New owner - first on the road ride

richard-7 · Mar 21, 2018

Ive ridden about 12 or so 961’s. Some are smooth with hardly any vibration at all. And some are hardly rideable after an hour in the saddle. Some have vibes in the 3000 some are up in the 5000 range. There are too many areas where weve seen issues to say for sure what each one is; from just a ride. Some are bearings, some are sloppy tolerances, some are piston weights vary from left to right cylinders, some are crank is out, a lot are balance shaft isnt even close to being balanced and some are a combo of a few of these things. Almost all could be prevented. Either have to balance and blue print or deal with it. I can almost (keyword) promise it wont fall apart tho. Just annoying is all.

BritTwit · Mar 21, 2018

I tend to agree on this.
Poor attention to detail in manufacture, and assembly is most likely cause of the vibration.
The design of the 961 is very conservative and straight forward. Nothing "cutting edge", just sound engineering.
If good quality control were exercised in the manufacturing and assembly the vibration could be minimized.

I think Bushman's thread indicates the area's that require attention.

MxMartin · Mar 21, 2018

I've only recently briefly ventured into the 4k+ rpm bracket so i'm inexperienced to really comment. The vibes on my 961 are only noticeable around 4200 and getting harsher by 4500, not strong enough to cause mirror blurr or anything like but certainly unsettling if I had to cruise at those revs. Another 300 miles and I can push past 4500 and see if she smoothes out, and of course she isn't run in yet so may well be something that gets better as everything beds in.

Britfan60 · Mar 21, 2018

I get the crunchy vibe just passing through 3700 to 4200, then its tame as a kitten. Once again, 4800 is the sweet spot in 5th. However, that may eventually get me a ticket.

Welshrugby · Mar 22, 2018

at 3500 in 5th, my flyscreen is doing 10000rpm. Slow it down manx and see if yours does

MxMartin · Mar 22, 2018

Welshrugby said:
at 3500 in 5th, my flyscreen is doing 10000rpm. Slow it down manx and see if yours does

Mine does the same, I might wedge a bit of chewing gum in there to see if that calms it down, not sure what flavor would work best

Welshrugby · Mar 22, 2018

Better check the nuts securing it. Will be ok though when almost permanently north of 6000rpm

Britfan60 · Mar 22, 2018

MxMartin said:
Mine does the same, I might wedge a bit of chewing gum in there to see if that calms it down, not sure what flavor would work best

That little piece of CF is thin and light, unlike the fiberglass of yesteryear. Thanks for the heads up.

MxMartin · Mar 22, 2018

Britfan60 said:
That little piece of CF is thin and light, unlike the fiberglass of yesteryear. Thanks for the heads up.

The contrary, it is quite substantial but it seems to happily resonate away at certain rpm's. I reckon if you were to put a guitar pickup on it and a mini-amp you could probably get it to hum your favorite Pink Floyd tracks as you play the gearbox

Britfan60 · Mar 22, 2018

Oh. So its humming at a high frequency? Could be interesting, musical even, if not distracting. Then again, you have the new model. I was going to purchase the old style for cheap.

gchoppin · Mar 22, 2018

MxMartin said:
I have noticed during my 'running in' that when I am on the 60mph roads that I can barely keep up with the traffic so on occasions I indicate as to pull in to allow traffic behind me to overtake. I get the feel that my indicated 60 is probably closer to 55.

Do you have access to a road with mile markers that you can use to check your speed with a watch?

TonyA · Mar 23, 2018

Yes MXMartin you are correct. My bike at 60 was really going 57 . I used a phone app with a tank bag to check mine. After my rear sprocket changed to 47T , my speedo readings are spot on from 50 mph to 85 mph . Of course my gearing is taller , but it works well for the riding I do which is mostly highway .

MxMartin · Mar 23, 2018

Britfan60 said:
Oh. So its humming at a high frequency? Could be interesting, musical even, if not distracting. Then again, you have the new model. I was going to purchase the old style for cheap.

He-he no you can't hear it as it isn't hitting anything, but you know it is resonating as you can see the top leading edge above the clocks start to blurr at certain rpm's... I hadn't noticed it until a recent trip, it made me smile as I recalled just how bad my 750 Commando used to shake it's fairing!

MxMartin · Mar 23, 2018

gchoppin said:
Do you have access to a road with mile markers that you can use to check your speed with a watch?

No, but I will have my wife lead the way back to Donington soon so I can get a match on the car speedo which I know reads 3mph high at 60.

MxMartin · Mar 23, 2018

TonyA said:
Yes MXMartin you are correct. My bike at 60 was really going 57 . I used a phone app with a tank bag to check mine. After my rear sprocket changed to 47T , my speedo readings are spot on from 50 mph to 85 mph . Of course my gearing is taller , but it works well for the riding I do which is mostly highway .

Yep 57 is what I think it is doing at 60.... my Range Rover also clocks 60 when the satnav shows 57 so if I get the wife to cruise at 60 when next following her then I reckon my bike will also read 60

MxMartin · Apr 15, 2018

With my 1st service well out of the way, with decat and remap done, and closing in on my first 1k mile it's time for me to sum this thread up. The 961 is an absolute blast and a keeper! It keeps me occupied with a bit of late evening tinkering; I find the occasional 'loose' nut to tighten (gearbox oil filler slackened off after KH run); I'm finding a bit of spare time to get the polishing rag out; my chicken strips are shrinking but most importantly I'm looking for excuses to take her out for a run.... hmm, think I will show her off at my favorite biker burger layby this Wednesday

Britfan60 · Apr 16, 2018

MxMartin said:
With my 1st service well out of the way, with decat and remap done, and closing in on my first 1k mile it's time for me to sum this thread up. The 961 is an absolute blast and a keeper! It keeps me occupied with a bit of late evening tinkering; I find the occasional 'loose' nut to tighten (gearbox oil filler slackened off after KH run); I'm finding a bit of spare time to get the polishing rag out; my chicken strips are shrinking but most importantly I'm looking for excuses to take her out for a run.... hmm, think I will show her off at my favorite biker burger layby this Wednesday

Bring a lozenge. You'll be talking about her all day long.

New owner - first on the road ride

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