Ok I have a situation that i haven't had on any other bike after half an hour on the GTR my right hand goes numb (no remarks needed!) I cant feel any vibes through the bars and I only ride with a light grip, anyway during my ride to work this morning I dropped the screen to its lowest point and noticed that the numbness started to go, so from that I can only assume that this is being caused by air pressure on my back when the screen is extended, is this something that affects all tourers?
I dont understand the GTR, sometimes when I ride it there is no vibration or numbness and on other times its very evident. Classic example last week I went to Lincolnshire and while travelling on the motorway my right hand was so numb I could not bend my fingers, nor did I have any feeling in them at all. However as soon as we came off the motorway the numbness went and never came back, not even on the return journey on the motorway. It baffles me. I've no doubt that it is something I am doing subconsciously, even if it is something as basic as over gripping the bar end. I just dont realise obviously that I am doing it.
Whats the cure? Not sure really, best thing I suppose is to analyse your riding style and see if you can identify whats going on.
Odd, very odd, I used to have this problem on my GSA but that vibrated at certain revs like a commuter train. I did have this problem on the GTR initially but it was my glove wrist strap being too tight, the position of the bars put pressure where it hadn't been on my ZZR, leave the strap loose and I have no problem.
Also if you sit in a pocket of still air there is no air flow to hold you up, so more weight on your wrists, meaning you have to support your own weight.
Just my opinion, sure there'll be more ;D
I like the theory about the glove strap being tight. Strangely enough you may have hit the nail on the head as I had a pair of gloves on which I dont often use and they are a slightly smaller size than I normally use.
I have noticed that when I move the screen up that at a certain point it feels like being pushed (or sucked) forward.
This could result in more pressure on the wrists and cause the numbness. I haven't experienced something as extreme after 1/2 hour but after longer trips I seem to feel more tired than I used to be on the 1250 Bandit.
Maybe varying the screen position more often may help? I'll be doing a 600 mile run mainly on motorways through Holland, Belgium and France on Saturday, so I will have some time for experimentation.
If it's not p**sing down I ride with the screen down below 50Mph and screen up above 50.
I have the big CalSci screen so you can imagine how much I get pushed into the bars with it up.
The trick is to move frequently.
That also means moving your hands and yes, even changing the position of your throttle hand.
We get in the habit of not moving and that is BAD!
l alternate between fingers around the grip, fingers resting on brake lever, fingertips holding throttle, and taking my hand completely off the grip for a few seconds when decelerating. It allows me to do the full 200 miles a full tank of petrol gives me.
It also helps to rotate the brake lever down as far as you can as this reduces the angle your hand is at when braking.
Since I filter for 20-60 miles per day I am covering the brake for a fair while so I have mine as low as it will go.
Brake lever adjustment tonight, and a loose fitting wrist straps and the mankini :o whoops wrong forum
Well I too have the dreaded vibration and hand-numbing effect.
I came from the 2008 GTR onto the 2011 bike and it's a killer. I hate my 2011 GTR for that single reason. It has taken every ounce of enjoyment out of riding the bike. 4,000rpm in every gear no matter what speed.
I've had a good bit of correspondence with Kawasaki UK (
[email protected]) and they're denying it's a problem. In fact, they're suggesting that I'm the only one to complain about it! Erm, no. I know of others that have reported it.
Anyway, I've set up this page to see if we can record the individual owners that have the dreaded 4,000 vibe and to see if we can get Kawasaki to recognise that it IS a problem.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Vibrating-Kawasaki-Gtr1400/178434848890050?sk=wall
To date, they reckon it is a 'characteristic of the bike'.......... Is it going to take a lad getting killed from not being able to feel his hands before Kwak recognise the prob?
I have the 2010 model and I haven't had any problems with vibration or numb/dead feeling in my hands. I noticed at around 4000/45000 rev the vibration is ever so slightly more noticeable but I wouldn't say was significantly different to any other bike I have ridden over the years.
Steve
I know of one person that sold their GTR simply due to the vibration problem and Kawasakis inability to resolve it. I wouldn't go far as saying its a common issue, but its certainly a known issue.
Its normally due to something now being torqued correctly. Identifying the 'something' is the hard issue
Thestig Does your problem happen all the time ,or just if you are in" eco" mode? I have an 011 with 3500 miles on and It's fine, but does seem to run slightly rougher when in eco mode.
I've done 5K on my 11 now and can't say i've noticed any vibration either through the bars or pegs
I'm on 4k now on my 2011, some days there's vibes through the RH bar around 4000 revs, some days nothing at all, it can change during a trip out too. I thought it may be the different road surfaces, but that seems irrelevant too. Since fitting grip puppies I don't notice it so much, I can't decide if I like the new size of the grips with them fitted though.
It's still the best bike I've ever ridden ;D
Have just come back from my first longer trip on the GTR with daily milages between 200 to 600 miles on all kinds of roads.
Vibrations?
Not really. Every bike vibrates every now and then for one reason or another and the GTR probably less than most.
And @ 4000 rpm, you say?
That's about 90 mph in 6th gear, right?
Did a bit of that on continental motorways and haven't noticed anything untoward.
Though I have to agree with Boomer that frequently moving your hands (and feet and bum for that matter) really helps a lot.
I also experimented with the (standard) screen a bit on longer motorway sections.
When my hands started to go numb I lowered it for a while to reverse the sensation on the bars from pushing to pulling.
And at least for me it worked well. 600 miles in 12 hours on less than 60 litres of gas and still feeling great.
How did the holiday go Gerd?. Full report please ;D ;) Cheers Geoff ;D
Well, on popular demand here is a more detailed report of my trip to southern France.
The first day (Friday) I was able to leave work early and got on the way from Newcastle to Hull via York to catch the ferry to Rotterdam.
On the second day then the big one - Rotterdam to La Rochette in Savoie - 90% on various motorways through 4 countries.
Initially I was a bit disappointed about the fuel consumption and even though I was cruising at 120 - 130km/h I didn't get more than 10 Miles out of a litre of petrol. I had hoped to be able to make it to Luxemburg on one tank when I set off just after 9:00 but I had to stop and tip in my 5 litres reserve while still in Belgium on the N4. First pit stop in Capellen (LUX) and then back on the road towards Metz, Nancy and Dijon. After 220 Miles than the next pit stop at a gas station somewhere on the motorway. Except for a bit of drizzle it stayed dry and I managed to get all the way to Chambery on that tank. From there it wasn't far to my final destination and I finally arrived at the Resto au Gourmand in La Rochette just before 21:00.
The next days I spent looking after my 23 month old grandson, which was fun most of the time but also very tiring. It is amazing how much excercise you get looking after a toddler.
My first chance to hit a few twisties was on the Friday when Aydan was at the creche and I went to the south side of Mt Blanc and across some nice passes. I had been to Cumbria and knew that the bike was very nimble but the Alps proved how good it really is.
I could have gone out on the following Monday as well but I smelled rain and it got quite wet in the afternoon, so I was quite pleased to stay put.
So I didn't get another chance until the next Monday when I had planned to do at least part of the Route Napoleon.
Well, I crossed 2 passes to get to Briancon and unfortunately my Zumo 550 decided to freeze and I had to find my way relying on the road signs.
I went on to Gap and by that time it was getting a bit to late to go further south. So back towards Grenoble, a short pit stop there and back home.
On the 5th I set off on my way home to the UK.
This time I had planned to do this in 2 days and avoid the toll on the French motorways.
I set off around 10:00 towards Chambery and from there via Bourg-en-Bresse to Nancy.
And suddenly my Range started to show over 200 Miles even though I had already nearly 50 Miles on the clock.
From then on I managed to get 240 to 260 Miles out of a tank.
Next pit stop in Dole and lunch in Vesoul (that's where they build Peugeots and Citroens).
So far it had been cloudy but dry, until I reached Nancy and all hell broke loose in form of a thunderstorm.
Suddenly it literally bucketed down and I got soaked within seconds. Visibility was down to nearly zero, roads turned into rivers and with lightning and thunder all around and no bridge anywhere to be seen I took the next exit, stopped at the next bus stop and sheltered there until the rain eased a bit.
When I finally arrived at the hotel I was well and truly damp.
Next morning after breakfast the weather looked fine when I set off and I actually made it all the way to Martelange in Belgium after I added the contents of my petrol can to the tank in Luxemburg.
Martelange is a weird little town. There must be nearly a dozen gas stations one after the other and the prices are as low as Luxemburg (€1.32/l).
That got me all the way back to Rotterdam with plenty of time to spare.
Sunday morning a rather boring ride home, and of course the moment I arrived in Gateshead it started raining again.
After all I had a great time and it was priceless to spend some quality time with Aydan.
Mecki, sounds like a varied trip. I still wish I could find some pics from when I did my trip to St Tropez when I was much younger on my Honda CX500. No idea where they are these days. Did you take any photos etc.
Sorry, no photos LW.
I took my camera, but when I stopped on this amazing pass to take some pictures in the Haute Alps towards Briancon the batteries were flat.
Thats a bummer!!
Sounds like a decent trek though despite the downpour .
Never done the Rotterdam .... Nice ?
Quote from: Lord Rusty on August 10, 2011, 02:28:49 PM
Sounds like a decent trek though despite the downpour .
Never done the Rotterdam .... Nice ?
Well, as far as North sea ferries go it's not too bad, I guess.
The boats are a few years younger and slightly bigger than the Hull-Zeebrugge ones.
The DFDS boats going from Newcastle are getting old now too.
I've used them nearly all over the years and I couldn't really say that one would be significantly better than the others.
And the price has something to do with it as well.
Otherwise they're ferries - tiny rooms, expensive food and drink, lousy exchange rates and lots of noise and people.
Parking your bike on the ship is OK but if you happen to end up in the middle access especially carrying luggage can be problematic.
And if you know how to tie a knot they've got ropes aplenty.
I think before the next trip I get my own tie-down, though.
That the crew actually secure your bike I have only experienced on a ferry from Dover so far.
For me it's just convenient that I don't have to take a half day off work when I use that route.
And most of the days I would want to travel it's cheaper than DFDS.
Thanks for that ;D