950 vibe problem..camchain/counterbalancer??

[grumpyman]

my 950 has an engine vibe problem that is worse than any other 950 i have ridden
could it be the cam chain or the counterbalancer ???
freeway roll ons under power and it just wants to shake itself apart
just light revving in neutral and it feels rougher than other 950's
2006 w/ 36000 miles and minimal maintenance from the p/o

[Goss]

One simple thing to check is carb balance. If they are way out from each other it can cause that issue.

[geometrician]

Could be the flywheel rotor bolts are loosening- look at TSB here and dig around in HOW

counterbalancer is gear driven off a shaft so probably not!

[bloc]

Cams installed wrong after valve adjustment and it's firing in "big-bang" mode now?

[grumpyman]

i'll check on the flywheel

[crazybrit]

Originally Posted by geometrician

Could be the flywheel rotor bolts are loosening- look at TSB here and dig around in HOW

counterbalancer is gear driven off a shaft so probably not!

I have a very similar problem. Bad vibes above 5000rpm on side-stand and when rolling. Other 06's are smooth in comparison, no vibes on side-stand. I checked my flywheel rotor bolts, none were loose when I tried to gently hand-loosen them. I didn't forcibly loosen and retorque as it requires specific loctite. As you say counterbalancer is gear driven so it can't jump due to low oil pressure/camchain tensioner issues, the woodruff key would have to fail and if that happened I expect you'd have bigger issues. When I get time I'm going to take it into my dealer, they're going to rip it apart and measure the crank runout. I've mostly been riding my 450 of late, too little time, too much depression to look at the 950, so it sits in pieces waiting for the trip to the dealer

[grumpyman]

the guys at scuderia did not think the stator was to blame as it affected 2004's
having ridden other 950's and not felt the vibes anywhere near as bad as mine i think someone at ktm engineering needs to step up
this bike has been a huge expenditure and so far not worth it

if you are having this same vibe problem get in touch maybe we can get some answers if we work together

[BOB RAMSAY]

Originally Posted by grumpyman

my 950 has an engine vibe problem that is worse than any other 950 i have ridden
could it be the cam chain or the counterbalancer ???
freeway roll ons under power and it just wants to shake itself apart
just light revving in neutral and it feels rougher than other 950's
2006 w/ 36000 miles and minimal maintenance from the p/o

This is worth a try - it's free, takes 5 minutes - And, it worked for me.
Otherwise, just ignore me.

Measure drive chain for run-out/stretching. See handbook - 18 chain pins should not exceed 10.79"
It will need to be measured as it can 'appear just fine'.

My chain looked good, my CS sprocket was showing the smallest amount of wear (hooking teeth). Rear sprocket looked fine - This is at 22k miles.

My good looking chain had stretched to it's limit but, by appearance, it looked just fine.

I had a vibration and a chatter at 3500 rpm in top gear when starting to apply throttle at this speed (55-60 mph indicated). This is an RPM that is close to lugging the engine - when it's in 6th gear. In lower gears, the 'lugging' was not apparent. I could have sworn the noise was up between my legs - sounding like top-end/cam chain type noise. It was behind me - the drive chain. I replaced the chain/sprockets as a set - problem(noise) solved.

Note: go with the OEM KTM counter-shaft sprocket. Sprocket steel hardness must match counter-shaft hardness - trust me - I've seen horror pictures. . . BTW - KTM offers a 'chain/sprocket kit' - about $200. It has a rivet style masterlink - which I feel better about than a clip style masterlink.

Reading the above posts - the scenario potential problems appear pretty damn grim. I went through the same thing. As my heart (wallet) was sinking, another inmate suggested the above. Was I happy with not only a $200 fix - but a new chain and sprocket set installed to boot.

If this works - send me a PM. Good Luck -

Bob

[crazybrit]

If you read the thread on my issue it occurs in neutral on side stand exact same vibe pattern as when moving so doubt chain/sprockets are issue

[grumpyman]

now that i have my wifes 696 back i can pull the 950 down and pull everything off
got headset bearings to go in and a set of correct rad bolts as well

[grumpyman]

i talked to a mech with a good amount of exp with 950's and he thought the vibe problem might be related to an overly dainty initial engine break in. maybe a top end job ???
i pulled off both tanks and went looking for missing bolts and exhaust leaks and found a missing bottom bolt on the left tank
after replacing the tkc80 on the front with a scorp to eliminate it as a vibe source it feels a little better and the "oh crap this thing is gonna fall apart feeling" is less severe but still more than any other 950 i have ridden
on a side note the amount of seized and wrong hardware and deeply buried filth on this bike continues to make everything harder and take way longer than it should ......

[850tc]

Hi all. Seems to be a recurring theme with early 950s! I started a thread about this some time ago re exactly the same symptoms. Since then I've done at least 10000kms and it hasn't broken! I've also done a few things which have made a difference.
Checked and adjusted the TPS. This didn't affect the vibe problem, but made the pickup from low (3500) revs much better - you can feel the ignition change and use it to avoid the clattering feel, which on my bike is transmission shunt. Slightly feathering the clutch helps too.
I've changed the clutch outer basket to the later design. I also changed the center roller bearing at the same time. This made quite a difference, to the point where I can live with it and is almost back to where it was before. I've done 2 long trips (2000+kms) this year and no tingling fingers!
What I did find when I took the outer case off were some noticeable wear marks on the outer crank support bearing. Haven't done anything about it yet, but is this the cause of vibration or the symptom of something else?
I'll post some photos when I work out how!
Cheers

[rossguzzi]

I am following this with interest. Pics will be great.
My clutch outer has wear marks from the plates which I worry is causing some drag. So the newer outer clutch is a straight swap?
Very interesting !

[850tc]

Yes, the clutch outers are a straight swap. Mine originally had the type with a steel band round it. Marks from the plates shouldn't be a problem unless they are actually grooves.
This is the best I can do with the photos at the moment.
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/820/dsc3128d.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/834/dsc3129x.jpg/
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/715/dsc3127d.jpg/

[rossguzzi]

I might try another outer. Mine has more than just marks. They are deep enough to call grooves. :(
Can anyone tell me if the Clutch booster (I think that is its name) should wobble around in its place or be fixed/secured when the plates are out?

Cheers.