I have a 2005 R* Silverado, now has appx. 5K miles. Shortly after 600 mi. check up, took extended ride (900 mi.) during which I noticed a marked increase in engine vibration. Later in the summer I took another 1000 mi. ride during which the vibration increased again. Seemingly it would vibrate (and make much more engine noise) when hot, ride smoother and quieter when cooler.

After several conversations with my dealer, Yamaha felt the problem was caused by running premium gas which they said caused excess carbon build up in the cylinders and valves, and suggested I run ring free at high strength to clean out, and not use premium gas. This did not solve the problem. It would run smoother for a short while, and then the vibration would return. Yamaha then authorized my dealer to replace the valve springs with "Speedstar" performance valve springs, as they were sure the valves were hanging up in the lifter bores. During this procedure they also cleaned the carbon out of the cylinder heads, etc.

The bike ran smooth for a very short time (2 hrs. of riding or less), and the vibration returned. But now the vibration is not intermittant, it is constant, and the noise in the top end of the engine is constant, and louder than ever.

I now have an appointment to meet with a Regional Yamaha Rep. to discuss the problem, but in talking to Yamaha Customer Service, they are trying to tell me this is normal. I just can't believe that an engine that vibrates to the point your hands go numb, and makes noise like an old John Deere tractor is normal.

Any help or ideas out there?

Boy it's really hard to qualify the vibration you get out of a roadstar without taking someone else's roadstar out and comparing. Same with the chattering. I've got a '05 MS. and I think it's clatters like an old steam engine hence the name I gave her (black diamond express is an old steam engine)... and yes mine vibrates a lot, now it doesn't make my hands numb, but if I let go of one handle bar at certain speeds, it will vibrate so much I can barely see out of the mirror. I'm sure with the new stronger springs, you will get even more noise out of the top of the motor. There are very few bikes out there that have so much displacement, and so little insulation around the pistons, kawasaki and suzuki use water / oil to cool their big engines, that means lots of plumbing and water to dampen the noise out of the engine. I personally like the fact that it's air cooled... but yes occasionally I think "if my truck was making this much noise, I'd be rebuilding it" I know it's not a "real" answer, but it's the best I can give. If you'd like to say where you are located at, you can see if someone is local and then go listen to their bike... I rode with my local star touring group 2 wks ago and that allowed me to listen to other roadstars... and they do like to talk, the engines that is... and certainly if you don't like the noise out of the top of the engine, wait til you get a few more miles on it and the headlight starts to squeek from all that shaking, thankfully there are a lot of articles out there on how to fix that noise.... ~Dave
'05 midnight star, new air box, ais disabled, jetted, stage one exhaust, ported intake and 9000 miles since june when I picked her up...

I've recently passed the 5k mark and am having some of the same symptoms. Even some kind of squeeek or rattle at certain rpm's. Can't locate it yet. When it gets warmed up, especially in town, I get all kinds of noise. Sounds like maybe valve train. I've also been told this is normal. Not quite sure what to think at this point......

Ditto what Dave said.

These bikes make noise ..... and get noisier as they warm up. If you haven't yet switched to synthetic oil I would recommend that you do so. Most run quieter with synthetic oil.

The increase in top end noise after intallation of the springs could just be a function of the stronger Speedstar springs compared to the OEM.

The hands/vibration thing may not be related. Some riders have found the stock bar setup puts their hands in a position where they become numb after riding for a bit. You might consider some aftermarket bars which place your hands in a different position.

Doc

When the engine is warm and while running, take some wd-40 and spray it around the intake manifold where it meets the heads. A leaking intake will tend to show up after the bike is warm and will cause a vibration.<br><br>Post edited by: USAFRETIRED, at: 2005/10/22 00:22

with the wd40 test you will be listening for a stumble in the rpms / idle. If you have this stumble, you have a leak in the intake manifold ~D