[Raj V]

Hello all,

I am enjoying my B5 a lot. But, it has a sweet spot of 50MPH. Above 55mph, the vibration is just too much. Is this normal? I expected to cruise at 60mph smoothly. My bike has 2K miles on it. Thanks.

[Royalista]

Not normal.
Check bolts of frame and engine.
You should not have much vibration until reaching 75 mph and even then it is not so excessive as to be uncomfortable.
If problem persists contact dealer.

[Ducati Scotty]

It may continue to change character.  My bike didn't really settle in until about 3,500 miles.  Now I can ride pretty much any speed I want without too much vibration.

I did get a lot less vibration when I got the Emgo reverse cone muffler.  Also, ProGrip gel grips are great on any bike.

Scott

[mattsz]

Raj V - I've got a 2011 B5 with just over 4000 miles.  At first, it was a rough ride, but I expected that during break-in.  It's settled in quite nicely now.  I could cruise in 5th gear at 60 mph all day long - my sore butt would stop me hours before vibrations would!  Now, 65 is another matter...

How many miles do you have on your bike?

[ChrisS]

Check the frame and engine bolts as Royalista said and check that the head steady bracket between the engine head and the frame towards the rear of the gas tank is not snapped, and, if not snapped then tight.

Good luck,
Chris S

[JVS]

Hello all,

I am enjoying my B5 a lot. But, it has a sweet spot of 50MPH. Above 55mph, the vibration is just too much. Is this normal? I expected to cruise at 60mph smoothly. My bike has 2K miles on it. Thanks.

I agree with Royalista. With a 500 single, you should be expecting 'some' vibrations, yeah? But if the vibrations are too much, i.e. you think the bike is going to explode or something, then you really need to go over the bolts etc. It is hard to judge because we are not sure how much vibration you're getting.

Plus, try to stay around the 55-60mph mark. That is where these bikes run best. Anything over that is just overkill for a stock Bullet (unless you're trying to overtake  ), even though it can withstand higher speeds.

[ROVERMAN]

I have just shy of 300 mi on my B5 until rain stopped play. At first anything over 50 was harsh. As the miles have increased it is steadily smoothing out. For full disclosure: I came from an Iron Barrel with an unbaffled Goldstar exhaust, and my B5 has had an EFI pipe from day one so my expectations are probably different than Raj V. +1 to all the advise from others, from what i have seen the fuel tank install is critical.
Roverman.

[ADB]

If the vibrations dont improve, an easy/cheap fix i found was getting slightly heavier bar-end weights...that really help the vibes for me. Didn't necessarily stop the vibrations, but changed the frequency and made a world of difference for me.

[ADB]

http://www.enfieldmotorcycles.com/forum/index.php/topic,15066.0.html

[barenekd]

My G5 took probably 1000 miles before the vibrations became an afterthought. Gearing up to an 18T sprocket also move the vibes up the speed range. But after the bike was thoroughly broken the vibes were quite comfortable everywhere up to top speed. It never put my hands to sleep as opposed to other motorcycles I've owned. I once saw 92 on the speedo, still no excessive vibes.
Bare

[no bs]

Hello all,

I am enjoying my B5 a lot. But, it has a sweet spot of 50MPH. Above 55mph, the vibration is just too much. Is this normal? I expected to cruise at 60mph smoothly. My bike has 2K miles on it. Thanks.

after riding my 2011 g5 home from san fransisco to dixon with my better half following(approx. 75 miles), my first words to her were "women will love these!"

[hillntx]

As others have said check all your fasteners.  Mine developed a weird vibration and hum when the tank bolts started to loosen.  I retorqued and problem solved.  After 2000 miles something probably loosened.

[mattsz]

How many miles do you have on your bike?

Read the original post, Matt, you dip$hit...

[busmec]

I have over 8000 miles on my 2011 B5. I get a vibration around 20 mph then smooths out. I cruse between 50 to 60 mph with very little vibration. It's when I go above 63 mph when I pick up some major vibration. I ride on two lane highways or country semi-paved roads , so I very rarely go above 60mph. Also if your engine is noisy, which mine was, my engine quieted down around 6800 miles.
   Dan

[shamelin]

As others have said check all your fasteners.  Mine developed a weird vibration and hum when the tank bolts started to loosen.  I retorqued and problem solved.  After 2000 miles something probably loosened.

+1.  I've only had unpleasant vibration when the rear tank bolt or the exhaust header bolts start coming loose.  I'd check those first.  2011 B5 with 10K miles, and I can hit 70+mph without issue.

[Raj V]

I went to see my dealer about the vibration. After he had a chance to spend some time with it, he has confirmed that there an unusual amount of vibration with the bike. Also, there is an abnormal sound from the engine. He tried tightening a few bolts. That didn't help too much. He will call RE Monday for some guidance.

[Ducati Scotty]

CMW is good about helping dealers sort out problems.  I think you're in good hands.

Scott

[mattsz]

Raj V - Can you elaborate on the abnormal engine sound?

[Raj V]

mattsz, The engine sound is something the dealer pointed out. Honestly, I didn't hear anything funny and can't really describe it. But, I am a total newbie. He seemed to think it is rather odd and may be significant.

This is different from the nasty sound that I had posted earlier.http://www.enfieldmotorcycles.com/forum/index.php/topic,11451.msg184720.html. That one got somewhat cured after replacing the exhaust but mostly still there.

[gremlin]

Read the original post, Matt, you dip$hit...

Harsh.

[mattsz]

Harsh.

Yeah, well Gremlin, I'm getting tired of that guy! 

 

mattsz, The engine sound is something the dealer pointed out. Honestly, I didn't hear anything funny and can't really describe it. But, I am a total newbie.

This is my problem, too.  And... I am hundreds of miles from a dealer.  I hope you get it sorted out!  Please keep us informed about what the trouble was, and the solution...

[Raj V]

After talking to RE, my dealer tightened the engine mount bolts. Some of them had come loose. I test rode the bike. The vibration has definitely gone down. I still can't imagine doing 65mph for more than a few minutes. But, I can live with the way it is right now.

[Ducati Scotty]

Keep an eye on those.  Anything that comes loose again should get some LocTite.

Scott

[barenekd]

It's when I go above 63 mph when I pick up some major vibration. I ride on two lane highways or country semi-paved roads , so I very rarely go above 60mph. Also if your engine is noisy, which mine was, my engine quieted down around 6800 miles.

Go to an 18T sprocket and that will move the vibes up more toward 70 and make cruising a lot more comfortable. It will takeaway some low end punch, but it's still quite adequate. It doesn't do a damn thing for top speed and I never really noticed any mileage difference. it does give you room for a good oring chain. But it makes cruising between 65-70 or so a viable option.
Bare

[Raj V]

Go to an 18T sprocket

I will be definitely interested in a 18T sprocket. What will be the ballpark expense in parts+dealer labor? Thanks.

[Raj V]

should get some LocTite

I mentioned LocTite. Dealer sez these are self tightening bolts and don't need LocTite I realized the inconsistency of that statement (self tightening bolts that come loose), but didn't have the confidence to press the matter any further.

Just to be clear, we are talking about the bolts that mate the silver engine with the black chassis. Pretty obvious to locate.

[Arizoni]

I think he must have meant to say they were self locking, not self tightening.

There are several different kinds of self locking nuts and bolts available. 
Royal Enfield has used nuts with a nylon self locking feature on the engine mounts.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyloc_nut

Another type of self locking nut uses a deformed inner thread diameter to grip the bolts thread.  I haven't seen any of these used by Royal Enfield.

While these seldom come loose, it isn't impossible for it to happen.
If the nuts were made incorrectly, installed and removed several times, or not tightened sufficiently to begin with they can end up loose.

There are several self locking bolt designs also available.  These range from bolts with a small nylon pellet imbedded in the threads to bolts with special deformed threads that wedge into the nuts threads when they are tightened.

[Ducati Scotty]

Most self locking nuts are actually designed to be used only once.  I, and a million other people, tend to use them more than once.  If you have to remove them they should ideally be replaced with new ones.  Some settling on a new machine can occur and cause some looseness in fasteners even if they haven't backed off, but if you have to tighten them they may not be working.  Even if they are working, adding some LocTite shouldn't do any harm and adds another level of security, a belt and suspenders approach.

Get some blue LocTite and keep it with you.  It's normal and recommended to have to check and tighen all the fasteners on an RE periodically, more so during the first 1000 miles or so.  This is good practice on any bike and highly recommended on an RE.  My general rule is that if I have to tighten it more than once or if it's critical, it gets LocTite.

Scott

[Raj V]

Next time I take the bike to the dealer, I will have these bolts replaced and put locktite on. I don't feel comfortable doing this myself

Also, the 18T sprocket will definitely happen

[barenekd]

To get the dealer to change the sprocket and put on a quality chain would probably in the $250-300 range. You want a new chain if you're going to change the spocket.
The chain and sprocket will be in the $175 range.
Bare