Hi,

My 01 F4i bars buzz like hell to the point of giving me dead hands and fingers after a long journey, its a really high frequency vibration so I didnt think it was related to the the following but I checked anyway; I Checked wheels for runout, discs for runout, wheel bearings, head bearings, tyres for bulges etc, checked that my frame and forks are straight and I still cant find anything that would cause the buzzing. Seems slightly worse at high speeds but even at low speeds (30mph etc) it gives me dead hands.

Could my engine be vibrating an excessive amount? I know throttle bodies need syncing every so often, does this cause buzzing bars? Any other suggestions?

Donny

 

I'm presuming you still have you bar-end weights in. Are you sure it's vibration, or are you supporting your upper body with your wrists? When I first started riding, my wrist would go numb from poor posture. Couple that with cold climate, and you'll be thinking about Pink Floyd's song, "... my hands felt just like two ballons".

 

All bikes get a certain amount of vibes going at different RPM (some bikes can make you feel like your fillings are going to shake out)there are many types of after market grips that try to address that issue, I even known riders that have tried insulating the vibes with rubber washers around the mounting bolts on the handle bars. My bikes fairly comfortable with slightly higher bars. Even so, after few hours of riding the tingles feed in & even for an hour or so after stopping I still have them. Unfortunately on a lot of bikes the vibes kick in around the speed limit. You could try varying your speed, but on a long haul you just zone in on a constant speed. Maybe even taking a break every hour or so could help.
You didn't mention if this is something that has just started to happen or wot?
If it has just started then maybe your right about it needing a sync.

 

Im with incognito, my first check would be to make sure the bar ends are stock. Many times, people replace them with aftermarket ones that don't dampen as good as the stock ones.

It should be pretty easy to tell if its engine related though. Just sit with the bike in neutral and bring the revs up to operating rpms and see if the buzzing is there. It won't be exact, as there inst a load on the engine, but it should tell you if the buzzing is coming directly from the engine or not.

Most bikes will have some rpm where everything harmonically falls into place and gives you a buzz through the handlebars. Go above or below it, and it goes away. Try a different gear if your cruising along and the buzz is there.

Also, another good point that was brought up was on your grip. It really shouldn't be tight. You want to hold onto the handlebars, but not with a death grip. Honestly, my fingers are usually barely on the grip, just my palms are. I have a very loose grip. Especially on curves. I've found its best to let the bike do the work. That may be why its reffered to as riding, not driving a motorcylce. It also sort of forces you to not hold yourself up with your arms. Use your body more. this also gets you in the practice of using your body for better riding techniques instead of your arms.

 

My bike has aftermarket bar ends, they suck. That is not where you want to eliminate weight from a bike. They are heavy for a reason! I need to get on ebay and get some new ones. Maybe some different grips. I thought new gloves would help a little, but they didn't. Even riding around for half an hour or so, my hands go numb, almost painfully numb. I don't feel like I'm leaning on my hands or anything. My bf's like you're grabbing them too hard. I let the left hand go when I can, so it's mostly my right. But my hands are small so I have to grab it so much to still be holding on to it... ya know. I don't think I'm white-knuckling it or anything. I feel relaxed.

 

I had the same thing as you and I replaced my grips with Driven D3 grips and they are the best grips I have ever had.Kinda pricey but worth it for me.I also have stock bar ends.

 

Are the gel ones any good? Sounds nice. Gelin' like a felon. ha

 

Yeah, get the dual compound ones, like Driven. Way better than OEM.

 

They are stock grips and stock bar ends - albeit nicely polished OEM ones after a rainy saturday.

I do ride with a bit too much grip on the bars when sat on straight roads so loosening my grip would probably help with respect to getting dead hands, but I'm still interested in trying to sort the buzzing.

I have a few things to check so I'll get back to you all if I make it any better!

Cheers