The Buzz

[IraB]

Had Kawazilla for a couple of months and believe it or not today is the first day I have not worked since.  Been tuning and loving on it and going for afternoon short rides to get familiar with the bike but today FINALLY rode over to the interstate to see how she likes freeway speeds. I was especially interested in "the buzz" so many riders mention and just how big an issue it is.

Wow!  These babies are quick! 

Had the bike "somewhat above the posted speed limit of 70"    and was expecting "the buzz."  Noticed a little bit of buzz on decel but that's about it other than very slight vibration through the grips.
Wondering if this is unusual or maybe related to the low miles (now 11,000) on this bike?
Also surprised at how quiet (relatively speaking of course) this bike is at high speed.

While heading home a major, firehose rain type squall blew through.  The bike handled the foul weather like a champ and the "leg warmers" a lot of you guys gripe about are going to be a big plus around here. This engine seems to really enjoy cool, moist, sea level air.  For 90% of my intended use, perfect!
While zipping past drivers in the rain as they sat in their climate controlled cars, sipping their Starbucks and jabbering on their phones I had an epiphany about why we so love to ride.  They were alive but I was living. 
It is good to have a bike again and more so that it is this one.

[gtr a14]

hi, the buzz on both my 92 and 01 c10s was cured by heavier handlebar weights and foam grips.

For riding at speeds above 70  i changed to a taller screen which made things more plesant.
And yes comfortable, responsive and enough poke for some fun, as the say at Kawasaki "Let the good times roll! " 

you can see in pic foam grips and heavy barends

[RFH87_Connie]

you can see in pic foam grips and heavy barends

I can also see a lot of wheel weights!  Maybe that tire should have been rotated 180 degrees when mounting.

I have 2 '87s.  One buzzes, one doesn't.  I've checked and compared a lot of things but nothing seems to "cure" it.

[IraB]

Considering the engine size, rpms ect. it seems pretty smooth to me.
There was a minor and transient buzz on deceleration which makes me wonder if the origins of this phenomenon in related to timing chain tension?

[julianop]

Considering the engine size, rpms ect. it seems pretty smooth to me.
There was a minor and transient buzz on deceleration which makes me wonder if the origins of this phenomenon in related to timing chain tension?

I find that when I come down out of 80 mph I sense buzzing down to around 60 that I didn't notice on the way up. I put it down to vibration induced by power transfer and enhanced by resonance while accelerating; when coming down only the resonance shows up.

Certainly the bike loves 80 and up 

[IraB]

I find that when I come down out of 80 mph I sense buzzing down to around 60 that I didn't notice on the way up. I put it down to vibration induced by power transfer and enhanced by resonance while accelerating; when coming down only the resonance shows up.

Certainly the bike loves 80 and up 

That sounds like exactly what I encounter.  Very minor though.

Ditto on 80+.  Seems to just start coming alive at 75-80 and pulls very strong until I chicken out. 
This bike will obviously go much, much faster than it ( and/or I ) should.

[Gitbox]

I lost just about all my buzzing when I removed the handlebar risers.

[julianop]

I lost just about all my buzzing when I removed the handlebar risers.

That's interesting, but totally plausible. The radius of gyration (and therefore moment of inertia) of the top assembly is higher with risers, and there's probably some additional elasticity depending on the design of risers.

I ain't takin' mine off though - I already have 14 degrees of lean angle and that's 10 more than I like.
See http://cycle-ergo.com

[bbroj]

My buzz is worse since installing my Heli-Bars. I would be interested in knowing if anyone has any assembly torque specs for them. I may be imagining it, but the buzz seems worse on the right bar, that is why I'm thinking torque specs. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't give up the bars, but the buzz is something I would like to find a way to lessen or eliminate. I do have Murph's foam grips on the bars, I may go with the heavy weights in his Buzz-less kit next.

[Two Skies]

I have Motorcycle Larry's riser blocks, which essentially did nothing for or against the buzz.  It greatly reduced the strain on my lower back muscles/spine, though (why I bought them), so it was a good move.  YMMV buzz wise of course.

I did a bafflectomy, which reduced the buzz slightly.  Plus the bike sounds meaner now...

I removed the muffler bolts that are next to the driver's pegs, and bent the tabs out/away from the frame.  Mufflers are still on the bike where they were when I bent the tabs many many miles ago, and this helped reduce the buzz slightly.  SISF/Steve recommends using isolator washers ('rubber' washers between the tabs and the frame), and has had good success with said isolation washers.

I shimmed the upper left motor mount with an extra washer (most guys end up doing this on the right side, my 'gap' was on the left though) to reduce torquing forces on the frame, this helped reduce the buzz slightly.

I packed my handlebars with material (small shot/bb's are suggested), which helped slightly.

I put the 'Wing sized' tire on the rear, which reduced RPMs by about 3%, hence increasing the 'buzz threshold' MPH wise slightly.

I put gel grips on my handlebars, which mitigated the buzz slightly.

I put in some NGK Iridium plugs.  I think this helped slightly.

Everything I did by itself was almost insignificant on it's own, but together it has helped reduce the buzz enough to make it much more tolerable.

A lot of the buzz has went away since I broke in the bike (48,000 miles).  She was much more buzzy when I first bought her.  She had 1538 miles on the odo when I took her home (slightly used) from the dealer.

One thing that helps A LOT is a crampbuster.  This allows you to relax your grip on the throttle a bit once you are at speed, hence less buzz is transmitted through the throttle into your right hand.  This also (unconsciously) helps you relax your grip on the left handlebar too, so it's a win win.

I've went the foam grip route in the past (sorta), but currently I'm not feeling the need.  The buzz is reduced enough now that I don't really notice it anymore.  Also, I no longer employ the 'Vulcan Death Grip' on the handlebars, partially due to the crampbuster above.

Note that I have the 'protective' rider's gloves (Joe Rocket leather ones with the pads on top of the knuckles), and slip a pair of cotton gloves inside of them.  The extra layer probably helps a bit with the buzz.

Proper valve adjustment helps with the buzz I think.  I haven't checked my valves in a while now, though (well over 10K miles since the last adjust), so I need to crack that cover soon and see where I'm at.  I've been meaning to get Steve's cams soon, hence my lack of worry r.e. the valve adjust, plus the bike is performing nicely.

Several have commented that after the first 3-4 valve adjusts, the valves seem to 'settle in', so adjustments aren't needed as often after that.  This seems to be my case as well.

I hear that stick coils can help with the buzz, due to the 'cleaner/more consistent' spark.  I want them...

I'm a fan of Shell Rotella T6.  The bike has been running T6 (and T before that) since my first oil change, which I did at 3K on the odo.  Dunno if this helped break in the motor any differently than regular oil, but I'm happy with my smooth shifts and the cams don't look that bad currently.  Some minor pitting (most/almost all stock Connie cams have pitting issues), but nothing scary last time I did a valve adjust.

Steve's '7th gear' mod will help with the buzz significantly, as it will reduce your revs by 12% (hence you won't hit the 'buzz threshold' as soon MPH wise), and is just something every C10 Connie really should have.  I still need to get one...

I hear that going to 'regular/different' handlebars helps a LOT with the buzz, so I was surprised to see one of the above posters not being happy with the helibars buzz wise.  Helibars are different than regular tubular bars though, so that might have something to do with it.

[GeeBeav]

That's a lot of "slightly"s. You shouldn't have any buzz left

[Two Skies]

That's a lot of "slightly"s. You shouldn't have any buzz left

It was REALLY noticable when I first got the bike.  Now it isn't very noticable at all, but it is still there.  The Crampbuster is probably the most helpful, but it is definitely a fair amount less than it was even without the crampbuster.

The best part is that most of the things I did are cheap/free and easy to do!  Except for the gel grips and the crampbuster.  Plugs replacement is 'standard' maintenance, although the NGK's are a little pricier than regular spark plugs.  They seem to fire just a little more crisply, as I did get a small performance boost with them I think.  The other plugs were fairly clean when I took them out, and probably could have went another 20-40K miles or more.

I did buy a 1 1/8" hole saw bit for the bafflectomy, but any suitable piece of rebar will work apparently.

I actually used kitty litter in my bars, but I think tiny shot would have worked a little better.  The kitty litter did help slightly, as did a lot of other things.

Bar weights was my next move (after stick coils and the 7th gear mod), but at this point I'm pretty happy with the lack of serious buzz, so I don't think I'll be getting bar weights.

[Mettler1]

   Risers ( 1 3/4 inch) and Murphs' grips helped some.  Steve's 7th gear mod reduces rpm so the buzz doesn't come into play until over 80mph = about 5000 rpm where the buzz seems to start. I also have the stick coils but can't say it helps the buzz but I think you get more consistent ignition over time.

[jim snyder]

My cure for the "Buzz" was getting rid of the stock tuning fork handlebars and changing to standard 7/8" bars with bar adaptor.
Of course installing Steve's 7 Gear unit helped to.

[Oldspeed]

You might want to check the steering head bearing tightness......
Just a small amount of additional adjustment may reduce the vibes being transmitted through the bars.....
This is a BIG issue on the GL1800 as it comes stock with OLD round ball bearings for the steering and very weak fork springs that actually send stinging sensations to the grips when encountering expansion joints.

So it could be that just an additional amount of torque ..say maybe half the width of the slot for the spanner...about an 1/8th in. more of clockwise rotation might do the trick.

                                                                       HTH  Oldspeed

[IraB]

Changed the oil a few days ago and went from 10 w 40 synthetic to 15 w 40 Rotilla Dino and noticed right away that the engine seems a lottle smoother and happier.
Today I rode over to Arlington. About 140 miles R/T with half of that freeway and the happy engine factor was more noticeable with no appreciable "buzz" to speak of.
Can't help but wonder how much of the buzz about buzz is related to oil?

Since my other ride is an 81 VW diesel Rabbit P/U it will also be a lot handier to use the same oil in the bike.  Not to mention a whole lot cheaper.