SuzukiSavage.com - Handlebar Vibration

koehlerrk

Junior Member

Offline

One cylinder to rule
them all...

Posts: 98
East of Keuka Lake NY
Gender: male

Handlebar Vibration
12/11/14 at 11:57:53

Has anyone here ever done anything to reduce handlebar vibration?

I recently acquired my first bike, a 1987 Savage.

Anywho, I like it, wife likes it, but man do those bars vibrate...

So, out in the garage thinking a bit and I wondered about pulling the caps off the handlebar and filling it with lead shot. Shouldn't take more than 3 pounds of shot, and I'm thinking it would turn the handlebars into something like a dead-blow hammer. Worst case, if it doesn't work, I can pull the cap and dump it back out... just wondering if anyone else here had tried that.

Rick

Back to top

I can tell you EXACTLY what it feels like to get hit by a truck. I do not recommend anyone try it themselves.

IP Logged

verslagen1 YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline Where there's a will, I want to be in it. Posts: 28886 L.A. California Gender:	Re: Handlebar Vibration Reply #1 - 12/11/14 at 12:04:04 Stock bars already have weights welded in them. If they aren't stock then fill away. If the motor mounts aren't tight, it will cause the bars and pegs to vibrate more than normal.
Back to top	Versey's Place Tech Section Index IP Logged

Kenny G

Serious Thumper

Offline

SuzukiSavage.com The
Singles Club...LOL

Posts: 1754
Robson Ranch, Denton, Texas
Gender: male

Re: Handlebar Vibration
Reply #2 - 12/11/14 at 12:52:55

You may want to think about using something other than lead shot.

I have removed handlebars that were filled with lead shot and there was nothing left but lead dust. I don't know if any of the dust can escape, but you sure as hell don't want to be breathing it.

Steel shot will work, and 1 LB will make a lot of difference in vibration.

Kenny G

Back to top

IP Logged

MnSpring

Serious Thumper

Offline

Younger than most
people my age.

Posts: 9345
Minn
Gender: male

Re: Handlebar Vibration
Reply #3 - 12/11/14 at 14:32:58

Lead Shot:
1st, Never NEVER, EVER ! Melt Lead, SHOT. Many brands of Lead shot, has a little bit of arsenic in it,
(It is what helps make it ‘round’, when dropped).
2nd. If you use it for weight, encapsulate it ’something’.
(Using plain, WILL, ‘Dust’), and you do NOT want to breath that dust.

Now before everyone gets their underwear in a bunch. About Lead Shot.
The above treatments, ‘melting shot’, ‘turning lead to dust’. are Abuses.
They are not normal uses for that substance.

The, ’normal’, use, such as in shooting lead shotgun shells, or eating things that have been shot with a lead pellets in a shotgun. NO WORRIES.

You eat a Pheasant or Duck, or Venison, and ingest a lead piece. NO PROBLEM !
It will just pass right through. (More teeth have been chipped with, ’steel’ shot, in the last 10 years, than have with lead shot in the last 200)

I haven’t done it, in a MC. (factory bars), but if I needed to, weight the bars, I think a piece of flexible tubing, that easily fits inside, cut to length, then if using lead shot, a dab of, ‘cheep’ calk, a little shot, dab of calk, shot, etc. etc, and pushed down with a rod, dowel, tape the ends, it’s still flexible, push it inside the bars.

Did Many a stock or forearm, and used a piece of hose, plastic/rubber tubing, copper, etc.
Filled it full of lead shot, then dumped ’that’ amount out. Mixed up some 2 part epoxy, poured that lead shot into the epoxy, stirred it about, Then, poured it into the, ‘container’. Let it hard, then put it into the, ‘place’ it was to go.

This would also work on the handlebars, Where they were, Straight. Caus it ain’t gonna bend when hard.

Now a word on, ‘LEAD”. It is NOT Harmful, when used correctly !
The use of ’Non’Toxic” shot in today's shotguns shells, is PURE, Bravo Seaira !
Yes, Lead, ingested by something (bird) that has a gizzard, is ‘ground up’, along with the grit, and seeds and whatever else that bird is eating. And lead, so ground up, can, that is, CAN, cause a problem, IF and ONLY if, it is eaten is sufficient quantities. Which it CAN”T BE !. And a piece of lead, in a gut pile, eaten by a, ‘Condor’, and the Condor getting sick from it. Is TOTALLY, TOTALLY, Bravo Seaira.

And this, MYTH. is Backed by the people that SELL Ammunition.

Think of this, a company, making a good profit, making Lead shot. Is SUDDENLY, given the opportunity to make 20 TIMES MORE MONEY, (do to the the Al Goriets). Ya think they will turn it down ?????

Back to top

Ben Franklin once said: "If you give up a freedom, for the sake of security, you will have neither".
Which is More TRUE, today, than yesterday.('06, S-40, Stock) well, mostly .

IP Logged

Ed L. Serious Thumper Alliance Member Offline "We All go a Little Crazy Sometimes" Norman Bates Posts: 2808 Sunny Florida Gender:	Re: Handlebar Vibration Reply #4 - 12/11/14 at 19:25:34 Try not to hold onto the hand grips as tight. The harder you grab them the more you will feel the vibration.
Back to top	Silver '02, clubman handle bars, Cobra headlight, Sportster muffler, K+N stock air filter, 152.5 main, Superbrace, oil cooler, 1/2 inch aluminium plate forward controls, spark advance, goes like stink IP Logged

Serowbot YaBB Moderator ModSquad Offline OK.... so what's the speed of dark? Posts: 28659 Tucson Az Gender:	Re: Handlebar Vibration Reply #5 - 12/12/14 at 08:32:22 Stock bars shouldn't vibrate much at all... My guess is a loose motor mount...
Back to top	Ludicrous Speed !... ... ... IP Logged

koehlerrk

Junior Member

Offline

One cylinder to rule
them all...

Posts: 98
East of Keuka Lake NY
Gender: male

Re: Handlebar Vibration
Reply #6 - 12/12/14 at 11:14:36

OK then, I guess I'll start by checking the motor mounts. Good thing it's winter here in Upstate NY so I have a few months to get bugs found and squashed before spring. Some more info:

It's a 1987 Savage (obviously) with 14K on the clock. Bought it from a co-worker in October and have plans of going through it this winter and finding/fixing all the little bugs that have cropped up. I'll post my list later, mostly it's fix/replace parts that are cracked, dry-rotted, old and brittle, etc. The bike is stock except for a cone filter and airbox delete. I was told to come here and read up about the cam chain tensioner. Did that, will be popping the cover and checking it out soon. After that I'm just planning on making sure the wife and I have a reliable machine to learn how to ride, so I'm not going crazy with mods or performance enhancements.

MnSpring, yes, I'm fairly well versed in working with lead. Co-worker of mine is a bio-chemist by trade, because sometimes we have to know how what we build reacts with a living thing. One day I asked him about lead, most of what he said was stated in your post, but here's a couple other points.

Lead, in it's metallic form, is nearly bio-inert. That means most animals, if they eat it, will poop it out a day later and basically, nothing will happen because it does nothing.

Lead oxide on the other hand is highly bio-reactive and is one of the easiest ways to get lead into an animal... just feed it lead oxide. which, coincidentally, lead oxide is EXACTLY what was used as a base in "lead paint" which is where that whole scare got started.

Thanks everyone.

Rick

Back to top

I can tell you EXACTLY what it feels like to get hit by a truck. I do not recommend anyone try it themselves.

IP Logged

koehlerrk Junior Member Offline One cylinder to rule them all... Posts: 98 East of Keuka Lake NY Gender:	Re: Handlebar Vibration Reply #7 - 12/14/14 at 05:52:57 OK, got in some wrench time yesterday.... had two really loose motor mounts. Torqued them all to spec and I'd say 80% of the vibration went away. I'm still amazed at how much of a difference that made. Thanks folks! Rick
Back to top	I can tell you EXACTLY what it feels like to get hit by a truck. I do not recommend anyone try it themselves. IP Logged

grandpa Senior Member Offline Old but not cold!!! Posts: 259 Bartlett TN Gender:	Re: Handlebar Vibration Reply #8 - 12/27/14 at 19:11:26 I have found that low tire pressure increases the handlbar vibrations. Just two pounds low is noticeable.
Back to top	Blue '06, seat mod, K&N drop-in filter, desnorkeled, 55 pilot, 152.5 main, 1/3 spacer, dyna muff, factory bug shield, 11.5 Progressive rear shocks, debadged, fork boots, 110/90-19, 140/90-15 IP Logged

Flint

Full Member

Offline

SuzukiSavage.com
Rocks Alberta!

Posts: 124

Re: Handlebar Vibration
Reply #9 - 12/27/14 at 19:41:26

MnSpring wrote on 12/11/14 at 14:32:58:

Lead Shot:
1st, Never NEVER, EVER ! Melt Lead, SHOT. Many brands of Lead shot, has a little bit of arsenic in it,
(It is what helps make it ‘round’, when dropped).
2nd. If you use it for weight, encapsulate it ’something’.
(Using plain, WILL, ‘Dust’), and you do NOT want to breath that dust.

Now before everyone gets their underwear in a bunch. About Lead Shot.
The above treatments, ‘melting shot’, ‘turning lead to dust’. are Abuses.
They are not normal uses for that substance.

The, ’normal’, use, such as in shooting lead shotgun shells, or eating things that have been shot with a lead pellets in a shotgun. NO WORRIES.

You eat a Pheasant or Duck, or Venison, and ingest a lead piece. NO PROBLEM !
It will just pass right through. (More teeth have been chipped with, ’steel’ shot, in the last 10 years, than have with lead shot in the last 200)

I haven’t done it, in a MC. (factory bars), but if I needed to, weight the bars, I think a piece of flexible tubing, that easily fits inside, cut to length, then if using lead shot, a dab of, ‘cheep’ calk, a little shot, dab of calk, shot, etc. etc, and pushed down with a rod, dowel, tape the ends, it’s still flexible, push it inside the bars.

Did Many a stock or forearm, and used a piece of hose, plastic/rubber tubing, copper, etc.
Filled it full of lead shot, then dumped ’that’ amount out. Mixed up some 2 part epoxy, poured that lead shot into the epoxy, stirred it about, Then, poured it into the, ‘container’. Let it hard, then put it into the, ‘place’ it was to go.

This would also work on the handlebars, Where they were, Straight. Caus it ain’t gonna bend when hard.

Now a word on, ‘LEAD”. It is NOT Harmful, when used correctly !
The use of ’Non’Toxic” shot in today's shotguns shells, is PURE, Bravo Seaira !
Yes, Lead, ingested by something (bird) that has a gizzard, is ‘ground up’, along with the grit, and seeds and whatever else that bird is eating. And lead, so ground up, can, that is, CAN, cause a problem, IF and ONLY if, it is eaten is sufficient quantities. Which it CAN”T BE !. And a piece of lead, in a gut pile, eaten by a, ‘Condor’, and the Condor getting sick from it. Is TOTALLY, TOTALLY, Bravo Seaira.

And this, MYTH. is Backed by the people that SELL Ammunition.

Think of this, a company, making a good profit, making Lead shot. Is SUDDENLY, given the opportunity to make 20 TIMES MORE MONEY, (do to the the Al Goriets). Ya think they will turn it down ?????

I like the way you think regarding Al Gourd. I worked in a gold mine and we used lots of arsenic in the slime press, not as bad as a fellow would think. It takes very little arsenic to harden lead shot and if you cast your bullets or other stuff outdoors there is little to fear.

Back to top

IP Logged