Flies and Vibes

[royal]

So, would pulling the flies on a 2010 lessen the vibes through the tank and / or grips ?  At 3,000 RPMs, the bike is relatively vibe free.  But, anything higher, the vibes through the tank and grips gets really annoying.  Approach 4,000 RPMs and it's like riding a sack of bees.  And before anyone mentions it, I have had the dealer do a throttle body synch and check the engine mounts and the header bolts.  Nothing changed.  My thoughts are here, if pulling the flies gives more low end grunt, then wouldn't it make sense that you could maintain power at a lesser RPM and thus, not have to ride at the RPMs that bring on the vibes ?  Although, even if this is true, I have no idea on how to do a "Flyectomy".  Any chance I could persuade the dealer to perform the surgery ?

Royal

[rcannon409]

I dont see the flies having a thing to do with vibration.  IF they did, then I would look at a carb sync gauge and play with the thing ans try some different "sync" points.   Let me explain better . I found a perfect spot on my sv 650 tb's where vibration was minimal.  This was NOT at  a point where the tb's were exactly matched. 

[Pokey]

How about heavier bar ends, and also adding grip puppies?

[capt chaos]

Don't think secondary butterflies are your issue, have you tried another GTR? ECU can be re-map'ed to control opening times and speed etc. dptune.com

[royal]

I already have the heaviest bar ends available and also grip puppies.  There just seems to be something off and I can't put my finger on it.  I'm not the handiest of guys.  Seems like when you are going 40 MPH, you need to run it in third gear at relatively high RPMs to keep constant speed, or click into fourth and it almost lags.  And anything above 3500 RPMs, causes the tank to vibrate as well as the grips.  Don't notice it as much in the pegs.  Which is one of the reasons I was thinking that removing the flies might help.

Last service, I had them do a throttle body synch, check the engine mounts and header bolts.  If anything, it seems a little worse.  So, I just got off the phone with my dealer (Really nice guys, although I have no idea how tech savvy they are), and I'm bringing it back to check everything they supposedly checked the last time.  Something just doesn't seem right.  One other thing that I've noticed is that above 5500 RPMs, it seems like it might be smoothing out some, but that's not where I ride.  The vast majority of my riding is between 3,000 and 4,000 RPMs, which is exactly where the problem lies.  Frustrating.....

Royal

[katata1100]

I'd say something is wrong, maybe they did a sloppy synch. Look, I have arthritis- I rode my Katana 1100 for 12 years with no problems. But,two years ago, the vibes were hurting my feet and hands. I keep it in synch with my carbtune, have gel grips, foam wraps, gel gloves, nothing kept the vibes at bay.
Got the C14, rode 1200 miles in two days when I first got it, no buzz, no vibes, no pain.

[martin_14]

Hi Royal, I had a similar problem and I went through some dealers until one found the issue: the 1,5 mm washer between the bar ends and handle bar were missing. That was it.
For what is worth, give it a try. It turned my bike from something unbearable into the smoothest 4-cyl engine I've ever ridden.
Let us know how it turns out.

[Cold Streak]

Another option is a bad sparkplug or coil causing misfires.  It sounds like you are down on power also from your description.  Have you had the valve clearance checked?  If a valve is partially open it would also cause a problem.

[rcannon409]

Hi Royal, I had a similar problem and I went through some dealers until one found the issue: the 1,5 mm washer between the bar ends and handle bar were missing. That was it.
For what is worth, give it a try. It turned my bike from something unbearable into the smoothest 4-cyl engine I've ever ridden.
Let us know how it turns out.

YES!  I agree with the washers. Experiment with different ones, even. Makes a hell of  a difference.

[royal]

Did the washer trick.  Tried two.  No better.  Tried three.  No change.  Tried them with stock bar ends and with the heavy set I bought.  No change.  Just so you guys know, my bike has 10,000 miles on it, for reference.  Goes into the dealer tomorrow.  I'll let you know how I make out.

Royal

[Cuda]

I put LSL bars on and I did not install the bar ends and I have NO vibes , I did not have a problem with the stock bars ?
Good Luck

[martin_14]

Did the washer trick.  Tried two.  No better.  Tried three.  No change.  Tried them with stock bar ends and with the heavy set I bought.  No change.  Just so you guys know, my bike has 10,000 miles on it, for reference.  Goes into the dealer tomorrow.  I'll let you know how I make out.

Royal

bummer 
I'm sorry it didn't work, but at least that narrows down a bit the list of possible causes. Keep us posted.
BTW, did you check the tightness of the front plastic cover under the windshield? In this case I don't believe it would make a big difference, but who knows...

[metzgerf16]

I have noticeable vibration around the same RPM range that you're describing, but it's not that bad to me.  I rarely ride at 4k RPM.  I'm either cruising at 3000-3500 RPM, or I'm riding more aggressively and at 6k RPM or above.  I usually ride with a group of sport bikers, and I've noticed that the Connie rides much smoother when I keep the revs above 6k.  It takes some getting used to if you don't usually ride in that range, but the bike will reward you nicely when hitting a series of twisties.  The higher RPM range will provide better throttle response and compression braking.  To me, it feels like the C14 was meant to ride in the higher rev range when riding aggressively.  Because of the large engine, it has the low end torque to run at lower RPM's, but it's just not as smooth.  I recently acquired a 2006 Kawasaki ZX10R, and it experiences the same mid range vibration (to a lesser degree) as the Connie.  I just keep the revs up for aggressive riding or down for cruising.  Adjusting your riding style may seem like an odd solution, but it's free and the Connie responds nicely to it.     

[jjsC6]

From what I have read throttle body synch does not effect cruising RPM, only idle and very low rpm and off idle responsiveness.  I cannot say for sure this is true, but worth learning for sure.  Either way, I'm a believer that vibration is caused either by something wrong, but usually by an inherent design of the engine.  In the case of inline 4s, they are inherently unbalanced and require a balance mechanism (counter weights for instance).  Almost no four is totally smooth.

In your case, it sounds like something worse as I've never heard of a gas tank vibrating.  Will be interested to see what you learn.  I'm not sure if it has been asked or not, but have you experimented to see if its is RMP related for sure and not speed related?

Good luck.

[VirginiaJim]

Some other areas to look at for vibration are the engine mounts.  They can loosen and cause vibration.  It's also possible the balancer adjustment is out.  That procedure is on page 9-33 in my 08 manual (Crankshaft/transmission).

[maxtog]

I dont see the flies having a thing to do with vibration. 

+1
I don't see any possible relation.

I don't have any significant vibration on my 2011 Concours, at all.

[stewart]

OP, I doubt this is related to your concerns as they mainly exist in the bars. But I noticed vibration on my bike at one point in the tank. I couldn't tell when it happened, but after some dicussion with the dealer we figured out that I overtightened the mounting bolts for the tank after removing it for a farkle. This negated the rubber mounts. After I loosened all was fine.

Just some food for thought.

[capt chaos]

Hi Royal, I had a similar problem and I went through some dealers until one found the issue: the 1,5 mm washer between the bar ends and handle bar were missing. That was it.
For what is worth, give it a try. It turned my bike from something unbearable into the smoothest 4-cyl engine I've ever ridden.
Let us know how it turns out.

Got any photo's please? 

[martin_14]

Got any photo's please? 

Unfortunately not, but you can check the microfiche of the assembly here.
See the rubber bushing (part 92092)? There's a "ring snap" (part 92033) between it and the handlebar. That little fella was missing.

[Awaz]

So, would pulling the flies on a 2010 lessen the vibes through the tank and / or grips ?  At 3,000 RPMs, the bike is relatively vibe free.  But, anything higher, the vibes through the tank and grips gets really annoying.  Approach 4,000 RPMs and it's like riding a sack of bees.  And before anyone mentions it, I have had the dealer do a throttle body synch and check the engine mounts and the header bolts.  Nothing changed.  My thoughts are here, if pulling the flies gives more low end grunt, then wouldn't it make sense that you could maintain power at a lesser RPM and thus, not have to ride at the RPMs that bring on the vibes ?  Although, even if this is true, I have no idea on how to do a "Flyectomy".  Any chance I could persuade the dealer to perform the surgery ?

Royal

I am curious at what gear are you pulling those 4000+ RPM? Was this in the highway in sixth gear? Stop light to stop light in 3rd gear? I am just curious. Normal driving around, I really do not feel any appreciable vibes. But I am just wondering a higher RPM in a lower gear will generate such vibes.