+1 my 2011 tbird vibrates some. I just live with it. Mine seems to do it more after sitting all winter. So I attribute some of it to flat spots on the tires.

 

I've had an LT for a couple of weeks now. I haven't ridden nearly as much as I'd like but have several 150 mile + days, no vibration issues. When you take her in for your first service be sure to point out your concerns, might be something they can do.
I put Grip Puppies on when I first got mine, they are supposed to help a little, they are certainly more comfortable than the stock grips. They're cheap, you might want to check them out.

 

I had this happen to me a few times. Once.. it was do bad that I couldn't bear to ride because my hand was sooooo numb. I eventually discovered that the map sensor tubes were to blame.

Each time it happens (it happens occasionally).. I now check the map sensor tubes first and make sure they are snug. Sometimes they feel a little loose and other times they feel secure.. but every time I push on them, the vibration goes away.

Since the map sensors are a known issue with this bike, I've concluded that my vibration is tied to the map tubes.

Oh.. and I have a 2012 Tbird 1600.



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As an LT owner I've been wondering if there was any upgrade to the map tube issue for the LT/Commander. But as for vibration, I have not experienced any problem at all.

 

'12 Bird.

Right grip vibrates to the point of the mirror being "out of focus" compared to the left one. I put Grip Puppies on as well. Problem with them is, if you sunscreen, etc., the puppies become "Goop Puppies", and your hands end up all black.

They do help with the numb hands quite a bit, and they're much cheaper than Kuryakyn ISO grips.

 

I actually just got the ISO grips last weekend. I like them much better then the stock grips. I also had them on my Speedmaster before trading up to the Tbird.


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If you've got ISO grips, throw on a Throttle Boss. If you still have the stock grips, try a Kury Throttle Rocker or a Cramp Buster. They all let you rest your palm enough to be able to loosen up your grip on the throttle, which usually gets rid of a lot of the tingling or numbing in your throttle hand and generally makes for a more relaxing ride.

 

I have the throttle boss already. I like it.


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I too have vibration issues on my t-bird LT. My hand goes numb after 20 minutes or so. I'll have to mention it next time at the dealer.

 

power play how many miles do you have on your bike? My vibration seems to get better the more miles I put on the bike I have 932 mi.on it.

 

Getting better

I recently bought a '14 TBird Commander and I too find it is getting better (less vibration) with more 'miles' (kilometers in my case ) I put on it. I have about 1950 km (1,200 miles) on it now (be more tomorrow )

Cheers
FF

 

Bar Ene Weights

Update, I just installed these bar end weights: http://www.hvmp.com/Triumph-s/36.htm

Once I take it for a good long ride I will post back...stay tuned

Cheers
FF

 

fast freddie keep us posted on how hard they are to install and if they work. I just bought some grip puppies from amazon and I'll post my findings.

 

Here is a pic of the 'extra heavy' HVMP bar-end weights on my Commander.



A little on the large side, but they work! I find the vibration is much reduced especially in 6th riding between 110 and 130 km/hr (indicated) ~60-80mph. There is no tach on a Commander so I have no idea what the RPMs are. Literally you unscrew the stock ones and these screw on in their place. I did have to run a tap up the handlebar threads so the supplied cap screws would thread easily. I also used some Loctite blue to ensure they stay put.

DISCLAIMER! The handlebars on the Commander are a different shape than other TBirds and the motor is a stressed member of the frame (not sure if it is on other variants) both of which will influence vibrations. Also different people experience vibrations differently, but I found a noticeable reduction.

Hope this helps
FF

 

Thanks for the info. FastFreddie. The L t don't have a tach either.

 

don't mean to freak ya out bro but I had the same vibration and took it in to the shop. Seems that my valves were hitting the piston tops. After a complete engine rebuild-vibration gone.

 

360 vs 270

I also think my experience of vibration is actually 'built in' to the TBirds in an attempt to emulate the V Twin sound/feel. I don't actually find the vibrations that bad, just appear at certain RPMs.

The one 'unfortunate' consequence of the bar end weights is my TBird now thinks it's a sport bike now. I was on the superslab and she wanted to constantly pull over 140kph (~90mph); it was all I could do to restrain myself and keep it to a civil 130ish (80ish)

 

I just got a 2010 Tbird with iso grips to say the least and on my first long ride actually not too long about an hour my right hand was ringing from the vibration. I have not ridden it that long since but on other rides I didn't notice it.

 

If the vibration is abnormally bad.. check your map tubes. A slightly loose tube causes vibration on mine too - to the point of a numb hand. It goes away as soon as I snug the map tubes. It happens occasionally.. but now that I know what to do.. it's an easy fix.


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I have the throttle hand numbness, thought it was me & arthritis or similar. Can I show my ignorance and asked where are my map tubes and how do I improve them?
Thanks

 

i had more of bar shimmy and it turned out to be a bad Met. front tire, my dealer turned it in to metz and they replaced it for FREE..i had also added the bar weights and they do help a lot, I think they even look cooler than stock ones....

 

Check your tire pressure. They may be under inflated. If you run this way it will also cause excessive wear on your tires. It was suggested to me to even run them a little over the recommended pressure.

 

I'm about to get a new front tyre before the winter so I'm reading all the comments on those, it will be interesting to see if a new tyre makes any difference. I daren't add bigger/longer bar weights as I'll never get the bike through my side gate, it's difficult already!!

 

I've never felt that the vibrations were severe enough to worry about. My mirrors stay clear, which says to me the vibrations are minimal. I put Grip Puppies on to offset the very hard material of the stock grips on my 2013T-bird 1600, and this must be helping as well. I also added a Kaoka throttle lock (replaces the end weight in the throttle grip) so when my hand is getting tired or cramped, I can lock the throttle and give my right hand a break. I don't find that the Kaoka works easily, I usually take my hand off of the grip and turn the knob to tighten or loosen the device, whereas other throttle locks I have had in the past can be worked with the thumb on the right hand while still working the throttle. But at this point I'm not buying a different throttle lock. The key is that with a throttle lock of any kind you can shake out your hand and offset the numbness from whatever source.

I should add the recently I had a nail in my rear tire, so I had the dealer replace it with the stock Metzler, and even with about 200 miles on the new tire the bike seems to now have a bit more vibration and roughness. I wonder if that means something was wrong with this new tire.

 

Vito.. perhaps they didn't balance the new tire properly? I'm sure your dealer would be happy to check it for you if u mention the problem to them.

 

Bad Metzler

I had a bad Metzler on the front of my Bonneville, same vibrations as described here, replaced it with an Avon. So far the TBird Commander tires are OK.

I have also found the vibrations have lessened over time with more mileage (kilometerage??) I am now just under 7,000 km and the bike is much smoother.

I have learned the 1700 likes to rev higher than I initially thought as well.

 

There was a lot of discussion on this relative to the first generation Birds - quite a few of them had it. Two good solutions have already been mentioned here, bar end weights and grip puppies. The other thing that helped a lot of us was a minor modification to the mount between the risers and the top triple clamp. In many of the first gen Birds (including my 2012), the tolerances stacked up such that the rubber vibration isolators in that joint were compressed too much and could not properly damp high frequency vibrations. There was a spacer tube, or pair of them in there, and using a washer to effectively lengthen the spacer by a little bit killed like 95% of the vibration. Mirrors cleared up and hands stopped going numb. There are threads here and on the other Thunderbird site about it.

You might also double-check to ensure you are keeping a loose grip on the bars. I would have sworn I was, but apparently the grunt of the Bird triggers some otherwise-dormant reflex and I will occasionally over-grip the bars, particularly the throttle, if I'm riding sporty. I've gotten in the habit of braking with middle, ring, and pinky fingers, keeping index and thumb for throttle. Riding that way, with the other fingers on the brake lever, seems to help remind me to keep my grip light.