Sportster new vibration
 

OK, so I know this issue has been discussed to death, however my 2007 EFI 883 with rubber mounts has ran smooth as a Sporster can up until now!! This is why I am starting a new thread. Here is the situation. I bought the bike used in 2012 with 2000 miles on it. I bought her with an after market K&N air filter, Vance & Hines slip on exhaust, and she now has 13,000 miles on her. She has run flawlessly since I purchased her. Yes she had the "normal" Sportster vibration or rumble and that was to be expected. I recentlytook her on a long trip that involved an 80 mph freeway in 90 degree weather and she kept up just fine (Sturgis), however when returning home I discovered my rocker cover gasket was leaking oil.

Now to the point of the story. I had the rocker cover gasket replaced and now there is a severe high RPM vibration that did not exist before. So much vibration that after a 2 hour ride my feet were numb after sitting on the crash bar pegs and the postive lead to the battery came lose leaving me stranded at the gas station.

So my question to the Sportster community is: How can a rocker cover gasket replacement cause such a sever difference in the vibration of the engine? The bike does not even have to be going down the road. I can fire her up in the garage, hit the throttle to a mid RPM with the usual "rumble", but then going beyond that get a severngine and whole bike vibration not a rumble.

Perplexed and looking for answers.

DI

I'll be watching for answers to your questions... Myself, I couldn't imagine riding my 2014 Sportster 1200C at 80mph longer than passing a car and then back down to maybe 60. The buzz is so bad in the handlebars it would make your brain numb..
Love the bike , sound and the attention it gets but for highway at any distance riding I'd have to shop for another brand of bike.

Yogie, I recently sold my 1200c, it was very smooth at 80, no problem cruising at that speed. Now it was broken in, well tuned dstage 1.

Do you hear any new noises along with it? My first thought is the guy who replaced the gasket may have messed with the motor mounts, or the new gasket was installed improperly and the top end now gets insufficient oil. I lean more toward the motor mounts, though.

I am dropping the bike off at the shop today. I will keep you posted as to what they find.
DI

I had highway pegs on my crash bars but the vibration at 70+ was too much. They were the cheap 30 dollar HD pegs anyway. I always assumed it came with the territory of Sportsters. I have been investigating "Anti Vibration" pegs but have yet to try any.

I don't know. My 2014 superlow is smooth all the way to eighty. When it was new it had a vibration around 50 but that has gone away.

I often wonder if this is why the PO traded it in at just over 1,000 miles. I now have around 2,500 and love the bike. I expected it to shake some, hate to complain when thinking back to those bikes a few years back that had no rubber mounts on the engine.
This is the only Harley I've been on so I can't compare it to others.
Mine also has stage one installed now with the Fuelpak 3 tuner.

I've had the bike slightly over 100 mph and it felt good. Regularly cruise at 80/85 mph on Houston freeways with very little vibration. Try switching to Kuryakan grips and loosen up your hold some.
Had a 2002 Kawasaki Concours that had a high frequency vibration which would put your hands to sleep in 15 minites if you gripped the bars too tight. Loosened the grip and it became a great long distance tourer.

Kuryakan grips are the first thing I installed plus I now wear gell type gloves. At any speed I see double in the left mirror and the right is blurred bad as well.
I've already been to the doctor once last month dealing with hand problems that I hope isn't bike related. I'll find out when riding closes here for the winter season. Anyway, I love the Sportster and only plan to ride around local and less then 100 miles a day.
DI, I'm sorry we kind of ran off with your posting question. I do hope us keeping it on top helps find you the answers you need.