Wicked Vibration at Right Handgrip

[jpcfjr]

Yesterday while riding home from work, the bike started vibrating noticeably and about 10 miles in at 70 mph my right hand was about numb. Since the ride in was smooth I was a bit baffled.

Same vibration on the way in today. I was thinking tires as the vibration seemed to be speed related but my tires are fine. A friend suggested the suspension and I think that is the problem. The left clicker on top of the shock no longer stops at the prescribed number of clicks. The right side stops. My theory is that the valve on the left is stuck closed while I had backed both sides from "hard" to get the ride I was looking for. With the left valve closed and the right one 6 clicks out, the right side was vibrating like crazy from small undulations whilst the left was not moving?

Sound reasonable? What will it take to fix this? It's under warranty but just wondering how long I'll be without the ride.

 

[jpcfjr]

So here we go...dealer just called. "there is nothing wrong, after 21 clicks there is no adjustment being made" so they say Yamaha said. If this vibration is gonna get fixed, I suppose I'm gonna have to fix it. :angry2: :angry:

 

[RTSR1/FJR]

Maybe you lost a wheel weight. Check your wheels!

 

[03HiYoSilver]

jp,

Have someone with a FJR in your area ride your bike and get another experienced opinion. It is a very good chance you are getting blown off by the Dealer.

If you are still under Warranty, call 800-962-7926 Yamaha Customer Service to document your situation.

Then you may have more ammo to work with and have to talk to the Regional Yamaha Service Manager to assist you with your problem.

Good Luck with your fix.....

 

[stryg8r]

There is a similar problem described in this month's Cycle World. 2009 model with excessive vibration, right mirror blurry, riders right hand going numb. There's been numerous reports of buzziness and some folks have a problem with the particular frequency the FJR generates, but maybe this is something above and beyond the normal vibrations we've experienced?

Some things to check. Throttle body sync, tire air pressure, tire balance, engine mount bolts torque. Some vibrations can be mitigated with heavy bar ends, different grips, and different gloves.

If its excessive I'd press the dealer to fix it.

 

[jpcfjr]

There is a similar problem described in this month's Cycle World. 2009 model with excessive vibration, right mirror blurry, riders right hand going numb. There's been numerous reports of buzziness and some folks have a problem with the particular frequency the FJR generates, but maybe this is something above and beyond the normal vibrations we've experienced?
Some things to check. Throttle body sync, tire air pressure, tire balance, engine mount bolts torque. Some vibrations can be mitigated with heavy bar ends, different grips, and different gloves.

If its excessive I'd press the dealer to fix it.

ROFL Your tire pressure comment got me laughing. While a valid thing to check, if I brought my bike into Coleman Powersorts on a flatbed truck in pieces because a meteor from outer space (do the come from anywhere else?) demolished it the first question they would ask is "are your tire pressures ok?" I mean are we all complete idiots? Partial idiots maybe (surely?) but complete idiots are rare indeed.

Anyway, gonna drive it to work today and see what happens. The odd thing is this JUST started happening for no reason. I will check the throttle body synch and probably swap out the spark plugs I just replaced with the original ones to see if maybe I have a bad one or something. The mechanic has sort of convinced me that it's not the shocks so we'll see. Maybe a bad tire, just had the front replaced 1,300 miles ago.

 

[stryg8r]

What I meant was try varying your tire pressure to see if that helps reduce the vibration. If the vibrations is a result of several factors, changing one slightly may help.

 

[na1g]

I think we need to define "vibration". There is the high-frequency buzz, most often felt in the handlebars, that tends to put your hand to sleep. Then there is a lower frequency vibration, more like a shaking, that isn't likely to put your hands to sleep but might make your eyeballs spin.

The high frequency buzz is the kind of thing caused by the engine - missing, throttle bodies out of sync, loose mounting bolts, impending mechanical failure, etc. Low frequency vibes are more likely caused by an out-of-balance wheel, severe tire cupping, warped brake rotor, etc.

A change in the mass of the bar-end weights might help a buzzy handlebar but won't fix the problem. Only a bar-end weight the size of a bowling ball will help the low frequency problem.

It's Friday so I have my asbestos undies on. Flame away!

pete

 

[jpcfjr]

Ok folks, here is the update. And na1g, you win the prize. After much riding today, I realized this has absolutely NOTHING to do with the suspension. This is totally engine related. At about 3800 rpm the vib begins. I got thrown off because I was only paying attention to this in 5th gear so it felt somewhat proportional to speed. I was wrong. The vibration comes on in any gear at around 3800 and just gets worse. Probably around 6000 it starts to dissipate. However, this is a major problem because at 4000 rpm in 5th gear I'm traveling roughly 75 mph which is where I spend a good majority of my time.

So, to rule out anything I had done, I replaced the just replaced spark plugs with oem NGKs and synched the throttle bodies again.

One other symptom of note: Trying to maintain a constant 50 mph in 4th gear on level road reveals some bucking. I would say it always did this but not as bad.

The dealer says they will call Yamaha to have the rep come in and drive it next week. Until then, I'm not going to enjoy the ride very much. I'd appreciate any other suggestions in the mean time. Is there a chance that a balance shaft is somehow out of synch? Did I somehow screw up the TBS? Anybody have experience with this crap?

Thanks,

signed, Dumbfounded in DC

 

[DonRed7]

Hmmm,.. Eggsactially like my 07'. Got a throttle rocker and learned to ignore it.

Cheers

DB

Go borrow someones GS500 Suzuki even new for and hour or so. You will never complain about the Vibes again. And yes i know we expect a much higher level of refinement from a machine that costs 3X...

 

[jpcfjr]

Hmmm,.. Eggsactially like my 07'. Got a throttle rocker and learned to ignore it.
Cheers

DB

Go borrow someones GS500 Suzuki even new for and hour or so. You will never complain about the Vibes again. And yes i know we expect a much higher level of refinement from a machine that costs 3X...

Ignore it...not likely. Getting to work with your arm numb is not exactly my idea of fun...ok, going to work is not exactly my idea of fun either. But I would not be able to travel any significant distances with the bike the way it is. I'll stop riding if this is as good as it's gonna get.

 

[TechJunkie]

Ok folks, here is the update. And na1g, you win the prize. After much riding today, I realized this has absolutely NOTHING to do with the suspension. This is totally engine related. At about 3800 rpm the vib begins. I got thrown off because I was only paying attention to this in 5th gear so it felt somewhat proportional to speed. I was wrong. The vibration comes on in any gear at around 3800 and just gets worse. Probably around 6000 it starts to dissipate. However, this is a major problem because at 4000 rpm in 5th gear I'm traveling roughly 75 mph which is where I spend a good majority of my time.
So, to rule out anything I had done, I replaced the just replaced spark plugs with oem NGKs and synched the throttle bodies again.

One other symptom of note: Trying to maintain a constant 50 mph in 4th gear on level road reveals some bucking. I would say it always did this but not as bad.

The dealer says they will call Yamaha to have the rep come in and drive it next week. Until then, I'm not going to enjoy the ride very much. I'd appreciate any other suggestions in the mean time. Is there a chance that a balance shaft is somehow out of synch? Did I somehow screw up the TBS? Anybody have experience with this crap?

Thanks,

signed, Dumbfounded in DC

I will throw this in, though not sure it's helpful, my 08 was smooth as silk until it hit around 1K then I noticed the vibes. I could not ride the interstate for more than twenty miles without my right hand going numb. When I had the first full service done I had the throttle bodies synced and it seem MUCH better. Slowly, however, the vibes returned. Now at 15K I must honestly say I don't even notice any unusual vibes. I think it is a combination of the engine finally breaking in, relaxing my grip, riding posture and grip puppies. I did a 12 day 4300 mile trip last summer with a buddy and rode all day long. Never once had a problem.

Not downplaying your problem, just know that I have been there and now my bad vibe issues are all gone with really nothing besides routine maintenance performed. I will say that each time I have had a TBS done adjustments were made and the vibes would be even less. Good luck and hope you find your gremlins if they are there.

 

[seventyss]

I feel your pain. I'm pretty much dealing with the same thing. I picked up a used 2009 a month ago and am really disappointed that my bike has really horrible vibrations from about 3500rpm to 5000rpm. Have tried the usual suspects; new plugs, TBS and re-torquing the engine mounts. All to no avail. I'm sad to say that my 1982 Honda CB750F puts my 27 year newer FJR to shame when it comes to smooth operation. With the Honda I can honestly say that I don't know what rpm I'm at when getting a little crazy with the throttle, I unfortunately know exactly when I reach 4000rpm with the FJR :angry: .

 

[jpcfjr]

I wonder how it could be that this problem could surface and then just go away? What the hell could be happening inside the motor? I find it hard to believe this is possible. I'll see what the Yammy rep has to say and maybe have the bike serviced by the dealer if they think I have somehow done the TBS wrong. Not sure how you can do it wrong though. Maybe the throttle bodies need cleaning? 7K seems a bit early for that though.

 

[VTFJR13]

I wonder how it could be that this problem could surface and then just go away? What the hell could be happening inside the motor? I find it hard to believe this is possible. I'll see what the Yammy rep has to say and maybe have the bike serviced by the dealer if they think I have somehow done the TBS wrong. Not sure how you can do it wrong though. Maybe the throttle bodies need cleaning? 7K seems a bit early for that though.

I have owned and rode alot of different bikes and they all have vibration or a buzz in the handle bars of one form or another. Some people seem to be more sensitive to different types of vibration or buzz. The first time I rode my FJR for any length of time the vibration caused my hands to go numb. I said oh great this is going to be just like my old 86 fj1200 that vibrated like crazy and caused my hands to go numb until I started using foam hand grips (the fj1200 already had heavy bar end weights). I was hoping to find a different solution than foam hand grips for my FJR. So I did manic salamder bar end weights. I bought a set and put them on and wow! What a difference. I don't feel any vibes until 5-6k rpms now and I must tell you I have down the TBS sync and all. But I think my hands are just sensitive to certain vibrations. My YZF600R had a buzz in the bars and that didn't bother me at all. This solution may not work for everyone. I think the bar end weights are ugly but they really work. I have experimented alot with different style and weight bar ends ( I brought the oem ones and another set with me on a ride and swapped them out and the one in the picture always work the best for me)and I keep going back to the same ugly bar end weights. Here is a pic of the ones that work for me.

Eric

 

[Ignacio]

Have you tried retorquing the engine mounts yet? I see it suggested two or three times, but I don't see that you said you tried it yet.

 

[Jack G]

Still getting some miles on my 04 that I just got 3 weeks ago. Spent about an hour on it the other day and did some interstate driving where steady 3500 rpm had my right hand numb. So I'm really watching the posts here. I haven't checked the engine mounting bolts and have not had the throttle bodies synched. I did buy a shop manual for it so I guess its time to break it open and see what is involved with syching them.

The bar end weights may help. I can't imagine this is something that is acceptable to riders on a regular basis. In the interim I bought a throttle lock to allow me some freedom from holding the throttle. I have a trip coming up and I would be pissed to have to deal with the numbness.

 

[Bustanut joker]

Shit like this is killer funny :lol: I find it particularly interesting that it's only one hand having this issue.. :blink:

As was stated in the cycle world bit, some folks are sensitive to vibrations at a certain frequency, while others aren't.

I don't know... the one hand numbness is more related to you and not so much the bike.. Why isn't the left suffering?

I really beleive it's in the way ya hang on to the throttle or possibly even glove related. I proved the glove thing myself by over tightening a pair of Bellstaffs with the long gator.

My hand went to shit in about 20 miles on the tight glove and felt fine with the loose.. I switched to the left hand and had the same issue but it was 70 plus miles before it bit me..

A year later I had carpal release surgery on the right hand...

Just something to think about.

:jester:

 

[jpcfjr]

Well, it ain't crackin me up at all. I dropped 14 large on a bike that is supposed to be perfect for traveling across the country. At this point, I can barely take it across town.

You did get me thinkin about the gloves though. I recently bought a new pair that are tighter. However, I've been wearing them for over a thousand miles before the problem happened. I'll give it a try though.

Engine mounts? We don't need no stinking engine mounts. Ok, maybe we do. I'll torque those tomorrow...WTF I'm willing to crush up a goat testical and put that in the gas tank if someone tells me that will help!