New R1200GS - buzzy handlebars?

[GypsyWriter]

I just purchased a brand new R1200GS Rallye on Friday and am having a blast putting some miles on her. I've been playing around with the seating and suspension options but something that's really giving me issues are how my hands go numb from the buzzy handlebars. I've always heard how smooth these engines are but at highway speeds (60-80) my hands go numb within 15 minutes. Now admittedly she has very few miles on her (got to 160 today) so is this something that'll go away once I break in the engine? Are there handlebar options that could help with this? The Rallye came with hand guards and what look like bar end weights but would getting seething even weightier for the tips of the bars help? As much as I love this bike I'm a little nervous about this particular issue so any thoughts or reassurances would be much appreciated, thanks!!

[James Bond]

It is likely that you have a tendency to have carpal tunnel, you will need to get risers on the bars and take the pressure off of your ulnar nerve in your palm. I have the same thing myself and had to get into a more upright riding position to relieve the pressure. there have been many posts relating to this conversation. I would search the threads for all of these conversations and what individuals have done to resolve this issue.

[GypsyWriter]

No carpal tunnel, the bars buzz such that my hands go numb. I'm going to look into a throttle lock as an early farkle to allow my throttle hand a break but after hearing so much about the "smoothness" of the engine I'm hoping this is just a new bike thing and not something I'll be looking forward to from now on.

Still, risers might be a good idea as I feel myself leaning forward a bit especially since I raised the seat to the higher setting to give my knees a break. I'm wondering what the Adventure seat would feel like but I'm still getting my body used to the new ergonomics so don't want to go too drastic yet. These buzzy bars though could be a proverbial deal breaker - maybe more substantial bar end weights?

[Beemer Rob]

Check the run out of your wheels, actually run out of the tires,
You may have excess run out causing the vibration @ speed.
Get it up to the speed you feel it most & pull the clutch in & see if you still feel it.
This eliminates the engine and lets you feel the wheels.
Might be time for a trip to Woody's Wheel Works?

['05Train]

Try a pair of Beemer Buddies. They give you some cushion on the grips, and also make the circumference of the grips larger. This tends to help keep your hands more relaxed, which should help prevent numbness.

[JBADV]

Get some miles on it and have the first service done.Let the dealer know it seems rough.You just might need to get the engine run in for it to smooth out.When your bike is at the dealers test ride another one and see how it feels.

[El Gato]

Originally Posted by '05Train

Try a pair of Beemer Buddies. They give you some cushion on the grips, and also make the circumference of the grips larger. This tends to help keep your hands more relaxed, which should help prevent numbness.

I was about to recommend this too. +1 for the Beemer Buddies.

[WeazyBuddha]

Originally Posted by Beemer Rob

Check the run out of your wheels, actually run out of the tires,
You may have excess run out causing the vibration @ speed.
Get it up to the speed you feel it most & pull the clutch in & see if you still feel it.
This eliminates the engine and lets you feel the wheels.
Might be time for a trip to Woody's Wheel Works?

Beat me to it, I was going to point this out. BMW GS wheels are known to have issues. Besides run out the boys in Germany putting together the wheels seem to get too aggressive with the grinder and some wheels (like mine) end up with gouges/divots that play havoc on the ability to balance them. Link to a thread on the subject.

[RidingAgin]

I have a 08. R1200GS. And never buzzy handlebars even with scalloped tires... I also have a F650GS that I put knobbies on.... Buzzy for the first 80 miles till I got some wear including dirt. Still buzzy compared to dual sport tires, Do you have knobbies?

:-D

[mattjw916]

relax the death-grip on the bars, get a cruise control device of some sort, get comfy gloves...

unless you're doing 100+ I don't see how anyone could call a GS "buzzy"

[GypsyWriter]

I'm headed out for a ride so I'll check the buzzy engine vs. tires deal. I honestly wanted to avoid wider grips but agree they may help and cushion my hands a bit. The tires I believe are the stock Tourance and I never had problems with those buzzing on my Wee but could they need to be balanced? At the rate I'm going I'll be taking my bike in early this week for its first service and will ask then but it's good to have as much info as possible. I talked to them Saturday and they said I was probably too high RPMs but even in 6th whenever I go 60-80 I get buzzed out.

Always nice to have an excuse for a nice ride. Yay for having the day off!!!

[GypsyWriter]

Nope it's definitely not the tires. Took her for a quick spin and figured out its the engine buzzing not the tires. Which stinks.

I'm going to give her miles to break in before I get truly disappointed but as I do mostly highway commuting this will probably be issue #1 I'll want to address. Pooh...

[pfarrell]

i bought a 2012 1200GS TB a month or so ago...put the breakin miles on it immediately after purchase...no buzzing
of any kind.... 5'9", 165, 30" inseam, stock seat in low position...in case any of that matters...1000 miles on it now, definitely getting "smoother"...but it was really smooth to begin with, especially when compared to the F650GS i traded in for it....definitely have it checked out at the breakin service...

[drmajor]

Had similar on my 07.

Agree with above advise- get some miles on it first and have the first service done and see if that helps.

Then, get http://www.jimvonbaden.com/R1200.html video on the 1200 service. Learn to set the valves and throttle bodies. Be careful not to have valves too tight.

I set my throttle bodies after the motor is hot. Pull into garage where I have a big fan to blow on it. I then balance the TB with the motor running at the RPM that I plan to travel at.... IE, 4500 is about 75 mph. Play with this----it really helps.

I have large hands- so I wrapped the grips with cushioned tennis racket wraps.

Used to ride dirt bikes- big ones that vibrate like crazy. There were several tricks- Some guys filled their bars with silicon calk, but to me it seems silicon has a vibration frequency... I think.

Another trick, which I have done on my 07 GSA- fill the bars with lead shot, I used #7 shot. Comes in 25lb bag usually and I am not sure how much it takes, but not much.

The biggest help is to have the valves and throttle bodies set right----for your motor. They do vary and one motor will like it one way or another.

[GypsyWriter]

Yeah this is going to be something I bring up at the first service. I'm planning on getting a factory manual and tool kit so I can eventually do my own wrenching but I'm hoping the gear heads at the dealer can give me some advice. It happens more at certain RPMs rather than speeds, usually 4k+, and I'm hoping a full check will fix it. I read here on AdV that they don't adjust valve clearances or throttle bodies in the initial check so I'll be asking for that specifically, or at least for them to check. I may not even wait for 600 miles but we'll see how the work schedule permits. Would be cool if I could watch the service to demystify the process.