high speed vibration! should I return it?

11200 Views 41 Replies 23 Participants Last post by NBVrider, Mar 15, 2016

swampyankee1

Discussion Starter · Feb 22, 2015

Good morning to everyone In vulcan world. . I'm new to the forum and a brand new owner of a 2015 vulcan 900 custom and I'm look for a little advice please!! So I purchased the vulcan on Thursday with no test ride and yesterday was the first time I was able stretch her legs a little and it was great until I was cruising about 70 and there was a shutter or vibration it wasn't unbearable but for a long trip I wouldn't enjoy it I could already tell that I was running out of gear so changing the sizes of the belt pulleys was a upgrade that I was planning on in the future but with the vibration I'm a little skeptical On keeping it thanks

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WEG

· #2 · Feb 22, 2015

Hi SY;

If you are not so sure you made the right choice because of high speed highway revs then maybe the new gears will do the trick, but could be you want a V1700. Regardless of the choice, if you have a vibration at high speed you should bring it back and get it fixed. Might be as simple as tire balance. When that's taken care of then decide if you want to keep it.

WEG

mes882

· #3 · Feb 22, 2015

Welcome to the 900 they all vibrate say after 65 or so. I would say read this and decide if you can live with it. The 9 is a good bike and it will serve you well. When reading this just remember that all bikes have some of the same issues if not more.

http://www.vulcanforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=160866

Here is a gearing thing you can play with
http://www.gearingcommander.com/

robhardy

· #4 · Feb 22, 2015

I strongly disagree with mes882, my 2013 purrs at 70 mph. I do not have a vibration issue. I suggest you have it checked by your dealer.

Reactions: 1

Bandit

· #5 · Feb 22, 2015 (Edited)

My guess is that what you are experiencing is just the nature of this bike.

revrider

· #6 · Feb 22, 2015

My 06 classic 900 vibrates after 65 ,done this since day one,there is an after market gear for it,i never bothered to change it,since I don't do a lot of cross state riding,great bike for cruising,but I am looking at a 1700 nomad,would like a bigger bike,have 18k on the 900

mes882

· #7 · Feb 22, 2015 (Edited)

By all means have it checked out by the dealer it might be something else.

Well robhardy you must be the lucky one or you just don't notice it as much as some. If it was not a common thing then there would not be all the post on here about putting a bigger rear tire on, swapping out pulleys, why the 9 does not have a 6th gear, ect. All question referring to the vibration at about 70mph.

Things that will also help. Add an extra 5psi in the tires over the recommended. Change grips to the iso grips. I even noticed a difference when I switched to a mustang seat. Also remember the speedo is off too. So 75 is truly closer to 70. Most bikes the speedo is off. Just learn how much yours is off and ride accordingly. Oh and the bigger tire or pulley swap will also help correct the speedo.

My 2012 classic lt vibrates at 70mph. has since new. Is it horrible no but it is noticeable. Some call it a buzzy feeling/lack of gearing. My last bike was a 1400 intruder now that thing vibrated straight horrible in comparison. Now I think the 900 is a great bike I have put plenty of miles on mine. You really can not beat it for the money. Last year I bought a used 2011 nomad 1700. Go ride one there is a big difference in the smoothness of the ride. Even my wife noticed the difference.

So in my honest opinion the stock 9 is great for the in town back country roads. If you are riding interstate the 9 is good if you swap the pulleys or a bigger rear tire, add iso grips, do the big 3 (intake, pipes, fuel processor). When you add in the cost of these things your close to the price of a new 1700. Also you could probably find a used 1700 for the price of a new 9. If you look for a used 1700 they had some small issues in the first few years. The changes where made in 2010 or 2011 don't remember for sure.

I understand not every one wants a windshield or saddle bags, ect. Like the nomad has. I actually prefer the look of the custom. As I am getting older I enjoy having those things and not catching the bugs with my teeth. So there is some give and take.

Here are some post on the buzzy/vibration. Use the search button I bet you will find a ton more.

http://www.vulcanforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=8104
http://www.vulcanforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=51578
http://www.vulcanforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=25346

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GGB6259

· #8 · Feb 22, 2015

Not sure what kind of vibration you are experienceing but I would start with:

Steering head bearing to spec?
Air pressure in tires?
Balance of tires?

I moved away from the tacked on lead weights and run stainless steel
beads.. aka dynamic balancing. They work by far and away better than any other way to balance....

gb

Wild Bill

· #9 · Feb 22, 2015

swampyankee1 said:
Good morning to everyone In vulcan world. . I'm new to the forum and a brand new owner of a 2015 vulcan 900 custom and I'm look for a little advice please!! So I purchased the vulcan on Thursday with no test ride and yesterday was the first time I was able stretch her legs a little and it was great until I was cruising about 70 and there was a shutter or vibration it wasn't unbearable but for a long trip I wouldn't enjoy it I could already tell that I was running out of gear so changing the sizes of the belt pulleys was a upgrade that I was planning on in the future but with the vibration I'm a little skeptical On keeping it thanks

1) take it to the dealer and get it checked out, could be simple like a thrown wheel weight.

2) 70 mph on a brand new bike sounds like you are pushing it a bit. You may want to follow the manuals recomended break in period and max speeds.

3) when I replaced my tires I had the lead weights removed and went with Counteract balancing beads. I have very little vibration at 70 or 75 mph. There is a little distortion in the mirrors image but not much.

4) these are high reving V twins so at fast highway speeds you will some some vibration. But then I have had paralell twins and 4 cylinder bikes that also had some vibration at 70+ mph!

Reactions: 1

mikesr1963

· #10 · Feb 22, 2015

Read your owner's manual for break in procedures.

darkarcher

· #11 · Feb 23, 2015

Answer these questions please:

How much do you weigh without gear?

What is the tire pressure you are running front and rear?

What do you currently have the rear shock set to?

What other bikes have you owned/ridden that your comparing this experience to?

Strompilot

· #12 · Feb 23, 2015

swampyankee1 said:
Good morning to everyone In vulcan world. . I'm new to the forum and a brand new owner of a 2015 vulcan 900 custom and I'm look for a little advice please!! So I purchased the vulcan on Thursday with no test ride and yesterday was the first time I was able stretch her legs a little and it was great until I was cruising about 70 and there was a shutter or vibration it wasn't unbearable but for a long trip I wouldn't enjoy it I could already tell that I was running out of gear so changing the sizes of the belt pulleys was a upgrade that I was planning on in the future but with the vibration I'm a little skeptical On keeping it thanks

First is all, the VN900 does vibrate a little at higher highway speeds. That said, it's not heavy, but a little light buzz ones. But you mention that it feels like. Shudder. That is unusual for this bike, and could be due to any number of reasons.

Straight from the dealer, the tires will be aired to the manufacturer's specs. To be specific, the rear tire will only have about 27--29 psi. IMO this is way under inflated and can lead to short tire life and poor handling. If you are heavy, there will be a lot of sidewall flexing which could result in the shuddering you describe. Check out the sidewall of the tires and see what the tire manufacturer's maximum inflation value is and air the tires up to that figure. The ride will be firmer, but smoother, and you will get longer tire tread life and better handling. And possibly that shuddering will go away.

The next thing to check is tire balance. It could be that they slipped out of the factory without being balances. Steering head bearings could be under torqued
but probably not. If they were, what's you would likely experience would be a handlebar wobble on deceleration, between 45--30 mph.

In any case, if you believe you may have a serious problem, you should return it to the dealer and have them track it down. In the meantime, air up the tires and see what that does for you. And when you post, please try to use some punctuation. Makes it easier to understand what you are trying to ask us.

Oh, and welcome to the forum. Good stuff found here.

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HRH_Z

· #13 · Feb 23, 2015

No matter what you do to it, it's always going to be a buzzy engine. There are a couple of users that insist that they've never felt it, but it's there.

You can do some pully tricks, etc, etc, to try to dampen it I suppose, but it's always going to be there.

robhardy

· #14 · Feb 23, 2015

For your info.....I asked this forum about a whining noise on my 2013, and most responses said, it is common on these 900's. Well I was not satisfied with all your expert advice and took my bike back to the dealer. The dealer took my back to Kawasaki in Toronto and put it on their dyno. They replaced the primary gear and clutch pack, the noise disappeared. So be careful with some of the advice you receive from this forum. Bottom line, if their is something you are not satisfied with, have it checked out by the people who know and build these bikes.

Reactions: 2

SC900LT

· #15 · Feb 23, 2015

Why would you buy a bike without riding it? Shaking my head on that one makes me laugh - 900 is a great bike, my LT is a 2009 stock with over 26,000 miles and we ride to the mountains and the beach with no problem.

HRH_Z

· #16 · Feb 23, 2015

robhardy said:
For your info.....I asked this forum about a whining noise on my 2013, and most responses said, it is common on these 900's. Well I was not satisfied with all your expert advice and took my bike back to the dealer. The dealer took my back to Kawasaki in Toronto and put it on their dyno. They replaced the primary gear and clutch pack, the noise disappeared. So be careful with some of the advice you receive from this forum. Bottom line, if their is something you are not satisfied with, have it checked out by the people who know and build these bikes.

If somebody said their bike was whining, I'd definitely say to bring it back. LOL!

HRH_Z

· #17 · Feb 23, 2015

SC900LT said:
Why would you buy a bike without riding it? Shaking my head on that one makes me laugh - 900 is a great bike, my LT is a 2009 stock with over 26,000 miles and we ride to the mountains and the beach with no problem.

A great many Kawasaki dealerships won't let folks take test rides. Funny, huh? LOL!

SpinDog

· #18 · Feb 23, 2015

robhardy said:
For your info.....I asked this forum about a whining noise on my 2013, and most responses said, it is common on these 900's. Well I was not satisfied with all your expert advice and took my bike back to the dealer. The dealer took my back to Kawasaki in Toronto and put it on their dyno. They replaced the primary gear and clutch pack, the noise disappeared. So be careful with some of the advice you receive from this forum. Bottom line, if their is something you are not satisfied with, have it checked out by the people who know and build these bikes.

Glad that they fixed your "whine". A “whine” is pretty vague and can be a pretty hard issue to troubleshoot over the internet with any certainty, good that you brought it to the shop. On the other hand replacing a primary gear and clutch pack on a 2013 is pretty unusual. Is it possible that the shop inadvertently fixed a much simpler problem in the process of replacing both the primary gear and the clutch pack?

SpinDog

· #19 · Feb 23, 2015

HRH_Z said:
If somebody said their bike was whining, I'd definitely say to bring it back. LOL!

Most whining on a '900 can be easily solved by a stop at the nearest coffee shop with rest room facilities.

HRH_Z

· #20 · Feb 23, 2015

SpinDog said:
Most whining on a '900 can be easily solved by a stop at the nearest coffee shop with rest room facilities.

Exactly! LOL!!!

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