Hands get numb!

If I ride more than about 15 minutes, my hands start getting numb, I presume
from the vibration in the handlebars. I have a 2-cyl cruiser, and it
doesn't seem to vibrate a whole lot to me, but my hands sure feel it.
Wearing gloves helps some, but not nearly enough.

Anyone else have this problem?

Any suggestions?

Someone put some all steel custom grips on my bike. I thought about
changing them to some with the rubber inserts, but it doesn't look like
enough rubber to make a whole lot of difference to me. Besides, the damn
handgrips are pretty expensive just to try to try something that may or may
not work.

 

We all have that problem , and the older you get the worst the numbness
gets.The best thing to do is get some nice foam grips so they are bigger in
diameter and a throttle rocker for the gas and practice a looser grip , much
more relaxed. A nice light good fitting leather glove helps also.

 

I can bang out 300-400 miles in a day.

I like motocross grips. I also need a fairly upright riding
posture. If I'm riding bent over, with weight on my hands,
I have all kinds of numbness.

I've also gone to lighter throttle springs and I need to
replace the bevel gears in the throttle assembly to
smooth it out a little.

 

Make sure your gloves fit properly. Loosening you grip on
the bars may help too.

I find rubber grips are the best. Even though it doesn't
seem like much rubber. Foam grips are the worst in my
experience, and really kills my hands and makes them numb.

Also look up bar weights and vibration dampening filling.
This can be help alot.

Check your suspension for easy movement and proper oil. This
can be HUGE if not set properly or dirty or to thick of an oil.

Clay

 

You're probably experiencing Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and/or Guyon's
Canal Syndrome. Three-time GP world champion Freddy Spencer had to
retire from racing because of CTS.

AIR, CTS causes the ring finger and little finger to go numb and GCS
causes the
middle finger and index finger to go numb.

CTS and GCS are caused by pinching nerves in the wrist and this
pinching can be
reduced by correctly positioning the clutch and brake levers so you
cannot see them from your normal riding position.

Keep the back of your hand in line with your forearm and, regardless
of what the "safety experts" say, DO NOT "cover" the brake and clutch
levers with your fingers unless you are riding in the city.

Anytime you do feel you have to "cover" the levers, keep your fingers,
back of your hand, and forearms straight in line.

When you're out on the highway, just wrap your whole hand around the
grips, keep your hands straight with your forearms, and support your
weight with your torso muscles, keeping the weight off your palms, and
you'll be able to ride all
day in comfort.

Also, there are riding gloves with padded palms that have a channel in
the padding to help prevent CTS.

But you won't experience CTS at all, if you position your hands,
fingers and forearms correctly.

 

It came time to replace my 30 year old grips a couple of
years back. Here in the South, a grip with metal on the
grip area was out of the question unless I wanted blisters.
The metal is also more difficult to grip and hold which I
didn't think would be good since a firmer grip would likely
aggravate the artheritis a bit. I went with a solid rubber
ProGrip which has a tacky - not sticky - very easily
gripped surface. I tried the foam and found them to have a
weird feel. Some of the used ones I tried on other bikes
felt like a wet sticky sponge after a few monthes of use.
The smoother rubber surface of this model ProGrip is much
more natural to me and allows a more normal feel of the bike
through the bars with a relaxed grip on them. I do not like
heavily embossed grips like many imports and dirt bikes
have. They seem to transmit the vibration into many little
concentrated areas. The hard rubber or plastic grips with
a smooth or shiny surface are damn near impossible to hold
when wet or sweaty like the metal ones. For longer rides, I
like the warm weather gloves with the gel pad in the palms.
They do not work well for me with large diameter grips. You
may also want to consider the natural curve of your hand
when relaxed. You do not want a grip that requires you to
squeeze down or open up more than is comfortable for you.
As I have gotten older, my hands do not fully make a fist
without a bit of effort. You also want to use a bar that
has the hands below chest level for good blood flow and do
not require you to stretch for them. I had this problem
even in my youth with high bars.

Look for a selection of grips online from various
manufacturers. I ended up with the ProGrips through my
local dealer who stocks most of their line but, not the one
I wanted. He was able to ge what I wanted overnite from his
warehouse at no extra charge and he matched the online price
like he does on many other items.

Just the thoughts of an old fart still trying to enjoy two
wheels.

Lugnut

 

Thanks. Lots of good ideas here. I appreciate them.

Question: My bike has a throttle grip that has a groove for the throttle
cable. These progrips look like just the rubber part. How do I get new
grips if I need the throttle grip too?

I have Kawasaki Mean Streak 1" handlebars. Do I have to go to Kawasaki OEM
which are about $90 and don;t look all that much better than what I have?

 

If your going to replace the throttle, check out
Bikebandit.com They sell OEM parts.

If you go back with the stock throttle you can use many
different brands of slip on grips.

The other option is to by an aftermarket "fancy" set similar
to what you have now.
Kuryakin has some, and others as well.


You may also want to look into Hunter Flat Bars.

 

You can buy a pair of padded motorcycle gloves for about $50, and if
you don't want to spend that much money on gloves, you can go down to
the tool department your local hardware store and buy a pair of
mechanic's padded gloves for about $25.

You'll see that wearing padded gloves and *correctly positioning* your
hands and arms will eliminate the carpal tunnel and guyon's canal
syndrome pain.

 

If you have what I think. the grips are nothing more than
covers that must be removed from the actual throttle sleeve.
You will need to specify whether you have 7/8", 1" or 1 1/4"
handle bars. A new pair of grips will have the correct
inside diameter to "slip on" to the throttle sleeve. Some
are glued on which may be the case with your old grips.
That can make them difficult or impossible to remove in one
piece. My choice of tools for metal grips would be an air
cutoff wheel used carefully to split the old cover.

Lugnut

 

Yep. Looks like the throttle side is glued to the throttle sleeve. I tried
soaking it in carb cleaner and paint stripper, but it didn't budge. The
left grip is just held on with a couple of setscrews.

 

You can buy a pair of padded motorcycle gloves for about $50, and if
you don't want to spend that much money on gloves, you can go down to
the tool department your local hardware store and buy a pair of
mechanic's padded gloves for about $25.

You'll see that wearing padded gloves and *correctly positioning* your
hands and arms will eliminate the carpal tunnel and guyon's canal
syndrome pain.


Gonna get me some good gloves and reposition the clutch and brake levers.
They seem to be too low right now. Also, I understand what you are saying
about the weight supporting and about not covering the levers.

Thanks

 

If you've got access to compressed air, that
works pretty well sometimes. If you can get
air into the grip at either end, it'll often blow
the grip right off. Maybe 40-50 psi or so.

 

Once the outer grip cover is removed, I have found a wire
wheel on the bench grinder to make quick work of cleanup on
the throttle sleeve or tube once any metal decoration is
removed. Most grip come with glue to keep them in place.
They are usually tight enough going on that I just coat the
inside with a little liquid soap or even electrical conduit
lube. Let it sit overnite and it doesn't budge.

I never thought of air to blast the old ones off; I will
have to try thet next time.

Lugnut

 

I do some volunteer wrenching on donated
bicycles for charities and this is a popular
method of grip removal and installation.

My other preferred removal method is a Swiss
army knife.

 

Grip Puppies!

 

I would advise starting a light weight-lifting routine. Concentrate
on range of motion. Nothing to drastic. Even old-fashioned
jumping-jacks, shoulder rolls and the like will help. If you allready
tried this, never mind.

 

Above all, don't ignore it, and don't "Man" it.
This thread reminded me of some research in the UK over 35 years ago
into "white finger diesease". One researcher stepped outside the
usual factory machine / hand-tool paradigm, and went and tested
speedway riders -- I wish I had kept the article. He found a
significant proportion of speedway riders had chronic incurable (ie,
too late for exercises and intervention) white-finger disease, but
nobody was talking about it. Whether newer frames and engines have
made things better in thelast 30 years I have no idea.

 

The basic arrangement of nerves going through the wrists and the palms
of your hands hasn't changed in the last 40,000 years.

The problem of numb hands on the bars has little to do with frame and
engine design. What matters is how the rider hangs on to the grips and
where his weight rests.

Read up on "carpal tunnel syndrome" and "guyon's canal syndrome" and
you will be enlightened, grasshopper.

Keep your fingers curled and keep your weight off the palms of your
hands and your wrists as much as possible and ride pain free as I do.

 

You idiot. Think of the difference in vibration between, say, an old
Brit single and a modern balanced four, or better still, a rotary.

Which do you think will vibrate worse and aggravate the condition.