New '09 Stelvio: handlebar vibration problem

[coldcanuck]

I just picked up my '09 Stelvio from MI on Monday and now have almost 2,500 miles on it as a result of my journey to the east coast. Obviously I have not had a chance to get the first service done at the 900 mile mark, but I did get the oil changed. This is my first V-twin with my previous bike being a I4 (and various single cylinder dirt bikes). I had Dave install some bush guards on the handlebars which had end weights that were slightly larger than the originals.

The problem is that there is a nasty vibration in the handle bars, and in particular the right hand one. After 30 minutes your hand is numb. The mirror on the right-hand site also has a vibration in it that wasn't there when I picked the bike up in Seattle, so I suspect the vibration is rattling the hell out of the mirror. It is so bad that I had to stop at a dealership enroute and pick up a throttle lock so I could finish my trip. THe oil change seemed to have helped a bit (either that or the previous three days of riding killed all the nerve endings in my right hand!)

I haven't heard of anyone else complain about excessive handlebar vibrations on this forum, so I can't believe this vibration is normal. Having never ridden a Guzzi before, or any V-twin for that matter, I can't say if this is out of the ordinary for the Stelvio, although I suspect if it was normal then there would be a lot fewer happy customers on this forum. THe bike handles fine at speed (95 mph) so I doubt the problem relates to an unbalanced front tire.

I will take it in for its first servicing next week and get them to investigate. Any ideas here?

Also, in the first three days the LCD cut out intermittently, requiring me to turn off the bike and restart it. This happened at least a dozxen times over the three days, but never reoccured in the subsequent two. I thought I read a thread about a poorly sealed dash, so I will look for that again.


coldcanuck

 

[Brian UK]

As far as the vibration is concerned, I wouldn't mind betting that the throttle bodies are out of sync. That will be done in the service.

 

[guzziguy]

I do get vibes through my bars but nothing like you have explained. My vibes are of an acceptable level to live with on a long trip. I also have the hand guards with the larger weights... As per above, somethings slightly out with the engine tune so I suspect a good service will sort it. The engine is also still very new and it'll smooth out nicely with age.

If you feel its still a problem I have heard that some people fill their bars up with something to help the matter. I dont have any comments on whether this is effective or not though.

Re the dash connection... Theres a connector under the front saddle at the front of the airbox that maybe a bit lose. Pop the saddle off and give them a tweak to see if it fixes things for you... Its 10-15 minute job to do...

Good luck with your problems, keep us posted on the results

 

[Smoothy]

Get the Throttle Bodies balanced again.
Had a major problem with it for a short period last year. Very uncomfortable, numb fingers and feet on any ride longer than 1 hour.
Had it rebalanced and it was like a new bike.

 

[wsholar]

I bought mine used with just over 3K miles, and I've had the same problem-- numb right hand, very fuzzy mirror image, lens cap vibrated off the mirror! Replaced American mirrors with Euro mirrors and fairing-mounted signals, cleaner look, image is better, right hand still numb...I'll have the throttle bodies sync'd along with fresh oil at 5k, and hopefully that will be the end of it. Good to know it's a simple fix.

 

[WayneOrwig]

As soon as I could, I would have the valve clearances checked. Plus sync the throttle bodies.

I had a problem with my dash freezing or going blank right after I started it. I also had a starting problem. It turned out I had damaged spark plug caps. Since replacing those, the problem is completely gone.

 

[kwn306]

I bought mine used with just over 3K miles, and I've had the same problem-- numb right hand, very fuzzy mirror image, lens cap vibrated off the mirror! Replaced American mirrors with Euro mirrors and fairing-mounted signals, cleaner look, image is better, right hand still numb...I'll have the throttle bodies sync'd along with fresh oil at 5k, and hopefully that will be the end of it. Good to know it's a simple fix.

I have the stock Guzzi hand guards with the US version mirrors and the mirrors vibrated terribly to the point that the glass fell out of the right hand mirror (mirror been replaced twice) and the left hand mirror the whole head assembly vibrated to the point it loosened up and would not stay in position.

I ordered European turn signals and mirrors from MPH and installed them. The European mirror is designed differently and actually fits down inside the hand guard and tightens up much better. I now have NO mirror vibration at all.

Be damn the US DOT people. The valve adjustment & TB Sync after the mirror install made it so I can read the word Ford on the pick up truck that was following me over the weekend.

 

[notasweetman]

I am in the UK with a UK spec bike, so my hand guards (+ larger bar-ends) fitted straight on with no added vibes at all. The only problems were the right guard buzzing against the master cylinder (bit of old inner tube fixed that) and the clutch lever clattered against the left guard. Fixed with a bit of twiddling. The guards should have been original equipment, I reckon. With a good pair of gloves and our worst winter in 30+ years I never needed heated grips. (Just bought a Quill Evo2 exhaust tho!)

 

[wsholar]

Interesting development-- In addition to my right handlebar vibration, I've experienced some degree of trouble finding neutral, and I've been a little disappointed with the noticeable CLUNK when shifting into first from neutral (once I've found it). For no real reason other than that I like to fiddle with things that click and spin, I played with the clutch lever setting knob to see which setting works best for my left hand. I decided to set it so that it rests farther out (more travel), you know, so that the disengage/engage point is farther out for quicker shifts.

It turns out that a couple hundred miles after adjusting the clutch lever setting, two things have happened: (1) The right handlebar vibration has all but disappeared, and (2) The shifting is much quieter/smoother.

I'm surprised that the Guzzi engineers allow the "close" clutch lever setting to be so close that it keeps the clutch from fully disengaging when the lever is fully gripped. I'm wondering if the vibration was the result of some unevenness in the clutch/transmission assembly resulting from a regularly partially engaged clutch.

Thoughts?

 

[kwn306]

Interesting development-- In addition to my right handlebar vibration, I've experienced some degree of trouble finding neutral, and I've been a little disappointed with the noticeable CLUNK when shifting into first from neutral (once I've found it). For no real reason other than that I like to fiddle with things that click and spin, I played with the clutch lever setting knob to see which setting works best for my left hand. I decided to set it so that it rests farther out (more travel), you know, so that the disengage/engage point is farther out for quicker shifts.

It turns out that a couple hundred miles after adjusting the clutch lever setting, two things have happened: (1) The right handlebar vibration has all but disappeared, and (2) The shifting is much quieter/smoother.

I'm surprised that the Guzzi engineers allow the "close" clutch lever setting to be so close that it keeps the clutch from fully disengaging when the lever is fully gripped. I'm wondering if the vibration was the result of some unevenness in the clutch/transmission assembly resulting from a regularly partially engaged clutch.

Thoughts?

Had a similar issue when my bike was new, I bled the clutch hydraulics and the problem went away, a bit of air in the line. Someone on here kept bleeding the system but the problem didn't go away until his dealer replaced the clutch master cylinder. Worth a look & a few dollars for some DOT 4.

 

[GTM®]

Adding my $.02 here... I noticed that my right Euro/Sport mirror equipped (well tuned) Stelvio had a bit of vibration in the right mirror. I attribute that to the fact that my hand wasn't acting as a vibration damper on the right side bar (throttle tube insulates that), whereas the left mirror was perfectly clear at speed. If I lifted my hand off the left bar, the vibration mimicked the right.

 

[DanPez]

I'm adding a little bit of cash also .... Being a previous owner of a BMW R1100rs in comparison the Stelvio's vibration seems to be quite smooth.
Although I do see vibration on both my mirrors .... surprisingly only when I accelerate. Under compression the vibration seems to disappear.

I bought mine used with just over 3K miles, and I've had the same problem-- numb right hand, very fuzzy mirror image, lens cap vibrated off the mirror! Replaced American mirrors with Euro mirrors and fairing-mounted signals, cleaner look, image is better, right hand still numb...I'll have the throttle bodies sync'd along with fresh oil at 5k, and hopefully that will be the end of it. Good to know it's a simple fix.

I have the stock Guzzi hand guards with the US version mirrors and the mirrors vibrated terribly to the point that the glass fell out of the right hand mirror (mirror been replaced twice) and the left hand mirror the whole head assembly vibrated to the point it loosened up and would not stay in position.

The vibration on my Stelvio is not to the point of causing numbness like my BMW did .... but it’s annoying to the point that I would have to decelerate to see what’s in back.

Being in Canada and sometimes getting different accessories (left overs ) .... what style mirrors would these be?

 

[kwn306]

Dan,

Those are the stock Canadian and USA mirrors. If you can just order the Euro base for the Euro mirrors that should solve the mirror vibration problem. OR order the Euro mirrors with the Euro turn signals, take off the crap that we get and the problem is solved.

 

[coldcanuck]

Hi Dan,

My handlebar vibration issue destroyed my right-hand mirror and I rebuilt it with Krazy Glue in the back and clear caulking in front. The inside part which had the mirror mounted was sliding out of the enclosure part, so I added some clear bathroom caulking to the front and KG to the back and jammed it back in. While the caulking was just intended as an adhesive to help keep the mirror intact, I think an unintended consequence was that it acted as a vibration isolator and added weight to the mirror assembly, thus making the reflection in the mirror more clear.

I think the Stelvio mirrors would also benefit from some additional weight. There's not a lot of room to play with in the enclosure to add weight, but I think one or two lead tire weights would make a big difference in the vibration damping. I tried to find some tire weights the night I repaired the mirror, but left it too late and couldn't procure any. I shoulda just went up to the closest Tim Horton's and pried a couple off a police cruiser, but didn't think of it at the time.

Cory