2014 Buzzy Bars

[Mihalis fjr]

I've had three FJR's (one of each Gen) and I think your accusation of bad design is complete BS. Get your bike up to spec on the balancers etc. or buy something else. Of all the things it might be, bad design isn't the cause.

Everyone has his thought,this is my thought about the balancers,they cause an inertia and a coordination at about 4000rpm.As for the clutch housing in my other bike XTZ 750/90 model.In the first XTZ 750/1989 there was the same problem with dry clutch plates.The 1990 The mama Yamaha improved the clutch housing and then no problem with dry clutch plates until the 1996 that mama Yamaha stopped to make this model.
Believe me,i not tell stupidities..
I worked in the Yamaha Greece for many years and i saw many things there..good and bad things about...

I can live with these vibrations..Isn't too bad.....

 

[mcatrophy]

...By the way, when taking off the right side fairings, I found a plastic piece which seemed to be loose from a metal thingy. Any idea if there should be any screw or something? I zip-tied it just in case.

Not sure, but I think you are missing a bit.

Best I can do is come up with this picture:

(click on image for larger view)



(blown up from a picture taken during my CC install)

 

[SoCalFJR1300]

The vibrations become from the engine,i believe that all the fjr have these vibrations.I rode five fjr until now,all they have the same vibrations.I strongly believe that the problem become from a bad design in the two balancers in the engine,as a bad design in the clutch house...(dry clutch plates).We must live with those vibrations..!And with the dry clutch plates...Really i don't know why the mama Yamaha she didn't improve these problems....

My 2008 is pretty smooth.

I have a little high frequency vibration at certain RPM's but nothing bad.

That being said ALL Japanese In-line 4's have "some" vibration at the RPM's the original poster stated.

Some more than others.

Also if the original poster is still breaking in the motor it should get smoother when fully broke in.

When I bought my 2007 Bandit1250 new in 2008 it was pretty buzzy until I put a few thousand miles on it and it noticeably was smoother.

Lets remember this too......you have a powerful 1300CC motor between your legs,(no that's not what she said) it's NOT going to be TOTALLY vibe free!

 

[Mihalis fjr]

The vibrations become from the engine,i believe that all the fjr have these vibrations.I rode five fjr until now,all they have the same vibrations.I strongly believe that the problem become from a bad design in the two balancers in the engine,as a bad design in the clutch house...(dry clutch plates).We must live with those vibrations..!And with the dry clutch plates...Really i don't know why the mama Yamaha she didn't improve these problems....

My 2008 is pretty smooth.

I have a little high frequency vibration at certain RPM's but nothing bad.

That being said ALL Japanese In-line 4's have "some" vibration at the RPM's the original poster stated.

Some more than others.

Also if the original poster is still breaking in the motor it should get smoother when fully broke in.

When I bought my 2007 Bandit1250 new in 2008 it was pretty buzzy until I put a few thousand miles on it and it noticeably was smoother.

Lets remember this too......you have a powerful 1300CC motor between your legs,(no that's not what she said) it's NOT going to be TOTALLY vibe free!

For those high frequency vibrations i am talking,they caused from the coordination of the balancers and the crankshaft,and not that it has extremely vibrations!I know all the 4 cylinders in-line have vibrations,some more than others..We can live with them...

You can notice the difference of these vibrations when you ride allone,with a passenger,in a declivity or in an acclivity.Also i believe with a better design in those things there the problem could resolved...

 

[SoCalFJR1300]

The vibrations become from the engine,i believe that all the fjr have these vibrations.I rode five fjr until now,all they have the same vibrations.I strongly believe that the problem become from a bad design in the two balancers in the engine,as a bad design in the clutch house...(dry clutch plates).We must live with those vibrations..!And with the dry clutch plates...Really i don't know why the mama Yamaha she didn't improve these problems....

My 2008 is pretty smooth.

I have a little high frequency vibration at certain RPM's but nothing bad.

That being said ALL Japanese In-line 4's have "some" vibration at the RPM's the original poster stated.

Some more than others.

Also if the original poster is still breaking in the motor it should get smoother when fully broke in.

When I bought my 2007 Bandit1250 new in 2008 it was pretty buzzy until I put a few thousand miles on it and it noticeably was smoother.

Lets remember this too......you have a powerful 1300CC motor between your legs,(no that's not what she said) it's NOT going to be TOTALLY vibe free!

.Also i believe with a better design in those things there the problem could resolved...

My high frequency vibes are so slight that the only "better design" for my 2008 would be a vibe free motor, and that's not gonna' happen.

 

[Mihalis fjr]

My high frequency vibes are so slight that the only "better design" for my 2008 would be a vibe free motor, and that's not gonna' happen.

Bike from bike have different vibrations,more or less because except the balancers,the clearance between the metals in the engine isn't exactly the same in all the engines because the very very small fault from the production machines.If the clearance between the metals is more,also the vibrations are more..When i drove five different fjr,i noticed five different type of vibrations..But this happen to all the engines in all the world...

 

[Enn]

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="mcatrophy" data-cid="1144686" data-time="1399043559"><p>

<blockquote class='ipsBlockquote'data-author="Enn" data-cid="1144640" data-time="1399022546"><p><span style='font-size: 14px;'>...</span><br />

By the way, when taking off the right side fairings, I found a plastic piece which seemed to be loose from a metal thingy. Any idea if there should be any screw or something? I zip-tied it just in case.<br />

<br />

<br />

<br />

<span rel='lightbox'><img src='https://i.imgur.com/IUUS8oM.jpg' alt='Posted Image' class='bbc_img' /></span></p></blockquote>

<br />

Not sure, but I think you are missing a bit.<br />

<br />

Best I can do is come up with this picture:<br />

<span style='font-size: 12px;'><span style='color: #ff0000'>(click on image for larger view)</span></span><br />

<a href='https://atrophy.lock.net/pi/20110901_ccs100/index.php?image=DSCF1755_cr.jpg&sz=1'><span rel='lightbox'><img src='https://atrophy.lock.net/pi/20110901_ccs100/tmp/0_DSCF1755_cr.jpg' alt='Posted Image' class='bbc_img' /></span></a><br />

<br />

(blown up from a picture taken during <a href='https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/140815-another-ccs100-cruise-control-on-the-fjr1300as-ae/?do=findComment&comment=897193'>my CC install</a&gt<br />

<a href='https://atrophy.lock.net/pi/20110901_ccs100/index.php?image=DSCF1755.JPG&sz=1'><span rel='lightbox'><img src='https://atrophy.lock.net/pi/20110901_ccs100/tmp/0_DSCF1755.JPG' alt='Posted Image' class='bbc_img' /></span></a></p></blockquote>

Yep, you'r right. I guess it can live without it, must have been forgotten at the dealer, I've never serviced it before myself. Sure enough it does not add much to smoothness ...

 

[DHS1981]

I appreciate everyone who has waded in on my original post and all the helpful comments. To close the loop thus far, I reinstalled the stock engine bolts that were removed when I put my frame sliders on and torqued them properly. The test ride was about the same as before, but the vibes may have been slightly less than with the sliders in place. I reinstalled the sliders, and installed heavy bar end weights. The result was that the vibrations actually seemed worse at speed -- between 75 and 80 mph. My previous bike was a Suzuki GSX1250 FA, which was a little buzzy, but not nearly as bad as the FJR. The FJR is rock solid and pretty quiet from 60 - 70 mph, but at about 75 (around 4,000 - 4,200 rpm) to 80 it has really pronounced vibrations in the bars. I can also feel it in the seat a bit, too. Problem is that's the range where I do most my highway riding. I've ordered a set of Vibranator bar ends, which work a little different than regular weighted bar ends, and will try them but I'm not holding out much hope for a dramatic change. I'll ask the dealer to check the front tire balance at the 600 mile service which I will be doing soon, but if that doesn't help I may just have to live with the vibes. What a shame, as that would take a potentially great bike down to a merely good bike in my opinion. Too bad the buzziness is right in the middle of the common highway riding rev range. I've heard some people comment that HeliBars solves much of the vibration issue -- has anyone tried those and can you comment on the effect on the bar vibrations?

 

[Brodie]

I would suggest that when the bike gets past the 600 mile check you have the throttle bodies sync'd while it is running at 3500 RPM in neutral. The air bypass screws need to be closed off when this adjustment is made. Once the throttle plates are adjusted to a dead even flow at that RPM then the air bypass screws can be adjusted at idle. The bike will be a lot smoother at the speeds you intend to run at. Our very own Fred W came up with that procedure. Search it out.

Brodie

 

[K Rider]

I installed the throttlemeister throttle lock which seemed to help some and installed a set of grip puppies, which helped even more. Between the two it has helped enough it's not an issue. Good luck!

 

[SoCalFJR1300]

I appreciate everyone who has waded in on my original post and all the helpful comments. To close the loop thus far, I reinstalled the stock engine bolts that were removed when I put my frame sliders on and torqued them properly. The test ride was about the same as before, but the vibes may have been slightly less than with the sliders in place. I reinstalled the sliders, and installed heavy bar end weights. The result was that the vibrations actually seemed worse at speed -- between 75 and 80 mph. My previous bike was a Suzuki GSX1250 FA, which was a little buzzy, but not nearly as bad as the FJR. The FJR is rock solid and pretty quiet from 60 - 70 mph, but at about 75 (around 4,000 - 4,200 rpm) to 80 it has really pronounced vibrations in the bars. I can also feel it in the seat a bit, too. Problem is that's the range where I do most my highway riding. I've ordered a set of Vibranator bar ends, which work a little different than regular weighted bar ends, and will try them but I'm not holding out much hope for a dramatic change. I'll ask the dealer to check the front tire balance at the 600 mile service which I will be doing soon, but if that doesn't help I may just have to live with the vibes. What a shame, as that would take a potentially great bike down to a merely good bike in my opinion. Too bad the buzziness is right in the middle of the common highway riding rev range. I've heard some people comment that HeliBars solves much of the vibration issue -- has anyone tried those and can you comment on the effect on the bar vibrations?

Motor hasn't broke in yet....give it more time, I bet it gets smoother after a couple thousand miles.

 

[Mihalis fjr]

I appreciate everyone who has waded in on my original post and all the helpful comments. To close the loop thus far, I reinstalled the stock engine bolts that were removed when I put my frame sliders on and torqued them properly. The test ride was about the same as before, but the vibes may have been slightly less than with the sliders in place. I reinstalled the sliders, and installed heavy bar end weights. The result was that the vibrations actually seemed worse at speed -- between 75 and 80 mph. My previous bike was a Suzuki GSX1250 FA, which was a little buzzy, but not nearly as bad as the FJR. The FJR is rock solid and pretty quiet from 60 - 70 mph, but at about 75 (around 4,000 - 4,200 rpm) to 80 it has really pronounced vibrations in the bars. I can also feel it in the seat a bit, too. Problem is that's the range where I do most my highway riding. I've ordered a set of Vibranator bar ends, which work a little different than regular weighted bar ends, and will try them but I'm not holding out much hope for a dramatic change. I'll ask the dealer to check the front tire balance at the 600 mile service which I will be doing soon, but if that doesn't help I may just have to live with the vibes. What a shame, as that would take a potentially great bike down to a merely good bike in my opinion. Too bad the buzziness is right in the middle of the common highway riding rev range. I've heard some people comment that HeliBars solves much of the vibration issue -- has anyone tried those and can you comment on the effect on the bar vibrations?

Motor hasn't broke in yet....give it more time, I bet it gets smoother after a couple thousand miles.

+1 You are right,also some vibrations come from the very heavy clutch housing especially when this thing is brand new.As SoCal said give it more time,and have the dealer to do a throttle body sync..Perhaps it is a little out of sync..

 

[Enn]

I have a ridden in bike (45 000 km ), Helibars, vibronator and gripbuddies, did the correct engine bolts torque, but still have the vibes at 4000-4500 rpm. No problem on 3-4 h ride, but by the end of the full day my hands and toes become pretty sore. I have to say that gripbuddies have so far given the best impact to smoothness, no much help from vibronators.

Still have to try the tb sync on rpm, need to find the sync tool from somewhwere...

 

[DHS1981]

Enn, do you have any other bolt-on additions, such as frame sliders, highway pegs, etc.?

 

[HotRodZilla]

Every time I ride my '07, I'm surprised at how vibe-free it is. There are some vibes as there is an engine under there somewhere, but nothing out of control or uncomfortable. The only time my bike had bad vibes was when my sliders had backed off. Re-torquing the bolts fixed that years ago. Oh, and it became a different feeling bike after 20k miles. Smoother or something, like it finally broke in.

 

[Mihalis fjr]

The feeling of the vibrations also is different from person to person.Have to do with what job every person does,and from what bike he came.If your previous or your second bike is a thumber one cylinder,or a Harley,then you will find the fjr smooth as silk.If you came from a goldwing then you will find that the fjr has vibrations..

 

[Surly]

I installed the throttlemeister throttle lock which seemed to help some and installed a set of grip puppies, which helped even more. Between the two it has helped enough it's not an issue. Good luck!

This was also my finding but in addition to this the throttle spring release was also done on my bike. Also think about "Yoda" riding position and the tightness of your grip on the bars.

Best regards

Surly

 

[Enn]

Enn, do you have any other bolt-on additions, such as frame sliders, highway pegs, etc.?

Yes, I have the OEM frame sliders, but no highway pegs.

Just do not get me wrong, I am more than happy with my FJR and this small buzz is nothing that would stop me riding or making me look for other bike. Its just a kind of inconvenience which I only remember after long and continuous ride. Last time it really made me suffer was when I was on a month long trip, so the last few days it became a kind of issue, especially for my soles.

However, I am sure once I manage to remove the buzz, I will certainly find something else to complain about. Part of human nature

 

[flyinlow]

On my 06 FJR I would describe the vibrations as "tingly" at those rpm's. Its a big 4 cylinder and even with counterbalancers, you are going to get vibes, especially if you are coming from a v twin.

I used a combination of Manic Salamander bar end weights (big ones) and grip puppies that made it alot more tolerable. I tried the weights first and they did a good job of bringing the vibes down.

https://www.manicsalamander.com/

 

[JGroenke]

When I bought my Gen I it had grip puppies on it because the PO thought it buzzed too much. It didn't seem to bother me so I took them off but I also installed some salamander bar end weights that I had in the garage from my previous bike. I have no problems with vibration, but I think it is subjective so others may. Now my KLR on the other hand, that's what I call vbrating handlebars!

jgroenke