Vibration free handlebars - cheap guzzi content

[lazlokovacs]

Since her rebuild, my lemans V has been something of a paintshaker, which I'm putting down to her needing a good 10,000miles of running in...

Researching anti-vibration products on the internet I was underwhelmed...


So I got me 380mm of 5/16 old fuel hose and a bunch of shredded ping pong ball debris drifted good and tight into the hose (its a frustrating thing to do, thus free meditation mindfulness practice ) ....then a self tapper, a couple of washers and some used clutch cable inners, a whole load of grease, and my 'snakes' pulled right through the clip-ons.

Also whacked on some extra heavy bar weights from aprilia AP8104572 (tenner each)

which necessitated purchasing a couple of M6 x 120 bolts.... which I got for free in exchange for carrying a few boxes of screws into the store for the owner who had a bad back.

End result, massively reduced vibration in my clip-ons.

 

dunno if it was my DIY 'snakes' or the extra couple of pounds the bar-ends gave me (the lemans ones were pretty heavy too)

very pleased

YMMV

Does this qualify for Cheap Guzzi Content?

[oldbike54]

 It qualifies 

 Dusty

[tris]

On occasion when we have a particularly recalcitrant machine we balance it using Densalloy balance weights - https://www.azom.com/article.aspx?ArticleID=9537

Given that Densalloy roughly twice as dense as steel we can get twice the weight for the same volume

Might be an option for some people - though I'm sure the rubber snakes are much MUCH cheaper 

[Jurgen]

I've got some vibration problems also, and am wondering about the function of the ping pong ball debris stuffed into the fuel hose.  Seems very light to dampen vibration.  The bar weights I can understand. How does this work?

Jurgen

[lucian]

I roll up pieces of  lead flashing until it fits snugly inside the bar ends. Available at any lumber yard or home center and works great. I know others have used lead shot but with the rolled lead you don't need to fill the whole bar length. My Tuono had an annoying high frequency vibe that the lead eliminated.

[lazlokovacs]

I've got some vibration problems also, and am wondering about the function of the ping pong ball debris stuffed into the fuel hose.  Seems very light to dampen vibration.  The bar weights I can understand. How does this work?

Jurgen

I've got some vibration problems also, and am wondering about the function of the ping pong ball debris stuffed into the fuel hose.  Seems very light to dampen vibration.  The bar weights I can understand. How does this work?

Jurgen

My testing was only marginally scientific

Ding a clip on with something soft-ish eg. a brass drift

it makes a big noise, so a lot of reverberation is happening....

Stuff a clip-on (that is unattached to the bike) with a fuel hose and ding it again

it makes a softer noise than before

Cram, and I mean cram, the inside of the hose with shards of cut up ping ping ball (match quality)

and ding the bar again,

quieter still....

I guess you are creating surface area and lots of little chambers for the vibration waves to bounce off?

lead shot, fishing weights and flashing etc all sound plausible too

[Rough Edge racing]

 In my opinion,If you have an engine that was smooth, then it gets rebuilt  and vibrates noticeably more....Something is different inside, like the balance factor.Or the tuning is off key....I have rebuilt many engines as an hobbyist and nothing is smoother than a fresh engine...

[lazlokovacs]

yep,

you could well be right........... and thanks for the input

Rueing my decision not to balance crank while it was out 

Not that it was silky smooth before I roasted the shells......

Best to keep the old clip-ons as vibration free as possible and keep riding

Have a spare 1100 engine that's getting a bloody good blueprinting soon, could well find it's way into the lemans in the future

[Roebling3]

Next time I'll try foam rods; for another data point. Seems as though, from your suggestion, that should work.. . .although I'm doubtful. There's a physical & a sound component working there. I have 1# on each side of my V7 Racer w/ Legnano bars. The vibration is no longer annoying.  R3~

[Rough Edge racing]

yep,

you could well be right........... and thanks for the input

Rueing my decision not to balance crank while it was out 

Not that it was silky smooth before I roasted the shells......

Best to keep the old clip-ons as vibration free as possible and keep riding

Have a spare 1100 engine that's getting a bloody good blueprinting soon, could well find it's way into the lemans in the future

 If the motor mount bolts are tight and the engine is running nice...Yes, just do what you can....I know some guys claim a motor get smoother with time but I would like to know exactly why that is...

[Sasquatch Jim]

 It's because your bones went numb so it only feels like less vibration.

[John Ulrich]

others have used lead shot but with the rolled lead you don't need to fill the whole bar length. My Tuono had an annoying high frequency vibe that the lead eliminated.

This!   

[Socalrob]

I find the best way to reduce vibes on my BMW and my Motoguzzi is to ride my KTM 690 for a couple of days.

[lazlokovacs]

likewise my '69 Triumph