VTR vibration woes, any ideas ?

[Isacc]

Hi All,

Having returned my 11 year old VTR1000 onto the road after another winter stip down, I find it running a little underpar and vibrating alot more than normal.
The bikes done just shy of 60,000 miles and over the winter I treated it to a new chain and sprocket set, wheel bearings, etc..
The vibes are present from about 3,000rpm upwards, come through the pegs badly thereafter and the bikes feels generally docile compared to the normal torque monster I'm used to.
My first thought was maybe I fitted the chain and sprockets incorrectly, there was play on the gearbox sprocket, but forum members identified this as normal. My second is that the carbs are out of balance and my last that something terminals going on in the engine, but it isn't running badly, just a bit under par...

Any thoughts...

regards

Mark

[Frontslide]

60k impressive! its a long shot but i presume you have enough slack in the chain? How long was it laid up for? petrol gone off maybe, choke cables working ok? wish i could be more help
just out of interest how many cct's has it had

[Isacc]

Hi Mate,

The chain tension was the first thing I looked at and it's fine....
The bikes had 1 set of CCT's at 22,000 miles and since then it's been fine camchain-wise. The bikes was laid up for 4 months, I drained the petrol out of the tank and the choke mechanism was stripped and cleaned cos it was sticking slightly, again it's working fine.
I love this bike, been tempted by others, but still return to the fact that it's a beaut, been modded to my taste suspension, engine and brake-wise, handles track days on the full circuit at Cadwell in the advanced group without too much embarrassment and has been thrashed around Jerez for 4 days, so you could say I'm attached to it !!!
Maybe it's finally got old

[warby221]

If you think it’s the engine playing up first thing to do is compression test and make sure the cylinders are reading some were near the recommended
Then an oil pressure test you need to get hold of a pressure gauge and an adaptor if you cant borrow them it maybe cheaper to get it done at a garage than to buy

This will let you know the condition of the rings and bearings good oil pressure and compression means a good engine don’t start panicking till you’ve had them checked

Other things to check are plugs for colour, carb’s did u have them in bits if so did you get the diaphragms back in ok

[sirch345]

Also make sure the TPS (throttle position sensor) is connected and (as you mention) balancing the carbs can only help. Check that all the hoses going to the air box are definitely connected, sometimes the breather pipe from the front cylinder (cam cover) that fits underneath the air box can be detached without realising it, it's not the easiest to refit after having the air box removed.

Chris.

[Isacc]

Thanks I'll add these to my list....

[Pete.L]

I'd start with the spark plugs. They can tell you a lot about how a bike is running. When was the last time they were changed? What colour are they and all that.

Pete.l

[Stratman]

I love this bike, been tempted by others, but still return to the fact that it's a beaut, been modded to my taste suspension, engine and brake-wise, handles track days on the full circuit at Cadwell in the advanced group without too much embarrassment and has been thrashed around Jerez for 4 days, so you could say I'm attached to it !!!

Know exactly how you feel (except for the Cadwell bit and I went round France & Luxembourg not Spain)

New wheel bearings - spacers in the right sides etc? Might not feel as torquey because the vibration means you back off a bit?

Sticky brake caliper piston might cause vibration and could have seized over winter.

Doubt its anything terminal in the engine though, plug check should show if anything is untoward there. Good luck, my old girl has 44,000 on the clock

[Isacc]

One thing that bugs me relates to a query I put into this forum earleir this year.
When I went to fit the chain and sprockets, there was lateral play on the drive shaft sprocket, i.e even with a new bolt and washer torqued up properly you could still feel play in the sprocket along the direction of the shaft, not on the splines itself.
One chappies reckoned this was normal, but if any of you get the chance, I'd be interested to see if its the same on your VTR. (You can get your hand in behind the clutch mechanism cover quite easily)

On Monday it's going into the dealers and I'll start with

Carbs Balance
Throttle Position Sensor Check
Compression, Oil Pressure and Spark Plug Check

Then we'll see what that brings...

Thanks to you all so far, I'll keep you posted...

[Tiny]

I agree with the carbs being out of balance and maybe the TPS. Just my 2 pence worth.......

Cheers all.......

[Isacc]

Hi All,

Thanks to all who have contributed.

First diagnosis doesn't look good, plus have metal flecks on them and compression is 118psi front cylinder and 136psi back cylinder.
Think valve seals may have gone.
Trouble is bike isn't worth alot and it'll cost alot to rectify if as thought, so bit of a pxxsser really....
Going to get valve timing checked to make sure this isn't a contributing factor, changing plugs, getting carbs balanced (long way out apparently) then I'll see how it rides...
If it's still bad, then I'll either break it (which is gutting) or slot a second hand engine in (expensive)...

Ho Hum

Isacc

[tony.mon]

I'm not having a gow at you spelling, but for clarity is it the plugs that have metal flecks on them?

If that's the case, I'm not sure that it's the valve stem seals- if it was the worn bits would also be going into the oil as the main lateral forces are at the top part of the stem, where the cams are trying to push the valves sideways.

Sounds more likely to be valve seats- an easy job to do, but means taking the head off.
Haynes quote the compression as standard being 170- odd at 350 rpm but 118 seems a bit low.

But if the carbs are a long way out, why not just get them done first and then see how it runs?

The compression only really matters for starting, at tickover and the first few thousand RPM, although admittedly this is where Storms operate best!

[Isacc]

Hi,

Hmm yes, forgot to preview my last post, my apologies, it is the plugs that have flecks on them !!..

I've asked the dealer to balance the carbs, fit new plugs, plug caps (apparently the front one was worn but I didn't notice as it's hidden under a cover), check the valve timing and then I'm going to ride it and see if its any better.
Regarding the compression, the bikes starting pretty much as normal, i.e just about on the button and what also intrigues me is that when I finished riding it at the back end of last year, it was going great, so why should it just go now ?..

Thanks for your advice, I'll keep posting onto the forum because it may help someone else with a high mileage Storm...

regards

Mark

[stormingjoe]

check your final drive chain too, just found a small tight spot in mine, which gives a vibration felt through the pegs and the bike as a whole, still riding mine but vibes getting worse hope new one comes morrow

[Stratman]

If she's been stood up, couldn't a sticky ring (ooer) be a suspect? Might also explain the metal flecks on the plugs.