Vibes

[Newsman]

Hi
Does anyone else get a nasty little vibration at 3000 rpm? it does it in every gear I have had my Steamer (1998 Red) for about 18 months I am pretty sure it did not do it when I first had it, I have changed the plugs twice in that time I was careful with the gaps, I changed the oil and filter twice as well with Triumph filter the bike has done 80k KMS it was originally from Germany in the time I have had it I have not changed the Air filter done the valve clearances or balanced the carbs.
Does anyone know how to stop it vibrating or will I have to live with it?

Andre   

[ssevy]

Hi Andre,
Are you sure that it does this in 1st gear as you pass through the 3000 rpms threshold?
In every other gear, you may feel a shudder if you get the revs around 3000 or lower, as you are overloading the engine below its torque band. Honestly, the only time your bike should be below 3500 is probably when it is in first gear, as you want to keep it in the power band as much as possible, even when coming to a stop (downshifting to keep it in the power band in case you need to make a quick emergency move).
Because we are all used to modern overdrive trannies in our cars and trucks, we get conditioned to see 2000 rpms as a reasonable tach reading, even at high speed, and our bikes turning over 3500 can seem "busy".
Keep the revs above 3500, and I'll bet it will go away.
PS- A carb balance can have a big effect on how smooth your engine feels, and also the amount of popping on deceleration.

[threepot]

I've had 3 early Hinckley bikes,and they all have that 'vibey' patch around 2k revs. More noticeable if the engine is under load.

[fishnbiker]

Any chance you did work on the chain or sprockets? Wrong tension or an aftermarket front sprocket without the rubber ring may affect vibration.

[Newsman]

Hi Thanks for all your answers they are very interesting I had the chain and sprokets changed by a motorcycle workshop not a Triumph dealer last year and I am pretty sure they did not use OEM parts so that is one option I do get quite a lot of gentle popping and burbling on the over run so that is also a possibility I will have to save up for a set of Carbtune gauges and I am pretty sure the air filter needs doing.
the vibes are worst in 1st second and third the engine does not feel under undue load at 3000 rpm in the first 3 gears and the vibes go away at 3200 rpm

Thanks once again

Andre

[Sin_Tiger]

Get a friend to check the chain tension with you and normal loading full on the bike (lean against a wall) of there isn't 20mm (3/4") slack it's too tight. If you've been riding it too tight for any length of time, check the rub strip and block for wear.

Just to be on the safe side, check that the able quadrants are lined up,  the rIght way up (i.e. axle near the bottom and for goodness sake don't be tempted to tighten up the clamps "just in case"