simple option that might provide at least a little vibe reduction.

Knifemaker · Aug 11, 2009

The bars vibrate?

Really?

Guessing I do not notice it coming from riding a V-Twin for years or my bike is really really smooth. Vibrate you say?, damn...don't tell my wife ....lol

KM

Joe2Lmaker · Aug 12, 2009

Contact the Fasst Company. <Link>

Offer yourself as a guinea pig and your bike as a test platform. Who knows, maybe it's worth their while to work on the problem.

edit: I see now you're in Mt. Vernon, WA. Fasst is in Long Beach, CA. I shoulda checked that first. Still, it's worth a try.

edit edit: I dound this over at ADVrider: <Link>

griffithds · Aug 12, 2009

Have you tried riding your bike while not placing all of your upper body weight on your palms thereby cutting the blood curculation to your fingers and also pinching the nerves in your wrists. When you feel tingling in your hands while riding your bike, take notice of your elbow joints. Do you have to release preasure on your hand grips to be able to flex your elbows. Are your feeling discomfort in your elbow joints. If either of the last two comments apply then you are leaning on your bars! Try placing more weight on your butt, try wiggleing your fingers once in a while when riding. If you must lean back to do this, you are leaning on your bars. Take notice of presure being placed in your palms while riding. I you have preasure, you are leaning on your bars. Your arms should be relaxed and so should be your hands when riding. Master this and not only will the tingling become nonexistant, but your riding ability will improve.

08FJR4ME · Aug 12, 2009

Do you use a throttle rocker so you can take the pressure off your hands ocasionally? This give you a chance to flex your hands to reduce the numbness.

meosborn · Aug 12, 2009

griffithds said:
Have you tried riding your bike while not placing all of your upper body weight on your palms thereby cutting the blood curculation to your fingers and also pinching the nerves in your wrists. When you feel tingling in your hands while riding your bike, take notice of your elbow joints. Do you have to release preasure on your hand grips to be able to flex your elbows. Are your feeling discomfort in your elbow joints. If either of the last two comments apply then you are leaning on your bars! Try placing more weight on your butt, try wiggleing your fingers once in a while when riding. If you must lean back to do this, you are leaning on your bars. Take notice of presure being placed in your palms while riding. I you have preasure, you are leaning on your bars. Your arms should be relaxed and so should be your hands when riding. Master this and not only will the tingling become nonexistant, but your riding ability will improve.

Yeah, sounds like the MYRP (Master Yoda Riding Position). I mentioned that earlier.

08FJR4ME said:
Do you use a throttle rocker so you can take the pressure off your hands ocasionally? This give you a chance to flex your hands to reduce the numbness.

I appreciate the effort in suggesting other options but, as I mentioned previously, I'm mainly interested in pursuing the pad-under-the-handlebars option out of curiosity. I didn't start this thread to see what options there are to quell vibrations (the "Try Searching" suggestion would definitely have applied) but, instead, to find out any information or warnings others had about putting a rubber layer under the bars.

Anti-vibe Bar Mount

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