This is just a FAQ reference for this issue.

It appears to be one of the most common Versys problems.

In short, it seems to happen eventually with almost all Versys models. Kawasaki put out a fix in June of 2007 which involved placing some foam dampers on the affected parts. Newer bikes appear to come with this foam, but the problem still seems to crop up again over time.

The quick fix is to install new foam (or 'damping' material) on the affected parts. Some dealers will do this for you under warranty, but it's a pretty easy DIY project.

Previous discussions on this forum:

http://www.kawasakiversys.com/forums/showthread.php?t=487
http://www.kawasakiversys.com/forums/showthread.php?t=553
http://www.kawasakiversys.com/forums/showthread.php?t=430
http://www.kawasakiversys.com/forums/showthread.php?t=290
http://www.kawasakiversys.com/forums/showthread.php?t=112
http://www.kawasakiversys.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1625

Discussed on other sites (registration may be needed to see pictures):

http://www.versys.co.uk/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=45&topic=2927.0
http://www.versys.co.uk/index.php?option=com_smf&Itemid=45&topic=1500.0
http://www.subirimagenes.com/imagen-de-recall-1923009.html

Does there seem to be a time frame when this buzzing and vibration starts. I've got 450m on mine and haven't heard a thing yet. Of course I could just be hard of hearing (my wife definitely thinks so :p ).

Does there seem to be a time frame when this buzzing and vibration starts. I've got 450m on mine and haven't heard a thing yet. Of course I could just be hard of hearing (my wife definitely thinks so :p ).

For me, it took about 1,000 miles. Good luck! ;)

Mine just started at precisely 880 miles this A.M. Cheers.......Lefty.

Yep, right around 1000+ Kms. I notice it more when the bike revs around 4500rpm.

I bought my bike last month (june) and it had the buzz from the start. After removing the side panels and reinstalling them it got better but is still there. My bikes date is Sept, 07.

Mine did it from day 1

I have a 08..Did it from day one

I finally got a Buzz :eek: , no not that kind :D . Right at 750 miles buzzing just above the headlight. Following some of the suggestions listed on this forum I was able to silence it.

I changed my air filter the other day and took off the side panels on both sides of the gas tank. I also unsnapped the plastic that goes around the instrument panel and snaps onto the gas tank. While I had this undone I rode to the local bike shop to buy some oil for my air filter. After unhooking these pieces where they snap on the tank I had a buzzing noise. When I put my finger on it the buzzing stopped. You might one to check this out on your gas tank. You will have to take the side panels off though. Then when driving just put your finger on this plastic where in snaps onto the gas tank.

The buzzing on my V started at 1200 km. It was always around 3200 rpm. Today I fixed it. I narrowed it down to the black plastic cowling that surrounds the instrument cluster , it comes down and tucks into the plastic headlight bezel. I removed the fairing on either side of the tank and the windshield. This allowed me to pop loose the cowling in question and expose the tabs that buzz. I discovered the factory had already installed some foam(see photo). The foam was quite thin and had become compacted, allowing the space which created the buzz. I peeled off the factory foam and installed pieces I had cut to fit. The extra 2 mm thickness in the foam was the charm!
Some points to consider: I measured the allen key I used to remove the screws holding the fairing in place. My old tape measure showed 4 mm. The nuts on the back of the windshield require an 8 mm wrench to hold them in place while the same 4 mm allen key works for the screws in the front of the windshield. The black plastic cowling that buzzed is in held in place by plastic press-in "screws". they came out easily with help from a small flat-head screwdriver.
I hope this helps others. I really took my time with it and was done in 1 1/2 hours (including drinking coffee, staring fixedly, revving engine alot!) If anyone wants some foam, I could cut off a chunk and mail it to them. Its lightweight and you won't need much. I have about 7.5 meters left over! :)
http://i323.photobucket.com/albums/nn453/popsterpics/P7200005.jpg

http://i323.photobucket.com/albums/nn453/popsterpics/P7200020.jpg

Mine did it from day 1 also. I thought I had it fixed following the above posts, but it came back. When I was working on it this weekend I noticed that it came with some foam installed on the top of the headlight and some small rubber pads on the outer cowling where they contact the inner cowling. All but one had fallen off. I replaced these and the buzzing went away. You need some really thin pieces so that you can get the inner cowling to slip into the retaining tabs on the outer cowling. This time I also put foam around the headlight.

If you look at the V parts diagrams on the OEM parts sites you will see numerous "dampers". I noticed that they had fallen off of mine, so I guess that is why some get the buzz at different times. I had the biggest success adding foam to the tab above the headlight and foam pads to the upper inside edges of the side cowlings.

I started buzzing right at 500 miles. This weekend I will be foaming all the areas suggested. Thanks for the detailed pics and post yall :thumb:

Dealer going to fix, under instruction from Kawasaki ( They've told me now that the noise was only coming from the ER-6n's ). A one time fix, mechanics said they got pads or something, from Kawasaki, that are for the ER to stop this noise, and can adjust them for the Versys.

I just don't see why we should have to go to trouble & expense, as doing any drilling or modifications that can void the warranty.

I just don't see why we should have to go to trouble & expense, as doing any drilling or modifications that can void the warranty.

There's nothing irreparable done to fix this problem (no drilling or cutting). This shouldn't void anything. All you're doing is adding material between plastic pieces and perhaps where plastic meets metal.

We're just stuck with the situation until Kawi realizes there's a problem on Versys and produces a permanent fix.

At the moment, this is something that can easily happen if you take the cowlings off for any maintenance or just wait long enough. Things vibrate loose. It's a motorcycle - that will happen.

So - if your dealer does your maintenance, you'll find the problem on the ride home... Go back, fix, ride, repeat. While I like my dealer, I don't like wasting time explaining trivial things and then waiting around having to leave my bike (for a trivial fix!) And, a lot of dealers will just say "that's normal".

At least if you understand the problem, you can fix it yourself.

Yet another buzzing source...

Many have reported the side cowlings can get noisy too. In those cases, they've had to re-apply foam that has gone missing where the side cowling touches the gauge shroud and tank. Also, the foam can get compressed so that it doesn't help.

And, I've noticed Kawi put foam in places where it doesn't even touch anything (the large patches on the left and right of the headlight).

In my case, I added some nylon washers between places where things bolt on.

Maybe earplugs will help. ;-)

After riding around for 1200 miles with an invisible 400 pound mosquito I decided to investigate the annoying buzzzzz coming from the front of the V.
First I removed the side cowlings, the plastic panel surrounding the instrument cluster, (which is the same piece with the tab that slides in above the headlight, that is supposedly one of the culprits).
I started the bike and revved it to 4000-4200 rpms and the buzz hadn't changed....
It was coming from the speedo/tach housing. It appears to be a 2 piece (top/bottom) set-up and if I squeezed the housing top to bottom the noise dissapeared.
I didn't want to disassemble the housing nor did I want to strip the screws on the back of it trying to see if tightening would help to reduce the racket but it seems a proper fix would entail Kawasaki internally installing a rubber seal/gasket between the top and bottom of the instrument cluster to permanently take care of the problem.

For now, I ended up putting 1/4 inch closed cell foam w/adhesive backing around the speedo/tach housing where it meets the plastic surround, as well as putting a small piece on the front tab above the headlight and although there is still a slight buzz around 4k it seems to be much better.

With any luck Kawi will address this soon and we can enjoy a buzzless ride.

Cheers,
John

Just a thought, does anyone know how to get in touch or e-mail kawi to drop them a line about some of the problems that come up with the v. Some thing besides the dealer who at times cares and at time does not. I have the same problems that most everyone else is having. The first which for me started at around 700 miles is the buzzing noise. Which for me is not that bad yet. It seems to be worse when it is cool out. Not as much when the plastic is hot. May have something to do with exspansion of the parts when they warm up in the sun. The other is the left hand mirror which keeps loosening up and turning in on me when I get up to 70 or 75 mph. Which is about the worst time for this to happen. I have tightenend this down and it held for about a week and then the other day it happened again.
And we all know about the seat. Just thought if everyone could talk with or e-mail kawi about these problems that pop up that maybe they could expedite a fix or possibly directions on a quick fix.

Just thought if everyone could talk with or e-mail kawi about these problems that pop up that maybe they could expedite a fix or possibly directions on a quick fix.

I'm hopeful they'll pay attention... Unfortunately, there are multiple sources of noise (headlight, gauge cluster, left/right side cowlings). It won't be just one fix. The headlight seems to be the worst source, but the others can become annoying too.

As for the seat - I think Kawasaki must botch them on purpose so there's a market for aftermarket parts. ;)

I too have foamed every piece of plastic the would contact plastic...finally it appears to have fix it. I guess it's all part of the symphony that comes from a parallel twin.

I love this forum...With the pics and info supplied, I used some of the same weatherstripping foam and silenced the "buzz" completely! I can't belive how much of a difference it made! Now the bike is perfect :)

I had the buzzing at 3000 RPM. It came like others from the black cover over the instruments. My first fix was foam tape around the speedometer housing. It muffeld the sound but I still could feel the vibration when I put my hand on the black cover. I figured it might come back later. I looked for a permanent solution that did not require any drilling. Since the problem is vibration/accustic I looked for tape thats absorbs sound and vibration. I found the tape in the McMasters catalog. I got two types. They are both very dense and extremely sticky and formable. I got the two types because one was 1/16x3/4, the other 1/4x3/4. I put it on the black cover, the 1/16 first, then the 1/4 across over it. You probably will not need both, but since I was working on it, it figured it would not hurt. The idea is to give the thin plastic more mass to dampen the vibration. Spraying some kind of coating on it may be an other solution. The noise is completely gone.
McMaster Part# 7998A926 Light Duty Polyethylene Foam Tape.
75315A73 Conformable Neoprene EPDM/SBR Foam Tape

You can use the tape on any of the panels that are causing a problem.

Does there seem to be a time frame when this buzzing and vibration starts. I've got 450m on mine and haven't heard a thing yet. Of course I could just be hard of hearing (my wife definitely thinks so :p ).

Mine got bad at about 1500 miles. It was just minor before then. I'll be using nuts and bolts wherever there were plastic connectors.

Mine got bad at about 1500 miles. It was just minor before then. I'll be using nuts and bolts wherever there were plastic connectors.


another vote for replacing the plastic with nuts and bolts. Fixed my buzz.

I put foam everywhere as soon as I got the bike and thought I had the buzzing nicked. Riding this weekend, I hit 1800 miles and it came on like a thunderstorm! I thought I have broken a valve spring or something. I wear earplugs, so it wasn't the noise, it was the added vibrations in the grips and pegs that let me know something was up. I grew pretty concerned that something was going to let go. Then I remembered the buzzing. I pulled out my earplugs and it sounded like a cell phone in vibrate mode bouncing on a metal desk! I've got to pull it all apart again and track it down, but I am sure glad that it isn't mechanical.

B-

B- I think I had the same thing happen today at 1100 miles. I was wearing plugs, too, and got off to check tire pressure and inspect for something loose. Please let me know what you find. I haven't yet put any foam around the panel, so that's next.

GREAT weekend on the V!

So I took it all apart again and foamed it more. I put foam on the two tabs that hold the instrument surround on, and it fixed that part. But riding to work today...it's back. I put my hands everywhere to no avail (sounds like high school all over again). Its right at 4500rpm, everytime. Has anyone actually gotten rid of the vibes?

As far as the front fairings go, the two mounting points around the windshield don't seem to be the cause. I know some of you have drilled out the lower holes, but that seems counter-intuitive to me. If the mounting post extends through the fairing, then the bolt is tightening to the post, not the fairing, leaving the fairing free to move up and down. If the bolt pinches the fairing in between itself and the post, then it can move less. Right? Why would we want to allow it to "float"?

Any help would be appreciated. This buzzing is ridiculous.

B-

I have not picked up my V yet, so I may be blowing smoke here, but has anyone tried putting a dab of silicone sealant in place of the foam pads that everyone seems to favor? If you do not want to just lose the foamy goodness of the pads you could even glue them in place with the silicone sealant, let it cure overnight, and then reassemble. Then, even if the foam compacts you will still be left with some cushiness from the silicone itself.

Using the tips learned on this forum, and an hour of my time, I killed my buzz. It took a 1" X 3/16" thick piece of high-density weathersripping applied to the tab that goes under the headlight trim (right at top dead center), and two 1" long pieces of the same foam just outboard of the stock foam underneath the headlight trim (one on each side). For good measure I replaced the small, rectangular pieces of thin foam on the backside of the plastic cowlings (the things with the Kawasaki Versys stickers on 'em). I left the large, square pieces of thin foam (on the back of the cowlings) as they were.
I'd been getting mega-buzz between 3000 and 5000 rpms, and it was really detracting from my riding enjoyment. Now that it's fixed, all I hear is the sweet growl of the engine, and the wind whistling through my teeth...:D

Tracked down the buzz on my V to the body colored panels on either side of the seat. Buzzing at 4500-5000 rpm was nuts. Noticed the loose panel fit when I was washing my V. Tested to see if this was the source of the buzz I was hearing by going for a ride at 4500-5000 rpm and simply reaching back my left hand to steady the panel...buzzing stopped. Seems the plastic rivets fit loosely and let the panels vibrate alot, left side much worse than right on my bike. Easy fix with some closed cell weather strip and new plastic rivets. The fairing itself has been fine so far (3500km).

Another way to fix the buzz where you have the plastic rivets is to put a rubber washer between the pieces. It adds cushioning between the parts and tightens up the rivet.

I hope the 09's are not buzzers! but then again it seems they never change anything even when there is a small problem it is often ignored by Kawasaki.

or, you can be like me. I got out of the Army in 1969, and havn't heard it thunder since! What buzz? 8^)

or, you can be like me. I got out of the Army in 1969, and havn't heard it thunder since! What buzz? 8^)
I have a hindle pipe; but still there was a plastic kind of noise at low rpm... i took out the fairing today and it is gone... I ll take care of it tomorrow with silicon and foam...

Versys all the way...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCGmi7VTxGw
jules

The vibrations on my Versys were coming from both the left and right Cowl and the plastic shroud around the the instrument panel. I took the wind screen, Cowls, and the shroud off in order to fix the problem. The areas I was getting the vibrations from were apparent by the abrasions and wear marks on the Cowl and shroud. I placed 1/8 X 1/4 weather stripping on the wear marks and pretty much the entire shroud. Additionally, at all attachment points that I saw the potential for vibration I applied some electrical tape. I didn't have any vibration coming from the front portion of the shroud above the headlight. I test drove the bike each time I replaced one part back on. Ensure you pay special attention to the re-assembly of the parts. There are some plastic flanges on the Cowls and that must fit around the shroud. The project took a total of about two hours. See photos.

I was getting the buzzing, but was just putting up with it. This weekend it rained on Saturday, so I bought some 1/8" thick weather stripping (which was hard to find.. the big box hardware stores only sell thicker stuff) and did the fix. The bike is so quiet now! I can hear the engine purr now. It's a beautiful sound. I love it. Thanks everyone for sharing the info.! :thumb:

Hi Guys,
New to this forum. The buzz was crazy with mine as it is with everyone elses. I put a nut and bolt everywhere the plastic contacted metal, but the real culprit {as stated} was the plastic shroud that covers the instruments and the tab that inserts into the headlight shroud. Normal weatherstripping really doesn't work as it rapidly wears out and loses the ability to dampen. I used a rubber trailer pad material from a boat fender and the stuff is indestructable. My Dealer says that there is no kit for the V, and gave me one from a Ninja 650......those pieces were kind of a joke...no wonder they wear out quickly. I did the mod when I had about 800 miles on it, now have about 4500 with no buzz. :)

Redline, can you give some more info on the rubber trailer pad material. Indestructible is one of my favorite words.

Redline, can you give some more info on the rubber trailer pad material. Indestructible is one of my favorite words.

You can get the stuff at any Bass Tracker Marine boat dealer. They use it on the decks of some of the aluminum boats as well as trailer step pads. If you can't find any, let me know and I'll send you a "square",.....I have a little left.

You can get the stuff at any Bass Tracker Marine boat dealer. They use it on the decks of some of the aluminum boats as well as trailer step pads. If you can't find any, let me know and I'll send you a "square",.....I have a little left.


Yeah, it's friction step pad material I know what your talking about now. Cool, I can source that local. Thanks for explaining redline.:thumb:

Mine buzzed from day 1 new@ 3000rpm. My solution was to pull the farings and windscreen off and use 4 black 4mm cable ties to tighten the black plastic gauge surround to the frame holding the gauges in place. Unlike the foam paddings used in other repairs, the cable ties wont fall off. Also ran some double sided padded sticky tape around the black plastic surround edges where the faring overlaps. Replaced the farings and windscreen and the result so far is no vibration noise.
Cheers:

Frackin fairing crap ... argh. I love this bike but the buzzing has been a p-off since day one. I've been moving adhoc anti-vibro-wedges around the fairing/windscreen/display willy-nilly for 2 years. So now I'm just gonna haul the entire deal off and replace the screws whist installing marine grade sealant tape. I'm sure it will do the business ... thanks for all the input! Cheers :)

Trying to find the buzzing seems to be a bit of an issue for me, as it only appears to buzz when I'm actually riding. If I stop and rev the engine it doesn't buzz. BAH!

Foam did the trick for me - Buzz be gone. My question is how long will it last? I'm certain it will return and when it does I'm flipping over to Marine Tape - great suggestions!!! Dom

Im sure i've posted about this previously but just in the case someone does not know, If your V is still under the warranty period ( 2 years basic iirc ) Kawasaki have and are supposed to cover the cost of this "Fix" They are aware of this problem with the V as well as others.

Kawi Canada, to my knowledge, didn't acknowledge the issue when I asked about it (waving printouts of a recall from Versys UK forum) at my LBS in 2008. The suggestion there (UK) was to place bicycle inner tube wedges at the front of the nose between the cowl and body cover just above the headlight ... works most of the time. I'll look at my warranty again (2 years you say? I think mine's a year but will check) but frankly I'd rather do it myself to make sure it's done once and for all.

Anyone have specifics on the marine tape? Brand? Is it simply called "marine weatherstripping tape" or "friction step pad material"? I know not the ways of water craft ;) Cheers

Kawi Canada, to my knowledge, didn't acknowledge the issue when I asked about it (waving printouts of a recall from Versys UK forum) at my LBS in 2008. The suggestion there (UK) was to place bicycle inner tube wedges at the front of the nose between the cowl and body cover just above the headlight ... works most of the time. I'll look at my warranty again (2 years you say? I think mine's a year but will check) but frankly I'd rather do it myself to make sure it's done once and for all.

Anyone have specifics on the marine tape? Brand? Is it simply called "marine weatherstripping tape" or "friction step pad material"? I know not the ways of water craft ;) Cheers


The stuff I was referring to is used on the Tracker Marine / Nitro boat {bow} decking. It is a rubber blocking material that is self adhesive. Very durable, meant to be walked on for years. Can get it at any Tracker Boat Dealer / Bass Pro shops........:)

The stuff I was referring to is used on the Tracker Marine / Nitro boat {bow} decking. It is a rubber blocking material that is self adhesive. Very durable, meant to be walked on for years. Can get it at any Tracker Boat Dealer / Bass Pro shops........:)

No such shops here but I'm sure I can find it at Hully Gully (where I'm at in lovely London ON CA). One gigantic toy store ... huge boats, watercraft, atv's and motorcycles (wife is looking ata GS500F), accessories and parts for all ... well, just not for the Kawaski Versys ... those are at Inglis.

Thanks man! :thumb:

Kawi Canada, to my knowledge, didn't acknowledge the issue when I asked about it (waving printouts of a recall from Versys UK forum) at my LBS in 2008. The suggestion there (UK) was to place bicycle inner tube wedges at the front of the nose between the cowl and body cover just above the headlight ... works most of the time. I'll look at my warranty again (2 years you say? I think mine's a year but will check) but frankly I'd rather do it myself to make sure it's done once and for all.

Anyone have specifics on the marine tape? Brand? Is it simply called "marine weatherstripping tape" or "friction step pad material"? I know not the ways of water craft ;) Cheers
That blows. I found Kawi Sweden to be extremely helpful and willing. As someone's said already, they just took the " Solution Kit " from the recall they had with the ER-6Ns and modified it to the Versys. If anything I will email you a statement of repair from Kawi here that you can go wave at them :D

That blows. I found Kawi Sweden to be extremely helpful and willing. As someone's said already, they just took the " Solution Kit " from the recall they had with the ER-6Ns and modified it to the Versys. If anything I will email you a statement of repair from Kawi here that you can go wave at them :D

lol ... it's not like they run in horror at my waving mysterious documents from the internet ;) and thanks for the offer to provide me with even more ammo ... hehe. At your suggestion I called and gave my VIN. Warranty ended back in May 2008 (at 1 year) and the LBS guy wasn't able to pull up any Kawi V recalls or retro mods (bought new my Versys and wife's CBR125 and they have always treated us great). I mentioned since late 2007 (?) this was a known issue in the UK, Europe and Canada as indicated in this and the other dedicated V forums. Nothing on the ER-6N but it's the first year in Canada. He's gonna look into it but I'm not wanting to wait. Ride down, leave the bike, bus it home .... wait ... you know the drill. It looks easy and inexpensive enough. Besides, I can take my time in the garage, have a few damn tasty they-brew-I-bottle and when it's finished and buzz-free gain the great satisfaction of having done it myself. I, however, may not be buzz-free and shall haveto wait to ride the next day ;)

Cheers!

I have been following all the comments in the threads here and thanks everyone for the great info.

My speedo console was buzzing as well and wrapping it with sticky backed foam was the ticket for me. I've attached pictures.

I had it in to my LBS and they were unable to find a Canadian recall or warranty fix for the vibration problem. They suggested the ninja dampening kit or the foam.

And unfortunately, only a one year warranty in Canada.

Here in Montana, I took my V into the dealer and complained about the buzz on my first service. Had the buz from about 50 miles happening between 3k-4500rpms. They spent about an hour and "fixed-it". This "fix" lasted about another 50 miles. After work today, I'm going home to tear down, tape, and silicone just about everything I possibly can to get rid of this buzz. Damn buzz is so loud, sometimes I can't even hear the damn engine.

Here in Montana, I took my V into the dealer and complained about the buzz on my first service. Had the buz from about 50 miles happening between 3k-4500rpms. They spent about an hour and "fixed-it". This "fix" lasted about another 50 miles. After work today, I'm going home to tear down, tape, and silicone just about everything I possibly can to get rid of this buzz. Damn buzz is so loud, sometimes I can't even hear the damn engine.

Check the gauge cluster tab where it fits into the plastic headlight retainer. 90 percent of the buzz comes from that area. :)

Thanks Redline, I'm also going to add those M6 X12 bolts instead of the plastic snappers. What a pain in the rear. I really wish that the only pain in my rear was coming from that uncomfortable seat after riding for awhile. Instead I gotta deal with this junk. This is the first Kawi I've ever owned, gotta say the build quality, or at the least the final fit and finish is really poor.

Thanks Redline, I'm also going to add those M6 X12 bolts instead of the plastic snappers. What a pain in the rear. I really wish that the only pain in my rear was coming from that uncomfortable seat after riding for awhile. Instead I gotta deal with this junk. This is the first Kawi I've ever owned, gotta say the build quality, or at the least the final fit and finish is really poor.


I did the same thing to mine. Dab a little RTV / silicone between the plastic and the metal and it will help isolate it as well. I was really frustrated at first with the buzz, as anything that makes noise that shouldn't is unacceptable to me. I've been known to trade or sell off something due to those variables....I'm a little anal when it comes to this stuff. BUT.....overlook this minor annoyance because the bike is really all that and then some.

I love this bike. But, when I was considering buying at first, I was skeptical of buying a "new" model. When I found out it had been in the UK and other places for years, I just figured that Kawi would have had all of these "quirks" (from minor annoyances like this buzz to gaps that need shimmed or else there's a possiblity of catastrophic frame failure) figured out and fixed already. 700 miles and I was able to ignore it, now it's more of an annoyance causing a severe loss in the pleasure I should be taking from the bike. Guess I'm just venting because there's nothing I can do about any of this but get it fixed, since I can't afford to trade it in for something that's ready to get on and ride. Funny, that's why I bought a brand new bike THIS time. I assumed that I wouldn't have to deal with this type of junk for years.

A ready to ride bike is a myth !! Ducking and running now!!

Jhedges, I gotta respectfully disagree. Spent about an hour and a half buttoning her all down with 1/4" weatherstripping and replacing those crappy plastic fasteners with actual bolts. Got to take about a half hour ride afterwards, no crazy vibes ... yet. I can tell you, if this is a process I have to repeat again in the future, I'm using silicone next. If it happens again after that, the bike's getting traded in as soon as I can afford to do so.

Jhedges, I gotta respectfully disagree. Spent about an hour and a half buttoning her all down with 1/4" weatherstripping and replacing those crappy plastic fasteners with actual bolts. Got to take about a half hour ride afterwards, no crazy vibes ... yet. I can tell you, if this is a process I have to repeat again in the future, I'm using silicone next. If it happens again after that, the bike's getting traded in as soon as I can afford to do so.


I understand about certain little things that get under your skin so bad that they become THE focal point.

A number of years ago, my wife wanted to upgrade the radio/CD player in her car. We did a bit of research & looked at quite a few, finally deciding on a Pioneer. It was nice & sounded great, WAY better than the stocker. Only one tiny little problem. The random play feature really sucked! I didn't think it would bother me, but it did. It bothered me more & more, to the point I HATED riding in her car because of it.

We've since traded the car, but I kept the radio. In fact, I made a home made "jam box" using it, powering it with a computer power supply. The damned thing just wont die!! It sounds great, I just don't use the random play. Sucks though, I really like random play...


:D

Thank you Bear, I know I am being irrational, but I want to enjoy riding my knew bike, not dread riding it because the sounds it emits are so obnoxious.

Besides, the sounds I emit are obnoxious enough without the bike adding funny noises.

Thank you Bear, I know I am being irrational, but I want to enjoy riding my knew bike, not dread riding it because the sounds it emits are so obnoxious.


Please don't get me wrong, I wasn't calling you irrational!! Just letting you know I can relate to what you're going through!


:thumb:

Gotcha! Thanks.

My Buzz started at about mile 50 on a new 09. I took it to the dealer yesterday for my first service (Which cost me $67 OUCH) and mentioned the annoying buzz which only occurs when I am riding the bike. I could make it stop by squeezing the plastic around the tach. The service guy rode it and confirmed that it was rather annoying. He had no idea how to take it apart, he removed the two plastic lock nuts around the tach and then said , "Oh the fairings have to come off." I had already been there an hour and I had played all the games on my iphone. They had other customers waiting for oil changes and I had to get home so I told him to forget it and I would schedule a time to come back.

I decided to fix it myself because (a) I can probably do a better job of it and (b) I don't want to drive back to the shop and leave my bike there.

The instrument cluster bezel comes off easy enough.

Take all the bolts off the outside fairings and pull straight out on the friction plug near the tank.

With both fairings off take off the plastic surround by the tach by pushing in on the center of the friction plugs to release them. The other two by the tank are very obvious on how to remove.

The source of my vibration was somewhere in the fixes that I applied, it's gone now. I suspect the culprit was the two traingular pegs that had protruded through painfully inadequet foam squares near the headlight assembly. They were poked clean through so you could see daylight so they were not doing their job anymore.
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/1156/img0552z.th.jpg (http://img218.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0552z.jpg)

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/677/img0553.th.jpg (http://img135.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0553.jpg)


I cut out pieces of foam doublesided tap and left one side covered. I then placed the original foams back on top (because they are black and will hide the white tape). I wanted strips of rubber with adhesive on them but was unable to find any.

See the photos for locations of tape that solved the problem. This took about 1 hour including the trip to two stores.

Underneath the plastic friction screws near the tac:
http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/569/img0554i.th.jpg (http://img186.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0554i.jpg)

Underneath the plastic tabs that just sit ontop of a metal locating tab:
http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/373/img0555x.th.jpg (http://img186.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0555x.jpg)

Underneath the three foam insulators on the front of the plastic bezel near the headlamp:
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/3940/img0556.th.jpg (http://img151.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0556.jpg)

All back together:
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/650/img0558.th.jpg (http://img402.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0558.jpg)

I am now noise free (for the time being). I did not add anything to the plastic fenders at this point, mostly because I did not have the type of material that I wanted. I'm still looking for self adhesive, soft rubber like what you would find in the middle of the sole of a tennis shoe, in black, about 1/8th to 1/4 inch thick.

My Buzz started at about mile 50 on a new 09. I took it to the dealer yesterday for my first service (Which cost me $67 OUCH) and mentioned the annoying buzz which only occurs when I am riding the bike. I could make it stop by squeezing the plastic around the tach. The service guy rode it and confirmed that it was rather annoying. He had no idea how to take it apart, he removed the two plastic lock nuts around the tach and then said , "Oh the fairings have to come off." I had already been there an hour and I had played all the games on my iphone. They had other customers waiting for oil changes and I had to get home so I told him to forget it and I would schedule a time to come back.

I decided to fix it myself because (a) I can probably do a better job of it and (b) I don't want to drive back to the shop and leave my bike there.

The instrument cluster bezel comes off easy enough.

Take all the bolts off the outside fairings and pull straight out on the friction plug near the tank.

With both fairings off take off the plastic surround by the tach by pushing in on the center of the friction plugs to release them. The other two by the tank are very obvious on how to remove.

The source of my vibration was somewhere in the fixes that I applied, it's gone now. I suspect the culprit was the two traingular pegs that had protruded through painfully inadequet foam squares near the headlight assembly. They were poked clean through so you could see daylight so they were not doing their job anymore.
http://img218.imageshack.us/img218/1156/img0552z.th.jpg (http://img218.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0552z.jpg)

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/677/img0553.th.jpg (http://img135.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0553.jpg)


I cut out pieces of foam doublesided tap and left one side covered. I then placed the original foams back on top (because they are black and will hide the white tape). I wanted strips of rubber with adhesive on them but was unable to find any.

See the photos for locations of tape that solved the problem. This took about 1 hour including the trip to two stores.

Underneath the plastic friction screws near the tac:
http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/569/img0554i.th.jpg (http://img186.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0554i.jpg)

Underneath the plastic tabs that just sit ontop of a metal locating tab:
http://img186.imageshack.us/img186/373/img0555x.th.jpg (http://img186.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0555x.jpg)

Underneath the three foam insulators on the front of the plastic bezel near the headlamp:
http://img151.imageshack.us/img151/3940/img0556.th.jpg (http://img151.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0556.jpg)

All back together:
http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/650/img0558.th.jpg (http://img402.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img0558.jpg)

I am now noise free (for the time being). I did not add anything to the plastic fenders at this point, mostly because I did not have the type of material that I wanted. I'm still looking for self adhesive, soft rubber like what you would find in the middle of the sole of a tennis shoe, in black, about 1/8th to 1/4 inch thick.

If you were to go back a few posts, the stuff that worked is a rubber, adhesive backed, roughly 1/16 inch boat step pad material. The stuff is durable, adhesive and does the job. Look to any bass boat dealer for the source........specifically the bow material on Bass Tracker PT-190 2008.....

If you were to go back a few posts, the stuff that worked is a rubber, adhesive backed, roughly 1/16 inch boat step pad material. The stuff is durable, adhesive and does the job. Look to any bass boat dealer for the source........specifically the bow material on Bass Tracker PT-190 2008.....

I'll look for this, thanks.

I only wish my first service would cost $67 - the quote I got from the shop is $175 (plus taxes). That 1000km (600 mile) services is such a $$$ grab.
Haven't got "the buzz" yet - but thanks for the tips on how to deal with it when it appears. I think I'll buy some weatherstripping today and do some "pre-emptive maintenance".
Keep the rubber side down guys!

As a followup I went on a 6 hour trip the day after I fixed my buzz. It started again a bit worse than it was the first time about 20 minutes into the ride.

Yesterday I tried working on it again. I found the source of most of the buzz right away, it was my aftermarket windshield. It was buzzing against the mounting points. I took the windshield off completely and rode it around the block, still buzzing.

I took the left fairing off and there was a lot less buzzing but it still seemed to come from the left side. I have attributed this final buzz to the instrument panel. It is quiet enough though that I can live with it at least for a while. I kinda wonder if it's really there or not since I am super sensetive to this buzzing noise now. I put foam along the edges of the fairing and reinstalled the stock windscreen upside down.

Also worth noting, when I took the fairing off I was able to find small places about 1mm round where the paint had been rubbed off, around the mounting points. It's obvious that these were rub marks so putting tape/foam there was a no brainer.

As it stands right now the noise is quiet enough that road noise and wind cover it up but if it gets bad again I'm taking it to the shop and will not accept it back until it's buzz free.

If you take your fairings off go ahead and put buzz tape along the edges.

As a side note riding with the stock windscreen upside down is much better than having my huge screen on at speeds less than 70mph. At about 80mph I'd rather have my big screen. There's definitley something to be said about riding in lots of smooth air as opposed to a small bit of rough stuff.

I had the same problem from day one. It was really evident at 3500 RPM, so I took of the cowlings and put high density foam all around the headlight, instrument cluster and so on. The noise is completely gone now.

Sounds like you got it!!

I added felt pads on top of the existing foam pads. I also sprayed the underside of the black panel with several heavy coats of rubberized undercoating to help absorb the vibration. So far so good.

if you'll take waterproof plumbers grease and lightly coat your foam insulators pads around the fairing and especially the rubber isolators on the headlight and the back of the instrument cluster...rubber will squeek like hell when it's dry..i even put a thin coat between the windshield brackets and where they mount to the frame..works great

Thanks for all the info everyone. I'll tackle mine this weekend. It started just about the time I did the Oil Change at 1000 Km (after 3 glorious days of ownership). Still a good bike but between the buzz and the tank wine it is slightly annoying.

CJH

Moderator, Bear on a Bicycle,

Just wondering if you might know, does anyone from Kawasaki ever read these posts? This one in particular would be a flag for QC I would think!

Do we need to translate a copy to Japanese? :D

Great info - and the buzzing is with me !! (09 model - so still not modded by Kwaki)
Workign on it over the weekend - taking note of all the useful site references to this issue.
What a great forum site!

Thanks for this. I just fixed the buzz on my '09. At least for now, we'll see if it holds. After removing the windshield and side plastic, it was pretty apparent where my buzz seemed to be coming from. There's the two plastic "screws" that hold the black plastic that surrounds the instrument cluster to a tab underneath. That tab kind of extends farther than it needs to and just rattled like crazy if I "flicked" it with my finger on both sides. I put about 3 small tabs of electrical tape on both sides and it did the trick. Like I said, it may come back if the tape wears through, but for now my buzz is completely gone.

I took delivery of my 2009 Versys in March and the buzzing started within 150 miles. At the first Service my Dealer (who has been brilliant) said that the Kawasaki fix was already there and added some more insulation of their own. This did not work and the buzzing has got worse recently.

Your various comments have been very helpful. I am not a great DIYer so was worried about taking bits off and not being able to put them back on again. But I did it - taped everything I could and the noise has gone. What a difference I am really enjoying the ride again. 150 mile round trip to work planned tomorrow due to London Underground Strike so that should really test it out.

Thanks Guys

Add another, right on cue at 900 miles! Hello Quality control dept!

Yep, I'm amazed that Kawasaki has done so little to fix this. It seems it would be SOOO simple for them to take care of this when they're putting them together...

This site is brilliant! The info second to none.
Ive also cured the buzzing - I used strips cut from a self adheisve 6mm thick foam pad - supplied for motocross biker seats (to stop you sliding off !)
Its fits great around the tacho bezel and is black - also slots into the headlight fitting area - and is easily compressible where necessary.
Back to buzz free riding ! (but wathc out with lifitng the visor this time of year - last week a bee decided to get inside at 40 mph, pretty deathly experience - luckily for me it bounced out agian within a few seconds !
Im staying hot and sweaty from now on with the visor permanently down !!)

Fixed my V's buzz thanks to this forum. It is perfect now. Such a small peace of foam for such a huge buzz.

thank you

Not hearing/feeling it on this bike. 6000+ miles.

The grips are horrible and make my hand go to sleep in 15 miles, though. That sucks.

I didnt' read all of this thread so forgive me if somebody else has done this.....

I picked up some 3/8" felt circles from Home Depot (used for the bottom of staplers etc). I removed the fairings and installed the felt bits on the bottom edge where they contact the black plastic. I'd say 95% or more of the vibes and noise are gone. I'm thinking maybe add a few more pieces and the noise will be completely gone.

It only costs a couple bucks and a few minutes. Use some alchohol to clean up the area before sticking the felt bits on.

Is there any need to use locktite (or equivalent) on the cowling screws on reassembly?

No,
There is no need for it.

Thanks to Boogie. Buzz is gone which was coming from instrument pod. Rode V without windshield. fairings and instrument cover and discovered buzz was coming from instrument pod. Did like boogie suggested and applied 1/4 x 1/2 inch on top and sides, 1/8 x3/8 on bottom of instrument pod and refitted cover making sure foam was inbetween both parts. Buzz be gone.

Is there any need to use locktite (or equivalent) on the cowling screws on reassembly?


not only is there no need, should you do so and you are a leetle enthusiastic witht the loctitie and soem gets on the plastic you have a recipie for cracking of the plastics. loctite and plastics are not a good mix. also don't be tempted to over tighten the cowling bolts.. perhaps not as dangerous as allowing loctite near the plastics but not so far off.

Just got around to pulling the fairings and cluster cowling, to deal with the "buzz"....

Clipped off those triangular tabs from the cluster cowl, the two that poke through the foam up by the headlamp. They were rattling, for sure. My repair material consisted of some windscreen edge rubbber molding, that came with my Kawa tall screen. I put a piece in the back edge of the wide tab slot by the headlamp. That gave support behind the cowl tab.

I used two long strips on the fairing edges that run back along the tank, to keep the black cowling pieces from vibrating. There were noteable rub marks along them.

Also relaced all the plastic push rivets with tighter fitting automotive types. So far, so good!

My buzz started tonight at 990 miles. Now I have to get out the tape and take off the parts too.

I get a buzzing, but it's from my keys resting on the steering head.

Another possible source of buzzing thats easy to overlook during assembly is the fairings have slots that the black instrument panel "wings" fit into for support.
http://i38.tinypic.com/dwcprs.jpg

I took mine to the dealership since i still have warrenty. They said they replaced some clips and that did the trick. Now for the life of me i cant remember what clips they replaced.

After using the foam tape, I had a howling noise at 4000 rpm coming from the headlight. I wedged a hard plastic bit (square washer) in the gap on top of the headlight, and no more noise! I would like to post a pic, but my camera is down.

I have the same noise at that rpm.....can you describe in more detail as best as possible where you put that wedge? Thanks

I've had vibration issues from almost new on my '09.

The biggest problem is isolating the source of the vibration. Usually touching the offending piece while it is vibrating will find it. So far I have yet to touch the right piece.

Has anyone considered using Dynamat, the stuff used in auto trunks, floors and doors for sound deadening? It could be used on the back sides of cowlings and the instrument cover.

http://www.dynamat.com/

I found the bussing started at about 1000km.
It really buzzes bad on those Cold (1-9 celcius) mornings.
I will try the weather stripping fix.
I got all winter to tinker.
Cheers

Fixed the buzz by replacing the three factory installed foam pieces with eighth inch thick rubber. Also cut off the triangular tabs. These are the problem I think. They had cut thru the factory foam in about 1600 miles. Now no buzz at all. Included is a pic of the foam pieces where the tabs had worn thru.
Also replaced the plastic rivets with 10/32 button head screws and lock nuts while I was at it.

My '09 buzzed like mad at less than 1k miles. Now, at all the aforementioned contact points, I just silicone everything before each reassembly (use the cheap clear stuff). No buzz ever, and each time I take off the fairing/cowling pieces, I just pull off the silicone, which doesn't stick too bad at all to the plastic pieces, and run a new thin bead, then reassemble, and let it dry overnight before riding. I also silicone the plastic push fasteners.

I have the same noise at that rpm.....can you describe in more detail as best as possible where you put that wedge? Thanks

The second pic in the previous post has a top view of the headlight. The gap
between the headlight, right in the center. Slide a penny or a nickle between and push
in toward the headlight. If this doesn't stop the buzz/howl, then try something else. This was the last thing I did after all else failed. Good Luck!

g'day viewers,

I recently bought an 07 green versys and I'm loving it..checked this forum before purchase and a big thankyou to all contributers. I felt like I knew the bike even before riding one.

Of course one of the recurring negative issues is the buzzing / resonance around the instrument cluster. I know there has been a lot said on this issue both officially and unoffically, but after a bit of experimenting I would like to add my 2 cents worth..

I recently had cause to ride for a couple of days without the windscreen attached and guess what...no buzzing..

I have recently fitted a spotlight and modified the screen which involved snugging the light between the windscreen supports.. and after a week and 500kms the buzzing that was there before (usually between 3k-4krpm) has not come back at any revs or any speed.

conclusion.. from what I've read the buzzing can appear to occur at a few different locations on the bike, but I suspect the 'energy' (or resonance) may be coming thru the windscreen supports. Both riding with no screen or the supports braced (with spot light) no more buzzing. Sure you can dampen the bits that are actually vibrating (foam etc) but that doesn't really address the cause in my humble opinion.

Now having said all that I am no mechanic and have had my bike all of 4 weeks. What i know for sure is that the buzzing was there and now its gone (and no, the batteries in my hearing aid are fine) If you would like to pics and vids of my bike and hid 55w spot light pls goto

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLkGPv95pVQ

thats my 2 cents worth (the ausie dollar is doing well, but 2 cents is still 2 cents lol)

regards,

chris


:yeahsmile:

[QUOTE=fishman106;62115]g'day viewers,

I have recently fitted a spotlight and modified the screen which involved snugging the light between the windscreen supports.. and after a week and 500kms the buzzing that was there before (usually between 3k-4krpm) has not come back at any revs or any speed.

chris
QUOTE]

Hi Chris

What are the details of the spot you put on?

hey big aussie,

try an ebay search on item #280426937236.

if that doesn't work for you let me know.

regards
chris

try an ebay search on item #280426937236.

Thanks - I have found them. They look interesting.

Cheers

when the buzzing gets to the point that it bothers me I will loosen all the screws on the bodywork push everything back into place and then re-tighten everything. For me this removes 99.9% of the noise for about 750 miles then it will start to return.

Have to admit this is one of the best light mods I've seem so far. The idea of a brace between the widnshield supports to eliminate the buzzing is interesting. I will play with a couple of ideas as soon as the riding season starts again.

thanks for that Boricua,

I think its a bit ugly but it certainly works well.. I might try and recess the spot further back into the windscreen for a better profile, and (wishingly) if I could find some kind of shroud that could go around the spot and flow back into the shape of the screen that would be awesome...watch this space..

I'm currently fitting a reversing camera that will provide a realtime feed to my gps display. Enabling a good view behind whilst still looking forward. Just waiting on a couple of bits to finish the job and then I will test it in the real world. I think it might be very useful.

Safe riding over the holidays ..

ps. another 2 weeks and 800kms and still no buzzing

I'm currently fitting a reversing camera that will provide a realtime feed to my gps display. Enabling a good view behind whilst still looking forward. Just waiting on a couple of bits to finish the job and then I will test it in the real world. I think it might be very useful.

Won't the camera only work when you are in Reverse? :p

Hi B.A. good point,

after what i have done to the front of my bike, my intention was to ride
around in reverse pretty much all the time, with the camera i will be able to see where i'm going and with my awesome spot light i will have a great view of where i've just been...

oops sorry about that, I easily tend to sarcasm around this time of year..


you are quite right in a normal setup for a 'car' the display only operates when the car is in reverse, mine's a bit different (of course). The camera is pretty much the same but I just hardwired the power so the camera is on whenever the bike is on.. the camera has a simple rca type video cable which runs to the front of the bike and up thru the dash. It can be plugged into any display (such as my gps) which has video in. I can also plug it into my camera/computer etc if I want to record... I'm a bit paranoid, but I had a taxi run into the back of me whilst stationary and I want a better sense of whats going on behind me, I also only have sight in one eye so when its comes to vision I might go a bit further than the next guy.

I'm waiting on a new (waterproof) gps to arrive than I can test the theory...who knows a couple more cameras, lcd's where the mirrors are.. infrared movement sensors...mmmm enough xmas cake i think.

I used some of the methods here to cure most of the buzz but I discovered that by placing my hand on the gauge cluster it stopped the remaining noise. There are 3 phillips head screws that secure the gauges and mine needed attention. Now, they were neither tight or loose but did need to be snugged. A 90 degree driver made it easy. Rode a short distance, no buzz............so far anyway :)

hello to all ...
seem i'm not the only versys user who has this "buzzing" problem from instruments direction ..
i made 10.000km in one year and its very annoying .. i put all plastic parts off and was still there ..then in end of season i went to kawasaki mechanic and he said he will order a new taho panel (under waranty)..not the plastic housing but only inner plate with chips and so .. but i will go to change when the snow melt and we will see what will happend .. i hope it will be gone ..
because its annoying in "city" speeds or arround 3000 rpm's....

Got the exact same prob vampir...Took it to the dealer and Mr. mechanic said Kawa will not replace unless its broken...Great...Also added that "that twin vibrates to much anyhow" and that the buzzing was quite "normal"....My reponse? F***

I placed rubber inner tubing on top of the foam which is located above the head light and between the 2 front cowls and it has worked a treat. I've had no vibrations since. I also felt vibrations against my Left leg, I did the same thing, placed inner tubing rubber between all fixed points where plastic attaches to the frame or tank. It has also worked a treat.

I'll try and get some pics but the pic from the UK versys site got me started and gave me the idea. Also, the UK versys site has some pics which I found useful.

Just did the same thing as miker4055, but only on the tab above the headlight...with a thin piece of rubbber carpet pad.....ahhhhhh silence is golden....and man does the V sound good! :yeahsmile:

Just got my V 2 days ago. Put 250 miles on it.......buzzzzzz. Seems to me plastic covering over top the tack/speedo is buzzing. Now, I just ride around with my finger on the plastic piece....just kidding. Put some foam in there as donnage. Wall-ah. No buzz.

****e mine started buzzing now too, has 22000 on it, wasnt doing it when I bought it around 1500kms ago.

Just got my V 2 days ago. Put 250 miles on it.......buzzzzzz. Seems to me plastic covering over top the tack/speedo is buzzing. Now, I just ride around with my finger on the plastic piece....just kidding. Put some foam in there as donnage. Wall-ah. No buzz.

I have 2010 V with a mean buzz around 4500 rpm. If I press hard on the center of the instrument cluster, I get the sound to die out. I have tried foam tape behind the instrument cluster with no avail. I am going to get more foam to wrap the sides of the cluster and try that next.

Rbachman, I am curious where you installed the foam to fix your buzz. Thanks.

I have some buzz from the fairing also...

I just wear ear plugs and don't hear them any more... :) I might fix all the buzz when I take everything apart to replace spark plugs and clean air filter in the next few weeks...

I cannot believe it. I think that I have put an end to the buzzing!!! I am going to knock on wood right now! I guess the third times the charm. Oh man I can't believe it...

This is what worked for my 2010 V. Basically a lot of foam rubber tape but these are the details. I put a two horizontal strips of Ace brand 3/8" thick "super firm sponge tape" on the plastic tuperware directly behind the instrument cluster. This didn't work alone.

Going back to work again today, I added Ace brand 1/4" thick "narrow gap rubber tape." I wanted to use this stuff cause it seemed heavy and might really dampen the vibrations. This tape just barely fits around the outside of the instrument cluster. I applied the tape completely around the cluster such that the tape covered both halfs of the cluster casing. Then I squeezed that puppy in there and made all of the difference (see photo).

Thanks for all of the ideas and helping me get this sucker done. Now I got a real bike to ride!!!!

FYI...
It's been over 1000 miles now with "my" fix and still Nothin' but the sweet sounds of the engine.
Done and done. :D:D:D:thumb:

I did all the usual stuff but neglected the tab at the front of the black cowel that tucks into the slot above headlight. I was riding last saturday morning and could take the loud buzz at right around 3,000 rpm no longer. I finally isolated the buzz by pushing on the black cowel to make it stop. But I had already stuffed foam and plastic sticky nubbs every imaginable place between the black instrument cowel and the blue plastic tank fairings. I only had a dime in my pocket and so I innovated. Just take a dime (or washer or foam) and wedge it ON TOP of the black instrument cowel tab so it is between the upper headlight fairing where the two halves come together on each side and the black plastic tab which slips underneath. My V only makes one sound now - that greatly exhaust note.

280 miles on my V and got the buzz Monday, Temps here in Tracy were at 89 degrees and I had parked my bike in direct sunlight. the Kawling seemed to have a motor of its own running up with the RPM's. Pretty embarrassing to have a brand new bike making these noises. My Honda Transalp didn’t sound nearly this bad at 30,000 miles with worn out cowling grommets.

I sure miss my Transalp.

Donn
Tracy, CA:mad:

No more Kawling Buzz. placed foam weather strip under the cowling and it did the trick. Took about 15 minutes. :)

I have isolated the buzz on my v to the gap area between the instrument cluster and plastic above it. my low tech fix for now was to fold up a piece of cardboard from a twelve pack, and wedge it into the space. It has worked so far. I will look for a longer term fix when i get tired of seeing that cardboard sticking up, or the buzz comes back.

I have isolated the buzz on my v to the gap area between the instrument cluster and plastic above it. my low tech fix for now was to fold up a piece of cardboard from a twelve pack, and wedge it into the space. It has worked so far. I will look for a longer term fix when i get tired of seeing that cardboard sticking up, or the buzz comes back.

hahahhaha I did the same thing.

but I actually found a dollar when I was riding and decided to wedge it in there and wala!

I did all the usual stuff but neglected the tab at the front of the black cowel that tucks into the slot above headlight. I was riding last saturday morning and could take the loud buzz at right around 3,000 rpm no longer. I finally isolated the buzz by pushing on the black cowel to make it stop. But I had already stuffed foam and plastic sticky nubbs every imaginable place between the black instrument cowel and the blue plastic tank fairings. I only had a dime in my pocket and so I innovated. Just take a dime (or washer or foam) and wedge it ON TOP of the black instrument cowel tab so it is between the upper headlight fairing where the two halves come together on each side and the black plastic tab which slips underneath. My V only makes one sound now - that greatly exhaust note.

Thats exactly how I fixed mine, I wedged a piece of 1/8 rubber mat cut to size. The thing is silent now!:thumb:

I took off the windscreen, left/right cowlings, and black trim that covers top of speedo. Then I glued foam on top and bottom of the black trim and stuck it all back together. You may have to tweak the foam here and there until you get the right amount. Good luck.

I've done the foam tape, wedged pieces of business cards in there, and even had good success with sticking in some of those little felt pads used on the bottom of furniture - these have all quelled the buzzing, but after a while it comes back.
So - last weekend, I took apart the cowling and used silicon sealant caulking on all the contact points including the pop-in fasteners, the top of the instrument cluster and above the headlight. I may put another bead around the instrument cluster to make it look cleaner
So far so good; I'm hoping this lasts...:goodluck:

Theres also a thread on here where a guy took apart the instrument panel and added heat tubing to the mode buttons.

I just thought I'd forward this from early this spring:
All ya need is the felt from ACO hardware and most importantly......AN OLD LEATHER BELT YOU CAN CUT UP!! ( you will be making leather washers by cutting around existing belt holes).

Went to ACO Hardware. got some of this self stick heavy duty felt. 4.5in. X 6in. X .25in thick. 2 sheets for 5 bucks.
Cut four pieces to about .25 in. x .50 in.
These I placed THESE in the tabs on the (inside of the) cowls that a-line and support the black 'surround' that extends from around the instrument panel down along the inside edge if the cowling halves.

Then I cut another two piece about 3/8 inches long by .75 inches and placed them on top of the factory padding located at the leading edge of the IP cover/dashtop (just aft of the top of the headlight assembly SEE "ELEMENTS" PHOTO IN THE ABOVE POST). This tightens up the front of the problem.
Remember...the BUZZ is a harmonic vibration so all we are really doing is taking away any slop in the fit and finish.

Here's the really important part........................
NEXT...the plastic retainer pins? that hold the IP in place. kinda lose around there and THE REAL CULPRIT. A GENTLE HAND RESTING ON TOP OF THE DASH WHEN THE buzz IS PRESENT SILENCES THE NOISE Sooooo I made two leather washers from an old belt (just cut around the belt holes) and placed one each between the gauge cluster and the metal frame work the cluster attaches to. This tightens up the interface between The instrument cluster surround, instrument cluster its self, and metal framework supporting it all. Reassemble ( the pins will still work with the leather dampeners but I plan on replacing the plastic pins with stainless steel hardware).
Just got back from a final 150 mile test run at all speeds (up to 95mph anyway) and........
nothin' but the roar of the engine.....SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET !!!!!!!!!

Any questions or thoughts? please let me know.

PS...3500 miles later....just as quiet as the day I put in the fix.

I've done the foam tape, wedged pieces of business cards in there, and even had good success with sticking in some of those little felt pads used on the bottom of furniture - these have all quelled the buzzing, but after a while it comes back.
So - last weekend, I took apart the cowling and used silicon sealant caulking on all the contact points including the pop-in fasteners, the top of the instrument cluster and above the headlight. I may put another bead around the instrument cluster to make it look cleaner
So far so good; I'm hoping this lasts...:goodluck:

FYI....I went that route, but with felt padding...it only addressed the symptom and the buzzing eventually came back.......

The leatherwashers I made (see above diatribe) went right to the source and the buzz never came back! ( i WAS ABLE TO REMOVE THE felt from around the IP cluster too as that was only damping the true source....which was good as it didn't look too good.)
DONE AND DONE.

I've had the annoying 4k buzz for the 2.5 years I've owned the bike. I've tried all the remedies and have never been able to find the source ... until tonight.

This evening I replaced the brake pads. When I was done I did something I rarely do - took a quick ride around the block with no helmet or gear of any kind. While out riding I was able to discover the buzzing - it's coming from my clutch lever. When I got home, I was able to confirm that my buzzing is definitely coming from the clutch lever.

I haven't been able to fix it yet, but I'm just happy I finally located that annoying buzz. Hope this will help others that have never been able to solve their buzzing noise.

i did the exact same thing this morning. i used the weather stripping i never used when i bought my air conditioner. no more buzzing!!!! nice to hear... well anything over 3k rpm.
thanks "popster"

anybody fixed the buzz on 2010 yet?

I've had the annoying 4k buzz for the 2.5 years I've owned the bike. I've tried all the remedies and have never been able to find the source ... until tonight.

This evening I replaced the brake pads. When I was done I did something I rarely do - took a quick ride around the block with no helmet or gear of any kind. While out riding I was able to discover the buzzing - it's coming from my clutch lever. When I got home, I was able to confirm that my buzzing is definitely coming from the clutch lever.

I haven't been able to fix it yet, but I'm just happy I finally located that annoying buzz. Hope this will help others that have never been able to solve their buzzing noise.


I too have a buzz at about 2.5k rpm (2010 versys) and still could not source it. It is coming from somewhere on the left side up. My original guess was that because of using the givi larger windshield the instruments panel would have more tension overall, so more susceptible to vibes.

But I´ve put my hands everywhere while riding and did not found out.

I will investigate the clutch lever! maybe thats the source, I use the lever pretty loose, I like it that way

I am fixing to get my 2010 tomorrow and am sorry to hear that the new and improved model has the same buzzing problems.

I battled the buzz and won! :)
My '09 has 500 miles on it and the buzz started at about 150. That noise was really bugging me--no way a new bike should sound like a rattle-trap POC! Annoying! Anyway, it's fixed and now the bike is back to being perfect again! ;)

I read through this entire thread and took that information and pretty much did what everybody said. Foam tape in all of the possible offending areas, cut off the two triangular tabs (by the way they had cut through the stock foam--just like a few pics here show--I think those things are a main problem), replaced the plastic connectors with nuts and bolts. One additional thing I did was cover all the foam with a couple of layers of black duct tape for durability. A side note: Kawasaki's attempt at fixing the buzz at the factory is painfully pathetic--those wimpy little pieces of black foam they put on there are a joke--about as thick as two sheets of paper! Why they don't make a "serious" effort to stop the problem at the factory with durable rubber pieces or higher quality foam escapes me. It would be such an easy problem to solve.

Fixed my 4.2k buzz

I ran a length of black electrical tape along the inside of the 2 Cowls where the black instrument surround panel slots in to them.

I also replaced all the offending black foam with some thicker rubber wetsuit material i sourced from an old beer cooler, glued on with spray adhesive.

as per Rocky's post i also bolted the instrument surround panel down too, rather than use the plastic connectors, and finally wrapped the front tab on this panel where it slips under the headlight with a few layers of black electrical tape.

Problem sorted.

My '09 has had it since about 200 miles. Too bad I only have 290 in total or so on it since I bought it 3 1/2 months ago! Too hot & too little time, but I digress.

Was speaking to the service guy at my local dealer, who call the factory tech line & got a got a rep who personally owns an '09 and has the same buzzing. Said the factory is aware of the +/- 4Krpm buzz fest and "is working on it". We'll see.

The buzzing is ANNOYING. I stuffed some closed cell foam between the gauge cluster & black surrounding trim to pretty good effect. No time or inclination to disassemble into the component parts. I'll see if the factory comes up with anything in the next few months.

If I hear anything I'll post it here.

I'll keep all posted here. There has to be a fix!

Read through the notes here as I too developed the dreaded cowling buzz around 200 miles. VERY ANNOYING.

Many here have used weatherstripping or cardboard, etc as shims. I wanted a more permanent solution that maintained factory appearances.

Since I wanted as factory an appearance as possible I sought to anchor the black cowling/bezel around the speedo cluster with stainless steel hardware & rubber isolators instead of the cheap plastic push pins, etc. The inner cowling, as Kawasaki calls it, is part #55028 and is attached from the factory with 2 plastic push pins flanking the speedo and 2 of the L & R cowling bolts on top as well as 2 flimsy plastic rivets by the tank. Thus, there are 6 attachment points in total, all of which are flimsy & allow the trim to buzz like crazy!

Turns out the bolts (part #92153) used to annex both the L & R cowling pieces and factory windshield, as well as their small black plastic washers, (part #92200B) fit perfectly in place of the push pins and keep the factory appearance. To further isolate the trim bezel I noticed the rubber grommets/dampers (part # 92161A) used on the factory windshield would likely work on the underside of the push pin tabs flanking the speedo to further dampen vibrations. I was going to put it between the plastic bezel/cowling and tab, which initially made more sense, but it created some fit problems, so I tested it under the tab.

In order to anchor the trim and keep the rubber in placeone would also need a stainless steel flat washer and matching locknut to keep the rubber in place. These can be gotten at a well equipped hardware store.

Turning now to the upper tabs of the inner cowling, through which the upper bolts of the L & R cowlings go through, I found some rubber grommets with fit over the locating protrusions on the steel frame. At this point the entire front part of the black inner cowling/trim bezel is now rubber isolated & snug.

The last part to look at is the rear of the inner cowling/bezel, through which rivets @ 92039A attach to the gas tank itself. These are very flimsy & loose fitting plastic rivets. To snug things up I found that thin rubber shim between the inner cowling & gas tank attachment point did the trick. I did re-use the rivets, but may find something a bit more snug in the future.

Since I don't yet have all these pieces, I tested my theory with some rubber grommets & misc stainless steel hardware I had.

Worked perfectly, as least in the driveway.....NO BUZZ. I will be ordering the rest of the pieces in the morning and give it one final test.

Hope this helps. If I am smart enough to remember, I'll try & take some pics.

I just bought a 2008 from a local dealer (although, in hindsight, I realize I was got hosed on the price $4900 + $500 "prep"......I now realize I could have bought a 2009 for that price or better!).

At any rate, after a few hundred miles the ubiquitous "buzz" showed up. As one previous poster mentioned, it sounded like I was riding with a "400 pound mosquito" on the bike.

From the advice found on this forum, I took off the cowlings and part of the instrument panel and applied 3/8 weather stripping everywhere plastic met plastic (taking care to make sure none was visible when things were put back together......or barely) and I'm now happy to report the buzz is gone!

Will it last? I don't know, as I have only ridden about 100 miles since the "repair." But at least I now know it can be remedied.

I'm very happy I found this forum. It has great advice and a good bunch of people posting!

Welcome Bluegenes and congrats on the bike! Don't worry so much about the price, over time that will diminish as the joy of the V will flourish. :)

OK, so here is my fix for cowling vibration with pics. Decided to stop the problem at the source rather than use weather stripping which can wear with time. What I did is to better secure the inner black cowling that surrounds the speedo with stainless hardware (OEM hardware isn't stainless, BTW) & isolate it with rubber to the extent possible.

First remove the body cowlings & inner cowling. There are threads here on that, so I won't repeat.

Start with a 6x18 or so stainless metric screw that looks exactly like the OEM when you add a washer. It too uses a 4mm hex head, exactly like the factory ones. Then, put a rubber washer under the cowl as shown. I used 1/4x1/2x 1/16 rubber washers from Lowes. Use a second UNDER the attachment point and secure with a stainless washer and matching metric lock nut but as shown.

Now, look at top mounting tab and see how I added a 5/16 x 3/4 x 1/16 rubber washer on top of the tap. I put it on top rather than between for better fit of the cowling in the headlight area.

Last, look at the plastic rivets where the back of the inner black cowling attaches. Again I used the 1/4 rubber washers as shown.

CAUTIONS:

When re-installing the L & R cowls note the clips built into the sides of each to retain the inner black cowling. Very easy to miss one or more making the trim not quite fit right.

When re-installing the screws, don't tighten them as you go. A little slop helps to fit them all in. When all are hand started a few turns gently use a 4mm allen wrench. If there is any resistance, STOP, and see what it is. If you cross thread something you've screwed the tank or the frame. Neither is good!

Put everything back and ZERO vibration. No weatherstripping required, at least so far!

Hope this helps.

If people think this is worth adding to the sticky above please do so!

:thumb:good job, better than the stock plastic pins.

:cheers:

:thumb:good job, better than the stock plastic pins.

:cheers:

Thanks. I hope it helps others here.

If people think this is worth adding to the sticky above please do so!

Done!

Isolating the inner cowl with rubber washers and factory spec matching metric hardware did the trick. No more resonant vibration! No more "good lord, that's louder than the muffler"! Just the engine as it was meant to be heard.

Only got another 200K on it since then (yup, time is still hard to come by), but so far, so good. Better than Kawasaki's likely weatherstrip solution and arguably more permanent, as it stops it at the source.

Anyone else try it?

JWS3, could you put up some pics taken from another perspective so that for the likes of us dummies here(me) we can see which parts of the bike they are, since all I can see are screws , wahsers and holes and Im not sure where they are :p

Yes please, some pictures would be perfect!!!!

I realized the pics could have been better. What seemed so obvious to me at the time might not translate well. Unfortunately, the bike is totally back together. I hardly have time to ride it, much less take it apart again. Also, given that is was an ENORMOUS PITA to post pics I got frustrated. It literally took me longer to sift through the board to see how pics were posted than to do the work! Thank God for, I think, Bear's how to, which involved setting up a picture hosting account with photobucket & other BS.

I went back to photobucket & saw a few I didn't use, which I add here They're not much better, but might help a bit. I reference them at the BOTTOM of this post.

The job is actually quite simple: Replace the 2 plastic push pins with stainless steel screws exactly matching the ones on the fairings and use rubber washers between the cowl and frame to dampen vibration. Also, add 2 small rubber washers on the small plastic push screws used where the inner cowl is attached to the gas tank. This is what the new screws look like, although I doubt these are the same. Just using for pics:

http://www.amazon.com/6-1-00X16-Metric-Socket-Button-Screw/dp/B000NE8MMQ


Once the fairings are removed note that that black inner cowl surrounding the speedo is exposed. It is held in by both the upper screws used to affix the fairing, the plastic push pins flanking the speedo and 1 per side small plastic push screws by the tank. It also is retained by retaining groves molded into each side of the L & R fairings. This is easy to miss!


My first pic shows the inner cowl on its side with the bolt and washer partially sticking through. #2 of 8 shows the view from the bottom. It is the same screw, but with a 1/4x1/2x1/16 washer now placed on.

#3 shows the inner cowl reattached, this time with a 2nd rubber washer under the attachment point followed by a washer & lock nut. So, the order is: Bolt- & washer through the cowl, rubber washer UNDER the cowl & between it and the frame mounting tab. Once the screw protrudes through the mounting install a 2nd rubber washer followed by a washer & locknut. This 2nd rubber might not be needed, but I did it just in case. #3 is the view looking up at the underside of the mounting area. The rubber is 1/4x1/2x1/16 from Lowes. 4 total required for this.

#4 shows a view from the L side of the bike. You are seeing the inner cowl in place. The screw hole on the left is where the fairing bolt comes through to attach both the fairing and inner cowl.

#5 shows the exact same spot, only getting ready to put a 5/16 x 3/4 x 1/16 washer below the inner cowling mounting tab to isolate it from vibration. Do the exact same on the R side of the bike. 2 total are required.

#6, 7 & 8 aren't my best pics, but show the inner cowl attachment points in prep for adding a simple THIN rubber washer to each side and then with it in place. Use the same 1/4 washers above. THIN washers are best, as they don't move things too much & allows all trim to go back to a factory appearance. Now that I've done it, the "mods" (not including removal/replacement of fairings) might take 5 mins or less.

New pics: (Yeah, I know....not much better)

Pic 1 is the same inner cowl on its side showing the screw & washer through it.

Pic 2 is the underside of the completed screw & washer, etc as actually attached through the inner cowl and into the frame.

Pic 3 merely shows the attachment point by the tank for the inner cowl. All we do here is isolate the buzzy plastic from the metal with a small washer. Just stick it between the plastic push screw and tank mounting tab. Thats it.

Sorry this is coming across as so complicated. It is anything but. The worst part is reattaching the fairings juuuuust right to ensure the cowling snaps into the retention points on both the L & R fairing while simultaneously aligning all screws and not cross threading anything.

Feel free to PM me or the like, or if you are anywhere near Putnam/Dutchess NY stop on by!

I did the JWS3 buzz kill yesterday as outlined above. It's a bit cool for a long ride today but got in 15 minutes and from idle up to 7,000 rpm NO BUZZ!

I thought I wasn't that bothered by the buzz that started w/300 miles on my '09, but am very glad the buzz is gone. It's one less distraction when riding and the bike 'feels' more solid.

I found all the hardware I needed at ACE and bought several extra 6 mm x 20 bolts, washers, nuts, and lots of extra neoprene (rubber) washers; about 14-1/4x1/2x1/16, and several 5/16x7/8x1/16, but dont recall using the larger washers...though they can come in handy on the windshield. I'm glad I got extras as one of the fairing bolts had to be replaced and I hate making extra trips to the store. BTW I tried Lowes first but they didnt have the stainless 6 mm allen head bolts, ACE had a wider selection of parts and was cheaper.

I did all the rubber isolation on the 'inner cowl' and replaced the push-pins as describer by JWS3, and while farirings were off also rubber mounted the windscreen brackets with the extra small neoprene washers. I didn't add any rubber washers to the fairing mounts, they were a bit of a struggle to align, properly but only took a few tries.

If or when I remove fairings and cowl again I might replace the ss bolts, flanking the instrument panel (where push-pins were removed), with black painted bolts just for the aesthetic of less contrast w/ the black cowl.

3 cheers for JWS3!

Tom

I did the JWS3 buzz kill yesterday as outlined above. It's a bit cool for a long ride today but got in 15 minutes and from idle up to 7,000 rpm NO BUZZ!

I thought I wasn't that bothered by the buzz that started w/300 miles on my '09, but am very glad the buzz is gone. It's one less distraction when riding and the bike 'feels' more solid.

I found all the hardware I needed at ACE and bought several extra 6 mm x 20 bolts, washers, nuts, and lots of extra neoprene (rubber) washers; about 14-1/4x1/2x1/16, and several 5/16x7/8x1/16, but dont recall using the larger washers...though they can come in handy on the windshield. I'm glad I got extras as one of the fairing bolts had to be replaced and I hate making extra trips to the store. BTW I tried Lowes first but they didnt have the stainless 6 mm allen head bolts, ACE had a wider selection of parts and was cheaper.

I did all the rubber isolation on the 'inner cowl' and replaced the push-pins as describer by JWS3, and while farirings were off also rubber mounted the windscreen brackets with the extra small neoprene washers. I didn't add any rubber washers to the fairing mounts, they were a bit of a struggle to align, properly but only took a few tries.

If or when I remove fairings and cowl again I might replace the ss bolts, flanking the instrument panel (where push-pins were removed), with black painted bolts just for the aesthetic of less contrast w/ the black cowl.

3 cheers for JWS3!

Tom

Glad that my lame attempt at posting something useful and crappy pictures helped. Way too cold & snowy for me to ride, so enjoy!

Got the cowl buzz after bulb change. Got lucky and only had to add some material on top of what was put on at the factory where the tab goes into the light housing.

just got my 09 2800 miles on it buzzes like crazy on and off slow or fast but some soft rubber of of a cane end cut it folded it over stuck between housing and speedo no problem now can actually here motor now