| There's a couple of things you can do.
Try foam grips ($5 grips from a bicycle shop work very well). You can lessen vibration by isolating yourself and/or the bars from the vibration source by positioning a cushion (low frequency spring) along the path of vibration (foam between your hands and the bars) and/or use something to isolate the bars (i.e. rubber mounts) from the rest of the bike at high frequencies. You can also try riding gloves with thicker leather or gel padding on the palms.
Add weight to the handlebars - at the ends - LOTS of it. The handlebar is actually responding to the engine's vibrations and will vibrate in harmony (resonate) at certain engine RPM. You can change the resonant frequency of the handlebars so that the bars do not respond to the engine vibration at say cruising speeds (shorter stiffer bars will tend to cause the high amplitude vibration to shift to higher speeds, longer or weighted bars will tend to cause high amplitude vibration to shift to lower speeds). Some manufacturers include weighted bar-ends as part of the design.
Weighted bar-ends are added mass that will lower the resonant frequency of the bar so it vibrates less strongly but does not eliminate all vibration. In many cases, that's enough. You simply change the resonance to a frequency that the bike rarely generates or to a RPM that has less effect on the nerves in your hand. Shifting the resonant frequency is intended to reduce the strength (amplitude) of the vibration at your normal cruising RPM.
I went to a dive shop and paid $3.00 for a 3 lb. lead belt weight (wheel balance weights and lead fishing weights mixed with epoxy would work too), cut it up, hammered it into shape and shoved/wedged it in the handlebar. It’s got to be in there tight to work, closer to the free-end works best. The lead piece in each of my handle bars is about 5 in X 1/2 in.
Those lighter dinky bar-ends and Barsnake things they sell in bike shops aren't going to help as much. Placing rubber caulk inside the handlebars as some have suggested is unlikely to have much of an effect (beyond added mass) in damping vibration.  |