Vibration help

[Stephen ingham]

Hi all, i wonder if anyone can help with a bit of advice?
I appear to be suffering pins and needles (numbing) in my hands when riding at higher speeds, i did initially think it was my gloves being a little tight or small that was causing it.
Today i replaced my gloves with some new ones, a larger size with some room for my fingers to move.
I have now decided it must be vibration through the bars, can anyone suggest a cure?
Someone i spoke to a little while ago mentioned something about something like "comfy grips" that help to reduce vibration through the grips.....
Any thoughts?

 

[trepetti]

I use Grip Puppies to cushion my hands and I am happy with them. If you buy them and like them, buy a spare set as they can wear out if you are rough on them. Like me [emoji1]

But aside from that, make sure the bike is not vibrating too much. There are tread threads here about throttle body synching (including how to build your own manometer) and fixing loose spark plug caps. Both are a cause of excess vibration.

 

[Stephen ingham]

Thanks for the reply.
They look like a great idea, i will order some straight away and give them a try.

Cheers
Stephen

 

[FinalImpact]

At a glance and with the information offered lets open this door a little wider in regards to the cause.

1) Rider fit to the bike can cause this numbing due to vascular and nerve pinching. You didn't say your mirrors, butt, or pegs vibrate. DO THEY?
- If they don't, you may need different bars or simply adjust your controls to reduce the wrist angles and improve circulation.
- If they do, it may be vibration or harmonic vibrations causing the numbness.

2) Death grip. If the rider "hangs on" for dear life this can reduce circulation. In the ideal state, one floats their hands on the grips guiding the bars. The bike does a lot of the work once their is harmony of bike and rider.

3) Bike is inducing vibes causing numbness. These can be speed related or RPM related.
You need to take note what initiates the vibes and when.
- Drive chain alignment cause a lot of peg vibrations, that carry into the whole bike. So can a dry chain or a poorly maintained chain.
- Wheel balance will make one end shake over 40 mph.
- TB sync can cause vibes from idle to 3000 RPM.
- Spark plug caps can induce vibes from idle to redline. If you can change spark plugs, you can fix this.

Many have thought there is no way it would help, then do it and find its like a new vehicle! Look here -> A cure for bad vibrations, Spark Plug Caps!!


Tell us more and lets see where this lands! :thumbup:

 

[Stephen ingham]

WOW.....thanks for the reply, thats a lot to think about....
Initially i seemed to get numbing in my middle finger on each hand working its way to my next finger....i suspected it was my gloves being a little small so today i replaced my gloves and the inside end of the gloves do not touch my fingers.
However, on my way home on the motorway travelling at about 70mph my fingers started to tingle again, as i slowed my speed with the traffic the tingling seemed to ease.

I cant say i have noticed any other vibration, mirrors, pegs etc....

I have ordered some of the grip puppies, i will fit them and see if it improves.

I am now planning on checking the spark plug caps, would it be worth me replacing the plugs at the same time, if so with would be recommended brand wise?

The bike has done about 16000 miles so probably due for them replacing

 

[Erci]

All excellent answers above. FZ6 is a buzzy bike by nature, so grip puppies help a bunch for sure. One questions which hasn't been covered: do you already have an aftermarket bar on yours?

If you do and it is aluminum.. that'll send a lot more vibes to your hands.

 

[Stephen ingham]

As far as i am aware they are standard bars, at least i havent changed them....i guess i could stick a magnet on them to see if they are steel or aluminium....although saying that they must be steel as there appears to be some signs of oxidation from some small scratch marks from the previous owner....

 

[FinalImpact]

WOW.....thanks for the reply, thats a lot to think about....
Initially i seemed to get numbing in my middle finger on each hand working its way to my next finger....i suspected it was my gloves being a little small so today i replaced my gloves and the inside end of the gloves do not touch my fingers.
However, on my way home on the motorway travelling at about 70mph my fingers started to tingle again, as i slowed my speed with the traffic the tingling seemed to ease.

I cant say i have noticed any other vibration, mirrors, pegs etc....

I have ordered some of the grip puppies, i will fit them and see if it improves.

I am now planning on checking the spark plug caps, would it be worth me replacing the plugs at the same time, if so with would be recommended brand wise?

The bike has done about 16000 miles so probably due for them replacing

Plugs are past due and I would replace them. Most prefer to pay more for longer lasting plugs (Iridium), some run OEM and others (me) opt for STD...

OEM - CR9EK, double ground strap (PITA to gap, OEM plug)
STD - CR9E, single end strap conventional plug (easy to gap, good plug)
Iridium - CREIX, Iridium single end strap
GAP Spec ALL plugs: 0.024–0.028 in (0.6–0.7 mm)


Take a look at this; reference is setting the bike to fit you. Mind you I have FZ1 bars as the stock bars turn my wrists outbound pinching my nerves and **MAY BE** responsible for your issue too. However, don't discount the angle of the levers...

From: Numb throttle hand - new rider

Regarding hand strength, hand cramps/pain, endurance and setup up of levers....

When you're on the bike and in position, rotate your levers so the imaginary line from your shoulder, through your forearm, wrists and fingers are all parallel. The factory location for the levers usually has most of us pointing our wrists upwards which pinches nerves and cuts off circulation. In short - lever position is dependent on torso length and your lean angle.

Notice how far the levers are rotated? The levers angle in relation to the bar nearly makes a straight line to my shoulders rotator cuff. My fingers are nearly straight in line with my wrist and forearms.

Point: adjust those levers so your wrists are parallel to your forearm so you have a straight pull. If they were really high, be careful as it will take far less effort to pull the levers!

JJD952 - Setup

 

[Stephen ingham]

Thats great advice, i will have a look at my ride position tomorrow when i get the bike out, so in summary my arms, wrists and hands should be straight and not with my wrists twisted downwards?
Is it worth changing my bars for some after market ones such as renthals or something similar, just in case i cant get hold of a set of FZ1?

 

[TownsendsFJR1300]

+ 1 to all the above.

I personally have the Grip Puppies. It will take a little bit of time to get to used to the GP's but they do work very well and do have a slightly larger diameter.

Something NOT mentioned, check ALL of your engine to frame mounting bolts. Besides the obvious ones into the engine block, there's two steel bolts(and nuts) at the rear. All are torqued DRY to 40 ft lbs..

And lastly, are you an older or younger rider(age..)?

I ask in that if older, the slight leaning forward position (as Randy mentioned in detail), I've found to be too much (I'm 56). I have combo handlebar riser and set backs that for me, make it much more comfortable.

 

[Stephen ingham]

If it helps i am 46, in good health and about 5ft 10in tall and of slim build.....?

 

[FinalImpact]

If it helps i am 46, in good health and about 5ft 10in tall and of slim build.....?

Same height, 32" inseam and FZ1 Bars, lever angle adjusted, Brake and Shifter adjusted down. All this stuff matters for comfort...

Throw your hands out like three times resting them on the bars. Notice the natural position of your hands. Now grip the the grips. If the angle changes. you may need bars with less sweep back. Hint FZ1 are more straight.

Ronayers.com boats.net FZ1 bars for $35

FZ6R bars are more straight but with rise of FZ6 bars.

 

[Erci]

Same height, 32" inseam and FZ1 Bars, lever angle adjusted, Brake and Shifter adjusted down. All this stuff matters for comfort...

Throw your hands out like three times resting them on the bars. Notice the natural position of your hands. Now grip the the grips. If the angle changes. you may need bars with less sweep back. Hint FZ1 are more straight.

Ronayers.com boats.net FZ1 bars for $35

FZ6R bars are more straight but with rise of FZ6 bars.

+1 @ bar advice. Both of the above are steel and re-use original bar ends. Any aftermarket aluminum bar, while giving you a much better ergonomics, will introduce more vibration.

 

[LeeFZ]

Grips puppy for sure reduces about 10-20% of vibration and it feels good too. Love it! FYI: Use air gun when installing it, no soap.

 

[FinalImpact]

All excellent answers above. FZ6 is a buzzy bike by nature, so grip puppies help a bunch for sure. One questions which hasn't been covered: do you already have an aftermarket bar on yours?

If you do and it is aluminum.. that'll send a lot more vibes to your hands.

Q? Having spent time on both, are you saying the FZ is more of a BUZZ than the R6?
Neither run a balance shaft and both engines are still pretty much the same.

That said, I can state that there were two 400 miles trips on the Fizzer that nearly killed me. Hence the reason I went after a cure and a FIX for the vibrations. Mind you, the bike ran/runs flawlessly so ANYONE thinking it should run bad = "ignition problem" is MISTAKEN!

After correcting chain alignment, chain lube (all products are NOT equal), ignition issue w/the the spark plug caps, well it totally changed the comfort level. I have no need for grip pups once you address the actual issue.

I've ridden 3 others (FZ6) and mine has the least vibes of them all IMO.
PS - my grips are thin and sticky so if it has a vibe you'll feel it.

 

[Erci]

Q? Having spent time on both, are you saying the FZ is more of a BUZZ than the R6?
Neither run a balance shaft and both engines are still pretty much the same.

Well.. I've never ridden my R6 on the road.. all track.. and longest session was 30 minutes, so I cannot give you a direct comparison. It's nothing like doing 8-9 hours in the saddle with only 3-4 short breaks.

BUT.. R6 doesn't have heavy bar ends, yet it seems to have a lot less vibes at the bar. :don'tknow:

 

[Marcin]

Well.. I've never ridden my R6 on the road.. all track.. and longest session was 30 minutes, so I cannot give you a direct comparison. It's nothing like doing 8-9 hours in the saddle with only 3-4 short breaks.

BUT.. R6 doesn't have heavy bar ends, yet it seems to have a lot less vibes at the bar. :don'tknow:

R6 has clipons, not bars so I guess there is a completly different topic here.

 

[FinalImpact]

That's why I referenced the WHOLE BIKE as buzz... Mine has been bad at times and compared to other bikes its buzz free after some TLC! :thumbup:

If I had to guess there are MANY affected by the loose spark plug cap BUZZ (harmonic buzz) that nearly gives a person roids on a day long trip. That said, many can be fixed and at least 30++ have commented that fixing the loose wire into the spark plug cap has fixed the vibe they thought the BIKE WAS MEANT to have. :thumbup::thumbup:

Thankfully when I grabbed mine used with 4k on the clock it was not a buzzer. So I knew something changed under my ownership. That gave inspiration to find and solve the issue mine had.

 

[Erci]

R6 has clipons, not bars so I guess there is a completly different topic here.

Nope.. same topic, in my opinion. Clip-ons or bars.. doesn't matter. It's something mounted to the fork (be it via top clamp or directly to fork legs). Whatever vibes bike produces still get transmitted to what you're holding on to.
The clip-ons on my R6.. they're not like newer style which mount to nothing, but fork legs. They sit around the fork legs, but are also mount to top clamp.

 

[Marcin]

What I've meant is the fact that clipons are shorter so the vibration will be smaller too. But I quess You're right.