engine vibration

[bikelee]

I'm new on this forum. I am considering the purchase of a 2019 Tracer GT. I've read all the reviews I can find on this bike. Cycle News said and I quote " Longer days will give you the tingles pretty bad with a Tracer 900 GT. The 3 cylinder engine is vibey by nature and you will feel them in your hands and feet if you are riding more than one hour at a time. " As I have never ridden a Tracer GT, is this an accurate statement ? I can't handle handlebar or foot vibration. It puts my hands and feet asleep and makes riding very uncomfortable.
Also I'm reading that there is knocking in the front end when you hit a big bump or a pothole. What's that all about ? Any help on these topics would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Leon.
 
 

[BBB]

While it’s true that a triple will inherently have more vibration than a four cylinder engine, I don’t find it intrusive or problematic. In fact, I see it as a huge advantage as you have a hybrid that has the advantages of both a twin and four cylinder lump.
 
I fitted the Yamaha adventure pegs, which have a rubber insert on the top, so that may have helped a bit, but I fitted them for grip rather than to ameliorate vibrations.
 
Your best bet is to ride the bike before buying and to try for an extended ride. If you’re used to four cyclinder bikes then it will feel different, but IMHO opinion it’s all good.

[koth442]

It really depends. Some bikes have worse vibration than others. My FJ didn't have vibration for the first 5,000 miles or so. Now it does. I've ordered some rubber foot pegs to deal with it.

[DavidS]

hmmmm, I'm at 15K miles, and haven't had a problem with vibrations.

[josh]

Its the nature of triples , I have only ridden v-twins before my FJ, and it does vibrate more but not enough to bother me. Good boots and gloves can help. If you want a smooth engine the 850 might not be for you. If you want a fun engine with lots of character consider a 850. I have put 30000km on my FJ, and have done multiple long distance trips and I feel fine at the end of the day.

[estell]

I say that Cycle News exaggerated the vibrations.
 
The only problem that I have with vibration is that the mirrors vibrate after you install the mirror extenders. They didn't vibrate without the extenders. It is not a big deal because I can see other vehicles even though I can't read the license plate. Without the extenders I could see only my elbows.
 
I have never had a problem with foot-peg vibration. I had tingling hands when I first started riding my FJ09. The grip puppies cured that. I removed them recently and I don't get the tingling any more. I bought better gloves in the meantime so that may have helped.

[gerdawg]

The seat needs updating IMO...it kinda sucks. Not the material but the angle of it. My 19 is a bit vibey, I just put FJR pegs on it but it wasn't a real concern of mine.
 
I went about 5-6 hours on it the other day with stock pegs at all different speeds and vibrations, while there, really didn't bother me. More than anything it was the seat and the windshield that stuck out to me as lacking considerably.  I also had it out on the highway yesterday after picking up my official registration plates from the dealer (Hour 30 away) and I purposely avoided the back roads for that hour and 30 just to see how the vibration would pan out....I felt fine. I changed the pegs over last night to rubber ones (10 bucks) and rode to work this morning and it does buzz less in my feet, more importantly I felt that my feet gripped the pegs better which is the desired affect that I was seeking, not vibration. So in my humble opinion the vibration is certainly not anything "I" consider as being "too much". I had an FJR prior to this and yes that was smooth as silk but this bikes fun factor is well worth a little more discomfort for the type of riding that I generally do. The reduction in weight is blissful.  
 
Conversely I had a 2009 Kawasaki Concours and after about 2 hours on it my left arm would go completely numb....that was supposed to be a very smooth inline 4. Different strokes for different folks I guess.

[dangerzone2]

It's all relative. My other bike is an older KTM 690 supermoto (huge single cylinder).  Saying the FJ vibrates is an absolute joke to me.

[1moreroad]

I don't have a problem with my bike.
 
I understand what you are saying - a friend sold a Triumph 955i Sprint because his hands went to sleep in 45 minutes. I have never had that problem on any bike I've ridden. There is more vibration than some other bikes, but it has never been an issue in up to 400 mile days.

[angrygirafe]

I’m curious how people even notice the buzzing with the distractions provided by the air hammer wind screen and the seat/wooden plank.
 
 
 
I love my bike, I just can’t imagine the buzzing being an actual complaint compared to those.

[koth442]

I've spent extensive time on large thumpers. I've owned two Husky 610's and a DR650, about 35,000 miles on the three. Numerous V-twins, superhawk, 3 different SV's, etc. I also did just shy of 50,000 miles on a Daytona 675 (also a triple) and have ridden a Tiger 800 quite a few times. I am familiar with "normal" vibrations on a motorcycle. However, some FJ's vibrate in a way I've never had another bike vibrate. Its super high frequency and very intense. I think buzzing is a better word.
 
While all our bikes are made on the same assembly line and are 99.9% the same, that 0.1% can shift the natural frequency a bit. Enough that some bikes' natural frequency can be felt, and others not. Vibration, especially near a natural frequency, is NOT an intuitive thing. Just because your bike doesn't buzz (or vibrate), doesn't mean others aren't. Mine didn't for the first 5,000 miles. I chuckled at the notion this butter smooth motor would vibrate enough to annoy people. And then my FJ started buzzing, and its annoying.

[gerdawg]

And if it were me and that started happening I'd start running down the list to isolate the problem and make it stop. If it wasn't there to begin with and now it is something loosened up or needs adjustment. I'd start with syncing the throttle bodies then work my way toward re-torquing the bars, shocks, exhaust, rear swing arm w/lubing, checking front and rear wheel bearing playing, look for play in the steering head bearing, replacing chain and sprockets last. Should be no reason that it can't be cured with the right amount of investigation. I bought the 900 because it's easy to work on in comparison to the FJR, maintenance on this beast should be a breeze in comparison to what I've had to do the FJR so when and if the buzzing does come along I'm fairly confident it can be solved. 

[darkstar77]

450km on my new Tracer 900, non GT, and yeah, it's a little buzzy. Coming from a WeeStrom, it vibrates a little more. Nothing compared to a thumper though. It's not a deal breaker at all.

[crempel]

Smoothest bike I’ve ever owned. I would like to ride some of the complainer’s bikes cuz I’m not kidding when I say that if I never own a smoother running bike, I’ll be happy.

[harraseeket]

I agree with gerdawg. the tracer does vibrate, i thought it would be smoother than my versys 650, surprised to find out it wasn't. but just because there is vibration doesn't mean your hands or feet will go numb. different frequencies you can feel but they don't necessarily affect your hands. the vibes on the versys you could go all day no problem. haven't ridden the tracer for hour after hour yet but the vibes feel the same type. also agree about the windscreen. fitted the yamaha touring screen which is much better for wind protection, but it is pretty thin and at 75-80 on the highway it is all over the place, and at low speeds over expansion joints i get a clicking sound at each hit which is annoying. it will be interesting to see how the sliding mechanism holds up over time with the bigger screen