rubber mounted bars?

[rhb]

I searched the forum in vain to see if there were any others that were a little surprised by the shock rubber mounted handle bars. Has anyone addressed this? I don't have a big problem with it but was surprised when I first tried to push the bike and the bars moved up and down. I know why Yamaha did it, but how bad is it with no rubber? Anyone try. I guess it would be like a 60's Brit bike buzz.
 

[Guest Ralph]

Lots of bikes have them, every now and then it seems to drive someone to distraction but
I dont even notice them. much rather have smooth than buzzy.
 

[bornagainbiker]

I push my bike around the yard quite a bit, and to tell you the truth I never noticed. 

[Beemer]

I've barely noticed a little flex (felt, not seen) when pushing hard on the bars but it always went back to where they were and you're probably right about it feeling like a 60's bike without the rubber mounting. Since it's relative to the rider, removing the rubber might make the bike feel more exciting and induce more wheelies! You may've just created a wheelie monster somewhere in the world with that idea, ha!  

[rhb]

I've barely noticed a little flex (felt, not seen) when pushing hard on the bars but it always went back to where they were and you're probably right about it feeling like a 60's bike without the rubber mounting. Since it's relative to the rider, removing the rubber might make the bike feel more exciting and induce more wheelies! You may've just created a wheelie monster somewhere in the world with that idea, ha!  

Well, I don't notice it riding at all (any flexing). But the other day after installing he pre load adjusters, I went to push down on the bars to check the preload, and the bars flexed a lot, try it, especially with front brake applied. So being an inquisitive type I went looking at the mount to the triple tree to see if there was any adjustment, of course there wasn't, the cap nuts underneath were firmly torqued. 
Now the old motorcycle rider brain kicked in, for better or worse, and started thinking, how can I modify that. Anyone who has ridden a Triumph 650 TT or Bonny from the sixties knows what a visceral experience it was to ride one, and what a pain to ride long distances. Cold hard vibrating steel. But you were connected to the bike in some way that you are not with modern bikes. Going 100 mph on one of those was a life changing experience.
 
Since I have nothing better to do, I thought about yanking the bar mount next time I take the tank covers off ( an attempt to combine procedures requiring dismantling of he bike). My thought was not to eliminate the insulation all together but cut an 80-90 durometer rubber spacer to go between the flexing bar mount and the triple tree, there by limiting movement, but not removing it altogether.
 
If my hands go numb, I can always undo it. Too much time on my hands I guess.
After reading the cons thread, I was a little surprised no one mentioned that, especially since some were complaining about too much wind in the face
Give me the gusto, real motorcycles for real men...
Maybe I need a cafe racer project...
 

[rick]

My K11RS BMW had rubber mounts on the bars and that buzzy motor still put my hands to sleep. I never liked how the bike responded to inputs because of those mounts, but the "Brick's" buzz would have been f-ing unbearable w/o.
 
I've not really noticed the mounts on this bike except when it's standing still. At 8/9k RPM, the brake lever has a pretty good buzz to it when applied. Can't imagine it getting anything but worse w/o the rubber
 
Btw, when that Triumph's speedo read 100, you were likely only goin' 90 and that's giving a lot of credit to those gauges and assuming the error was only 10% like all other speedos back then.

[ddog]

I purchased the Gilles bars and adjustable risers which have no rubber component. I do not notice any increased vibration, and I don't have any issues riding all day. I didn't switch because of the rubber mounts on the stock bars, but I don't miss them either.

[rhb]

My K11RS BMW had rubber mounts on the bars and that buzzy motor still put my hands to sleep. I never liked how the bike responded to inputs because of those mounts, but the "Brick's" buzz would have been f-ing unbearable w/o. 
I've not really noticed the mounts on this bike except when it's standing still. At 8/9k RPM, the brake lever has a pretty good buzz to it when applied. Can't imagine it getting anything but worse w/o the rubber
 
Btw, when that Triumph's speedo read 100, you were likely only goin' 90 and that's giving a lot of credit to those gauges and assuming the error was only 10% like all other speedos back then.

My TT special did not have a speedo, so it was calculated at about 7,500 rpm from the tach reading. but really I am not sure now how fast it was 50 years later, If you ever tried to look at a tach going 100 on an old Triumph you would know what the meaning of vibration blur is. but it was equivalent to 130 on a modern bike in perception. Had my MT up to 100 indicated and it was a smooth as butter  
most speedos even today have a built in positive error of  10 % or more, (some Hondas are notoriously optimistic). has nothing to do with accuracy, liability, tachs are generally de rated 500 rpm for same reason to protect against the stupid factor.
Try calibrating with GPS but make sure you have at least 6 satellites, and hold the speed for a while. or go for a dyno run. every bikes different. My 200 cc naked bike's speedo is actually pretty close. about 5% but it doesn't go faster than 85
 

[markstertt]

Nothing to address rhb, you might not want to look at your rubber mounted footpegs, any chance you're also retired?

[rhb]

I purchased the Gilles bars and adjustable risers which have no rubber component. I do not notice any increased vibration, and I don't have any issues riding all day. I didn't switch because of the rubber mounts on the stock bars, but I don't miss them either.

That's useful info, thanks. Not that i'm going to upgrade, as I stated, I didn't feel any difference riding the bike just standing still. Those are pretty awesome risers though. 

[rick]

Nothing to address rhb, you might not want to look at your rubber mounted footpegs, any chance you're also retired?

When I put Barkbuster Storm hand guards on, the bar end weights had to come off and I started noticing a fair amount of bzzz on my hands. I rode like like for a few months and then added Barkbusters optional end weights. that really took care of the hand vibes , but then I started to feel vibration in the pegs that I'd not noticed before! Sheesh.  
I'm not retired quite yet, but soon enough, lol! 
 
 
 

[rick]

I purchased the Gilles bars and adjustable risers which have no rubber component. I do not notice any increased vibration, and I don't have any issues riding all day. I didn't switch because of the rubber mounts on the stock bars, but I don't miss them either.

That is good to know cause I am considering those bars in the 1.5" up position - I like the OE reach to the bars, but really don't care for the flat angle.  
That they don't vibrate w/o the rubber mounts is not a good indicator of what the stock bars will do also w/o. The actual bar bits might just be too short to resonate much. 

[Guest Ralph]

Been out on mine today and tried pulling the bars about but to be honest
on mine they dont seem to move much beyond what you would expect from flex
I gave them a good bit of welly.

[rhb]

Been out on mine today and tried pulling the bars about but to be honest on mine they dont seem to move much beyond what you would expect from flex
I gave them a good bit of welly.

Try applying the front brake and compressing the forks standing next to the bike, not riding it. that's when I really noticed it for the first time. Forward and back is nothing. or side to side for that matter. 

[rhb]

OK because it was raining today, and because I'm cantankerous I pulled the bars to have a real look, and ended up doing an experiment that which I may decide to undo.
Number one the rubber shock mounts are press fit into the top triple tree, no removing them easily, so even if you installed after market risers, Unless you bushed out around them or drove them out, you are still getting some benefit from them.
I found a simple way to eliminate the cushyness, while I think still gaining a mimimal vibration insulation from the rubber through the thickness of the triple tree. I just bought two 30mm cad plated washers with a 15mm hole which fit neatly around the rubber bush. I also reused the original steel washers which took up the recessed space in the risers. Didn't ride it yet, but I started it up, didn't feel much different revving. more later on the result. What I do like is the positive connection between the handlebars and the triple tree. Took about 30 minutes minus running to the hardware store.
 
 

 

 

 
anonymous photo sharing
 

[Guest Ralph]

Wont be messing with mine as I am happy with it as is, but
am interested in how you go on there's not much in the way
of videreation on mine only thing you can feel is the V
twin like firing pulses and I like that it makes the bike
feel as though it's lower revving than it is.

[rhb]

Today took the bike out to check the rigid handlebar mount. I have to say this has been the best 50 cent mod I've done to a bike.
I purposely did not wear gloves, so bare hands. Up to 6,000 RPM no difference, after that maybe, a slight bit more vibration, but nothing really noticeable. I suppose if you were cruising at 100 MPH for an hour you might have an issue but the wind in your face would be more bothersome:)
 
Wearing gloves, I don't think you would ever notice.
The plus side is, I now feel really connected to the front end, crisp handling and better feedback. Anyone who appreciates being part of the road experience and enjoys no mush steering will love it. If your thing is hot rodding around town, going for rides on long twisty roads at varying speeds, this is for you.
 
disclaimer: I am old school by nature. If you do ride your bike on freeways for extended periods, maybe it would have some effect, but the MT07 is not a cruiser is it?
Please be advised, do this at your own risk, I can't take responsibility for anyone's ability to perform this mod. It connects you to the bike in an important way, use a torque wrench to tighten bolts and follow the service manual instructions for installing the handlebar, it is very specific.
 

[gregjet]

OK,
I have posted about this previous but can't find it ( I have a LOT of posts).
First you won't notice directly neither the footpegs slop nor the handle bar slop . BUT if you are a spirited rider and replace the rubber with solid bushes you WILL notice less vague feeling to the cornering. I made Al bushes for both bars and pegs. With the ultra low renthals I didn't notice any increase in vibration, but with the Woodcraft "clip ons" I definitely did. So much so I am considering going back to the Renthals.
The bushed footpegs I did not notice any increase in vibration and have now changed to aftermarket solid plates and pegs, and still not noticeable vibration through my feet. I do always wear proper motorcycle boots though.
I do use my 07 for touring as well as stuffing it into corners and I love it for cruising.
 
Here is a pic of the prototype handlebar clamp bushes I made. I only had 25mm rod so the lips are really too small and were only to run proof of concept. I have since made new ones with 5mm lips but haven't got pics and bit hard to get them now they are mounted.

[rhb]

Cool, so you took the route of pulling the rubber bushings entirely. With mine it was a 5 minute job anybody could try for less than a buck, then if they decided to make new solid bushing they could. However, I don't think there is any advantage to going to that trouble as the bar risers are bypassing the rubber bushings in compression. In addition there may be a slight decrease in vibration by leaving them in place, with out sacrificing any rigidity. Just my thought.

[rowdy]

OK, I have posted about this previous but can't find it ( I have a LOT of posts).
First you won't notice directly neither the footpegs slop nor the handle bar slop . BUT if you are a spirited rider and replace the rubber with solid bushes you WILL notice less vague feeling to the cornering. I made Al bushes for both bars and pegs. With the ultra low renthals I didn't notice any increase in vibration, but with the Woodcraft "clip ons" I definitely did. So much so I am considering going back to the Renthals.
The bushed footpegs I did not notice any increase in vibration and have now changed to aftermarket solid plates and pegs, and still not noticeable vibration through my feet. I do always wear proper motorcycle boots though.
I do use my 07 for touring as well as stuffing it into corners and I love it for cruising.
 
Here is a pic of the prototype handlebar clamp bushes I made. I only had 25mm rod so the lips are really too small and were only to run proof of concept. I have since made new ones with 5mm lips but haven't got pics and bit hard to get them now they are mounted.

Good Info @gregjet.  I don't race, but I have the Renthal Ultra Lows and was thinking of going to the Woodcraft clip-ons.  I really don't notice any vibe at all through the Renthals and I'd like to keep it that way, so I'll probably stick with them.  I think I might shorten them a bit though, because they feel a little wide to me.  Other than than, well, even with that, I like them. 

[gregjet]

The Woody's may benefit from the washer method rather than my solid bush method. There would be some absorbtion, not as much movement and it's a fine cheap easy solution. The "clip ons" are low enough that you put more hand load on the bars which amplifies any vibration.
I am also considering making some hidensity nylon bushes which may be a bit better than Al for damping but less give than rubber. I used them in a Suzuki DRZ400SM I had a little while ago converted to road only work.

[rhb]

just to confirm, went for a 2 hour ride today, speed 70-150 KPH, there is no difference from the stock bars in vibration, and a noticeable improvement in responsiveness. Makes one wonder why they have rubber mounts on the bars in the first place.

[versysrider]

just to confirm, went for a 2 hour ride today, speed 70-150 KPH, there is no difference from the stock bars in vibration, and a noticeable improvement in responsiveness. Makes one wonder why they have rubber mounts on the bars in the first place.

Nice cheap, useable mod, my favorite kind. The one thing I'd care about is if the mirrors get "fuzzy" at a lower rpm over stock. We've got so many cops around here, that in the "twisty's" I'm looking at my rear view a lot. You said there is no difference in vibes, do your mirrors say the same thing? My stock mirrors get "fuzzy" around 4,500 rpm which is very annoying. You go from being able to see what kind of vehicle/vehicles are behind you, to just being able to see that you've got a, or some vehicles behind you.
 
 
I'm also planning on seeing if one of the aluminum "fatbars" and bar clamps I've got laying around will work, and if so might reduce mirror vibes
 
 

[rhb]

just to confirm, went for a 2 hour ride today, speed 70-150 KPH, there is no difference from the stock bars in vibration, and a noticeable improvement in responsiveness. Makes one wonder why they have rubber mounts on the bars in the first place.

Nice cheap, useable mod, my favorite kind. The one thing I'd care about is if the mirrors get "fuzzy" at a lower rpm over stock. We've got so many cops around here, that in the "twisty's" I'm looking at my rear view a lot. You said there is no difference in vibes, do your mirrors say the same thing? My stock mirrors get "fuzzy" around 4,500 rpm which is very annoying. You go from being able to see what kind of vehicle/vehicles are behind you, to just being able to see that you've got a, or some vehicles behind you.
 
 
I'm also planning on seeing if one of the aluminum "fatbars" and bar clamps I've got laying around will work, and if so might reduce mirror vibes
 

I have not noticed ant difference in mirror buzz. 

[versysrider]

Good to know.