Sore wrists???

Maestro · 03-03-2008, 7:58 PM

Hi all...

I went on my first all day ride a couple of days ago, and by the end of the day I couldn't apply the front brake without being in a lot of pain in my wrist. Now I've done a fair bit of researching since that time and have found a few possible solutions. I haven't worked out which is going to be best and haven't decided on one over the other. So any help from those who have, would be appreciated.

1. Helibar risers. These are purely handlebar risers and are not adjustable. Cost about $340 delivered (AUS).

2. Gilles Tooling Variobars. These are adjustable but have set positions to move them to. Cost about $560 delivered (AUS).

3. Convertibars. These appear to have the best range in movement and ability to specify where you want your bars. They can go up and down, back and forwards. Cost about $540 plus delivery, and includes longer front brake lines and clutch line.

As I said, any help would be most appreciated. Thanks.

Nutter67 · 03-03-2008, 8:38 PM

Are you supporting too much weight with your wrists? To help with this you could use more core strength to support your upper body (difficult over a day ride, but it would help), grip the tank with your legs, sitting a bit closer to the tank will get you a bit more upright. Just little things to try - wont fix the problem, but should help. That and higher bars.

VFR and helibars are popular and fit well. I have only seen the Gilles Variobars in a picture - looks to have some good adjustability.

I have only heard through other forum members that the biggest problem with the Convertibars is the amount of clearance with the screen and fairing. They will definitely sit you up straighter but you might have limited handle bar movement.

flblackbird · 03-03-2008, 8:48 PM

Nut, try using your knees to grab the tank, & make sure you've got the balls of your feet on the pegs, not your arches. Your legs, back & stomach are alot stronger than your arm muscles.

Maestro · 03-03-2008, 8:49 PM

Thanks Paul. Have tried varied riding positions and arm positions etc and while it eases it a little, I still have the same problem after a full day.

Appreciate the help though, thanks.

Venus97 · 03-03-2008, 8:50 PM

I have converti-bars, very adjustable.

However, I would suggest the following first:

While sitting on the bike, extend your fingers out and see where they lay on top of the clutch and brake levers. I suspect your problem is that they are flat or possibly even angled upward. That causes a lot of stress on the ligaments, etc. You want to loosen the bolts that attach the levers to the handlebars and angle them DOWN. It is much more natural and reduces stress and fatigue.

Keep us posted.

CanadianBird · 03-03-2008, 8:50 PM

Could it be too much "wanking"?

flblackbird · 03-03-2008, 8:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CanadianBird

Could it be too much "wanking"?

tmk7c9 · 03-03-2008, 9:00 PM

Not to hijack the thread...but where in the world did you find a tiny animation of a wanking monkey?!?

The things you find on the internet.....amazing. Just think, somebody actually took time out of their day to code a little wanking monkey into their computer. Probably could have solved world hunger in the same time.

Maestro · 03-03-2008, 9:31 PM

Thanks for the advice. No, canadian, not too much wanking. I suspect having broken the same wrist I'm having dramas with, on two seperate occasions, isn't helping the situation.

Maestro · 03-03-2008, 9:54 PM

Venus, You were right, they were flat. I've angled them down and will see how much of a difference it makes. Thanks.

zzki · 03-03-2008, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maestro

Venus, You were right, they were flat. I've angled them down and will see how much of a difference it makes. Thanks.

I'm pretty new to my bird, but when I first started riding it (I ride 80 mi round trip per day) especially on long trips I was getting numbness along the outer portion of my thumb. It was bad enough that even the next morning I'd still have no feeling at all in the fatty spot near the base of the thumb. It may be a different issue but I was definitely noticing I was putting a lot of weight on my hands.

I found that focusing on shifting my weight backward and sitting closer to the tank (as some others suggested) helped immensely. It seems like the seating position encourages you to put a lot of weight on your wrists (even with the brake and clutch angled down, which was the first thing I did). I find that if I remind myself periodically to shift my weight back it helps a lot.

Another trick I learned from previous bikes (with much worse seating postions) was to put my rain gear, some sweats and maybe an extra pair of jeans in my tank bag and sort of slouch onto it. I have Givi hard bags now so I have no need for a tank bag, but I'm thinking of getting a small one anyway just for the "comfort factor".

SilverBrd · 03-03-2008, 11:38 PM

Get you the throttle meister bar ends. They work very well on longer trips to let you give your throttle hand a break. Cost ya about 130 bucks or so. I was fortunate to have mine already on when I bought it. Played around with them on a backroad and could ride with no hands for a bit or ride with the left hand.

Maxx409 · 03-04-2008, 5:06 AM

I had a problem where my hands would go numb after about 30 min.s and it drove me NUTS. Got a lot of help here and now don't have the problem. Changing my posture to one more upright as mentioned above was the biggest thing, followed by changing the angle of my handlebars (see red stripe on photo) to one more comfortable.

Previous owner had them waaayy too far back. Another HUGE thing was rotating my clutch and brake levers way forward. I also got foam touring grips and stretch my wrists and hands everyday. And finally I got a set of Pazzo levers. There's mixed info that they don't do much and whatever, but I think they made a big difference. Though not as big as the other changes above.

Do a search on "hands going numb" and look for my thread. Lots of good advice. Best of luck, hope you get it sorted. Keep us in the loop.

jjmcjames · 03-04-2008, 6:09 AM

Gen Mar handlebar risers...cost about 100.00 and will raise your bars up about 3/4 of an inch-takes all of 15 minutes to install with no other mods.

Maestro · 03-04-2008, 6:17 AM

Hi Maxx,
Just read through all the posts on your "hands going numb" thread. Wish I'd realised you could search like that before! LOL! Doesn't matter. I've found a lot of information just by doing the research myself. Although, the tried and proven results from other owners always seems to be the best advice.

Looking at your picture...is the red line where the previous owner had the bars??? I notice you've got the helibars. Did you put them on or were they on there when you bought it?? I'm contemplating the convertibars to maximise the available positions of the bars, but I don't think I'll get much change from $700 by the time they get sent out here and put on!

I moved the position of my levers down further, but haven't had a chance to test it out yet. I'm hoping that and my riding position will be enough and will save me having to spend hundreds of $$$$.

Thanks to you and to everyone else for their advice. It really is greatly appreciated!

Nutter67 · 03-04-2008, 7:00 AM

In spite of the jokes and the friendly digs we have with each other, that is what we are here for.

zzki · 03-04-2008, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maxx409

I had a problem where my hands would go numb after about 30 min.s and it drove me NUTS. Got a lot of help here and now don't have the problem. Changing my posture to one more upright as mentioned above was the biggest thing, followed by changing the angle of my handlebars (see red stripe on photo) to one more comfortable.

Previous owner had them waaayy too far back. Another HUGE thing was rotating my clutch and brake levers way forward. I also got foam touring grips and stretch my wrists and hands everyday. And finally I got a set of Pazzo levers. There's mixed info that they don't do much and whatever, but I think they made a big difference. Though not as big as the other changes above.

Do a search on "hands going numb" and look for my thread. Lots of good advice. Best of luck, hope you get it sorted. Keep us in the loop.

Not to hijack the thread, but the touring grips look comfy and I'm due for a new set. What brand are they and how do you like them?

Stan

Maxx409 · 03-05-2008, 2:37 AM

Quote:

Looking at your picture...is the red line where the previous owner had the bars??? I notice you've got the helibars. Did you put them on or were they on there when you bought it??

Nah, it was just a line to show you the angle of what I was talking about. Actually the previous owner had them like a very sharp upside down V. The ends were way close and were really twisting my wrists and putting too much weight on the outsides of my hands. Plus the Heli bars and Throttlemeister were already on the bike when I bought her. Adjustment was a breeze though.

Quote:

Thanks to you and to everyone else for their advice. It really is greatly appreciated!

Truly my pleasure. Just hope you get it sorted and don't have to shell out the bankroll.

@zzki

Quote:

Not to hijack the thread, but the touring grips look comfy and I'm due for a new set. What brand are they and how do you like them?

Stan

Hey Stan, nothing fancy here. Just picked up some no name foam touring grips from the local (gasp) Kawasaki dealer. Pretty sure they cost around $12. And I'm EXTREMELY happy with em. Best mod for the money.IMHO.

Nutter67 · 03-05-2008, 8:20 AM

The other thing I forgot to mention is make sure your shoulders are relaxed. Tight shoulders will lead to tense elbows and wrists. Any bump from the bike will travel straight up through the wrists with none of the shock being dissipated through the relaxed joints, and vice-versa, any body movement or bump through the seat will be sent straight through tense joints down to the wrist.

I quite often have to consciously remind myself to relax my shoulders. The bike also handles and turns so much easier when I am relaxed.

Hope it helps.

Maestro · 03-05-2008, 8:26 AM

Thanks Paul

CanadianBird · 03-05-2008, 9:55 AM

for Heli Bars or VFR bars.

smoothmotion · 03-05-2008, 2:01 PM

Taking the wight off your wirsts by using your back a little more just might do the trick without any cost.

DJM · 03-06-2008, 11:22 PM

Try a small cushion against the tank and rest on it with your upper abdoman area. It takes all the weight off your wrists and makes for a real comfy ride. Might look a bit woosy but it can mean the difference between ride or no ride.
DJM.

Eddie1968 · 03-09-2008, 7:07 PM

Maestro, I know how you feel. My last bike was an ST1300 (bolt upright riding position) and it took a little over a month to get used to the riding position of the 'Bird. I still have the stock bars and am in the process of weighing up whether to get some risers or VFR bars.

Also, one thing I have noticed recently is since I put the Corbin seat on, the seat pushes your bum further back than the stock seat, which can exacerbate things. Although the seat itself is more comfy than stock. I suppose it's a case of getting used to the new position as well...

On long trips I use my tank bag to rest the belly on. It does provide some relief.

My two cents worth anyway.

Doug66 · 04-10-2008, 7:56 PM

I've been monitoring this thread for a while and tried most of the stuff mentioned. I'm 185cm tall and about 110kg.

To date;

Adjusted Levers Down:-
Gave me better control and easier location of levers - no pain relief

Set of Grip Puppies added:- Comfort factor improved, no real benefit

Gen Mar risers added:- Easier reach, still getting numb hand/sore wrist

Gen Mar riser location bolt removed and bars adjusted out:-
At first this seemed to work as it actually took the weight off by moving the bars out a little further, steering control was effected, I'm going to try another approach >> Gen Mar Mod.

Gen Mar riser location bolt refitted after grinding 1/3 off it to give a smaller adjustment outwards:- this has yet to prove itself but a good median between bars at standard pos. and out too far.

Qwi Gel Riding gloves:- What a joke, actually gave me more pain in the wrist. I think the gel needs to be located in all the areas apart from the areas it's tryng to protect.

Not sure now to even try anything else like VFR bars. It may be better to go a cruise control option.

Conclusions: My right wrist is knackered and probably requires medical intervention, it is possible also that the BB vibration contributes to the problem (search/read on the web in regard to repetitive strain injury and vibrational equipment).

Don't know what to do next?