vibration help!

[JIBTEXHNKA]

yesterday i went for my longest ride so far (60 miles), and DAMN. at freeway speeds the GZ vibrates like something inappropriate for children. i had no problems staying with traffic, but the buzzing is just downright uncomfortable for any longer than about 15 minutes at a time.

i assume everyone experiences this to some degree, so what do you do about it? staying off the freeway is a good short-term solution but around here it's hard to avoid 55mph+ roads and still get anywhere in a reasonable amount of time.

should i eat more ice cream and get more butt-meat? wear padded jeans? get a seat cushion/aftermarket seat? just quit whining and deal with it? any suggestions would be great.

is this mostly because it's a single cylinder? or because it has to rev quite a bit to maintain 60+ because it's only 250cc? probably a mix of both, but i don't know.

[themarauderer]

Originally Posted by JIBTEXHNKA

yesterday i went for my longest ride so far (60 miles), and DAMN. at freeway speeds the GZ vibrates like something inappropriate for children. i had no problems staying with traffic, but the buzzing is just downright uncomfortable for any longer than about 15 minutes at a time.

i assume everyone experiences this to some degree, so what do you do about it? staying off the freeway is a good short-term solution but around here it's hard to avoid 55mph+ roads and still get anywhere in a reasonable amount of time.

should i eat more ice cream and get more butt-meat? wear padded jeans? get a seat cushion/aftermarket seat? just quit whining and deal with it? any suggestions would be great.

is this mostly because it's a single cylinder? or because it has to rev quite a bit to maintain 60+ because it's only 250cc? probably a mix of both, but i don't know.

Pretty much a little bit of everything in your post .... now then, take your troubles, and consider how much MY GZ125 rattles JUST to make it to 60MPH!!!!

Trust me, your shaking will me mild compared to the cyclic convulsions my little GZ takes at such speeds!

In all honesty, I just dont think such small bikes are meant for riding at high speed for long periods...even the biggest and most comfy cruisers will shake a little at high speed but a 4 stroke, single cylinder bike with a 250 (and as I say, a 125!) engine is gonna shake when you roll that throttle.

Its all part of the fun.

Consider how much fun our Harley Sporters (883 old style) had paying thousands more for their bike and it shaking like an old tractor until VERY recently when HD ptu rubber mounts on the engine :2tup: .... yeahman!

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by JIBTEXHNKA

i assume everyone experiences this to some degree, so what do you do about it? staying off the freeway is a good short-term solution but around here it's hard to avoid 55mph+ roads and still get anywhere in a reasonable amount of time.

should i eat more ice cream and get more butt-meat? wear padded jeans? get a seat cushion/aftermarket seat? just quit whining and deal with it? any suggestions would be great.

Most people first notice a vibration in the bars or foot pegs. If you notice it most in the seat.....don't know what to say about that! Maybe a seat cushion would help. I've got a gel pad......but not because of vibrations.

Exactly how fast were you going when you noticed this?
Maybe something besides the engine is vibrating ??
If it's a bad tire or wheel bearing, it could be dangerous.
Improper chain tension or a badly worn chain could be a factor too.

My guess is that vibration should not be pronounced below about 65 mph..........but I have a 16T front sprocket and pretty much don't notice vibration at all (but can't get it much above 65 either!).

[JIBTEXHNKA]

haha, that 125 must shake your brains out


the bars and foot pegs vibrate but that doesn't bother me much. it's definitely the seat that annoys me.

i was going around 60-65 on a two-lane highway for about an hour.
the bike sounds fine, the tires are in great condition and the chain is almost definitely not badly worn being as how i've only got 500 miles on the bike. i wouldn't know about wheel bearings or chain tension, but from just looking at it and riding it around town everything seems to be fine.

it really doesn't bother me until i've been riding at speed for more than twenty minutes, so for now i guess i'll just keep my freeway riding to a minimum. darn.

does the gel pad you have reduce vibration at all?

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by JIBTEXHNKA

does the gel pad you have reduce vibration at all?

I have never noticed any vibration in the seat. I got it to help with the butt cramp I get after 40 minutes or so in the saddle, regardless of speed. Alas, it didn't help that situation much. If you REALLY have a vibration problem in the seat, I'm pretty sure the gel pad would help......given the general nature of the thing.

[turbo chicken]

it's not that bad... i've been riding to work for a little over a week... and i notice it less than i did when i first started riding it ... and 55-60mph my bike settles down real nice actually. But you are right it just isn't a "smooth" ride overall.

and only 65 ER ... dang ... there's a slight down hill on the highway on the way to work... i can get to 80. Consider the fact though that i'm 5'8" and weigh in at a wopping 150lbs (68kg) as well. But even on an up hill 70 is pretty managable.

[Easy Rider]

Originally Posted by turbo chicken

and only 65 ER ... dang ... there's a slight down hill on the highway on the way to work... i can get to 80. Consider the fact though that i'm 5'8" and weigh in at a wopping 150lbs (68kg) as well. But even on an up hill 70 is pretty managable.

I live in Illinois. There ARE no hills!! And the wind always seems to be blowing the wrong direction. :roll:

The 16T sprocket lowers the rpm's in all gears by about 12%. It also lowers the power to the rear wheel at the top end by about 12%. What that means is that on the flat, 70 is barely manageable.........but 65 is plenty on a road where the speed limit is 55.

[Badbob]

Each of these bikes is a little different. I have two here that are as different as night and day. My wifes vibrated so bad when we firs go it that you could not see anything in the mirrors above 45 mph. I had to put loctight on the mirrors and lead in the handle bars to calm it down.

I to have some seat vibration but only at high rpm.

I think you get used to the vibration to a certain extent. After thousands of miles riding a GZ250 I hardly notice it.