Vibration Through Foot Pegs

TFFT!

 

Don't ride in 5th or 6th gear at 30mph..?

 

Seem to recall someone saying that the engine bolts should be slackened and then retorqued (bolts mounting to frame) to resolve the issue...

Has to be worth a shot?

 

Engine bars fitted? Any reason engine bolts may have been undone and refitted?

 

Eliminating what you have already I would suspect engine mounts being not quite right. Check workshop manual for tightening sequence and torque values. Does it come and go with road speed or engine revs?

 

How are you measuring the chain slack?

Have you thought of wearing gel inserts in your boots to reduce the vibration for the short term? it might keep you mobile until you can find what the cause is?

 

Can you determine if it is related to road speed or engine speed? That will narrow it down to an engine problem or a cycle part problem.
If it is engine you'd get the vibrations whilst revving the engine at stand still. Hopefully it passes that test. If not then visit a Ducati dealer for advice.
If the motor is not the culprit you have to consider rotating masses in the cycle parts: you've already eliminated the tyres and chain, but check wheel balance. Spin the wheels and check if a tyre is out of round (you can also check poor tyre mounting by looking at the bead/wheel rim interface). Check brake discs for distortion or cracks, but first check if the disc is free to float on its bobbins. Does the suspension work normally or is it stiff?

 

There’s a thought. If it’s while rolling, and better with new tyres, could it be the wheel is slightly buckled and they balanced ‘the best they could)? May explain why was fine, now not.

 

I’d doubt a buckled wheel would be as bad as you describe.

Not sure if you’ve already answered this question, but do you feel it’s engine or road speed related?

I’d go with engine mounts if the problem is that bad. Hate to say it, but I’d check to see if there are any cracks in the frame/crankcase.

Other than that, I’d go round everything with a torque wrench.

 

Some simple checks:
- is it worse at say 50mph vs 40mph or 30mph
- is it worse if you maintain those speeds but go up or down a gear (constant throttle, or accelerate)
- how about if you pull the clutch in and coast
- how about if you gently apply the front or rear brake with clutch in
- does it matter what riding mode you are in
- how about changing load to 2 up, or 2 up + luggage to see if that affects it

Most sensible things have already been suggested, but you really need to determine if it is engine or cycle part related.
I would have put money on a buckled / out of balance wheel, or a stretched chain.
If the chain is too slack it can slap about a bit, and can in fact wear the swinging arm, but it doesn't generally create vibes. If it has a stretched section it will feel odd though.
This might sound odd, but have you checked if the sprockets are fitted the right way around ?
If they are out of alignment you might get odd vibes.

Did it recently have a desmo service ?
Just wondering if the dealer might have had the bike apart. Two of the engine mount points have an adjustable collar that needs to be set before the bolt is done up. Can't see why this would give vibes though.

Finally, you might need to do a compression check on the engine. My first bike ran and pulled fine, but was a bit more vibey under load and could be heard to turn over on the starter button unevenly (difficult to describe, but one cylinder span over faster than the other). This turned out to be front cylinder down to 105psi. This followed major engine noise (another story) so I suspected there was an issue anyway.
I hope its not that, but you need to rule it out.
Fyi you will need a thin wall 14mm plug socket to remove the plugs. Tank needs to be off to get to the vertical cylinder properly.

Hope that helps, and hope you find it.
Cheers,
John.

 

Just try my buell for size and you will really know what vibration is all about

 

Try replacing the standard Multi footrests (upper one) with the Enduro footrests (lower one). They are a genuine Ducati part, straight swap, and much more comfortable on the feet. So I have found.

 

I also use the Enduro pegs.... but definately would suggest you try loosening and retightening the frame / engine bolts to correct torque and sequence.