newbie body positioning issues/wrist pain

[tazz]

Hey,
I have been riding my new ninjette for about 120 miles now.
I have gone though the forum, and few more places regarding body positioning.

And I have been trying to practice what I have learnt.
I am having some trouble with grabbing the tank with my thighs.
I mean I have to put conscious effort into grabbing the tank with my thighs (does it come naturally to you guys?). After a few miles go by, it seems like I let go of the tank and my upper body weight gets transfered to my wrists and they start paining. This is when I realize that I am not grabbing the tank tightly enough.

I would like to know how do you guys take care of this problem. (If you guys face it at all.)

[P.S. kinda offtopic :- I seem to be having problems with the clutch. I have to push the toe shifter twice or thrice some times to get the bike from 4th to 5th or 5th to 6th gear. Is this because the gearbox is also new? ]

[cuong-nutz]

The ergos of the ninjette has you sitting really upright. So you shouldn't really be all leanin forward. Ride with the balls of your feet on the footrests and it may help you with gripping the tank with your thighs.

As for shifting, could be that you may need to adjust the clutch cable.

[WhiteRice]

I had the same problem for my first ~200 miles. You just have to consciously do it and eventually it will become habit.

[csmith12]

If your short or have short arms the ergo can have you lean forward alittle. My wife has that issue. She cannot grip the tank consistently as well. Time and attention to this will cure that issue over time. There is simply no magic cure to building the muscle memory, strength and endurance instantly.

As far as shifting... It's a common issue for riders to shift softly to the next gear, causing it to not shift or end up in a false neutral state. You can shift harder and completely or adjust the shift lever to fit your natural foot shift travel/boot thickness. Either way, you will still have to shift completely.

Good luck and ride safe!

[tazz]

Thanks for the tips guys, this really helps

[bluesinorbit]

Yes, you will have to make a conscious effort until your riding position becomes a second nature. Nearly nothing about motorcycling comes naturally. What really helped me with arm/wrist pain was using my torso and leg muscles to hold myself up. Depending on how fit you are, this may cause its own set of muscle ache at first, but it is important that you learn to never put any of your weight onto the handlebars. Especially as you tire out, you may put more and more weight onto the handlebars, and it can affect your accuracy in cornering. Another thing that MSF taught me was that the motorcyclist should keep loose. The leg grip on the tanks, your grip on the handlebars, and your body in all should be relaxed. Stiff arms will send every little shock from every little bump on the road straight to your shoulders. Loosened, your arms work like shock absorbers. You'll find that stiff grip, especially the legs, fights against the bike. The legs not only help you stabilize but it also helps with turning. You can turn, not sharply obviously, just with your legs. Go with the flow of the bike.

[WhiteRice]

Do some situps and planks, a strong core will make it easier

[Mountain Dew]

Definitely build up those biker abs. It helps you support yourself and keeps the weight off your wrists.

[kaiserz]

Biker abs for the win

Practice. practice. practice. you need to learn to use your abs and those legs cause if you don't your wrist is gonna hurt like hell.

Anyway here's what I do, If I know I'm just gonna be cruising along a straight line w/o that much hazard. and I know that I don't need an aggressive tight body positioning. I put my left elbow(clutch hand) on the tank and transfer all my weight in there. I saw a veteran do this and I'm like "That's smart" and started doing it myself, it help me a lot on those long commutes. But i need to warn you don't do this if you're still learning to ride. try to get the legs abs thing 1st then do this.

[tazz]

Heh, I have always had strong legs, will start woking on abs too

[choneofakind]

+2 for biker abs. Relax the shoulders and keep the arms loose. There shouldn't be any weight on you wrists.

[ally99]

Originally Posted by kaiserz

Biker abs for the win

Practice. practice. practice. you need to learn to use your abs and those legs cause if you don't your wrist is gonna hurt like hell.

Anyway here's what I do, If I know I'm just gonna be cruising along a straight line w/o that much hazard. and I know that I don't need an aggressive tight body positioning. I put my left elbow(clutch hand) on the tank and transfer all my weight in there. I saw a veteran do this and I'm like "That's smart" and started doing it myself, it help me a lot on those long commutes. But i need to warn you don't do this if you're still learning to ride. try to get the legs abs thing 1st then do this.

+3 on the abs! Planks are GREAT exercises to learn because in a good body position, you engage your core just like you do in a plank...to hold yourself up.
+1 on the elbow thing. When in my leather jacket (not mesh...it slips), I can put my elbow on the tank and rest my head (front chin of my helmet) in my hand. That's only on those REALLY LONG commute when on a clear, straight road free of immediate hazards. I always resume safe riding position when approaching an intersection.

[Rys]

well I feel a bit dumb. I have never even thought about gripping the tank with my thighs. Then again my arms don't get tired from the lean and my legs seem to naturally press in on the tank because I find myself having to pull them away at times because I get hot. My left hand does get fatigued after a longer ride but I thought it was from using the clutch. I'll have to pay more attention

[CharlieBucket]

I have some wrist pain, too, so I thought I would share my experience with you, as it seems to differ from previous posters'. I don't really put weight on my arms when I ride.

Anyway, the angle of the bars is narrower than it is on my old bike (meaning they're angled toward the rider's body), which forces me to bend my wrist to the side to grip it. Combining that with the action of pulling the clutch is very painful after a few minutes, and isn't really helped by any of the changes in body position that I have tried. What has helped is keeping my wrists and arms straight and only gripping the bars and the levers with one or two fingers. This has the added benefit of keeping me even lighter on the bars, which as you probably know, helps stability and control.

I hope this helps.

[alex.s]

+4... planking ftw

[Kevin2109]

Originally Posted by alex.s

+4... planking ftw

Dont plank when riding, its quite dangerous!! lol

Anyway, if your wrists hurt with the 250 dont get a SS. My 636 kills me after a long day

[setasai]

To help with gripping the tank, try getting some stomp grips or techspec tank grips. They make that area grippier so you can support yourself a little easier. In the end, it's about habit and getting used to it but these help a lot.

I made a custom version that doesnt look as stylish but do the job and is durable.

Another thing that could help is switching to a custom/corbin seat but that is much more expensive than the tankgrips but still is not a substitute for good riding posture/position.

[hybridkid]

Not sure if you play golf but some techniques apply:

1) Practice your grip to be firm but gentle (like holding a little bird in your hand)
2) Try to keep your core firm and body more upright..grip the tank with your knees and rest the balls of your feet on the foot pegs as a support.
3) Slight bend in the elbows and ride loose..this actually helps with bumps and any traction issues resonating through your body (and takes the weight off of your hands)
4) Placement of your hands and how you use your finger pressure can also make a difference.

If you ride a mountain bike, you can practice some of this as it is very similar. Highly recommended once the bikes go away for the winter

[S.P.Rocket]

Another person for planks and core strengthening.

I also get wrist pain, but mainly on my dirt bike because I grip too hard. I have to remind myself to just relax and enjoy the ride.

[chacbalam]

There are two adjustments that can be done to your bike that mIght help you out.

The first is free. The angle of your bars. An be adjusted somewhat. Just loosen the bolts and find an angle that feels more comfortable on the wrists.

Secondly, cOnsider getting some rear sets. I feel that they put you in a more natural body position for sport riding. The stock foot pegs on a Ninja place you in an upright position, not in a forward lean that is more comfortable to me. Of course this means that core strength is even more important to keep pressure off the bars.

[setasai]

Originally Posted by chacbalam

Secondly, cOnsider getting some rear sets. I feel that they put you in a more natural body position for sport riding. The stock foot pegs on a Ninja place you in an upright position, not in a forward lean that is more comfortable to me. Of course this means that core strength is even more important to keep pressure off the bars.

Just as you say, it requires more core strength. I think that would make it more difficult for the OP to keep pressure off the bars/wrists which is his primary issue to begin with.

[tazz]

Agian, thanks guys...

Started with planks and situps

I'll start running a couple of miles too.

[Mountain Dew]

What I did when I felt lazy, was hunch over a bit and rest my elbows on the front of my thighs. Obviously only do that when it's safe.

[tazz]

Mountain Dew, nice trick for long rides.

[JLinde1339]

I read this on here somewhere, but it made a big impression on me, so sorry for stealing the idea. But check to see the angle of your wrists when on the clutch and brake is straight. You don't want your hands bent up or down from the angle that your forearm reaches the handlebars. You may want to loosen and rotate the lever brackets to achieve this, based upon your height and riding posture.
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[DarC]

Like everyone has mentioned:

-Miles on the bike = endurance and less pain. Wait until you go for a long ride and your upper back kills you. Fear not, the best way to combat this is to ride more!

-Adjust the ergos of the levers. Works wonders.

-Shift a lil harder, this will lessen those missed/false shifts

-Lastly, focus on all the fun you are having and it will all be a breeze!

[tazz]

2000 miles check...

So I picked up the Keith Code Twist of the Wrist vol.2 vid,

And bought "Total Control" by Lee Parks...

Now things seem so much better, I understand my bike a bit better now.

I still have not gotten rid of the chicken strips, but then I am doing stuff at my own pace.

I still have to grip the tank consciously. But like I said things are a lot better right now.

There is no replacement for time spent on the track though, but then the closest track is 1500 miles away


I'll keep at it, and update you guys regularly.

[tazz]

Originally Posted by DarC

-Adjust the ergos of the levers. Works wonders.

I am really contemplating this.

Thinking of buying these http://www.planetdsg.com/kawasaki-ni...ck-p-1426.html , are they adjustable ?

Any reviews?

Or should I go with the shorties ?