Vibrations

[Moirai]

Hi, guys,

Bought my CR back in March with 400 miles on the clock (it was new in Jan 2019 and previously owned by Honda as a trade demonstrator). Point is, it's always had a bit of a buzzy vib to it which is most noticeable through the footpegs and hangers. It definitely seems to be engine related as declutching whilst riding and leaving the engine idling while just rolling along results in no vibes. However, keeping the clutch disengaged and revving the engine results in buzzy vibes through the pegs and also, very slightly, through the front of the seat. This occurs at any revs over 2,500rpm.

Sometimes it's minor and not very noticeable. Other times very noticeable. It seems to vary a lot with no specific pattern at any particular rpm.

At first, being unfamiliar with the VFR as it's my first V4, I put it down to bedding the engine in. Now though, I have about 1,600 miles on the clock and it's still there and starting to get annoying and bug me.

Before I give HGB at Ruislip Manor a call, can anyone confirm or deny that this is to expected at this low mileage and will settle out with time?

Many thanks.

Mark

[Lars]

Hello Mark,

I have not noticed any vibrations during normal riding on my 2015CR as you described them, however, I will have a closer look at that this afternoon and test it.

What I definitely know is that there are vibrations as you describe them when the chain is  too tight or worn out. Now I know it is not very likely to have a worn out chain after 1600 miles but  I know that the runner likes the chain to be more on the loose side. It happens very often that I get my Runner back from the shop with a chain that's extremely tight and on the ride home it feels like sitting on a beehive, my feet almost go numb from the vibrations on the pegs. Its an easy thing to check.

Lars

[Moirai]

Hi, Lars. Thanks for the reply. 

No, it's definitely not chain related. I found out fairly early on that you ideally need to check and adjust it with someone on the bike, otherwise it is indeed too tight if you follow the manual to the letter. Silly Honda. Chain's in good nick as well. Regularly cleaned and lubed.

As I say, if you declutch and roll along with the engine idling, no vibs. Rev the engine whilst doing the same, you get vibs. Same if you rev it in neutral on the prop stand. It's revving the engine that generates them, not any motion of the drive train.

I'm heading off in a couple of hours to visit a friend down near Bournemouth for a day or so (M25-M3-M27). So that will be another 250 miles on her by the time I get back.

If nobody else at all gets these buzzy vibs, or remembers them at similar low mileage, I'll give HGB a ring on Tuesday and see what they say.

[Skids]

Originally Posted by Moirai

you ideally need to check and adjust it with someone on the bike, otherwise it is indeed too tight if you follow the manual to the letter. Silly Honda.

I suspect Honda know exactly what they are talking about. I follow the procedure below and rarely have to adjust the chain, despite completing over 100 miles per day on my commute.

Sorry I can't help you with the vib issue as something like that is a personal thing and it may be that what you are feeling is entirely normal, just something you are not used to, or it is quite marked and not normal for a VFR800. If you could get someone else to test ride your bike, you may find their opinion helps. However, as it is still under warranty, taking it back to the dealer is a clear easy option.

Best of luck.

[Moirai]

Hi, Skids,

It's possible that you run a higher preload on the rear shock than me or something. Don't know. But I do find that with the chain adjusted as best as possible per manual on the side stand, the stated slack pretty much halves when I sit on the bike, resulting in a rough running chain. I'm only 12 stone, so not squashing it either.

Checking the slack whilst actually sitting on it is something I've always done with chain drive bikes though.

Of course, it doesn't help that you can't get a precise slack measurement anyway, due to the fat swingarm blocking full upward travel at mid chain run, which the manual conveniently overlooks.

Yeah, it's possible that the vibs are normal for the VFR, hence asking. But, I'm paranoid about such things. 

[Lars]

Hello Mark,

I just got back from my test ride and honestly I can confirm the vibrations you described, gone when you pull the clutch and they are back when the clutch is engaged again. However, the vibrations on my bike are nothing I would consider a defect. They are noticeable but minimal at best and absolutely within what I would expect form a motorbike.
My previous bike was a silky smooth and kitten soft CBF600 I honestly consider the Crossrunner to be equally smooth ( not the engine of course ).
What I have noticed is that the more I focused on the vibrations the more annoying they became. When I just enjoyed the ride and scenery they were gone, so the mental focus and human factor might play a role here.
But - that only means I am ok with my bike and my bike has no problems.
Skids approach sounds good to me. Just to put your mind at ease, bring your bike to the shop and have them take it for a spin just to get a professional opinion from a 3rd person. You can also use the ride there to try and "disengage the mental clutch" 


Lars
 

[Moirai]

Hi guys,

Sorry for the delay coming back on this. Got back yesterday, but I held off replying as I took her down to HGB earlier today. So here's the long and the short of it...

On Sunday I went down to the New Forest. All the way around the M25 and down the M3 she felt rough and buzzy....until I got past the Basingstoke junction and, for those familiar with it, onto the two lane section that is a concrete surface heading towards Winchester. At that moment, I suddenly realised that the vibrations were virtually gone, having dropped to a level that I would consider perfectly reasonable. However, what was also noticeable was that, now, the engine suddenly felt way more responsive and eager, as if someone had just handed it an extra 10-20bhp. From that point she was virtually flying along and I realised that, for the first time, I was actually enjoying riding her and was having fun.

She stayed like that all the way down to my destination.

The next morning I went out for a ride down to Milford-on-Sea and, again, she was lovely and smooth and responsive.

I also went out in the afternoon for a test ride up the A35 to Lyndhurst. Again she was fine, until I turned around to head back down the A35. Then she was rough and buzzy again. But, half a mile later, suddenly, and very noticeably, went smooth and punchy again. She was like that yesterday morning coming back up to London for a short while, and then got rough and buzzy again.

So, I took her into HGB at Ruislip Manor today and got Mike the service manager to take a look.

He revved her up a few times and then just held her open at 6,500rpm for a while. While he did so, without him changing the throttle, she was continually dropping and climbing between 6,200 and 6,500rpm. Snapping the throttle shut resulted it a fair sized misfire pop from the exhaust.

Bottom line, his determination is that there is definitely something wrong and that she is intermittently losing a cylinder, possibly due to a dodgy spark plug or cap. So, after me being a stubborn SoB, I convinced him that it is a warranty issue and it is now booked in for 9am next Wednesday to have the plugs changed, under said warranty.

Certainly it would fit the MO of what I've been experiencing. I'm just baffled as to how the misfire cleared itself for all that time while I was away.

Maybe the plugs prefer Southern English air....

All I know is that, in the last couple of months of ownership, I have only really sampled what she truly should be like for a very short space of time.

That makes me sad... 

I just hope that it is solely the plugs and that I ride away from there next Wednesday as a much relieved and happy bunny.


Mark

[panagos]

Do you recall using a water pressure washer to clean your bike?Sometimes poor insulation cause  rusty connectors.Anyway i wouldnt worry (afterall its a HONDA)the quilty will be found and your ride will be smooth again.

[Moirai]

 

No no no no..., definitely not. I would never pressure wash any motorcycle or recommend that anyone does. Ever...

I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that is simply a dodgy plug, which Mike thinks it is. Although, personally, I wouldn't rule out an injector/fueling issue either.

The fact that she ran perfectly for 30-40 miles after weeks of being randomly rough, and then went back to randomly rough again, just doesn't sound like plug-like behaviour to me. But I will be delighted to be wrong.

[Skids]

Used pressure washers for years. My last 3 bikes I ran for a total of over 250,000 miles with no more than the usual issues.