Just wondering if the guys that think there is something wrong with the roadies, have ever ridden big air cooled v twins before? Cause they act just like my old H-D's Just a little more top end noise but my 20/50 synth took care of that.

Oh, guys, don't sweat the noises and vibrations... trust me on this, Yamaha actually engineered those in.

If the performance is there... that is, that it pulls like a freight train, everything's okay.

When I test rode the one I bought... I thought it had to be junk, but my buddy, who knew R*s rode it too, and said it was 'normal', so, I bought it.

The character of the shakes, rattles and noises is at least half of the riding pleasure and experience!

That... and the torque is endless! AND, the mods are unlimited... change it however you want to!

Here we are again with the vibration thing. I have listed problems I had in maintence section, please look at the posts. I bought a 2007 roadstar new and had 300 miles on her and couldn't ride it anymore because of the vibration, traded it in for another harley. The dealer said it was normal but I have ridden harleys forever and never had a vibration problem like this. I know others say it is normal but to rattle you is not normal. this same dealer charges $250.00 for 600 mile check-up, dealers further away charge $99.95. The roadie was a pretty bike, if it wasn't for the vibration problem I would still be riding her today. My softail classic has no vibration, just wish roadie would have worked out did not need to spend another eight grand for a smooth ride. Have had for two weeks and have 500 miles on her already. Hope this helps you out.

Update on my issue. Yamaha agreed to send out an RSR to come out and look at my bike but said the earliest they could come out is 4 weeks away (when I am on extended travel). I tried calling them for a specific date and to request an earlier appointment. I made 4 consecutive calls last week asking for a supervisor call back and they blew me off every time. They really should be ashamed and I hope one of thier people reads this. As a matter of fact, they claimed to only have a record of 1 call when I made the 4th attempt. How convenient for them.

I decided to go back to the selling dealer to discuss this and they were fantastic to deal with. Due to the run around and (another dealer putting too much oil in my bike) they were determined to make this right.
They gave me a 2 year extended warranty and will adjust the valves and do a compression test to start out. I can't thank them enough. It's a load off my mind. But Yamaha corporation needs to take a serious look at thier customer service line. I've made one other call to a motorcycle company in the past (which was Suzuki) and they treated me very well. Are you listening Yamaha?

The dealer took the bike in last week for a compression test and valve adjustment. The compresion was 170 and one of the valves had just a bit too much clearance and was adjusted accordingly. After a lengthy ride this weekend I can't say it made much difference. There is still that chatter at a very specific RPM in each gear. I'd love to get to the bottum of this but at least I'm covered under warranty. It's just hard to believe it developed this noise after 2800 miles on it. Maybe it is "Texas Summer" temperature related but I just don't know. Using Mobil 1 didn't do anything either. Any suggestions on similar experiences or other oils that were quieter would be appreciated.

Oh, you concerned about a specific chatter and buzz at a particular RPM?

Shoot, that IS normal. They ALL have an inherent imbalance at a particular RPM.

When you go about engineering a big V-twin, it must buzz at certain RPMs. It's unavoidable. The only cure is offsetting the crank pins,running a counterbalancing shaft, and creating very specific mounting pads, etc.

I only found that buzz, at whatever revs, annoying when I tried a Corbin seat, and it sent every one of them right up my hind end.

You might find a different seat is the solution.

I appreciate the feedback. I expected a non-counterbalanced V Twin of this size to shake quite a bit. It actually shakes less than I had anticipated.

I just can't believe the chatter sounds so metalic at a certain RPM (some have described as a sewing machine gone wild) and yet it is absolutely not there at idle or at any other RPM range. The dealer says it comes from the push rod tubes but I don't know. Years ago they sold rubber blocks to place between the cylinder fins and they actually worked quite well. Anybody remember those?

I'd love to ride some other air cooled large twins and see how they sound. I've got nothing to compare it to right now.

DRW wrote:
Years ago they sold rubber blocks to place between the cylinder fins and they actually worked quite well. Anybody remember those?

The 1600's have those between the fins. I took most of mine out.

Doc

DocShadow wrote:
DRW wrote:
Years ago they sold rubber blocks to place between the cylinder fins and they actually worked quite well. Anybody remember those?

The 1600's have those between the fins. I took most of mine out.

Doc

How did you know which ones to leave in...

Flashback wrote:
How did you know which ones to leave in...

They were the ones with DO NOT REMOVE written on them.

Doc