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Alex · November 25th, 2008, 11:59 PM

I think you're on the right track; holding the controls too tightly causes a host of problems, from numbness to poor control inputs being fed back into the bike. One of the things that stuck with me from one of my track schools was what it should feel like when you're holding the controls. The instructor said we should hold both grips & levers as if they were baby chicks. Firm enough such that they can't fly away, but making sure never to hold them tight enough to hurt them. Seems silly, but it's a mental image that's hard to get out of your noggin, and it really works.

Keep as much weight off of the bars as you can, holding your body up with your core improves everything about the bike's handling and eventually, your own comfort. Use your knees more, and use the strength in your back and midsection more. I saw a great video clip from a race this year. Aaron Yates was at full lean in a Superstock race, elbow almost on the ground, let alone his knee. While in the full lean, he took his left hand off the controls and used it to remove a tear-off from his visor. Drove home the point that if a rider is manhandling the controls to steer the bike, he's probably doing more harm than good.

As for which fingers over the controls, it's really a preference thing. Whatever feels the most comfortable to you is probably the right choice for you (given that you can properly reach the controls and almost instantaneously provide any necessary control input). On the ninjette I tend to use only my index and middle fingers on both the clutch and brake lever, with the 4th and 5th fingers on the clipon. The clutch is light enough, and the brake is responsive enough, that I find it works fine for me. Sometimes I do go back to 4 fingers over the brake, and sometimes I find myself with more fingers over the clutch as well (my other bikes I use my whole hand on the clutch). But there really isn't a right or wrong here, even top-level racers on identical equipment use completely different strategies here.

Also, some of this just takes miles. Your body (and your hands) just need to get used to what it feels like on a bike for awhile. The time before things hurting or going numb will likely go up and up just as you accumulate more miles, until you notice it not happening at all. What I used to get when I was first learning was a sharp pain in my back/shoulder area after an hour or two. Turns out it was because I was gripping things too hard and making myself too tense. Loosening up on the bars made the problem go away very quickly. Nowadays, especially when I'm on the track, if I feel even a twinge of pain in that area, I recognize it's because I'm doing something wrong and I can correct it before it progresses.

November 25th, 2008, 11:59 PM	#4
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	I think you're on the right track; holding the controls too tightly causes a host of problems, from numbness to poor control inputs being fed back into the bike. One of the things that stuck with me from one of my track schools was what it should feel like when you're holding the controls. The instructor said we should hold both grips & levers as if they were baby chicks. Firm enough such that they can't fly away, but making sure never to hold them tight enough to hurt them. Seems silly, but it's a mental image that's hard to get out of your noggin, and it really works. Keep as much weight off of the bars as you can, holding your body up with your core improves everything about the bike's handling and eventually, your own comfort. Use your knees more, and use the strength in your back and midsection more. I saw a great video clip from a race this year. Aaron Yates was at full lean in a Superstock race, elbow almost on the ground, let alone his knee. While in the full lean, he took his left hand off the controls and used it to remove a tear-off from his visor. Drove home the point that if a rider is manhandling the controls to steer the bike, he's probably doing more harm than good. As for which fingers over the controls, it's really a preference thing. Whatever feels the most comfortable to you is probably the right choice for you (given that you can properly reach the controls and almost instantaneously provide any necessary control input). On the ninjette I tend to use only my index and middle fingers on both the clutch and brake lever, with the 4th and 5th fingers on the clipon. The clutch is light enough, and the brake is responsive enough, that I find it works fine for me. Sometimes I do go back to 4 fingers over the brake, and sometimes I find myself with more fingers over the clutch as well (my other bikes I use my whole hand on the clutch). But there really isn't a right or wrong here, even top-level racers on identical equipment use completely different strategies here. Also, some of this just takes miles. Your body (and your hands) just need to get used to what it feels like on a bike for awhile. The time before things hurting or going numb will likely go up and up just as you accumulate more miles, until you notice it not happening at all. What I used to get when I was first learning was a sharp pain in my back/shoulder area after an hour or two. Turns out it was because I was gripping things too hard and making myself too tense. Loosening up on the bars made the problem go away very quickly. Nowadays, especially when I'm on the track, if I feel even a twinge of pain in that area, I recognize it's because I'm doing something wrong and I can correct it before it progresses. __________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)