Vibration

[ebk02]

Well, I would still stand as to engine issues as you have ruled out all "road" variables. I would possibly have checked out before selling, as it is really a great bike.

 

[novaks47]

PREFACE - graysky is my father, so that you all know what the heck I'm talking about here. lol

I can tell you, without a doubt, the vibes on his FZ6 are atrocious. I've got stock bars on mine, and I can ride all frickin' day long, with no hand or arm discomfort. Also, mine has no noticeable vibes in the frame. On his, right where your legs touch the frame, the vibes are insane. Within 20 minutes of riding his, the fingertips on my right hand started to tingle! These are definitely not the "normal" FZ6 vibrations.

I agree with ebk2 that it's an engine issue. He did call Yamaha USA, and they couldn't have cared less. I'm sure the dealers will ride it and say "it's normal" as well. Although I suppose it's down to luck of the draw too, as to who you get to look at the bike . Hopefully it's the older mechanic that's been doing this stuff for some time, not the young punk who couldn't care less and will be replaced by many more young punks.

 

[thethendi]

I had a terrible issue with vibrations after doing some work under the tank. When I was completely new to doing any kind of maintenance on the bike, I pulled the airbox out, but failed to re-seat it correctly, resulting in pretty bad vibration that could be felt throughout the bike. When I opened the tank up again and fixed it, the vibrations (aside from the usual buzz around 7k-ish) went away.

Looking at some of the other things you suggested you're going to do makes me believe that you're mechanically inclined, so I doubt that a misaligned airbox would be the source of your troubles, but it's probably worth double checking to make sure everything under the tank is seated properly.

Hope you find a fix.

 

[Nelly]

So I got home today and yanked the muffler off the bike. Man, loud as hell! But the vibration didn't change at all. After reinstalling the muffler and sitting on the bike on the center stand and revving it, you can feel the vibration in the pegs, the frame, the bars - Everywhere! I guess the next step is trailer it to the dealer and have them check it out. Thing is, I know the person who rides it will say its normal and I'll have fork over a 100. for that privilege.

As for all the other suggestions made, I've actually done almost all of them. I am going to try loosening the engine bolts, settling the engine and re-torquing the mounting bolts. And I think some of the riding posture suggestions need to be tried as well.

I have to thank everyone for the info!

I know what your saying about having some tech check your bike to tell you they all do that.
Very frustrating. I went two two separate dealers to have a problem identified.
Doe's your bike have any warranty?

Nelly

 

[FinalImpact]

So I got home today and yanked the muffler off the bike. Man, loud as hell! But the vibration didn't change at all. After reinstalling the muffler and sitting on the bike on the center stand and revving it, you can feel the vibration in the pegs, the frame, the bars - Everywhere! I guess the next step is trailer it to the dealer and have them check it out. Thing is, I know the person who rides it will say its normal and I'll have fork over a 100. for that privilege.

As for all the other suggestions made, I've actually done almost all of them. I am going to try loosening the engine bolts, settling the engine and re-torquing the mounting bolts. And I think some of the riding posture suggestions need to be tried as well.

I have to thank everyone for the info!

It's going to vibrate like mad sitting on the center stand. That's not a valid test as the natural oscillations the chassis would be making are now being transmitted into the ground and making two separate wave lengths fore and aft of the center stand.

The bike will absorb much more when off the c/s.

 

[FinalImpact]

I don't know if anyone has touched on an idea, but are the carbs synced? If out a bit, vibration would be more pronounced. And with the additional pressure on your right hand holding throttle, that may aggravate numbness.
I too have an 09, and find it relatively smooth. Having run the bike on the center stand eliminates tire, road, steering issues. It is the engine, and there may be the sync issue or other....

But anything over about 1/3 throttle the sync is out the window.

If we make some assumptions that it is the engine and nothing else, that helps. Example - rolling at 60mph and pulling in the clutch changes nothing while the engine is at 4000RPM, well that says that loading the drive train is not the issue. Speed is not the issue, so the final drive from the trans to the rear tire is OK.

This is when you pull spark plugs and look at colors, burn pattern etc. as its either the tune or the engines balance is wrong. Yamaha made a bazzilion of these so its not impossible that some went out the door with a fault.

Do the two bikes make equal power? Do they pull from a stand still at the same rate? Do they get equal or comparable MPG?

How is the clutch? Does it work well?
Can you do us a favor and pull the oil filter off, cut it open and pull out the pleated filter element? Cut the element so it can be laid out flat and look closely at the debris in the filter. It may tell us something.

I would also remove the air box and inspect the carburetor linkage. Use a flash light to confirm ALL throttle plates are opening the same amount at idle and ANY other position you can check. It could be the two carb banks need the linkage adjusted. I would guess the two shafts are synced by flow rate at the factory but you might try slipping a feeler gauge between the throttle plates and the body to see if they match. DO NOT FORCE ANYTHING as it can burr the throttle plates and make them stick. Let us know what you find.



- Up there I posted about rotating the levers. My hands were falling asleep until I got the kink out of my wrist so I had blood flow. It made a huge difference in how my hands felt.

 

[novaks47]

But anything over about 1/3 throttle the sync is out the window.

If we make some assumptions that it is the engine and nothing else, that helps. Example - rolling at 60mph and pulling in the clutch changes nothing while the engine is at 4000RPM, well that says that loading the drive train is not the issue. Speed is not the issue, so the final drive from the trans to the rear tire is OK.

This is when you pull spark plugs and look at colors, burn pattern etc. as its either the tune or the engines balance is wrong. Yamaha made a bazzilion of these so its not impossible that some went out the door with a fault.

Do the two bikes make equal power? Do they pull from a stand still at the same rate? Do they get equal or comparable MPG?

How is the clutch? Does it work well?
Can you do us a favor and pull the oil filter off, cut it open and pull out the pleated filter element? Cut the element so it can be laid out flat and look closely at the debris in the filter. It may tell us something.

I would also remove the air box and inspect the carburetor linkage. Use a flash light to confirm ALL throttle plates are opening the same amount at idle and ANY other position you can check. It could be the two carb banks need the linkage adjusted. I would guess the two shafts are synced by flow rate at the factory but you might try slipping a feeler gauge between the throttle plates and the body to see if they match. DO NOT FORCE ANYTHING as it can burr the throttle plates and make them stick. Let us know what you find.



- Up there I posted about rotating the levers. My hands were falling asleep until I got the kink out of my wrist so I had blood flow. It made a huge difference in how my hands felt.

We synced his TB's at both idle and at 4K RPM. Riding his FZ, I can say without a doubt the clutch works just fine, and the bike pulls just as a stock bike should. No power issues of any kind. And yes, the MPG's are pretty close(within stock limits, I think the last time he checked he got 47mpg). I sometimes get slightly worse, as I commute, and wind it out more. lol

He's going to take it on Monday, and talked to a tech at the dealer that's been there for ages, and the tech actually cares about the issue. The bike is still under warranty, but not for too much longer I believe. The tech said even if they can't find the cause of the problem, he'll log it as there being a problem with an unknown cause, so that if it fails after warranty, Yamaha will still pay for any and all repairs. It'll get resolved one way or another!

 

[deeptekkie]

My experience and perception of tingly hand is always the right hand and never my left hand. I attribute that to holding the throttle in a specific position and not from vibration. I would say when I'm conscious of my grip and relax it a little the tingly hand goes away. I think it has to do with blood flow more than anything else. Like when you sit on your leg funny and your foot or leg fall asleep. That's blood flow. It's your body's way of telling you circulation has been interrupted. I believe that's why those "Cramp Buster" levers are so successful. If you are only experiencing it in your right hand it's probably not just your riding position. Try to change how you grip.

Ditto! Crampbusters help tremendously on long rides.

 

[chrisfed]

Any updates here? I'm having a similar issue so I'm looking to see what the fix is...