BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

Is this normal?

I don't normally go out and ride the freeway but did for about a 70 mile round trip this afternoon,
traffic moving pretty good, kept it pretty close right at 4k rpm. Within 15 miles or so my right
hand was numb. Left side had hardly any vibration or buzz at all.

On the return, I had such a strong headwind that I slowed down a little and the rpms were closer
to 3.5k or a couple hundred over. Much reduced buzz, although still some and still the right hand
was a little tingly after 20 miles or so.

And I do have the foam grip covers.

Is this normal?

My rocker end play and valves are set really close to specs, and the tb's are synchronized.
Motor runs very strong, but with the buzz in the handgrips it sure isn't a long distance
freeway cruiser!

Thanks for any info or etc!

Yes, it's

There are many ways, some being with a "plastic snake" that is inserted into the bar, changing the bar end weights (increase/decrease the weight), some have even sprayed that expandable foam used in sealing home drafts.....I would be very careful with any method that could damage the wiring to the heated handgrips, if fitted.

The fix, trial and error will dampen that frequency, usually your typical steady state running rpm's, albeit, the buzzing will be shifted to other frequency of no concern.

Good luck.......

I've noticed my bar vibes decrease significantly (although it's the nature of the beast) after I perform a valve adjust and TB sync.

I'm just thinking outloud here...but I wonder if it is due to throttle on the right side... and therefore you grip tighter with that hand.

I think 4K RPM is where most people find these bikes are the most buzzy.

I try to keep mine at about 6K RPM in 6th gear. You might want to try that.***

***I am not responsible for any loss of licesnse due to following this adivce.

The Velvet Monkey wrote:I've noticed my bar vibes decrease significantly (although it's the nature of the beast) after I perform a valve adjust and TB sync.

Velvet Monkey is right on the money.
I had the same problem and kept adjusting TB's with the TwinMax, until I realized that my TwinMax is way OFF.
I built my own TwinMax, using CycleRob's invention. That took care of the large portion of the vibes.
A week ago I installed Throttlemeister, the Heavy Duty one's. Now I have no vibrations that I can notice.
Good Luck.

Fitting the foam grips hasn't interfered with the anti-vibration weights has it?
AFAIK they should not touch the grips and be free to wobble around on their rubber mounts.
My 2002 R1150R has never caused me hand problems with bar vibration even when the engine has been lumpy on tickover.

Let's see - no, the foam grips aren't touching the end weights.

6k rpm in 6th? Don't think so! At least not around here. 4K is a tad over 80.

And, no, not gripping tightly, tried to be aware of that, loosened my grip, shifted
my hand around (where the palm & heel of my hand contacted, etc) no diff

AFter I set the valves and synchro'd with the Twin Max, the vibes DID decrease a little,
I'm gonna check everything again though. Years ago, I had built my own carb synchro
but a "buddy" borrowed it then later claimed he never had it. Yeah, well - -
The engine really runs nice and is strong, pulls harder than before I set the valves
and TB's, but never hurts to recheck.

Anyway, bought the TM, of course afterwards now I hear they can be off, too. Maybe I'll
have to build my own again just to see. Doesn't take much.

Thanks!!

I question the TM being off, at least the measuring chmaber as it is a Delta P device. I would be more inclined to believe that innacuracies are related to low voltage on the 9 volt battery, as I have witnessed the meter's operation under those conditions. Throw in a new 9 volt battery and re-check your TB balance, especially in the 3.5K to 4K range.

I'll bet you will be surprised of what you find....just a thought......

My Twinmax was way off when the battery started to go bad. I would highly recommend using a fresh battery each time you use it. There's website I knew of before that was a wealth of information on using the TM that said to disconnect the internal gauge light that drains the battery. TM also recommends taking the battery out after each use and storing it separately. I love my TM, it paid for itself the first time I used it.

When I used the TM, the battery was brand new.

I first synchro'd it on the center stand with fans on the engine.

Also, I taped it to the tank and took it on a back road and watched it
at various rpms, it seemed pretty steady and well balanced at cruising
speed (3k to 5k range).

I did notice lately that if I grip the throttle nearer to the inside, the
vibes are considerably less. Toward the outside end it's much more severe.

I checked and the foam grips are not touching the bar end weights.

Oh, and I recently set rocker end and valve clearance quite carefully.

I'll keep messing with it and see what I can discover.

First I'll re-do the synchronizing, then recheck my rockers and valve gap.

Thanks for all the ideas