i have heard that putting something like silastic or silicon in the handlebars reduces the vibration through the handlebar, is this true?

 

I am taking a stab in the dark here. Reducing vibration requires you to isolate the source of the vibration from the rest of the equipment you don't like to vibrate. This is done with lots of different ways, but most introduce some sort of material between the peaces of equipment. My worry with this is when you do this to handle bars, you might loose steering and introduce all kinds of lag and free play into the steering system. The last thing you need when you cornering, doing high speeds or jumping for the steering to be sluggish and have free play on the handle bars.

You did not mention what you believe is causing the vibration? Is it the road, the motor, or some other thing? Instead of trying to add extra bits, why not try and eliminate the cause of the problem. If it is the road surface.. try running with lower tyre pressures, or reduce the front shocks stiffness. Just note that by doing this you might loose out if you are doing heavy jumps and ride very bumpy roads. If you mostly ride trails and you are not a serious jumper, set the shock to a softer setting. I found that with the riding I do (mostly trails) softer front shocks does the trick. I see most people set the shocks to the stiffest setting... thinking the bike is higher and looks better, and it will handle better. It’s not always the case. To stiff shocks will cause all kinds of unwanted conditions. If you are not jumping the bike....loose the height and looks and have a great ride. Shocks should be set according to your weight and ride conditions. It must be set up in such a way that if you go over the highest jump, your shock should just be before bottoming out. This sometimes mean it has to go way softer. Play with the shock. Try setting the spring stiffness....but also try and see if the damping and rebound settings can be adjusted to your liking. It takes a couple of seconds to adjust the settings and if you know where you are riding…and you have found a setting that works for you, nothing stops you from changing it when you need to.

 

Thanks for your reply........ The vibration though the bars is just normal like any other rappy when the power comes on, not due to any other problem. Although eliminating the bar vibration whith a costless solution would be great. The silastic dries like rubber and rubber stops vibration so i thought i would work,right?. Anyone that knows if it works without any other probs please reply!

 

I have read success stories with pure silicon from somewhere like Home Depot or Lowes. I would be searching for loose bolts or something not functioning properly first.....mine has little too no vibration in the bars.....nothing I have noticed anyway.

 

The silicon route in the bars should work.

Basically, it will make the bars heavier and more able to dissipate the vibration.

I noticed a huge difference when I got Renthal bars (lighter than stock but made from Aluminum that absorbs more vibration than steel) and then added some streetbike bar end weights on the ends. I had to modify them slightly but it made a world of difference.

I imagine that filling the bars with silicon will have the same effect.

Try it!

 

I've heard the silicone in the bars works. There are bar inserts that are also available, I think the company that makes them is called fastt or something like that.

The vibration you are experiencing is normal on a Raptor. All the raptors I have ever ridden seem to vibrate like crazy in comparision to the 2 strokers that I am used to.

If you want a real fix to this problem, get an anti-vibe stem and fat bars, it really makes those long ride much more pleasant.

 

I dont know if this helps or not,but on my bikes I used to put counterweights on the handlebars to keep vibration down.I dont know if there called that,there like metal ends that go in the holes of the handlebars,you can find them at any motorbike shop. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Choky, those are the ones I was talking about, I think they are made of lead.

 

Ok, well filling the bars with silicon seems to damper the vibration a little according to the reports. So i'll give it a go and if it works thumbs up [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] if not i could always get another set or aftermarkets..... I'll reply some feedback when i test them

 

It helps alot. I filled my pro taper fatty's. I even run a roll antivibe lobo 2. Now i can run wide open for hours on end. Like on the wide open logging roads. I would highly recomend doing so with any bar you choose, unless your worried about that extra pount.