[gamewarden]

I have a 2011 Cross Country with 40 thousand miles on it.

For the last couple of years I have noticed some vibration in the right grip and mirror mostly.

It seems to be getting slowly worse. The right mirror vibrates enough that the image is slightly fuzzy the left mirror does not.

When I am going down the road and I pull in the clutch all vibration disappears and the right mirror immediately clears up.

If I rev the engine while having the clutch in I can get the right mirror to go fuzzy with my revs and when I stop revving the mirrors cleans right up.

So I believe this is not a frame or wheel but a motor imbalance.

Any thoughts from anyone would be appreciated.

 

[RICZ]

Its gotta be those WD exhaust tips causing that vibration. Take them off and send them to me.
Seriously, If you are keeping the revs above 2500 (3,000+ is better) and shifting at 3500+, I'd be looking at installing new spark plugs if you have over 10K miles on 'em. With that mileage, I'd replace the plug wires - Ma Vic is selling them cheap right now. If you've been riding in low revs, put some Seafoam in the tank and take 'er out and grab some 4500+ rpm shifts after the engine is fully warmed.
Let's start with the cheap and easy things first, eh?

 

[RICZ]

For the other kind, a Panasonic personal vibrator with variable speed does the job nicely.

 

[DwayneS]

Imbalanced?

I have a 2011 Cross Country with 40 thousand miles on it.

For the last couple of years I have noticed some vibration in the right grip and mirror mostly.

It seems to be getting slowly worse. The right mirror vibrates enough that the image is slightly fuzzy the left mirror does not.

When I am going down the road and I pull in the clutch all vibration disappears and the right mirror immediately clears up.

If I rev the engine while having the clutch in I can get the right mirror to go fuzzy with my revs and when I stop revving the mirrors cleans right up.

So I believe this is not a frame or wheel but a motor imbalance.

Any thoughts from anyone would be appreciated.

Seems to me that if the left mirror doesn't vibrate the cause can't be the engine. I would think that there is something loose on the right side allowing the mirror to vibrate.

Dwayne

 

[broggyr]

Seems to me that if the left mirror doesn't vibrate the cause can't be the engine. I would think that there is something loose on the right side allowing the mirror to vibrate.

Dwayne

That could be a simple difference in resonant frequencies. The right handlebar is heavier than the left because of the hydraulic system for the brakes, while the left is just a clutch cable. The right mirror also sits higher than the left for this same reason.

 

[gamewarden]

Please read the original post again. When I coast and pull in clutch the vibe immediately GOES AWAY. If I rev the motor while coasting the vibration will come back with the revs. So I think it must be something within the motor and it is gradually getting worse. I can be at speed and watch the right mirror get fuzzy then pull in the clutch and it immediately goes away. If I rev while coasting it will get fuzzy and stop when I stop revving. In other words the vibration is in sync with the motor.
Hope I am explaining this correctly.

 

[RICZ]

Or maybe the belt. Could be stretched unevenly or needs adjusting. Just guessing.

 

[gamewarden]

Gamewarden
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I was hoping for some thoughts on why would the vibration be getting progressively worse. Worn motor balancers????????

As from the original post it seems something in the engine is unbalanced slightly. When I coast the vibration immediately disappears and comes back only when I rev the motor while coasting so it has to be the motor producing it.

Kevin, Kyle Rylan anybody?????
*

 

[BBob]

This may be a difficult one to figure out without actually opening up the motor but a couple of things come to mind.

The first and easiest to rule out would be something in the clutch basket and primary in general. With luck; that's where the issue will be.

After that I'd be thinking a gear in the trans. The only other thing that spins is the flywheel and I doubt that would be the issue but anything is possible.

You probably should contact Rylan or Kevin directly on this puzzler.

 

[broggyr]

Did you change anything with regards to the tune? Different mufflers or air filter perhaps? I see your sig says you have Stage 1. Different tunes will cause the motor to run differently and create different vibration patterns...

 

[BBob]

Oh, I forgot to mention the most obvious cause, the motor mounts. Make sure they are all good and tight like they should be.

There are frame connections that need to be torqued up too. The backbone under the tank come to mind.

 

[gamewarden]

No changes stage one has be on since 2011. Have to buy 2 new tires so maybe one is out of balance but it does no vibrate when coasting so I don't think that will be it. It is not that bad but sometimes irritating maybe bike is just getting older as am I. Thanks for all the suggestions . I will try new wires etc.

 

[Damenis]

No changes stage one has be on since 2011. Have to buy 2 new tires so maybe one is out of balance but it does no vibrate when coasting so I don't think that will be it. It is not that bad but sometimes irritating maybe bike is just getting older as am I. Thanks for all the suggestions . I will try new wires etc.

I am having the exact same problem with my 2013 CCT. I have taken it to the shop at least 3 times telling them that I want them to find the vibration and to make sure all the motor mounts are tight and they keep saying everything is OK and it is running correctly. I even had the fuel injectors cleaned and replaced the O2 sensors, plugs, wires and run bottle after bottle of seafoam thru it. Did you ever find a resolution?

 

[oldRoadRunner]

No one has mentioned that the rubber throttle body boots can crack. So... rocking the motor opens/closes the little crack on the one boot causing a vacuum leak. Then after everything evens out, the crack moves back together without a leak.

Anyway, the vacuum leak could cause one cylinder to run ever so jinkily, or the other cyl to fumble ever so slightly - thus the harmonics are in such a place that they travel in one diriection rather than another, the right bar instead of the left.

Because the crack is getting bigger and bigger, it is getting worse and worse.

And/or... maybe a vacuum leaksomewherre else.

Spray starting ether around the throttle body boots with the motor running (ok, I NEVER SAID THAT) and if the motor speed changes, that is a good way to find a leak because the motor sucks in the ether and revs up. Same around tubes and nipples.

That is a CHEAP Check for vac leak at the boots, and evidently the dealer neither fixed it nor identified it.

Perhaps the dealer shop manual identifies this as a 'sevice feature' designed to pull you in for the sales of plugs/wires etc etc? Or, it just calls 'vibrating mirrors' a 'feature'. haha

Seriously, I realize dealers can't spend all day on my bike exploring vibrations. Customer says it shakes, so, address the usual suspects.

 

[Damenis]

No one has mentioned that the rubber throttle body boots can crack. So... rocking the motor opens/closes the little crack on the one boot causing a vacuum leak. Then after everything evens out, the crack moves back together without a leak.

Anyway, the vacuum leak could cause one cylinder to run ever so jinkily, or the other cyl to fumble ever so slightly - thus the harmonics are in such a place that they travel in one diriection rather than another, the right bar instead of the left.

Because the crack is getting bigger and bigger, it is getting worse and worse.

And/or... maybe a vacuum leaksomewherre else.

Spray starting ether around the throttle body boots with the motor running (ok, I NEVER SAID THAT) and if the motor speed changes, that is a good way to find a leak because the motor sucks in the ether and revs up. Same around tubes and nipples.

That is a CHEAP Check for vac leak at the boots, and evidently the dealer neither fixed it nor identified it.

Perhaps the dealer shop manual identifies this as a 'sevice feature' designed to pull you in for the sales of plugs/wires etc etc? Or, it just calls 'vibrating mirrors' a 'feature'. haha

Seriously, I realize dealers can't spend all day on my bike exploring vibrations. Customer says it shakes, so, address the usual suspects.

Thanks for the quick response. I did try the spray trick before I sent it in to the shop because that seems like the most likely suspect but the engine didn't change. I think I will try it again though. It is that or just change out the throttle body boots. I have 80K miles on this bike and before I disconnected the O2 sensors the front cylinder was getting as hot as a nuclear reactor so the heat may have caused some deterioration. (BTW to anyone that wonders how to get the engine heat reduced and still get good mileage (44 MPG), disconnect your O2 sensors. It made a ton of difference.)

 

[oldRoadRunner]

I think I will try it again

Well, I surely do hope you let us all know what happens. Cylinders getting hot... whew... like some kind of timing issue where exhaust gas does not get expelled?
Anyway, I would surely like to know the resolution. I give up.

 

[Richie271]

Well, I surely do hope you let us all know what happens. Cylinders getting hot... whew... like some kind of timing issue where exhaust gas does not get expelled?
Anyway, I would surely like to know the resolution. I give up.

I have a 2011 Cross Country with 40 thousand miles on it.

For the last couple of years I have noticed some vibration in the right grip and mirror mostly.

It seems to be getting slowly worse. The right mirror vibrates enough that the image is slightly fuzzy the left mirror does not.

When I am going down the road and I pull in the clutch all vibration disappears and the right mirror immediately clears up.

If I rev the engine while having the clutch in I can get the right mirror to go fuzzy with my revs and when I stop revving the mirrors cleans right up.

So I believe this is not a frame or wheel but a motor imbalance.

Any thoughts from anyone would be appreciated.

Have you replaced the OEM mirrors with aftermarket? I found that if you use less expensive mirrors, they can vibrate, as you described, because they are not as rigid as OEM.

 

[Damenis]

Well, I surely do hope you let us all know what happens. Cylinders getting hot... whew... like some kind of timing issue where exhaust gas does not get expelled?
Anyway, I would surely like to know the resolution. I give up.

Well old RoadRunner and all you other mechanics, I checked the compression like someone mentioned and I have one cylinder at 170 and the other at 150. They come out of the factory at 210 and anything lower than 180 needs to be fixed so I am going to have that taken care of. I just wondered if you guys think that the imbalance of the compression in the cylinders could be causing the vibration? I am so glad someone on here thought about the engine compression. Thanks,