Good Vibrations...Not!

[RonR]

Been away from the forum for awhile; moving, travel, etc. Now that I am back in the saddle, so to speak, I have come up with a problem that is taking the joy out of riding my R. I hope someone can provide some insight and maybe a recommendation.

Background: A couple of weeks ago I had the recall service done on the brakes (BIG improvement) and EWS ring. All seemed well on the ride home, but I was probably dazzled by the new brakes and didn't notice anything else. The next day, after about 10 minutes on the freeway at 80 mph/approx. 4200 rpm, I was sensing a new high frequency buzz in the bars, right through my Grip Puppies. After about 30 minutes my hands and fingers were completely numb, to the extent that I had trouble operating the controls, especially the thumb buttons for the indicators. Prior to the service, I had not experienced any such vibration. The usual low frequency vibration at idle is unchanged and the bike seems to be running well in general otherwise.

I know that the tech had the bar off for the brake service because it was in a different position when I got it back. So I called the dealer and made an appointment. The tech poked around for an hour, checked everything he had touched (so he said) and charged me $50 for his time. He claimed to have not experienced the sensation, said his GS vibrated way more, and suggested that I watch my tire air pressure (the front was a few pounds low), and that I remove the Wunderlich throttle lock and bar end mirrors and re-install the heavier stock bar end weights. I explained that those items had been on the bike for months and the vibrations only appeared after the recall service but, of course, he wasn't impressed. So, even though I think he's FOS, I put the stock bar ends back on and guess what? The buzz remains. Then I checked the bar mount bolts, one of which was only finger tight (he checked everything, right?) and torqued all four equally. (Anybody know the torque spec for these bolts? I used 40 ft.lbs. which seems a little high but there is still space between the top brackets and the bottom cradles.) No improvement. I should also probably mention that along the way my Parabellum Scout fairing arrived and there is no difference with regard to the vibration with it on or off the bike.

If anyone has a recommendation about how to solve this problem I'd love to hear it. Apart from the discomfort I am concerned that the vibration may eventually cause other problems elsewhere in the bike.

Ron

[Graf]

hi Ron....i am a little puzzled bu you percieving the brakes work better then before....when you do the recall fix...they only reroute the break line under the tank....in some cases they may change the line......but this has nothing to do with how the brakes work......if you changed the pads then you'll feel the difference...but not because of the breake line change......

regarding vibration.......the latest software does seem to make the bike run smoother......i have also added a Throttlemeister with HEAVY bar ends and widened/fattened my grips with this: http://beemerboneyard.com/foamgripcov.html no numb fingers anymore and the mirrors have much less vibes....
on the other hand, the vibes you describe are exessive....maybe something else is at play here?

[deilenberger]

Was anything else done besides the recall/service-bulletin stuff?

A poorly tuned boxer engine can vibrate like this. A finely tuned R1200 engine is amazingly smooth, and there should be no need to have vibration at the bars.

If this included one of the usual periodic services - like the 6,000 mile interval ones - I'd suspect poorly adjusted valves, or misadjusted throttle cables, or both. I'd also check that the coils are securely seated on the spark plugs. If it did include the service - then the service you got wasn't satisfactory, and should be redone, by a tech other than the one who has a buzzy GS.

This is one of the reasons I do all my own service except recall/SB stuff, and even that, I had to go over after it was done and clean up after the mechanic. I really trust no one but myself to work on my bike, it's my life and I don't risk it with shoddy work by disinterested mechanics.

On the brakes, I suspect why it feels better to you is there may have been some air in the system, and since they have to bleed it after replacing the brake lines - they got the air out. Sounds like they at least did this correctly.

[RonR]

hi Ron....i am a little puzzled bu you percieving the brakes work better then before....when you do the recall fix...they only reroute the break line under the tank....in some cases they may change the line......but this has nothing to do with how the brakes work......if you changed the pads then you'll feel the difference...but not because of the breake line change......

Prior to the recall my brake lever travel in relation to braking power was way non-linear, more like a light switch. The lever would travel at least half way to the grip before any braking action, then whoa! It made for some very erratic braking; kind of embarrassing at times in the twisties. Post recall, it is now what it should have been at the beginning and similar to my 2005 RT. Engagement is nearly immediate, linear and powerful. Don't know if there are different fixes for different age bikes; mine is a 2007 model built in September 2006. The parts included on the repair invoice include: 1 brake circuit pipe, front; 1 brake pipe control circuit; 1 brake circuit hose; 4 gasket ring; 1 connection fitting, brake CI (?); 1 torx-bolt with washer; 1 tension strap; brake fluid and zip ties. It appears that some parts were replaced, not just rerouted. Didn't get new pads.

I have foam rubber Grip Puppies on the grips, similar to the product you suggest. I originally got them only to increase the diameter of the grip, not to reduce vibration. As far as the software upgrade, the dealer said my bike is outside (prior to) the date range targeted for the new version. So I guess I would have to pay for it. Anybody have a guess at what that would cost, and whether it would be OK for my bike?

[RonR]

Was anything else done besides the recall/service-bulletin stuff?

No other service was done and the bike was running great when I took it in. It does seem like a bad valve adjustment or tune-up, though. Almost like someone messed with it. The bike has only 4K miles on it now and was a dealer demo unit when I bought it in January. I had the recall service done where I bought it, but I'm going to jump ahead and get the 6K service now at another dealer in the area whose service department, by my experience and that of others, is far superior. I'll also have them check the valves, throttle cables, and any thing else that might contribute to the problem. I wish this were something I felt comfortable taking on myself, but I'm afraid I might make things worse.

[Dan-A]

Maybe a dumb question, but is anything touching the bars near the clamp or around the ignition switch that maybe wasn't before?

[HikerGlenn]

Ron, if you could stand a trip of 350 miles, take it up north to Ted Porter's beemershop in Scotts Valley. I'm sure they could cure your problem-Glenn.

[deilenberger]

Prior to the recall my brake lever travel in relation to braking power was way non-linear, more like a light switch. The lever would travel at least half way to the grip before any braking action, then whoa! It made for some very erratic braking; kind of embarrassing at times in the twisties. Post recall, it is now what it should have been at the beginning and similar to my 2005 RT. Engagement is nearly immediate, linear and powerful.

Much the same with mine.. mine wasn't awful, but it always had more travel on the front brake than I felt was normal the first time I pulled it in.. 2nd pull would be fine. No longer the case. I attributed it to some air in the system, but it could also be a hose expanding under pressure. Whatever - it's just fine now.

Snippage

As far as the software upgrade, the dealer said my bike is outside (prior to) the date range targeted for the new version. So I guess I would have to pay for it. Anybody have a guess at what that would cost, and whether it would be OK for my bike?

Your dealer is FOS (full'o's&it) - my bike was 10/06 manufacture and it qualified for the software update. Since mine was manufacturered the month after yours - no way yours doesn't qualify. Hopefully the new dealer you're taking it to doesn't try blowing smoke up your ass like this one is.

[mtl-R12R]

hi Ron....i am a little puzzled bu you percieving the brakes work better then before....when you do the recall fix...they only reroute the break line under the tank....in some cases they may change the line......but this has nothing to do with how the brakes work......if you changed the pads then you'll feel the difference...but not because of the breake line change......

regarding vibration.......the latest software does seem to make the bike run smoother......i have also added a Throttlemeister with HEAVY bar ends and widened/fattened my grips with this: http://beemerboneyard.com/foamgripcov.html no numb fingers anymore and the mirrors have much less vibes....
on the other hand, the vibes you describe are exessive....maybe something else is at play here?

Interesting that he noticed a change in the braking.

I changed my front brake line after going with bar backs-risers because the stock line was pulling a bit at the full left position. After the line change there was a definite improvement of the feel of the brakes ... much firmer.

I was thinking that perhaps it wasn't bled properly from the factory or that the bike had been tilted sufficiently during transport to allow some air to travel from the master cyclinder into the brake line.

Howard