How smooth is your engine?

[whisperquiet]

On 4/27/2021 at 6:05 PM, Ride365 said:

I've owned race twins, inline 4's, big singles and now my first crossplane 3.......this is by far my favorite engine bar none. 

I currently own the Tracer GT, a 2015 Super Tenere, and a 2021 Tenere 700.....the Tracer GT and Tenere 700 engines are fabulous -- the Super Tenere engine is agricultural by comparison. I've owned 85 motorcycles in 50 years and the only other engine that compares was my ST1300 engine which was sublime.

Edited April 29, 2021 by whisperquiet

[peteinpa]

Just out today again. Got to love this engine! Low end tourqe of a twin, high end power of an inline 4. It really does it all. I've owned a V65 Sabre, and a Blackbird, I know power. This bike beats them with its 460 lbs. wet weight and 56 in. wheelbase.

Got to have a flash though to really release the beast!!

[angrygirafe]

1 hour ago, maximo said:

I haven't ridden an electric bike, but compared to all other bikes I've had the CP3 feels just like that, an overloaded washing machine. I always compare it to a hyperactive kid who has been told to hold still - there's an amazing amount of energy that is unable to be kept still, even when it tries. It's not inherently bad or unpleasant, it's just raw, impatient, and ready to explode into action. 

On the occasion I can get the FJ running, the first thing I notice now is the vibration. I keep wondering if it was the same before my maintenance debacle, but I guess the 50k miles of good memories on it didn’t notice the vibration. It’s a great machine, and I wouldn’t change anything about it. Except to have it working reliably again. 😄😭

[NYTracer]

Hit 83* here in NY today, absolutely had to ride, after installing the Grip Puppies I now notice the vibration in the foot pegs, it was there before but now that I dont feel it as much in my hands I notice it more there at higher speeds.  
I agree with everyone else though that it is a heck of nice engine, when you get on the throttle it does not dissapoint!

[Wintersdark]

1 hour ago, NYTracer said:

Hit 83* here in NY today, absolutely had to ride, after installing the Grip Puppies I now notice the vibration in the foot pegs, it was there before but now that I dont feel it as much in my hands I notice it more there at higher speeds.  
I agree with everyone else though that it is a heck of nice engine, when you get on the throttle it does not dissapoint!

Rubber topped footpegs help, but yeah particularly at specific rpms it definitely vibrates in the footpegs a fair bit.  

[NYTracer]

13 minutes ago, Wintersdark said:

Rubber topped footpegs help, but yeah particularly at specific rpms it definitely vibrates in the footpegs a fair bit.  

I was actually thinking about that today, lol, might have to look into that.

[Wintersdark]

29 minutes ago, NYTracer said:

I was actually thinking about that today, lol, might have to look into that.

You can use any footpegs from the MT line, Tenere, or FJR1300's, so there's lots of options.  I've got dirt cheap Amazon ones which are *alright*, but you get much better results with adventure pegs that have a soft rubber cushion and bitey metal bits.  They're spendy, though, and the Amazon rubber topped pegs are like $25, so... 

[NYTracer]

41 minutes ago, Wintersdark said:

You can use any footpegs from the MT line, Tenere, or FJR1300's, so there's lots of options.  I've got dirt cheap Amazon ones which are *alright*, but you get much better results with adventure pegs that have a soft rubber cushion and bitey metal bits.  They're spendy, though, and the Amazon rubber topped pegs are like $25, so... 

Thanks man, I need to get off this forum so I can stop spending money.....

[petshark]

On 4/29/2021 at 3:16 AM, Wintersdark said:

You can use any footpegs from the MT line, Tenere, or FJR1300's, so there's lots of options.  I've got dirt cheap Amazon ones which are *alright*, but you get much better results with adventure pegs that have a soft rubber cushion and bitey metal bits.  They're spendy, though, and the Amazon rubber topped pegs are like $25, so... 

I have more vibration with the cheap FJR pegs but I think we can conclude that there is definitely something not right with mine.
 

Great to see that so many have smooth engines! 
The Carbtune and bearing puller have arrived but I’m still waiting on the bearings and spark plugs. I really hope to be joining you in the “glorious machine” camp soon. 😁

[betoney]

@petshark - Maybe I missed it but what is your riding history and any previous bikes?  Not being judgemental at all but curious if you might be more prone to feeling vibrations?  I know some riders that want nothing less than a Mercedes luxury sedan-like ride while others are content riding a 70's hard tail 'paint shaker'. 

Same with wind protection, some riders want only a minimal wind screen while others have a large barndoor for complete and total isolation.  I saw an old guy on the highway recently on a large touring bike with a H U G E windscreen and he was perfectly content sitting behind it with his modular face shield flipped up, drinking coffee and smoking a cigar. 

Again, maybe I missed it but have you ridden another Tracer back-to-back to compare with yours?

[Wintersdark]

5 hours ago, betoney said:

@petshark - Maybe I missed it but what is your riding history and any previous bikes?  Not being judgemental at all but curious if you might be more prone to feeling vibrations?  I know some riders that want nothing less than a Mercedes luxury sedan-like ride while others are content riding a 70's hard tail 'paint shaker'. 

Same with wind protection, some riders want only a minimal wind screen while others have a large barndoor for complete and total isolation.  I saw an old guy on the highway recently on a large touring bike with a H U G E windscreen and he was perfectly content sitting behind it with his modular face shield flipped up, drinking coffee and smoking a cigar. 

Again, maybe I missed it but have you ridden another Tracer back-to-back to compare with yours?

I'm very curious about this too.  From my perspective, the vast majority of my riding experience is on old 80's machines, and otherwise budget bikes.  So everything I say with regards to the Tracer's vibration is in comparison to those.  From my  experience, all bikes vibrate; it's just how much and at what RPM ranges, and it has never really bothered me.  

I can't help but feel @petshark should ride another Tracer to compare.  Or an FJ, or even an MT09 - all fundamentally the same drivetrain and chassis - to be able to know if his is normal or not.  Sadly, Belgium is a little far to offer to help

[DavidS]

4 hours ago, Wintersdark said:

I'm very curious about this too.  From my perspective, the vast majority of my riding experience is on old 80's machines, and otherwise budget bikes.  So everything I say with regards to the Tracer's vibration is in comparison to those.  From my  experience, all bikes vibrate; it's just how much and at what RPM ranges, and it has never really bothered me.  

I can't help but feel @petshark should ride another Tracer to compare.  Or an FJ, or even an MT09 - all fundamentally the same drivetrain and chassis - to be able to know if his is normal or not.  Sadly, Belgium is a little far to offer to help

I agree, a ride on another Tracer might help narrow down the problem. I don't find my Tracer to have excessive vibrations, but each bike is different, and if the bike you are most familiar with is a gold wing, your expectation would be different than if it was a DRZ 400. I guess what I'm saying is that it is all a bit subjective.

[petshark]

@betoney@Wintersdark@DavidS

Thank you for your suggestions! I have posted about it but am happy to explain again;

My previous bikes were a 2009 Er6n (naked ninja 650) and a 2019 Versys 650, both with the same 650cc parallel twin engine. A great engine, playful with lots of torque, and also prone to vibrations until Kawasaki switched to rubber engine mounts. I took my first course on a Honda CB600F inline 4 and that was a lot smoother but the Kawasaki engine never bothered me in the least. I actually rode the Er6n for 8 years without doing any maintenance except for oil and tire changes. I'm not proud of that but it shows that I was not worrying about the bike at all.

I also owned a BMW 5 series sedan with a 6 cylinder engine and that was so smooth you couldn't feel it if you were not revving. Now I have a Skoda with a 1.2 TSI triple engine, and while the difference with the BMW is obvious I would never complain about the Skoda (VW group) engine. It is just as lively as the Tracer's and a little rough around the edges but I really have nothing against that. It's a great little engine and I never need more power.

It's hard to explain these things on forums but I'll give it another go. I love the feeling of sitting on a working machine, I really don't want a smooth vibration free experience. Vibrations are not my worry. My engine just feels like something is completely off. There is no pattern to the hiccups at low RPM and this problem is IMO translated in bigger vibrations than usual at higher revs.

While I certainly understand that many of my posts get the occasional "are you sure it's not all in your head" remark, I have to stop doubting my own observations because of this. I am sensitive to small details but I am always right up till now. I had an issue with the brakes and after a lot of research and work the difference is night and day. I had an issue with the bearings and it turned out there was no grease in it. After reporting that my turn signal switch was difficult to use it was jokingly suggested that everything has to be "just perfect" for me but a week later the blinkers stopped working because the switch completely seized and had to be resurrected with penetrating oil.

There is also an issue with the clutch pull (two little bumps in the beginning of the lever travel) that I was not able to fix, even though trying several levers, changing the clutch cable etc but I can live with that.

I understand it's hard to believe but I am just that unlucky with this bike and have been chasing issues non-stop. It was also suggested that I should sell it but I don't like to give up and have already invested so much (some money, mostly time) that I just have see it through. Also changing bikes costs a lot of money in Belgium, so I'd rather invest that in fixing this one.

Finally, I did do a test ride on my dealers demo GT, exactly the same model/year/color even. At that time I could only say that it felt like all the pieces in that engine were tighter, mine felt a little loosy, but the overall character was the same. Mine had 9000 km and his 2000 km so I was satisfied that there were no night/day difference.

Since then it has gotten a lot worse. When the engine is cold and I have to ride through city traffic there is no way to not jerk forwards and backwards, even in 1st gear and with a very steady throttle hand. The dealer doesn't have the other GT anymore so I cannot repeat the comparison. I can go look for other owners in the neighborhood but without first getting to know them I would not ask to ride their bikes. Perhaps I could let them ride mine...

For now I know what to do, most of what I'm feeling could be that bearing. It looked still new, and turned perfectly smooth even without grease, and after adding grease the metalic pinging stopped. I reported here that I would keep an eye on it and replace it the pinging returned. It has! And all the grease is still in there. I'm hopeful that a lot of what I'm feeling in the frame is coming from that bearing, and makes the engine issue seem a lot worse than it is. The new bearings are in the mail.

Next up throttle body sync and new spark plugs and with a little luck I might be able to get it to normal.

And, I've ordered Ohlin's so there is no return, I have to fix this.

PS. Worst case is that there something wrong in the transmission. Shifting down when rolling to a stop is also becoming more difficult but I don't want to think too much about that. First things first.

[betoney]

@petshark - It sounds like you have definitely gone through your trials and issues with this bike, I wouldn't have blamed you for throwing in the towel and moving on to something else but glad that you are determined to get everything worked out, it really is a great bike.  Good luck.  

[texscottyd]

On 4/28/2021 at 4:58 PM, angrygirafe said:

It’s a great machine, and I wouldn’t change anything about it. Except to have it working reliably again.

So still no resolution on this?   That has to be incredibly frustrating...