Date: 28-03-24  Time: 23:33 pm

Author Topic: Handlebars - again!  (Read 3233 times)

JD-LincsUK

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Handlebars - again!
« on: 09 May 2018, 10:24:40 am »
G'mornin' chathpth!

After my recent worries about my Fazer and whether it was the right bike, if the handlebars were wrong for me, etc etc, I had a ride down to Stamford and back t'other day (with Mrs on the back for 1st time since about 2 years when we got knocked off it - YUSSS!) and it was the best ride I've had in months.

Apart from two things. 1 - I dropped my £320 designer varifocals somehwre along the way  :'(

2 - the right bar was vibrating so badly, my arm was almost completely numb before we'd got half way (it's about 38 miles).

If it weren't for the numbness, I'd have been well chuffed. I've had a read of old posts here and on other biking sites, but nothing really stands out that I can do myself to try and get it at least improved, if not sorted. I have a roll of thin, sheet lead that I could feed into the end(s) of the bar, and I could look at heavier bar ends as the ones I'm using are very light. I'm not convinced either of those will do it, though.
The vibes are very subtle - I don't actually notice them unless I look in the mirrors - left = clear, right = fuzzytown.

Thing is, I have a tube cutter on the way, as I was planning to take an inch or so off the ends of the bars to try and make them more comfy (I've had issues with pain in my hands, which was why all the bar modding palaver started). Now I'm worried that making them shorter will worsen the vibes. I mean, I can't exactly stick the inch back on if it does, can I? And I'm not well off enough to keep buying replacement bits.

So what d'ya fink? Shorter = vibier or worth a shot?

Ta.

Bars are 758

NB: A good point I should have made - I didn't have these vibes before my winter lay-up and both I and my mechanic have adjusted them (in position only) since.
« Last Edit: 09 May 2018, 10:26:43 am by JD-LincsUK »

Hugh Mungus

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Re: Handlebars - again!
« Reply #1 on: 09 May 2018, 10:40:58 am »
Do your fingers go white when they go numb? If they do you might have Renauds Syndrome more commonly known as vibration white finger.  I only suggest this as 38 miles is low mileage to be suffering otherwise. My other half can't ride her  own bike because of this.

I bought the heaviest bar ends I could find and it eliminated vibes on one of my bikes. Stainless steel ones. Cost about £35 but well worth it.  I would try that before anything else.

JD-LincsUK

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Re: Handlebars - again!
« Reply #2 on: 09 May 2018, 12:09:16 pm »
Ok thanks.

No my fingers don't go white, but I do have circulation issues. My arm often goes numb overnight, for example (same with Mrs) - age, I think! I also have an arthritis wracked body, which doesn't help.

BBROWN1664

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Re: Handlebars - again!
« Reply #3 on: 09 May 2018, 04:58:32 pm »
Have you got the original bar ends fitted or some lightweight alloy shite?

If its the latter, get the originals back in there. That will reduce bar vibes.
Another ex-Fazer rider that is a foccer again

PieEater

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Re: Handlebars - again!
« Reply #4 on: 09 May 2018, 07:10:56 pm »
Unbalanced carbs will cause engine vibration which can be felt through the bars.

JD-LincsUK

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Re: Handlebars - again!
« Reply #5 on: 10 May 2018, 09:18:42 am »
Have you got the original bar ends fitted or some lightweight alloy shite?

If its the latter, get the originals back in there. That will reduce bar vibes.

Already looked at this and put the heaviest ones I could find on. For original I would have to have the bar bored out - and I'm not ready to go that far yet. I will try lead inserts first, but I'm not convinced it will stop the vibes. I had an old set of custom Tiger bar-ends that weigh a ton and look the bizz, but can only find one of them.  :rolleyes

Unbalanced carbs will cause engine vibration which can be felt through the bars.

I'm thinking this may be the solution - could also be the result of the 'off' we had. Although I loosened off and retorqued every bolt on the front end, the bike hasn't felt the same since. My mechanic friend had a ride on it two weeks ago and couldn't find fault with it, though.

I think I will have to just go through all that again and then see if my pal will do the carbs for me. It's due a 48/50k service in any case, including shims, so that may well sort it. I'm not currently in any condition to do much work on the bike myself, unfortunately.

Thanks for your replies.

Now we've got some cooler weather, I'll do some fiddling and report back.
« Last Edit: 10 May 2018, 09:23:39 am by JD-LincsUK »

ram

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Re: Handlebars - again!
« Reply #6 on: 10 May 2018, 02:49:21 pm »
if you had an "off" have you checked wheels are not buckled or even lost balance weight

JD-LincsUK

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Re: Handlebars - again!
« Reply #7 on: 10 May 2018, 06:57:41 pm »
Yes - my mech friend checked this last week, along with wheel alignment.

I cut off 1¼ inches from each end of the 758s and instantly found them comfier. I may have found the vibe problem - one of the bar clamp bolts had worked itself a bit loose and I think it may need rethreading (the hole, not the bolt  :b ). I'll go out on it next week and see how it does. Too buggered to test it at the moment.

*rolled-up lead sheeting, or indeed any kind of weight can't be inserted into the bars, as they are already filled with something when manufactured.
« Last Edit: 12 May 2018, 09:17:09 am by JD-LincsUK »

JD-LincsUK

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Re: Handlebars - again!
« Reply #8 on: 17 May 2018, 01:59:32 pm »
Quick update on this. Today I went for a 3 hour ride with the narrower handlebars. It was well weird for the first few miles, but after that I was really pleased with them. I feel they are now far better than the full width 758's. More comfy, no problems with turning at all and I felt very comfy and secure, riding around the mid-Lincolnshire twisties.

The vibration wasn't bad at all with an empty tank - but as soon as I filled it up it stood out very plainly. The worst was in top, between 53 and 58 mph indicated (bars, pegs, bum - everything vibes). That's the sort of speed we did most of the journey to Stamford and back at, in traffic on the A16 mostly. So no wonder it deadened my arm. Today there were no such issues - in fact no problems at all, with the exception of my old issue of a stiff clutch - so my left inner forearm is aching quite a bit now.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to gather enough reliable info on the vibes, as it was all twisty roads (so loadsa fun!) - just the mid-50's bit is definite. It didn't seem to be connected to a specific rev range, but that speed in top coincides with 3500-4000rpm.

I'm considering having my 48/50k service soon, so be interesting to see if that changes anything.

REally do recommend the narrower 758's though - makes it feel more like I think it should and less like a Fazer trailie.  :lol
« Last Edit: 17 May 2018, 02:00:27 pm by JD-LincsUK »

Hugh Mungus

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Re: Handlebars - again!
« Reply #9 on: 17 May 2018, 06:57:48 pm »
It could be that the bike just needs a service. Valve clearances and carb balance will make a big difference to vibes.

agricola

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Re: Handlebars - again!
« Reply #10 on: 17 May 2018, 08:30:37 pm »
Quick update on this. Today I went for a 3 hour ride with the narrower handlebars. It was well weird for the first few miles, but after that I was really pleased with them. I feel they are now far better than the full width 758's. More comfy, no problems with turning at all and I felt very comfy and secure, riding around the mid-Lincolnshire twisties.

The vibration wasn't bad at all with an empty tank - but as soon as I filled it up it stood out very plainly. The worst was in top, between 53 and 58 mph indicated (bars, pegs, bum - everything vibes). That's the sort of speed we did most of the journey to Stamford and back at, in traffic on the A16 mostly. So no wonder it deadened my arm. Today there were no such issues - in fact no problems at all, with the exception of my old issue of a stiff clutch - so my left inner forearm is aching quite a bit now.

Unfortunately, I wasn't able to gather enough reliable info on the vibes, as it was all twisty roads (so loadsa fun!) - just the mid-50's bit is definite. It didn't seem to be connected to a specific rev range, but that speed in top coincides with 3500-4000rpm.

I'm considering having my 48/50k service soon, so be interesting to see if that changes anything.

REally do recommend the narrower 758's though - makes it feel more like I think it should and less like a Fazer trailie.  :lol


I had a similar problem with the FZ6 fazer, town traffic and gear changing caused me hand/wrist lower arm problems, so I converted to a hydraulic clutch. Staggering difference, light as a feather

JD-LincsUK

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Re: Handlebars - again!
« Reply #11 on: 17 May 2018, 10:49:20 pm »
ooh that sounds nice! Much mod work required?