vibration problem on a 3rd gen

I had pretty similar problems with the vibration and wind. For the vibration and weight on my wrists, I ordered from eBay a adjustable clip-on Adjustable CNC Clip On Handlebar 41mm Silver HD10 | eBay , which allowed me to ride bit more staright not leaning to my hands. In the same time I could also adjust the agle of handlebars to better fit my hands. Even though the clipon is solid aluminium, it did not need any weights. I suppose the aluminium damped the vibration better than the steel ones.

I'm 170 and the wind noice was my problem. To cure that, I bought MRA Vario Touring screen and for me it works pretty well. With the adjustable wind deflector I can adjust where the wind hits my head. In the highest position, it hits my forehead, in lowest position to my chin which is best in the rain to clear the visor from the drops.

 

Could aluminium really dampen vibes?

Well...I checked the exhaust silencer mount. Definitely ruled out. The exhaust isn't touching the frame at any point but via cushions on the heat guard. I even took the centerstand off to no avail.

The vibes are felt all over the bike. Pillion foot pegs, wind screen, fairings...only the main frame including engine mounts feel steadier.
I can't pinpoint the origin and can't remember to have done anything when the vibes started. Bloody frustrating.

 

Changed the spark plugs. No visible improvement. The wiring from the coils to the plugs are known to cause vibes once chewed through...where would I get new cables? Also...could the fault lie in the bearings of the crankshaft? Or maybe a worn out clutch?

edit: Changed the standard grips to soft gel grips. Possibly little less vibrations but certainly not enough.

 

Changed back to original screen. The wind on my chest is strong enough to lift all the weight off my wrists at speeds exceeding 110 kph/65mph.
It is superior to the useless touring screen. Still...the vibrations persist numbing my right hand.
It's bearable now with the better screen but I would love some more input on the problem.
I won't stop until the numbing is gone.

 

Occam's Razor

Adding or changing the weights only changes the natural resonant frequency of the handlebars--it doesn't damp out any transmitted vibration. The only damping in the bars would be the rubber grips. Maybe a gel pack in the gloves or sorbathane (sp?) insert could be used to add damping. i would think that a wrist numbing vibration would be of a fairly high frequency.

Also i have seen rubber spacers used to mount handlebars on the suzuki 1200 bandit, maybe there is an option such as that to damp out the vibration.

But if you want to find the source of the vibration, then i would recommend to pull the clutch cover and start looking there--it's on the right hand side of the bike.

http://vfrworld.com/forums/mechanic...uces-wear-extends-life-clutch-basket-hub.html

 

I intend to renew the clutch at some point but I haven't got the time right now.
What I did though, and what fixed the issue, was an oil change. I chose a more expensive brand and swapped the filter aswell. The vibes in the right handle bar were reduced substantially and I can now ride for an hour with comfort.

 

What could possibly be the cause of vibrations if an oil change reduces them?
The new oil is castrol power1 10w-40.

Edit: Measured the temperature readings of the exhaust ports when idling.
Very small differences. Lowest #1 at 110 C, highest #3 at 125 C.
The other 2 between these. Right side seemed to be a tad hotter.
Are these normal temperatures and differences?

 

Was the old oil synthetic or automobile oil, not motorsickle grade? The clutch and engine share oil supply and have unique requirements that car oil doesn't meet. Otherwise the starter idler gear and the camshaft end-float threads seem to have similar symptoms and sometimes fixes just due to oil changes...

 

The old oil was Motul's motorcycle grade and wet clutch compatible for four-stroke engines. It was the same oil the previous owner had used.

 

Hmmm I would be looking at what you had removed and reinstalled to do their filter change.
can't imagine oil would change the vibes unless it was nearly empty

 

The only thing removed was the left side fairing and the oil level was maintained properly.
The vibes do still get my hand if it's already tired, like after a day's work.

 

Does your bike still have the weights that are bolted to the back of the footpeg brackets? i can't remember if it's on the passenger or pilot's plates-- There is a buzzing around 5k rpm that sounds like it's coming out of the fuel tank lid--i think those weights were the factory attempt to mute the buzz.

 

I can't sense these tank lid sounds at any rpm. There is a weight on the left hand side but nothing similar on the right hand side of the bike.
I believe it's as good as it gets right now. I'm gonna update again once I've done the clutch.

 

I went out for a longer ride the other day and I too noticed my right hand got what we call "pins and needles" after a while. I just wonder that as I am right handed and the right hand /wrist is in theory "doing more" that it may just be that I am more tense and that's affecting circulation .

Another Maybe is that I recently installed a higher screen as I am 6 feet 3 inches tall, at first It took all the wind away from my chest and arms but I have noticed it channels the air straight to the bottom of my helmet which causes unbearable wind noise in helmet , I wonder if this would cause a high level frequency vibration which may be linked to my hand so I am going to swap back to standard so I will let you know how it goes.

 

I've gone back to the standard screen from vario touring and am sticking to it.
I have paid attention to the way I hold the bars and regardless of how tightly I squeeze them the hand goes numb.
Right-handedness is a theory but little far-fetched.

The height of the screen is unlikely to cause any alternation in the vibrations.
I've had 3 different screens with no difference in vibes.