- This topic has 5 replies, 5 voices, and was last updated 13 years, 2 months ago by madjak30.
New Riders with Question
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February 19, 2011 at 2:35 am #4341Newbie_BikerParticipant
Well my right wrist is killing me after riding for 4.5 hours today. I have carpal tunnel so I am think that it might be flared up because of the throttle and brakeing. I didn’t have any major problems on the ride like dumping the bike or anything. I stalled it a couple times at stop lights as I was trying to take off…..that really sucked……but other than that all was fine. Is it normal to have wrist pain after a fairly long ride? Is there anything I can do to prevent this from happening the next time I ride?
February 19, 2011 at 4:06 am #29248Gary856ParticipantMy forearms get a little sore from twisting the throttle and shifting after 6-8 hours of riding in the hills, but I get no wrist pain. From your avatar I assume you ride a cruiser with high bars so the wrist pain is not from putting weight on your wrists while you ride. Can’t comment on your pre-existing carpal tunnel. One thing to try is to adjust the angle of the brake and shift levers, so when you squeeze on the levers, your wrists are at a natural angle. More often than not, the lever angles are off for a new owner. Second is to relax your grips. Wrap your hands around the grips very loosely, like your holding canaries – don’t want them to fly away, but don’t want to squeeze and hurt them either.
About stalling when taking off from a stop, try giving it more throttle, and slipping the clutch more. Beginners tend to let out the clutch too quickly, and not give it enough throttle (afraid the bike will jump up to speed too quickly) -> the bike stalls. Instead, give it more throttle, but let out the clutch much, much slower. How quickly/slowly you let out the clutch controls how fast/slow you take off from a stop.
February 20, 2011 at 1:27 am #29250eternal05ParticipantI was about to say the exact same things…and then saw he already said them.
So yes, +1 to:
1) Adjust the levers so that they’re in a natural position and you don’t have to contort your wrists, and
2) Ease up your grip on the bars! Grab the bike with your legs by squeezing the tank, not by hanging on with your hands.
February 20, 2011 at 1:56 am #29251MunchParticipantNumber one …relax. The wrist thing doesn’t help but unless your trying to run and gun through town for 4 hours your wrist should not be hurting at all. The lever adjustments will only help at stops and clutch control for leverage more then anything. You may also need to consider looking into handle bar risers with a pull back to get your arms in a more relaxed position to allow you to loosen your grip up a bit. I had to get a 2″ pull back on my Vulcan so I could allow my arms to bend a touch more and take the weight of my arm off my hands and wrists.
Depending on your riding habits and style would depend on recommendations. Check your reach, your arms should be able to be in a relaxed state. Try adjusting your starting position of your wrist for acceleration so you can account for the movement for when your in cruise stretches. That away your not under the grip or over reaching it. If its a muscular thing ….. workout the forearms with some simple weighted forearm curls. Or even forearm band or whatever their called…. like the tennis elbow folks wear. You can also look into a cramp buster. Though I don’t recommend it til after you get smoother on your take offs.
February 20, 2011 at 4:43 pm #29252Newbie_BikerParticipantThese are all good suggestions. The reason I stalled is because I didn’t have it all the way back down to first gear. My arms are feeling a lot better today now that it has been two days. They were flared up and I think I just tried to do too much too soon. I didn’t feel like I was tense or anything. I actually felt pretty relaxed for it being my first time riding by myself. I don’t know what that other stuff is adjusting controls and handle bar risers but I still appreciate the help. Every1 be safe and have fun.
February 20, 2011 at 8:06 pm #29257madjak30ParticipantI found when I first started riding, I had to conciously remember to relax my grip…my arms weren’t too bad, but my grip was like I was heading into battle…?? Just remember to lighten up a little and you will find that your muscles don’t get so tired…
Later.
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