2008 MT03 blurred vision vibration issues

[BikerchickMT03]

So I just bought a 2008 MT03 660 with 3,000 miles in hilariously good condition. Thing is all stock with no new parts or mods. I love the position and torque and knew full well it would be a vibey Bike. However at about 5000 RPMs the vibe is so intrusive that I get blurred vision, a bit of a chatter in my teeth, and am left with a headache the next day. Is there any way to combat this? I’m mostly a B-road rider, but do also cruise at 50/55 mph. 

I regularly enjoy rising 8-hour days and your Europe so headaches the whole time sucks.

I love the bike, torque, pop and punch, etc - but not sure I can put up with how bad the vibrations are. Seat gel? Rubber mounting? Anything?

Help!

[slice]

Sorry but that's the way it is. Lot's of write-ups about this bike and ALL of them mention the vibby ride especially at anything above 60mph. Best advice buy a set of "grip puppies" for the bars, they make the bar a bit wide but do damp down the vibs on most bikes, a better and cheaper seat option is a good thick fleece to rest your bum on and the added bonus of a lot less numb bum on distance riding. Others will be along soon to offer better and cheaper options so just watch this space.

[BikerchickMT03]

Yeah I read the vibe would be bad at 60-70mph (as with any single) and have heard that pushing the bike over 70 is just not doable. But cruising at 50? I knew vibe would be happening, but surprised that it’s blurred vision levels of vibe...

Thanks for the tips! I heard gel does a better job of vibe dampening than sponge, but maybe that’s all hogswallow. If fleece might work, I’ll surely try that first. 

If anyone else has any ideas or has had an my success in vibe dampening, that’s be great!

[drewpy]

I have a lambswool fleece I keep saying I'll put on eBay.

will fit my TDM seat,  but may need to trim to fit yours. ( I have one already)
need some elastic to attach it to the seat

PM me if your interested

[BikerchickMT03]

Does lambs wool help with vibe? Or just long term comfort?

[Cynic]

Are you talking about you or the lamb..

 

[drewpy]

I would say both, its quite a dense wool, could even double it up to provide more protection.

 

the only caveat would be if it got wet, takes ages to dry and the hide gets wet like chamois.

[Simon46]

Ride an xt600. Thats what vibration is all about. 

[BikerchickMT03]

I ordered a set of grip puppies and also installed handlebar risers to ensure I’m sitting back (far FAR away from the engine). Still think a bit of seat gel is in order. Interestingly, I get far less vision problems when I scrunch up my shoulders and tuck my head down like some kind of spastic turtle OR if I duck down and try to “lay on the tank” like a sports bike. Do I know what this means? Do I fuck.

1 hour ago, drewpy said:

I would say both, its quite a dense wool, could even double it up to provide more protection.

 

the only caveat would be if it got wet, takes ages to dry and the hide gets wet like chamois.

Cheers for the info. I think anything that’s hard to dry is good for me to avoid since I ride in all weather. 

[Airhead]

should it vibrate this much? is it par for the course or could there be something making it worse...loose engine mounts for example?

[BikerchickMT03]

3 minutes ago, Airhead said:

should it vibrate this much? is it par for the course or could there be something making it worse...loose engine mounts for example?

This is the question. What is “vibey”? I fully anticipated some buzzing... but vision blurring? Shite.

Engine mounts are lovely, so not that

[Airhead]

if you cant solve the problem, if it were me I'd be taking it in for a check over at a trusted garage, these things have balancer shafts I'm sure they do so shouldn't be as bad as causing vision problems

[finnerz89]

19 minutes ago, Airhead said:

if you cant solve the problem, if it were me I'd be taking it in for a check over at a trusted garage, these things have balancer shafts I'm sure they do so shouldn't be as bad as causing vision problems

Definitely look into balance shafts. I thought my dr650 was smooth for a single until I adjusted the balance shaft chain tension. Ran like a Swiss watch afterwards.

[slice]

Look up most any write up on these things and you will get "Great bike, lot's of fun, but anything over 60 is a vibe fest" even to the point of one writer saying he lost vision when it got so bad, my best guess, this is how they come out of the factory. Go figure, but without doubt most riders love them.

[Katie1]

Could try replacing the bar end weights with heavier versions (common solution on V-twins)?

[pilninggas]

I have used Rox anti vibration risers before. They work pretty well. I've also filled handlebars with leadshot.

Both can reduce handvibes a great deal.

[BikerchickMT03]

It’s very strange that my body position on the bike changes the vibe of experience so much... my husband (much taller and heavier than me) reports some vibe, but he doesn’t get the vision issues like I do. I think this all leads to not a problem with a bike, but a problem with the rider! This is where it’s tough to read reviews, as so many are written by taller/ heavier men. Being shorter and lighter (easier for the wind to blow around?) really changes things. 

I’ve got small hands as well which means for now, the grips are basically no more than some electrical tape around the bars. I’m sure this isn’t helping. Maybe the grip puppies will make a difference - though the thought of fact grips makes me shake! 

The vibe is only a problem cruising at 50-55 (it actually smooths back out around 60-65). Just hoping to tone this down a bit for B-road riding when there’s a straight in between the twisties. 

Would this really go out of balance after 3,900 miles? 

Step 1 - grip puppies and gel seat + the addition of forward highway rests for cruising (which sits me in a better position). Hopefully this helps!

[Cynic]

Pretty simple, mass damps vibration. If your bloke is carrying 4-5 stone more, likely in his arm mostly too that is going to calm his experience quite a bit.

Same as lead in the bars, heavy bar ends and balancers. Its just adding mass that dampens the vibes. Body position will just be like the balancer, your adjusting your body's harmonics and centre of mass relative to the harmonics of the bike, the nearer you get to a phased harmonic the better you will feel.

 

[blackhat250]

Its  worse at a given RPM,    Well you can adjust this by  sprocket size,,  shift the vibes to a different  MPH,, ,,

Found this out on the 750triple,  was running with a  mate on similar bike,  he didn"t like 70mph,  [ vibes thru footpegs,] and i hated 80mph,  on the motorways ,  we had different front sprockets,

[BikerchickMT03]

10 hours ago, blackhat250 said:

Its  worse at a given RPM,    Well you can adjust this by  sprocket size,,  shift the vibes to a different  MPH,, ,,

Found this out on the 750triple,  was running with a  mate on similar bike,  he didn"t like 70mph,  [ vibes thru footpegs,] and i hated 80mph,  on the motorways ,  we had different front sprockets,

Going to change the sprocket from a 15 to a 16. No idea how dramatic that change would be but hopefully it will push the shitty vibes to more 5,000 or 6,000rpms. I spend a lot tress time at that revolution so that would be way better. 

If led shot, grip puppies, raised rubber mounted bars, seat gel, front highway rests, potential reweighting (gonna put some sand bags on it to see what happens) and a new sprocket doesn’t fix it, i say “it can’t be fixed!”