New owner... Vibrations.. And a question

[Nachodaddy]

Somebody who knows a lot more than I do about building motorcycles went to a lot of trouble to design those handlebars that way. They could have just duplicated the old bars from your childhood bicycle, but instead, they came up with a very sophisticated design to reduce or eliminate vibration that they knew would be there. You may do as you wish with your bike, but you have to understand that you may be defeating the efforts of people who knew what they were doing and did it to make your bike work the best way possible for you.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

The irony being that I'm quite a bit younger than the majority of the people here.

The attitude starts at an early age (that is relative, of course).

 

[emullick_imp]

Yes mine vibrates like he** and in exactly the same range too. Only 1300 miles on the clock. More alarmingly I have just checked and the chain has stretched so much in that time that the rear wheel will have to be set back, check yours too.

Vibration and chain "stretch" at 1300 miles sounds like a drive chain beaten to death. Chains don't "stretch", they wear out due to lack of lubrication. Have you been riding in the rain? Lift the rear wheel and spin it by hand, does it buzz, is the right amount of slack there, with no kinks?

 

[rboe]

A buddy has experimented with chains on his DR350, lube, no lube, etc. Has settled on no lube. Gets about 10,000 miles per chain. A modern o-ring sealed chain should last a LOT longer than 1300 so I suspect it was over tightened.

 

[Ayrshire Dunx_imp]

Yes mine vibrates like he** and in exactly the same range too. Only 1300 miles on the clock. More alarmingly I have just checked and the chain has stretched so much in that time that the rear wheel will have to be set back, check yours too.

Vibration and chain "stretch" at 1300 miles sounds like a drive chain beaten to death. Chains don't "stretch", they wear out due to lack of lubrication. Have you been riding in the rain? Lift the rear wheel and spin it by hand, does it buzz, is the right amount of slack there, with no kinks?

Vibration and chain "stretch" at 1300 miles sounds like a drive chain beaten to death. Chains don't "stretch", they wear out due to lack of lubrication. Have you been riding in the rain? Lift the rear wheel and spin it by hand, does it buzz, is the right amount of slack there, with no kinks?
No only ever in the dry and I have kept the chain lubricated well. At 4,000 miles now and the swingarm bearings and rear wheel bearings are in for warranty replacement as they are shot.

 

[GoldOxide_imp]

Yes mine vibrates like he** and in exactly the same range too. Only 1300 miles on the clock. More alarmingly I have just checked and the chain has stretched so much in that time that the rear wheel will have to be set back, check yours too.

Vibration and chain "stretch" at 1300 miles sounds like a drive chain beaten to death. Chains don't "stretch", they wear out due to lack of lubrication. Have you been riding in the rain? Lift the rear wheel and spin it by hand, does it buzz, is the right amount of slack there, with no kinks?

Vibration and chain "stretch" at 1300 miles sounds like a drive chain beaten to death. Chains don't "stretch", they wear out due to lack of lubrication. Have you been riding in the rain? Lift the rear wheel and spin it by hand, does it buzz, is the right amount of slack there, with no kinks?
No only ever in the dry and I have kept the chain lubricated well. At 4,000 miles now and the swingarm bearings and rear wheel bearings are in for warranty replacement as they are shot.

No only ever in the dry and I have kept the chain lubricated well. At 4,000 miles now and the swingarm bearings and rear wheel bearings are in for warranty replacement as they are shot.
[/QUOTE]

Yikes. Chain was too tight?

 

[Ayrshire Dunx_imp]

No if anything too loose! I don't feel comfortable having the chain as tight as the manual suggests even if it makes gear changes a little more clunky.

 

[active1951_imp]

My answer has been found, Crampbuster. Been on a few rides, without ANY finger numbness.

For me, it was never the bike's fault, but my palm was in that nerve pressure zone against the bars. My flatter bars increased the pressure.

 

[TheLegend]

Hi everyone,

recently bought a CB1100EX 6speed that had just been run in.

I really like the bike in all respects and it seems perfect for my needs.

Except, on my bike, the constant vibrations/buzz in the midrange (from 3K to 5K) are intensely intrusive. To the extent that on a recent 3 hour run, my hands and feet were buzzing for several hours afterwards. I was wearing full riding gear.

I have been riding for 20 years, everything form old brits to racing ducatis with many guzzis in between and a fair few inline 4s. My daily round town ride up until now has been a 1970 Triumph twin and that causes me no problems in terms of vibration! (I mean the thumping vibration is there, but it is transient, unlike the constant buzz on my new honda) Heck, I've been using a 1960s guzzi police bike for the past 4 years for my long distance work.... So I don't believe I'm overly sensitive to vibrations.

I use a motorcycle as my primary mode of transport and ride far and often.

There are a few others who have complained about vibration on this forum and many who haven't, what I'm trying to figure out is whether my particular bike has a fault or if this is just a characteristic of the model.

Do you all just keep the revs under 3k?

Does anybody out there have a bike that is smooth between 3K and 5K?

Any info/data points gratefully appreciated

Ride safe,

So sad I found your post so late but, I bring it to the attn of new owners/pretenders, maybe it's helpful, maybe someone(new) has found the solution or, just for info! 
I have the perfect identical problem as  lazz_imp with my 2017 RS, constant & intense vibrations/buzz in the same range of 3500-5000 rpm, no matter the speed, gear or if it's on stand. I can't do a ride longer then 1-2 hours without getting my hands numb; never met before in my entire 40+ yrs of riding.  All this year I've checked at several mechanics and dealers, no answer/solution. I've changed oil type, sparks, balancer check, tighten bolts,  etc... nothing. It seems that is an engine internal mistake/failure(for a batch/units). 
If any of you encountered that too and find the right mechanical solution, don't hesitate to post it here asap, grateful appreciated!

 

[pekingduck]

Hi everyone,

recently bought a CB1100EX 6speed that had just been run in.

I really like the bike in all respects and it seems perfect for my needs.

Except, on my bike, the constant vibrations/buzz in the midrange (from 3K to 5K) are intensely intrusive. To the extent that on a recent 3 hour run, my hands and feet were buzzing for several hours afterwards. I was wearing full riding gear.

I have been riding for 20 years, everything form old brits to racing ducatis with many guzzis in between and a fair few inline 4s. My daily round town ride up until now has been a 1970 Triumph twin and that causes me no problems in terms of vibration! (I mean the thumping vibration is there, but it is transient, unlike the constant buzz on my new honda) Heck, I've been using a 1960s guzzi police bike for the past 4 years for my long distance work.... So I don't believe I'm overly sensitive to vibrations.

I use a motorcycle as my primary mode of transport and ride far and often.

There are a few others who have complained about vibration on this forum and many who haven't, what I'm trying to figure out is whether my particular bike has a fault or if this is just a characteristic of the model.

Do you all just keep the revs under 3k?

Does anybody out there have a bike that is smooth between 3K and 5K?

Any info/data points gratefully appreciated

Ride safe,

So sad I found your post so late but, I bring it to the attn of new owners/pretenders, maybe it's helpful, maybe someone(new) has found the solution or, just for info! 
I have the perfect identical problem as  lazz_imp with my 2017 RS, constant & intense vibrations/buzz in the same range of 3500-5000 rpm, no matter the speed, gear or if it's on stand. I can't do a ride longer then 1-2 hours without getting my hands numb; never met before in my entire 40+ yrs of riding.  All this year I've checked at several mechanics and dealers, no answer/solution. I've changed oil type, sparks, balancer check, tighten bolts,  etc... nothing. It seems that is an engine internal mistake/failure(for a batch/units). 
If any of you encountered that too and find the right mechanical solution, don't hesitate to post it here asap, grateful appreciated!

My situation is very much like yours.  I've had 4 CB1100s, all the same vibration-wise. I thought the 6-speed would change things, and it does a little bit. I still have to fluctuate the highway cruising rpm, and alternate between 5 & 6.  It was the same on my '90s Katana 600 and 750, and FZ-1 - I would always be looking for a higher gear. 

Most of my miles have been comfortably spent on 90 degree v-twins or counterbalanced vertical twins, (and my rubber mounted Norton or CBX).  All were better than that high-frequency vibration.  It's ironic that I now limit the CB1100 to shorter trips under 100 miles, and use a Triumph Bonneville for longer trips.

 

[Nachodaddy]

Just for comparison, but I never experienced any vibration on my 2013 standard. I only put about 2500 miles on it, but rode it at all RPMs and never had any buzzing. I have had BMWs, a 1981 GS1100, a '76 KZ 750 and a '95 1200 Sportster, and none of them were any smoother than the CB.  I hope you figure it out. 
:biker:

 

[Cormanus]

My CB1100 buzzes at around 4000 RPM. It's manageable, but some users find it uncomfortable. I can't comment, but, many have said the same as pekingduck, that it's a feature of in-line 4s.

 

[pekingduck]

Just for comparison, but I never experienced any vibration on my 2013 standard. I only put about 2500 miles on it, but rode it at all RPMs and never had any buzzing. I have had BMWs, a 1981 GS1100, a '76 KZ 750 and a '95 1200 Sportster, and none of them were any smoother than the CB.  I hope you figure it out. 
:biker:

Many people are not overly sensitive to high frequency vibration, or at all.  I rode my 600 Katana about 40 miles on the freeway, and the vibration numbed my hands so much I had to consciously force my hand to move from the throttle to the brake when exiting the freeway.

 

[the Ferret]

I've been riding liter class plus I-4's since 1977 by all 4 of the major manufacturers, Kawasaki KZ1000, Suzuki GS 1100E , Yamaha FZ-1, Honda CB 1100. I-4s are reknown for higher rpm "tingling" vibrations, (vs the low rpm thudding vibrations of a twin) caused by secondary imbalance. Usually they are not obtrusive unless ridden in the mid-to-upper rev range. However there can be mechanical reasons for excessive vibration.

Vibrations though, are a lot like mechanical noises. Some riders are bothered more by mechanical noises or vibrations than others. It's where the expression " ride more, worry less " comes from. Engines make noise, and vibrate. Sometimes there is an issue, but most often, it's just the nature of the beast.