Q: I’ve been riding my 2005 Honda Fireblade for over four years now with no problems what so ever. I have it serviced at the correct intervals and my Honda dealer has stamped my book to prove it.
But the other day I went out for a long ride and the bike suddenly started to emit a strange, but noticeable, vibration. It seems to be throughout the entire rev-range but a little worse just off idle. I’ve been all over the bike with spanners and screwdrivers but everything seems to be tight and fine. I also had the wheels balanced, again, just to see if that is the problem, but it is not.
So with you being an expert, well so it seems because I enjoy reading this technical section, do you have any idea on what this problem could be and should I be concerned? Can you please respond ASAP because my bike is my only form of transport?
Adrian Hardie Jo’burg.
A: If the vibration is as bad as you say it is and it wasn’t there before I would stop riding your bike immediately until you discover the problem, or you might do irreparable and highly expensive damage.
However, it’s hard to say what the problem is without having the bike in front of me but we have seen clutch baskets breaking off ‘fingers’ on this particular model. They seem to do it for no reason but it would certainly relate to your problem, because the basket is now in a state of unbalance.
So if I were you I’d take off, or get someone to do it for you, the clutch cover and have a poke around inside. If the basket is cracked or damaged you’ll have to replace it because it cannot be fixed. If a new one is too expensive try the ‘Bike Hospital’, seeing as you live in Jo’burg. Or you can give us a call at Bikeworx (011 792 5795) and we’ll see if we can help.
