Additional Mounting and Vibration Reduction Tips - Please Provide Feedback THX

Okay, I tried the rubber grips on top of the grips from the kits on a 20 mile run. While there are some vibration reduction benefits, I don't think it is enough to warrant affixing the additional rubber grips. I don't think I can try the cork idea either as the grips are really sealed tight on the handle bars even with soap. Also, I rode in strong wind and believe me it is some dodgy stuff as I feel like I am about to get pushed off the road or into traffic with a strong gust.

Yeah, when I sell this guy if I make a 212cc super bike, I will most definitely sell it at a deep discount and be upfront about the limitations of the bike. I don't mind passing it on for a good price so others can enjoy the fun or use it as transportation though I mean you can't use it in rain, cold/snow, or strong winds. That is like 33% of the days here in Wisconsin. :cry:
 
I rode in strong wind and believe me it is some dodgy stuff as I feel like I am about to get pushed off the road or into traffic with a strong gust.
High winds are very tricky, especially cross winds, but a 35mph wind at your back is actually quite nice, you can ride at 35mph with virtually no wind resistance.
 
Actually, bakaneko, you'd be surprised at what bad weather you can ride in. I'm virtually a year-round rider. Though I'll admit that my motorized riding gets cut down between Christmas and February 1 or thereabouts.

Motorcycle rain gear is just the right stuff for riding an MB in fall rains and winter deep freezes. You'll spend a hundred bucks at a minimum protecting your feet, legs and upper body. But that gear might well last you five years before needing replacement. You can even stretch it longer, though with diminished water resistance.

Even high winds are not a huge problem. We've had those same winds as you the last few days. Naturally you do need to slow down and ride a bit more carefully. But it can be done.

I'm a pretty experienced rider. Yet even I find myself wondering, "Is something wrong with my bike?" when dealing with gusty crosswinds. So you check that you don't have a wheel coming loose, or anything like that, and you keep going. It's not only do-able --with care-- it's a lot more fun than people realize.
 
You have earned my respect if you ride year round up there in that cold climate. I tend to be a fair weather rider. I'm willing to ride in cold weather, but cold wet weather has to catch me off guard to make me ride in it. I'm fortunate to have 3 automobiles, a 4wd truck, an awd suv and a fwd suv. So when bad weather threatens I grab one of the cars. But, I have more bikes than cars so that counts for something.
 
Now thats something you cant do on a hang glider, no wind in your face. Below about 20 mph windspeed, you will start falling out of the sky.
 
I went for a short ride today in the wind and cold. You know it isn't too bad as long as you got a shoulder to ride on or a good distance from the side of the road ditch. The problem the other day was I took a route that had little distance between the cars and the ditch so I was way close the the ditch side of the road and squish between cars in high winds. I am never going on that road again even in good weather. It just felt really dodgy to me... :D

I definitely want to ride in the winter. I have a very warm North Face jacket that is water and wind resistant. My gloves are leather with an inner wool liner so they work fine. I am also wearing one of those neck wraps that cover the neck up to the ears. I do need to get a wind and water resistance pants to cover my jeans or whatever I am wearing. And, I need a good pair of boots. Then I am all set.

I stopped by the library tonight on my bike and the librarian ask me "isn't it too cold to ride your bike..." I am like nope I have a heater underneath my seat. :helmet:
 
One other hint; make yourself some Bar-Mitts. Like this:
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It makes a huge difference.
 
You have earned my respect if you ride year round up there in that cold climate.
I tend to be a fair weather rider.
I'm willing to ride in cold weather, but cold wet weather has to catch me off guard to make me ride in it.
Same here.
Cold and I don't agree, hence why I live in the desert, but it's getting cold now and gonna get colder.
~50F in the morning and only 78F the next couple of days :whistle:

Not the case up North in Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon.
Our 2 ski resorts open this weekend.
Thank you El Niño.
 
Same here.
Cold and I don't agree, hence why I live in the desert, but it's getting cold now and gonna get colder.
~50F in the morning and only 78F the next couple of days :whistle:

Not the case up North in Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon.
Our 2 ski resorts open this weekend.
Thank you El Niño.

Those mitts look hardcore, bluegoatwoods.

I am so envious of you folks in the desert and southwest. Let me see: nice year round, flat roads, little to no hills, and little to no rain. It is gonna snow heavily this weekend and this is what I can look forward to after... :sick:

I do have a question about sprocket size, speed, and chain tensioner removal that hasn't been addressed in a while and not the specific question I was hoping to get answer. Ill post it in a different post :devilish:
 

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All gas engines have some vibration simply by the up/down movement, severe vibration is caused from an imbalance, in the cheapo 2-stroke engines it is usually the crank shaft but it could easily be the piston or rod or even the bearings if it uses them, the really cheap kits use bushings!
It could also be caused by misfiring or poor fuel mix.

Vibration grows force exponentially.
This is easy to see in an upright washing machine with an unbalanced wet load on spin cycle.
It grows until the washer starts walking around to dissipate the force.

With a washing machine you just balance the load, or bolt it to the floor and force the machines bearings to dissipate it that way.
For an engine all you can do is balance it, or dissipate it through the bike frame.
In short, make the engine one with the bike frame.


Hose clamps work well when they are around something round and straight.
They don't care for bends and angles and tend to slip and loosen so keep an eye on them.
A fine safety feature though!



Give your engine mount the 'shove test'.
Grab your top bar over the engine with 1 hand, and grab your engine head with other hand and
then try to shove your engine back and forth AS HARD AS YOU CAN.
If it moves in the frame AT ALL that is a fail.

Even a little vibration will grow if not 'bolted to the floor', in this case the frame.

That will keep the vibration from growing and breaking things.

That means the vibration is in the bike itself now and why you have to really secure everything so it doesn't feed the vibration.

You dissipate some of vibration through the handlebar grips.
That is where I dissipate vibration before my hands, at the grips.

The very first thing I hated about my very first build was the kits hard plastic grips, so that was the very first thing I had to change.
The most annoying thing between the bike and I was the grips.

I use pretty much generic BMX grips, which are simply black pipe insulation but a bit denser and the packs have end caps and rounded edges, and they stretch.

The plastic throttle barrel is bigger outside than a regular grip is inside.
I just use a utility knife to cut down the length of the throttle barrel grip and peel it off of the plastic throttle barrel, and throw both grips in a box.

A little soapy water and you can massage a foam grip over the throttle barrel.
The left side of course fits easy and pretty darn good at dampening out vibration before it hits your hands.

So good, by my hands assessment, I haven't used hard plastic kit grips on my builds dating back to this one in 2010.

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~$12 for enough to replace the foam a couple of times as they don't hold up to weather well.

Just a tip, another is pull that skinny spring off you clutch cable between the arm and cable stop.
It's sole purpose in life is to make your clutch lever harder to pull ;-}
 
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