Clutch Point of Engagement & Front End Vibration

[itstuantran_imp]

Mine is just somewhere before 1/2, not very clear but you will get used to with it soon. (RS2017). For the front suspension, no idea, as though it's both SDBV but the front supension on the RS looks much fatter, and so far i have no issue with its performance.

Tuan

[tinboatcapt_imp]

My "New old stock" 2014 standard had a substantial imbalance for the first 1K miles or so. I assumed it was because it had been sitting on the tires for three years and had developed flat spots. Now that I have a little over 1K miles on it the vibration is now largely gone. Yesterday I was caught in a heavy rain. I was not impressed with the wet performance of the Dunlop D205F tires. They will be replaced this winter, regardless of miles.

In time, the suspension may get some attention as well. The bounce and rebound valving on the front could use some work. The spring rates are fine for my 160 pounds.

As to the clutch lever: I have had a number of bikes over the years. Only two have had hydraulic systems. Both of those only begin to engage in the last 1/2 to 1/3 of the lever movement. Put another way, to release the clutch to shift requires only a quick "bump" of the lever.

The older cable actuated clutches had a much greater "throw". I would call it "smoother" because they are easier to slip, but require a greater movement of the lever to release the clutch to shift. Perhaps beginning to grab in the first 1/4 of the lever movement.

jim

[SpamJ_imp]

I noticed last night when cleaning the rear wheel that there are 6 stick on wheel weights (3 per side). That might have something to do with my vibration.

[2017EX_imp]

Having owned 15 different bikes since 1968, from my experience, the experience of motorcycle friends plus responses here, I am convinced the front end vibration has three possibilities or a combination ( the spoke wheel being out of tru has supposedly been eliminated by the dealer at this point ): The tire is out of round, incorrectly mounted on the rim, or the assembly is out of balance. I can find no other logical explanations for why everything is smooth as glass up to 38-40 mph, where the front end vibration ( up & down ) kicks in. As we all know, this type of vibration does not occur until the wheel is spinning fast enough for it to show up. The clutch from all indications, and feedback, is just the nature of the beast for hydraulic clutches and I will get used to it ( I have only owned one other hydraulic bike to compare to ). The front end vibration is a whole different ball game. While no one would expect a brand new bike to be test ridden at the factory, I would question why the wheels are aparantly not spin balanced prior to mounting on the bike by Honda, which would expose any of the possible vibration causes discussed here. The 6 stick on weights SpamJ described, seem like a lot on his 2017 1100EX. Unknown whether the weights were dealer installed, or factory. I would suspect, knowing Hondas reputation for superb engineering, that it was not factory, as I think that many weights might indicate a problem that needed to be fixed by replacing the tire, truing the rim ( if a spoke wheel ), or the tire to rim mounting. His example, the vibration experience of a few others here, and my situation, is very concerning. With front end vibration at 40 mph bad enough to vibrate my mirrors, something is not right. As I am a stickler for correct new engine break in, I have not taken it past 50 mph to this point, and do not want to until the vibration issue is solved. Now dont get me wrong, I am a huge Honda fan and LOVE the bike, but to me this is a safety, control, and distraction from paying attention to safe operation issue. I certainly do not know everything there is to know about motorcycles, but anyone with a fair amount of time in the saddle, can tell when something is not right. At the very least, I hope my post will alert members to watch out for this possibility, and get their dealer to fix properly if it is noticed. I expect any new machine to have some hiccups that need to be fixed, provided the fix is done the right way. My thanks to all for the input.

[Houtman_imp]

I have no weights on my 2017 front wheel but 4 on the rear (left side )
No vibration at all.