Vibration/pulsing at 50 - 55 MPH in 6th

[Markino]

Hi guys!
I've just checkd my chian and I've got the DID Japan so not interested in the recall but the vibration/pulsing problem is present on my bike too.
So... the chain is not causing the problem.

 

[daveyharr]

Hi guys!
I've just checkd my chian and I've got the DID Japan so not interested in the recall but the vibration/pulsing problem is present on my bike too.
So... the chain is not causing the problem.

I hate to hear that! I had the bad chain they just ordered my new one today i was hoping that would fix it.

 

[barnsls]

Got my bike back from the dealer yesterday with the new chain installed. I still have the problem. The amplitude seems to be diminished slightly but, in my opinion, the dealer has the chain adjusted too tightly; with someone sitting on the bike the chain is very tight and while riding it home I could hear a 'whine' from the chain - rivet to rivet free play while on the side stand is barely over an inch. I plan to experiment a little with chain tension and see how that effects the pulsation.

 

[SRider]

Simple solution - stop riding your bike around under 3k rpm.. The motor was not built for lagging...

 

[670cc]

Not so simple for some

Simple solution - stop riding your bike around under 3k rpm.. The motor was not built for lagging...

It's not so simple. With DCT in D mode, the bike will shift to sixth quite early. You will most definitely be riding under 3K in sixth. There is no way to lock out sixth. You can go to S mode, but at a possible drop in economy. You can go to strictly manual mode, but then why buy a DCT?

The owner's manual recommended shift point for sixth gear is 37 MPH. That's 2000 RPM. I know nobody follows that advice, but that will be something Honda will have to answer to if some bikes do have really pronounced vibration issues below 3000 RPM.

While I totally agree the answer is to not ride in sixth at 2500-3000 RPM, it's may not be quite that simple for some riders. I have no real problem with the issue on my manual bike. To me, having had many 4 cylinder bikes in the past and also a six cylinder now, the NC700X engine is a little rough, but I accept it as being what it is.

 

[gkgeiger]

In my opinion 3k rpm is not lugging the engine. It's nearly 50% of the total rpm band. Under light throttle my DCT is in 6th at around 40mph, and at 40 it doesn't do the vib thing. It has to be something else.

 

[turbodieseli4i6]

I run mine at 3,000 rpm a lot, and I don't have a vibration.

 

[FlaNC700X]

Wow I usually don't shift, if I remember till about 70. Sometimes on running down the road doing 75-80 oh I got another gear! Duh!

 

[barnsls]

I adjusted the chain to the loose end of the specification - no change in the pulsing, still a little less amplitude than it was with the 'bad' chain, but it remains very annoying when coasting along in traffic at 50 - 55 in 6th. The dealer doesn't seem interested in diagnosing the problem. I have a commuter bike that is annoying to ride in typical commuting conditions. Unless something changes with the bike as it breaks in completely or the level of dealer support improves during the next 2,000 miles, I'll get rid of it in the spring and buy a more suitable bike.

 

[Xcellor8]

I think some of you that are experiencing this issue should seek help above the local dealer mechanics. This is a new bike design that the local mechanics are not familiar with yet. I would seek an area rep (your dealer should be able to direct you). Eveybody is not experiencing this problem, so I don't think it is inherent to the design. Honda needs to be aware of this so they can figure it out and find the solution. The dealers may not be communicating this issue with Honda.

 

[670cc]

This troubles me a little seeing how this might pan out. In my opinion, most bikes are set up from the factory with the gearing set too low, most likely to ensure good acceleration and favorable "press" feedback. In real world use we end up looking for a sixth or seventh gear. Finally, the NC comes out with the gearing set spot on. It has a true tall gear for high speeds and there is never a need to look for a taller non-existent gear. If Honda gets complaints and negative "press" that the bike doesn't run well in top gear, their answer in future models might be to avoid that "problem" by once again shipping bikes that are geared to low.

Owner's need to realized that the NC is geared tall, not much different than the old ST1100, which had like an 8500 RPM redline and 88 rear wheel HP. In fact the NC gearing is not all that much different from a GL1800 Goldwing which turns 3000 RPM at about 75 mph. (We are SOL in re-gearing the Goldwing due to the shaft drive, but I would change mine to taller if I could).

I think the answer here is for NC700 riders to forget the old school way of running in top gear most of the time, and instead treat top gear as an overdrive only for speeds 60 mph and above. It's a mental adjustment more than a mechanical problem. The bike runs smoother, and I doubt the economy would suffer. I do still realize that DCT owners are more subject to the whims of the DCT programming, but the manual crowd should be able to adjust easily.

Greg

 

[Rocker66]

This troubles me a little seeing how this might pan out. In my opinion, most bikes are set up from the factory with the gearing set too low, most likely to ensure good acceleration and favorable "press" feedback. In real world use we end up looking for a sixth or seventh gear. Finally, the NC comes out with the gearing set spot on. It has a true tall gear for high speeds and there is never a need to look for a taller non-existent gear. If Honda gets complaints and negative "press" that the bike doesn't run well in top gear, their answer in future models might be to avoid that "problem" by once again shipping bikes that are geared to low.

Owner's need to realized that the NC is geared tall, not much different than the old ST1100, which had like an 8500 RPM redline and 88 rear wheel HP. In fact the NC gearing is not all that much different from a GL1800 Goldwing which turns 3000 RPM at about 75 mph. (We are SOL in re-gearing the Goldwing due to the shaft drive, but I would change mine to taller if I could).

I think the answer here is for NC700 riders to forget the old school way of running in top gear most of the time, and instead treat top gear as an overdrive only for speeds 60 mph and above. It's a mental adjustment more than a mechanical problem. The bike runs smoother, and I doubt the economy would suffer. I do still realize that DCT owners are more subject to the whims of the DCT programming, but the manual crowd should be able to adjust easily.

Greg

I think that this is probably one of the best answers to this topic

 

[Jimmy_Pop]

This will show my inexperience here, as the NC is my first bike, however doesn't the user manual says that you should be switching into 6th pre-40mph? That's what I've been trying to stick to, and I haven't had any issues with shuttering or vibrations, at least that I'm aware of.

 

[dduelin]

It's my opinion that the engine is a might unhappy in top gear under 3000 rpm and making that known by vibrating a bit under load. It will pull the load without much complaint but I don't ask it to as it's lugging the motor in that gear. It's a 670 cc bike with tall gearing, a 270 degree crankshaft, and only making 20-22 hp / 35-37 lbs torque in the range we are talking about. I feel what we are talking about, I just don't think there is anything wrong with the engine or a component thereof.

 

[robnpat]

This is my very first bike, and I didn't know what to expect when I first rode it. I, too, noticed this vibration/lugging at about 50-55mph and thought I went into 6th gear too early. Since our speedlimit on the hwy outside my house is 60mph, I hardly hit 6th since it is curvy and I am inexperienced. But, when I hit 65mph on the 4-lane, I go into 6th and it never bothers me a bit. I love this bike and won't let that drag me down on trading it in, etc. I assume it is by design and what Dave said above. I just can't wait to get better so I can go ride it again.

 

[barnsls]

This troubles me a little seeing how this might pan out. In my opinion, most bikes are set up from the factory with the gearing set too low, most likely to ensure good acceleration and favorable "press" feedback. In real world use we end up looking for a sixth or seventh gear. Finally, the NC comes out with the gearing set spot on. It has a true tall gear for high speeds and there is never a need to look for a taller non-existent gear. If Honda gets complaints and negative "press" that the bike doesn't run well in top gear, their answer in future models might be to avoid that "problem" by once again shipping bikes that are geared to low.

Owner's need to realized that the NC is geared tall, not much different than the old ST1100, which had like an 8500 RPM redline and 88 rear wheel HP. In fact the NC gearing is not all that much different from a GL1800 Goldwing which turns 3000 RPM at about 75 mph. (We are SOL in re-gearing the Goldwing due to the shaft drive, but I would change mine to taller if I could).

I think the answer here is for NC700 riders to forget the old school way of running in top gear most of the time, and instead treat top gear as an overdrive only for speeds 60 mph and above. It's a mental adjustment more than a mechanical problem. The bike runs smoother, and I doubt the economy would suffer. I do still realize that DCT owners are more subject to the whims of the DCT programming, but the manual crowd should be able to adjust easily.

Greg

Maybe my original posting was unclear. The bike is fine between 45 and 50 in top - no pulsing or any other odd behaviour. Acceleration from 45 in top is moderate as you would expect but is acceptable and is smooth. Upon reaching 50 the pulsing starts and continues until you exceed 55 or drop below 50 again. The problem is most annoying when you get into heavy traffic that is moving along steadily at 60 - 70 then slows to 50 - 55; you are already in top gear and you have plenty of power available to adjust your speed as needed but the bike pulses annoyingly (even on a steady throttle) unless you downshift. If the traffic slows from 60 ish to 40 - 50 you can leave it in top and everything is fine. This is not a lugging problem and it certainly isn't due to tall gearing - if anything I think that the bike could stand two or three fewer teeth on the rear sprocket.

 

[dduelin]

What types of motorcycles have you experience with?

 

[Thomasec]

I am surprised by some of you that are still missing the point! I'll go over it again . . . :-/ ...... The point and issue is that some of us are experiencing this problem and some are not (I am.) Therefore, there is a "problem" and it is not some characteristic of the bike. I could live with it if that were the case, but many owners are reporting they do not feel or experience the pulsation harmonic AT ALL. I would like the problem addressed by Honda and confusing the issue with talk about how to ride, when to shift or "doesn't bother me" is not going to help the matter. (I actually think that the later group of owners do not have the problem and are confusing it with lugging the engine.) I think if you could ride an NC with that pulsation, it would indeed bother the heck out of you and you would want it fixed.

 

[dduelin]

When Honda fixes the "problem" let us know.

 

[670cc]

I am surprised by some of you that are still missing the point! I'll go over it again . . . :-/ ...... The point and issue is that some of us are experiencing this problem and some are not (I am.) Therefore, there is a "problem" and it is not some characteristic of the bike. I could live with it if that were the case, but many owners are reporting they do not feel or experience the pulsation harmonic AT ALL. I would like the problem addressed by Honda and confusing the issue with talk about how to ride, when to shift or "doesn't bother me" is not going to help the matter. (I actually think that the later group of owners do not have the problem and are confusing it with lugging the engine.) I think if you could ride an NC with that pulsation, it would indeed bother the heck out of you and you would want it fixed.

Per barnsls, "The dealer doesn't seem interested in diagnosing the problem." That there is going to be a big hurdle to overcome.

It might help the cause if some riders that have the problem were to go to dealers and test ride other NC700Xs to sample more bikes for comparison. That would rule out rider style or rider expectations of the bike, or it might in fact lend proof that the problem is real on some bikes but not others. Just go to another dealer, play dumb, and borrow their bike for a test ride. I've ridden 3 NC700Xs including my own, and could have ridden one at still another dealer but didn't see the point. Based on this discussion, though, I might go give it a test ride.

If in fact there are some NCs that are not nearly as smooth as others, I can see that being a huge detractor. But, I don't see any dealer or Mother Honda wanting to take up the issue without some direct comparisons and "proof."

But you have to realize that some riders will never or very rarely ride their bikes below 3000 RPM in sixth gear, so for them there will be no problem, or that some riders will accept the fact that engines have their happy and not so happy RPM/load ranges.

Greg