Vibrations (Again)

[deadb0y]

TL;DR
Some moan of vibes - some day it's OK, I'd like to try and find out why!
Can those of you that suffer from vibration post a list of what yammy extras or mods you have?
Can those of you that don't suffer from vibration post a list of what yammy extras or mods you have?

Full Post:

A much covered subject here and throughout the internet it seems:

http://mt09.motorcycle-talk.com/forum/mt-09-tracer-general-discussion/2716-bad-vibes.html
http://mt09.motorcycle-talk.com/forum/mt-09-tracer-general-discussion/3521-vibration-hands.html
http://mt09.motorcycle-talk.com/forum/mt-09-general-discussion/3675-anti-vibration-grips.html

I've had this bike from new and noticed the vibes on the test ride but didn't really think much of it. Now, 18 months and 15k miles later it is the bain of my riding existence! For the first 10k I'd only been doing my daily commute of 15 miles each way so barely noticed but over the last 5k I've been doing longer trips. One was a 300+ mile round trip from Kent to Durham.

By the time I got back from that trip my hands felt like I'd been using a petrol angle grinder for 24 hours solid and I decided enough is enough!

I've spoken to the dealer and they didn't seem to interested in doing anything about it! I've spoken to Yamaha and they don't seem interested in the slightest I mean, they've got my cash now so screw you eh!

The first thing people always say is "you're holding on too tight" - no I'm not because this vibration comes through when you ride no handed and just put your fingertip gently on the grips. This vibration makes the mirrors blur. This vibration makes both the front and rear pegs vibrate so grip has little to do with it.

Being an excellent mechanic I recently did a full 10k service (left valve clearances alone as there is no noise) including most importantly, balancing the throttle bodies! This has made a bit of a difference (they where out by quite a bit I don't think the dealer balanced them at the 600 service).


The hand guards are off - I agree with others on these they make the bike feel much heavier than it actually is and don't really do much to protect your hands!

Removing the hand guards exposed the OEM bar weights that are stupid light (less than an ounce) so I replaced them with these:



These weigh in at just shy of 8 ounces per side and have gone some distance to reducing the vibration but it still there - destroying my soul EVERY time I ride the bike (it's 14:30 now and my right hand is still buzzing from the 30 minute ride to work this morning). To that end I've ordered some HVMP 12 ouncers to see if they eliminate it totally.

All of the "research" (clutch in and out, low speed high revs, high speed low revs, on stand off stand, in neutral slow rev increase and such) I've done suggests this is coming from the engine the ONLY thing I can see that is different on my bike compared to others is I have the yammy OEM engine case protector thing's and I've not tried taking them off yet.

This leads me to my ultimate point - lots of guys complain about the vibes - lots of others don't get it at all. Surely the tolerance to vibration can't be that different between individuals?? I've had guys at work feel the bike and they agree - it vibrates badly. Given a vibration tolerance of say +- 20% you'd still feel it so:

Maybe it has something to do with optional extras???

In a fair world load of other posts will appear that say I've got yammy OEM engine case protector thing's and my bike vibrates or I haven't got yammy OEM engine case protector thing's and my vibration is fine.

Can those of you that suffer from vibration post a list of what yammy extras or mods you have?
Can those of you that don't suffer from vibration post a list of what yammy extras or mods you have?

Thanks

 

[Scaley]

Often the vibes can be eliminated by retorqueing the engine mounting bolts. That is slackening each one and torque them up. It should be done at service but ....

Sent from my A8 using Tapatalk

 

[kev]

fill the handlebars with lead shot, not done it myself as 09 is ok. but a mate swears by it?

 

[Tommy]

Have the throttle bodies been balanced? Unbalanced they can cause bad vibes.

 

[Morseman]

I do get a vibration effect in my right hand. Since I did over 8,000 miles on a 700 Tracer, with no such problems, I don't buy any of the "you are holding on too tight" suggestions, but to be polite I tend to just nod and say "I'll try holding on less tight", but it doesn't work.

I did try the plastic wrist rest thing, didn't seem to make a difference and I noticed two other issues. 1. It was uncomfortable in my palm, no matter where I put it and 2. where ever I placed it, if it was OK on a straight, it was in a position that made the engine over rev at slow speed or stopped at lights. I had to push my wrist forward to shut the revs of. If I adjusted it so that didn't happen, I had to push my wrist down more on cruising. Other people may get on with them, these are my personal experiences.

I've not yet tried removing the 'Barkbuster' type guards. I did have to move the outer ones using extensions that came with the Givi replacement screen, which helped a lot with the forward wind pressure (again, I didn't seem to get the similar problem with the stock screen on the 700 Tracer), so I might remove them and see what that does. I am also going to ask the dealer if they will balance the carb bodies on the 7,000 mile service, which will probably come up in the next few weeks as I tend to do about a 1,000 in about a week.

I also got the front and rear suspensions set up at a track day. That has helped on bumpy roads as it doesn't bounce as much now and I replaced the seat, because the original was very uncomfortable after about an hours riding. Again, this wasn't an issue on the 700 Tracer, I could do 2 hours or more riding and not suffer at all.

If you take each issue in isolation, no big deal, but add them all togather, and it makes me wish I'd replaced my 700 Tracer with another, but I now have too much invested in the 900 Tracer, what with panniers, top box and new seat, to want to give up. The acid test, for me, is that because I don't have to ride to and from work, all my miles are for pleasure. On the 700 I averaged 2,000 miles a month between November and March, so winter over here, on the 900 I'm not yet up to the 7,000 mile service between April and August.

 

[Unfazed]

I don't get vibe through the handlebar but through the foot pegs them selves. I've put this down to either chain or clutch vibration. It's most noticeable around 3-3.5K revs, after that there's a load of vibration that I put down to the engine working harder etc. Agree with the had guards, I broke a piece off during my daily commute and rode the bike for a couple of weeks with one guard on and the other off. no difference!

 

[qual]

hey mate , you are more than welcome to jump on mine for comparison if we go out for a ride, ive got the hand guards of too , i wmat some bar end weights but not sure on what ones to get, but im not feeling any vibes so to speak, but then my last bike was ktm 1290 superduke so this thing is like a watch in comparison!

 

[TRA]

Not much help I suppose, but coming from a 660 Tenere my Tracer is pretty easy to live with. Vibes? Sure, but relatively bugger all.

 

[Unfazed]

Update, just had my 12000 mile service and the vibes have gone away. Throttle bodies were balanced. Coincidence?

 

[Tommy]

Update, just had my 12000 mile service and the vibes have gone away. Throttle bodies were balanced. Coincidence?

Nope, as I suggested in post #4

 

[motorcycleboy]

Update, just had my 12000 mile service and the vibes have gone away. Throttle bodies were balanced. Coincidence?

Off course not a coincidence and remember the more vibrations you get, the more unballanced and unsynchronized are the injection boddies.
Manual note in maintenace section that injection bodies need synchronization at first 1000 km and every 10.000 km. So it must been done every 6000 mi/10000 km and it is critical.
Every 20000 km or 12000 milles we have to change the 3 sparks.
Now you will find out how smoother and faster your 09 should be.
If ot is well serviced and balanced there ish't any need to spend money in.... any ecu "developement".
The bad thing is there aren't enough good mechanics nowdays.... so stay close to this mechanic and enjoy the best of your bike!

 

[deadb0y]

Yeah, I balanced the throttle bodies in the service, I've got the right tools and the skills too, it did make an improvement (I don't trust either of my local yammy dealers, I've had bikes come back with loose bolts and such). I've had every bloke under the sun tell me it's this n that but it's none of any of it!

It's nowt to do with the drive train OR the running gear because when I dip the clutch at 80 and let the revs drop it's gone. When I sit on the bike on the centre stand and raise the revs slowly it's there. I do A LOT of miles each week, this bike is just over 13 months and it's already got 15k on it so I know it inside out. I had a set of these:



on it for a couple of days. While they reduced the vibration they also increased it's intensity to a threshold that was just plain painful. I'm talking numb hands in 10 minutes so they are off and going on ebay! I'm just rolling without anything now. I'll give it a few days and see what's what!

One thing I forgot to mention was my middle spark plug and coil... The spark plug had signs of major arcing all over it (it was white around the chrome plated bit and had those distinctive tiny circles only electricity leaves) and the coil had the same tiny circles all over it! Does anyone think that could cause balance issues in the engine?? Sometime when I start the bike I can hear a very "sparky" sounding tick tick tick for a few seconds but then it goes away!

Thanks for the input chaps!

 

[Smalley]

In addition to the things suggested by others, try some vibration absorbing grips. I used Grip Puppies - not cheap and didn't get rid of it altogether but did help a lot. In combination with bar end weights and rubber strips (used for sealing air leaks on doors) it is now tolerable.

 

[motorcycleboy]

Yeah, I balanced the throttle bodies in the service, I've got the right tools and the skills too, it did make an improvement (I don't trust either of my local yammy dealers, I've had bikes come back with loose bolts and such). I've had every bloke under the sun tell me it's this n that but it's none of any of it!

It's nowt to do with the drive train OR the running gear because when I dip the clutch at 80 and let the revs drop it's gone. When I sit on the bike on the centre stand and raise the revs slowly it's there. I do A LOT of miles each week, this bike is just over 13 months and it's already got 15k on it so I know it inside out. I had a set of these:

View attachment 4974

on it for a couple of days. While they reduced the vibration they also increased it's intensity to a threshold that was just plain painful. I'm talking numb hands in 10 minutes so they are off and going on ebay! I'm just rolling without anything now. I'll give it a few days and see what's what!

One thing I forgot to mention was my middle spark plug and coil... The spark plug had signs of major arcing all over it (it was white around the chrome plated bit and had those distinctive tiny circles only electricity leaves) and the coil had the same tiny circles all over it! Does anyone think that could cause balance issues in the engine?? Sometime when I start the bike I can hear a very "sparky" sounding tick tick tick for a few seconds but then it goes away!

Thanks for the input chaps!

Well, the facts you wrote mede think about CO settings... most of the bikes/riders used to keep CO at -0- on the 3 cylinders. The limit from -128 until +128 is for adjusting the mixture in a friendly manner to environment.
So, the best way to adjust the CO is by gas-analize.
My mechanic has drilled one small hole in each of the 3 exhaust pipes and get results of the specifiic cylinder and same time adjusting the CO. That way, you will find out different setting for each cylinder which would be the best.
I've done this CO adjustment rwice.
The 3 holes are tapped with screws and ready for this procedure that happened every 10000 km.
Before i drill the holes on my stock pipe i had set CO at +14 in all the cylinders. Then, i was worried about "snatchy throtle" problems, now i'm not !
My bike is first gen with the first "aggresive" mapping and i'm very very relief that i didn' t "tammed" it with the free Yamaha remap...

In conclusion, there are 2 things that made my bike smoother.
1.Ideal CO setting in each cylinder.
2.Injection bodies syncronicity.

The only "mod" is the dna air filter.
Idon't find any reason to spend money on a remap as my 09 is with the stock pipe for 43000 km..

 

[motorcycleboy]

About your last question, tick-tick-tick after starting for some seconds is hearing until the "dry" cam chain get lubed...
My bike doing that after 3rd gen cam chain tesnsioner installation.. (that with the kit of 5 parts).
Mechanic said "no problem" as it dissapears after engine's warm-up..