Filling handlebar with silicone for vibration reduction

A guy at a bike shop suggested I fill my bike's handlebar with silicone. He says that this will reduce vibration. Has anyone tried this? Does it work? Any problems?

 

i used #4 lead shot in a DR650, not much difference in the feel but the mirrors looked better

 

What vibration? Something is wrong with your engine if you have vibrations. My 750 is smooth as glass.

 

I've done that with two different sets of bars on my other bike. It's a large V-twin and vibration is a problem. It helps a little and any improvement is welcome. But, here are a couple of things to look out for.

My bars have a small hole on the right side that a peg on the throttle fits into so the control housing won't turn if the screws come loose. The first time I filled the bars, I left the trottle on during the procedure. This was possible because the end caps on the grips screw off giving me access to the inside of the bar without removing the controls. I started pumping silicone in from the throttle side, and what I didn't know was that silicone was entering the control housing through this hole. I finally realized it once it started leaking out around the kill switch. When I took the throttle off, the whole housing was full. It was a real mess and pretty tough to clean up.

Second thing to watch out for is that all of the silicone in the bars doesn't set up. You end up with a bar full of wet silicone with a dry "plug" at each end. When I changed bars on my other bike and filled them again (this time removing the throttle and taping the hole shut), I filled from one side for a while and then from the other. This left me with an air bubble in the middle. I did this in the winter when it was relatively cold in my garage. On the first warm day, the air bubble expanded blew out the plug on the throttle side and forced silicone into the throttle between the grip and the bar. Obviously, the throttle was hard to turn and wouldn't close on its own. Dangerous situation. Once again, I had to remove the throttle and do an extensive clean up. The moral of the story is to pump from one side only until it comes out the other end.

Other than that, it works pretty well. In spite of the problems I've had, I'll do it again on my next set of bars.

 

Thanks for the tips twerth.

PainterD: The vibration is pretty subtle on my bike. But I'm sure on a long trip it would contribute to fatigue. I have found the same thing with a bicycle so always were gloves to avoid tingling sensation. Maybe I'm just sensitive to it.

 

Mix lead shot in WITH the Silicone. It will greatly reduce vibration. At least bring it down to the level where you can get some real benefit from a glance at the rear view mirror.

If you can find a piece of PCV that has the same Diameter ... it can be very quickly turned-down to fit after a quick pass on a lathe.

You then can fill the PCV Pipe with Lead shot and seal it with Silicone and make a custon bar weight that will do the trick; too.