Yea, Ducs & 599 cc I-4 are different 1203 cc V-twin for sure.
Of course! On the XB, only a few days. But I've been on other V-twins (smaller displacement - 649, 821, 1098) that I never noticed that on before. 1203 cc V-twin is definitely a lot different and a lot more piston to move so I'm not surprised that it has that slight shuddering characteristic. Most of my riding experience comes from 599 cc I-4 bikes though.
Yea, Ducs & 599 cc I-4 are different 1203 cc V-twin for sure.
It all has to do with balanced and not so balanced crackshafts.
Last edited by rchuff; 07-08-2018 at 02:21 PM.
Sounds like you’re expirencing the same thing I did when I went from a 2003 Honda VFR to a 2007 Buell back in 2007! At the time my brother was an HD mechanic and parts rep. I would call him, when I first got the bike, and ask him if certain neuances I was feeling with the Buell V-twin were normal. I was especially concerned with the transmission, going from a Honda to a Buell redefines Japanese engineering.
To get back on track, sounds like your engine/bike is perfectly normal.
Bearing in mind how much the bike does shake and rattle it’s a good idea to periodically check all the fasteners and bolts you possibly can. Parts have been know to rattle themselves to freedom!
Had vibrations, not really a shake, on my new 07. Map tunes, smoothing out the lean dip a bit, correctly doing a TPS reset and setting the idle just under 1000 smoothed things out considerably. It only vibrates around idle now and just a little.
Mine doesn't seem to have any odd vibrations while cruising, its actually really smooth. Pretty sure the engine shake during rpm drop is due to the single-pin crank shaft design and like rchuff said, it not being very well balanced.
Hey rtrofimovich, I noticed the exact same thing. Engine runs great, upshifting and downshifting are smooth. Just if I pull the clutch in to coast or slow down. Kind of a 1 second shudder that I can feel mostly in my head. Maybe the vibrations are going up my arms. And my bike's only the xb9 so smaller cylinders and less vibration I would think. I replaced the primary tensioner and primary fluid, seemed to reduce it a bit but not much. Just another quirk.
Yeah I think it's not so much engine/piston size as it is the single-pin crank design. It's naturally sort of "off-balance" so a little shaking would seem normal. As long as it's not shaking while cruising I got no worries
I do have a similar feeling, when I release the clutch and the RPM drops around 2k - the whole bike vibrates more right at it, not much before, not much after. I mainly notice it because my rear mirrors are a bit loose and they shake like it's a earthquake with all the shaky noises that go with it.
I simply assumed it's part of it, anyways that thing is vibrating all the time - a little bit more or a little bit less won't make much change.