fed up

[RadioHowie]

When I first got my '06, she was smooth. After adding sliders,she vibrated like the devil in the pegs, seat and handle bars. It was really not fun to ride any more. After listening to these folks,I loosened both bolts, torqued the left then the right and she was smooth again. It was an amazing difference.

I may have that sequence backwards so better check around here before doing this if you think this might be the problem.

You got it right....left side first, right second.

 

[Tom C]

Something the original poster didn't mention was if the vibration is bothering him at all speeds and rpms or only at a certain rpm or certain speed. If it vibrates all the time at all speeds and rpms then it may require one fix while if it only vibrates at 4500 rpm then maybe it would require another fix. Is it through the footpegs as well as the grips. Is it only the throttle or is it both grips? I only saw him posting the one time and then a few others having similar issues.

 

[FJRzilla]

Howdy. I found that when I rode I would lift my elbows up and out from my body, causing a twist at my wrist and tingling/numbness. Have to work at it but now I keep my arms lower and more tucked in which makes for a straighter line between elbow and wrist. Has definitely helped with tingling/numbness. Hope this helps

 

[painman]

I have been using the Kuryakyn universal throttle boss since the 06 was new and it is still working great. Only 2 seconds to install and fits any grip. This device really takes away any pressure or stress off the hand and wrist. Hope you get this resolved as the FJR is one of the best bikes out there IMO. Take care, PM. <><

Throttle Boss

 

[jride]

THANKS AGAIN Ihave not totally given up yet but came close to trading it off sat. but i have decided to wait awhile longer.

there are a few ideas in your posts that i have not tried yet like retorque sliders and it is almost due for valve adj.

the vibration is throughout the bike and while running down the highway at about 80 i let off the accelerator pulled in the clutch and the vibes were gone so its all engine

I do think the vibration is worse now than a year ago.

The vibration is there at all speeds but is worse at various RPM's

Also I do think that I havs a little carpal tunnel in my right wrist which has probably gotten worse contributing to the problem, 40 years of daily twisting screwdrivers, wrenches, swinging hammers and using power tools will do that.

 

[FarWestFastEddie]

When

When I bought my FJR, I had test rode a 2007 AE, was so impressed with the smoothness as compared to my XS1100, I bought the 2007A, it had a vibration not present in the AE, Heli riser installed as first farkle. I do notice I grip harder and feel the pain due to fatigue when I am riding aggressive, Old racing habits are hard to break. I installed a vista, which helped alot. I then installed an AVCC cruise control, and during the install, unwound the main throttle rail spring one revolution. Huge difference was noticed as it did not take a constant pull to keep the throttle on even keel. The Cruise Control finished off any issue of fatigue due to vibration/tension. New tires also made a huge difference.

Do not give up on the FJR as a POS, nor is it the cherry on the pie, as stated many times on the forum, its a platform to which you can build your perfect custom ride.

Good Luck with your choice of bike, your solicitation of input on the issue on the forum for solving this problem. not a political statment, "but together, we can", and that is a Drayage BC slogan...

FWFE

 

[NMRoadRunner]

Any and all motorcycles are going to vibrate. It's a fact. <_< You're sitting on a motor, you are connected in three places, your ass, your feet, and your hands. In the case of the FJR, it's a 1300cc inline 4 cylinder high perfomance engine! Running at high RPMs. That alot of mass, spinning very fast between your legs, it's going to vibrate, Alot, it's supposed to vibrate. :yahoo: IT's the motor speaking to you! I can tell how fast I'm going, how many RPM's I'm running and what gear I'm in without looking at the dash. If vibration is a real show stopper, I would suggest sitting at home watching TV, there's not alot of vibration from your remote.

 

[HotRodZilla]

Any and all motorcycles are going to vibrate. It's a fact. <_< You're sitting on a motor, you are connected in three places, your ass, your feet, and your hands. In the case of the FJR, it's a 1300cc inline 4 cylinder high perfomance engine! Running at high RPMs. That alot of mass, spinning very fast between your legs, it's going to vibrate, Alot, it's supposed to vibrate. :yahoo: IT's the motor speaking to you! I can tell how fast I'm going, how many RPM's I'm running and what gear I'm in without looking at the dash. If vibration is a real show stopper, I would suggest sitting at home watching TV, there's not alot of vibration from your remote.

IF you have a good remote there is!

 

[jride]

Any and all motorcycles are going to vibrate. It's a fact. <_< You're sitting on a motor, you are connected in three places, your ass, your feet, and your hands. In the case of the FJR, it's a 1300cc inline 4 cylinder high perfomance engine! Running at high RPMs. That alot of mass, spinning very fast between your legs, it's going to vibrate, Alot, it's supposed to vibrate. :yahoo: IT's the motor speaking to you! I can tell how fast I'm going, how many RPM's I'm running and what gear I'm in without looking at the dash. If vibration is a real show stopper, I would suggest sitting at home watching TV, there's not alot of vibration from your remote.

while it is true that all engines produce vibration some manufacturers are better at eliminating it or isolating it in such a way as to enhance the riding/ driving experience. We would never accept a car or pickup that transmitted the amount of vibration that the rider feels on an FJR even in a car producing 3 times the hp.

My son owns a 08 Harley Ultra and at hiway speeds I felt NO vibration through the bars and there are very few engines that even come close to producing the vibration a Harley produces.

This is not to say the FJR is not a good bike , It is but Yamaha has been resting on its laurels for too long and needs to improve thier product

 

[RadioHowie]

while it is true that all engines produce vibration some manufacturers are better at eliminating it or isolating it in such a way as to enhance the riding/ driving experience. We would never accept a car or pickup that transmitted the amount of vibration that the rider feels on an FJR even in a car producing 3 times the hp.

My son owns a 08 Harley Ultra and at hiway speeds I felt NO vibration through the bars and there are very few engines that even come close to producing the vibration a Harley produces.

This is not to say the FJR is not a good bike , It is but Yamaha has been resting on its laurels for too long and needs to improve thier product

Boy those Harleys are GREAT bike, aren't they?

Maybe it's time to man up, take your bike to a Yamaha shop and have them confirm that the balancers are timed correctly???

Didja ever think about that???

 

[bluesdog]

I've only ridden one FJR, (mine), but I have ridden a number of others, from Hondas to Harleys. Without question my feej is the smoothest, least buzzy motorcycle I've ever been on. I suppose the wingabago is smoother, but who cares?

In 1975, I owned a Norton 850 Commando. Now that little bike vibrated so badly at speed that once you hit over 110 Mph, both the tach and the speedo became unreadable! I think I went 130+ on her once, but I could never be sure... :blink:

I traded the Norton in on a new Yamaha 750 triple, which took me across Canada and back in 1977. It vibrated a bit, but couldn't match that Norton. In 1978 I traded the 750 in on a new XS11 bagger, which was the smoothest, sleekest and scariest thing I'd ridden. Both Yammies had a bit of a buzz, which I fixed with fatter, softer grips. Yes, I wish I still had all three of those bikes..

My 2011 FJR had 0 Km when I fired it up at the dealership, and I have put more than 10,000 Km on it so far this year, riding almost daily since mid-March. Oh, it had a brief period of buzziness during break-in, but that gradually disappeared, and after the first TBS the engine has become turbine-like, with only a very slight buzz @ 4000RPM, and even this has become virtually imperceptible as it approached 10,000 Km. At certain RPMs, when the fuel tank is running low, I feel a slight 'tingle' on my knees from the tank sides. I suppose this to be a resonant harmonic, and it's something I've experienced on pretty much every bike I've ridden.

The FJR is the first bike I've owned that didn't induce numbness in my fingers after a few hours, requiring me to install softer/fatter handgrips. Despite the absurd speed limit of 100Kph, I regularly cruise at 120-140Kph, with the tach hovering right around the 'buzz' zone. I don't find it at all obtrusive, fatiguing or annoying -- I just know it's there, barely. At both lower and higher RPMs, the thing is glassy smooth. (Of course, at higher speed the beat-up roads around here transmit their own special brand of vibe!)

It might be interesting for the OP to ride a couple of other FJRs, and see if there's any difference in perceived vibration.

 

[NMRoadRunner]

I had a 75 Norton 850 Commando too! My balls are still numb from riding that bike! :angry2: But it sure was a classy ride back then.

 

[giarcg]

Here is an interesting FJR vibe story, I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed it. There is a very distinct harmonic that the engine passes through around 2700 RPM. I noticed it on two bikes I test rode in Ohio and it is present in my bike as well... at least at elevations east of the Rockies.

I purchased my bike while on vacation in Denver and logged about a thousand miles through Colorado and Utah. During this time I did not notice the harmonic at all, I really wasn't thinking about it at the time but I know that if it was there I would have noticed for sure. Once I headed east and started dropping altitude it became more and more apparent (as did the improved performance and drop in fuel mileage). I guess the engine hits a little harder with increased manifold pressure.

Cant wait for another trip out there to verify this....

 

[Geno]

My new '11 is the smoothest, quietest, most effortless bike I've ever ridden. Maybe they decreased the throttle spring tension on the '11s, but I hardly notice its vibration.

 

[jride]

while it is true that all engines produce vibration some manufacturers are better at eliminating it or isolating it in such a way as to enhance the riding/ driving experience. We would never accept a car or pickup that transmitted the amount of vibration that the rider feels on an FJR even in a car producing 3 times the hp.

My son owns a 08 Harley Ultra and at hiway speeds I felt NO vibration through the bars and there are very few engines that even come close to producing the vibration a Harley produces.

This is not to say the FJR is not a good bike , It is but Yamaha has been resting on its laurels for too long and needs to improve thier product

Boy those Harleys are GREAT bike, aren't they?

Maybe it's time to man up, take your bike to a Yamaha shop and have them confirm that the balancers are timed correctly???

Didja ever think about that???

as a matter of fact harleys are great bikes for what they were designed for but not what i want at this time. I happen to like all kinds and brands of bikes and if i had the space and the money i would own several.

and i probably will have the shop check it out when i have the 24kmi service done but basicly i think it is just the way the FJR is.

 

[FarWestFastEddie]

Here is an interesting FJR vibe story, I'm wondering if anyone else has noticed it. There is a very distinct harmonic that the engine passes through around 2700 RPM. I noticed it on two bikes I test rode in Ohio and it is present in my bike as well... at least at elevations east of the Rockies.

I purchased my bike while on vacation in Denver and logged about a thousand miles through Colorado and Utah. During this time I did not notice the harmonic at all, I really wasn't thinking about it at the time but I know that if it was there I would have noticed for sure. Once I headed east and started dropping altitude it became more and more apparent (as did the improved performance and drop in fuel mileage). I guess the engine hits a little harder with increased manifold pressure.

Cant wait for another trip out there to verify this....

My 07 FJR also has a rough spot between 29-32k rpm, when still new I took it to the dealer several times to hear maybe it was stale gas, or just something I notice and not them,the typical blue smoke up my ass from a lazy service manager. I even complained to Yamaha USA, who replied it may be the counter balancer, nothing was pursued my Yamaha, I have learned not to lug the bike thru that particular rpm range, its really just an annoyance.

FWFE

 

[RadioHowie]

while it is true that all engines produce vibration some manufacturers are better at eliminating it or isolating it in such a way as to enhance the riding/ driving experience. We would never accept a car or pickup that transmitted the amount of vibration that the rider feels on an FJR even in a car producing 3 times the hp.

My son owns a 08 Harley Ultra and at hiway speeds I felt NO vibration through the bars and there are very few engines that even come close to producing the vibration a Harley produces.

This is not to say the FJR is not a good bike , It is but Yamaha has been resting on its laurels for too long and needs to improve thier product

Boy those Harleys are GREAT bike, aren't they?

Maybe it's time to man up, take your bike to a Yamaha shop and have them confirm that the balancers are timed correctly???

Didja ever think about that???

as a matter of fact harleys are great bikes for what they were designed for but not what i want at this time. I happen to like all kinds and brands of bikes and if i had the space and the money i would own several.

and i probably will have the shop check it out when i have the 24kmi service done but basicly i think it is just the way the MY FJR is.

Corrected for context....

 

[phroenips]

My 07 FJR also has a rough spot between 29-32k rpm

Damn! Mine doesn't rev anywhere NEAR that high!!!

 

[Fred W]

and i probably will have the shop check it out when i have the 24kmi service done but basicly i think it is just the way the FJR is.

Don't be surprised if they say something like: "What vibration" or else "Oh yeah, they all do that.". There aren't too many shops around that deal well with such nuances as this.

My suggestion, if you still are unsure if your bike is vibrating atypically, is to get together with some other FJR owners of the same model year and trade bikes for a test ride. If the OP's bikes all feel the same as yours you can quit trying to fix it and just go buy an ST1300 turbine. OTOH, if yours is much worse you will know for sure that there is something wrong with your FJR.