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Old November 25th, 2008, 11:43 PM   #1
ninjabrewer
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Finally.......and need some help

I finally got my bike from the shop. I bought it from a friend, who the dealer had ordered a part for the front. While changing out the speedo gear, they discovered the front wheel bearings were shot. So now I have it back and will post pics later.

Now my question. This is my first bike, I am 42 and my hands go numb after riding for a short time, ie 15 - 30 minutes. A friend has suggested to take some of the weight off my hands and arms and sit up straighter, adjust my hands on the grips, not to grip to tight, (I kept catching my self with a death grip) I am wearing gloves, (Scorpion, coolhand model).

How does everybody grip the bars, which fingers do you use to cover the clutch and brake, which fingers around the throttle, etc.

Thanks in advance

NB
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Old November 25th, 2008, 11:50 PM   #2
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I've found if the wrist bands on my gloves are the even the slightest bit tight, my hands will go numb. Try loosening the gloves as much as you can as an experiment and see if that cures the problem.

I ride with my clutch covered w/ 4 fingers and my front brake covered with 2.
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Old November 25th, 2008, 11:56 PM   #3
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kkim View Post
I've found if the wrist bands on my gloves are the even the slightest bit tight, my hands will go numb. Try loosening the gloves as much as you can as an experiment and see if that cures the problem.

I ride with my clutch covered w/ 4 fingers and my front brake covered with 2.
I keep them fairly loose. Which fingers?

Thanks

NB
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Old November 25th, 2008, 11:59 PM   #4
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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.
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Old November 26th, 2008, 12:00 AM   #5
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lol... for the clutch it's all the fingers except the thumb and the brake it's the pointer and the Hawaiian salute finger.

also, your friend is right, except when needed, ride with your hands relaxed on the grips.
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Old November 26th, 2008, 07:27 AM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ninjabrewer View Post
Now my question. This is my first bike, I am 42 and my hands go numb after riding for a short time, ie 15 - 30 minutes. A friend has suggested to take some of the weight off my hands and arms and sit up straighter, adjust my hands on the grips, not to grip to tight, (I kept catching my self with a death grip) I am wearing gloves, (Scorpion, coolhand model).

How does everybody grip the bars, which fingers do you use to cover the clutch and brake, which fingers around the throttle, etc.

Thanks in advance

NB
I'm a little bit younger than you, but feel like my body thinks it's much older some days - heck, I think it feels even older than Kelly, and we all know that's REALLY old
All of that to say that my wrists hate if I put any weight on them. I found that when I first start out, I am more tense and end up putting more weight on the bars. When I've gotten back into the groove of being on the bike, I'm able to relax more, and then it's like my hands are lightly resting on the bars and guiding her around the curves. I've also found that for me, sitting up more with a little bit of an arch in my back and my chest out helps remind me to use my core instead of my arms to stay upright. Despite the fact they may be well insulated, I actually have pretty strong core muscles!
Since my hands are small I usually keep my index and middle fingers resting on the levers, and that works well for me, especially considering the other two don't really reach anyway!
The last thing I noticed is that if your gloves feel at all tight, then you'll go numb faster. I had some that were a little tight for me and I found my hands were numb within a couple of miles, where as on the looser gloves, I would be find for most of the ride.
Good luck!
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Old November 26th, 2008, 07:37 AM   #7
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I with noche. I arch my back a little and stick my chest out a little a it relieves the pressure for a while . I also had to learn to let the bike drive itself and just kinda guide it along with a light pressure. when you grip really tight with your legs it helps you lean better to cuz you dont feel like you are going to fall off the side. If you have ever ridden horses it is the same concept.
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Old November 29th, 2008, 05:20 PM   #8
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The same rule that applies to bicycles applies to sportbikes. Your arms are not what determine your position--your abs hold you up. Tight gloves are definitely a no no. I do, however, like the "Crampbuster" an acessory I cannot live without. Riding road racing bicycles--where you are in an "aero"position as much as I do, has helped a lot.
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Old December 2nd, 2008, 10:03 PM   #9
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NB...did any of the suggestions help?
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Old December 2nd, 2008, 10:46 PM   #10
ninjabrewer
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kkim View Post
NB...did any of the suggestions help?
YES, they have. So far, my left hand has gotten used to it, I guess because I can move it around some while I am riding. My right is different, it is still getting numb and I move it around as best I can without losing throttle control. If I get any more relaxed, I'll be riding no hands. I am still trying out everybody's suggestions. Another thing that I am looking as getting some gel grips. I did a search on the other forum, (you know, that OTHER one) and found a lot on grips and other riders results with them.

Thanks

NB.
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Old December 2nd, 2008, 11:12 PM   #11
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Another other thing you could try is rotating the clutch and brake levers down a bit. On all my bikes, I set the levers as if I'm in the "attack" position (dirt bike term) which is elbows out and slightly up. I don't actually ride the street bike like that, but its a habit and for me, the levers need to be rotated as far down as I can get them to go (which isn't much because of all the hoses and cables). Suffice to say, a small rotation down makes a huge difference on how the levers fall into your hand when you operate them. By rotating them downward, you are keeping the angle at the wrist as straight as possible with your arm, instead of bent "up".
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