New rider... in pain!

[nomnomnom]

Hey all, my names Jess and Im from the Kapiti Coast :)

I recently got my license all sorted and got myself a sweet Suzuki Bandit to ride to and from work. I have an absolute blast and LOOOOOVE riding, but Im having some problems....

I live in Te Horo and work in Welly, so thats about an hours ride each way, on a good day (grrrr traffic). Now when I get home I feel fine, but when I wake up in the morning I can hardly move my head! I get a massive stabbing pain in my neck, its ok to move side to side, but looking up/down is a no-go for about 3-4 days afterward(without being able to ride for those days :(). Is it just the way that I ride that causes this? And is there anything at all that I can do to help it? The pain is stopping me from riding and it really sucks!!! I have seen so many others riding day in day out, surely they cant just be bearing the pain?????


Heeeeeeeelp


Jess xxx

[p.dath]

It could be your helmet; but I'd see a Doctor or Physio about that. Sounds like you might have a problem with your neck.

[Juzz976]

Could be the riding position of the bike or yourself.

How does your suspension feel, is it stiff or loose?

[avgas]

Clearly you need a GN125

[Juzz976]

Clearly you need a GN125

No they make your bum hole sore.

But not from riding it, its a lifestyle thing:shit:

[HenryDorsetCase]

Hey all, my names Jess and Im from the Kapiti Coast :)

I recently got my license all sorted and got myself a sweet Suzuki Bandit to ride to and from work. I have an absolute blast and LOOOOOVE riding, but Im having some problems....

I live in Te Horo and work in Welly, so thats about an hours ride each way, on a good day (grrrr traffic). Now when I get home I feel fine, but when I wake up in the morning I can hardly move my head! I get a massive stabbing pain in my neck, its ok to move side to side, but looking up/down is a no-go for about 3-4 days afterward(without being able to ride for those days :(). Is it just the way that I ride that causes this? And is there anything at all that I can do to help it? The pain is stopping me from riding and it really sucks!!! I have seen so many others riding day in day out, surely they cant just be bearing the pain?????


Heeeeeeeelp


Jess xxx

as a new rider, are you tensing up your shoulders (or your sphincter which then tenses up your whole back up to your neck and shoulders): sitting for an hour like that would make anyones neck hurt. Try and relax as much as you can.

Have a think about the way you're sitting on the bike: if your torso is leaning forward you crane your neck back to look forward, which can be tiring. You can alter stuff like handlebars and handlebar position, even footpeg and seat if you want to spend some money.

the other thing too that you are wearing a 1.5kg weight on your head, plus the extra force applied by the wind of your passage: So your bandit at 200kph is putting a lot of windforce on your neck muscles. If nothing else is wrong, you might have to get "bike fit". I dont usually ride in the winter, and I get quite tired after my first few rides in the summer.

Just some thoughts OTOH. Persevere: its worthwhile.

[davebullet]

Focus on relaxing your grip on the bars, and lowering your shoulders.

Sounds to me as if you are tensing up and doing the "newbie death grip" on the bars.

Unless you are really short and have a long reach to the bars, your elbows should be bent. This proves you are using your torso to support your body (and not your arms with heavy pressure on the bars). you need to work on using your core to give your upper body stability and allow your arms, shoulders and neck to be relaxed when riding.

In fact - the more relaxed you are on a bike - the straighter it tracks. this is especially true in cross winds or gusts. A Bike wants to hold a line (whether it is straight or around a corner). It's your handlebar movement that changes it. Therefore you only need a light hold on the bars. Even lighter when it gets windy (I know this sounds like the opposite of what you should do - but if you hold on tight in big wind gusts your body acts like a sail transmitting movement through the bars throwing the bike off line and your centre of gravity off with it).

Lastly what make / model is your helmet? Does it have the weight written on the label on the back? A heavy and unbalanced helmet can put strain on your neck.

PS: You will get through this. Don't let it put you off. But don't do the long rides whilst in pain. Pain prevents concentration and is a big hazzard. I recommend doing shorter rides focussing on a relaxing posture in low traffic conditions (to not induce stress or anxiety). Slowly build up your time with your new relaxed riding position until you can sustain longer rides.

[nomnomnom]

Lol - "newbie death grip" - this is probably what Im doing. It gets a bit intense sometimes, specially in rush hour 830 or 5 traffic!!

I think my riding position is ok? Im not sure, I havent been on any rides with anyone else so I havent been able to get an opinion really......

Im unsure about details of my helmet, Ill have a check when I get home(drove today, too scared to ride in the rain!!). I chose the only one in the store that fitted my miniature sized head, which happens to have a bikini-clad chick holding machine guns on it haha

And yea its definitely off-putting :( Have been considering selling the bike as the main reason I got it was for commuting (free parking RULES!). I think ill try more shorter rides on the weekends...*insert friends that have bikes here*

[avgas]

No they make your bum hole sore.

But not from riding it, its a lifestyle thing:shit:
Errrr its a suzuki.
Seeing as you ride a suzuki....clearly you are mistaking the above statement for that towards a honda?. Unless you are that way inclined?

[HenryDorsetCase]

Lol - "newbie death grip" - this is probably what Im doing. It gets a bit intense sometimes, specially in rush hour 830 or 5 traffic!!

I think my riding position is ok? Im not sure, I havent been on any rides with anyone else so I havent been able to get an opinion really......

Im unsure about details of my helmet, Ill have a check when I get home(drove today, too scared to ride in the rain!!). I chose the only one in the store that fitted my miniature sized head, which happens to have a bikini-clad chick holding machine guns on it haha

And yea its definitely off-putting :( Have been considering selling the bike as the main reason I got it was for commuting (free parking RULES!). I think ill try more shorter rides on the weekends...*insert friends that have bikes here*

there will be a bunch of rides you can go on organised thru this site.

"newbie death grip" made me smile, too.

[davebullet]

Yeah - don't give up on it. If you like biking but not the pain - we'll deal with the pain. You'll be glad you got through it and didn't throw in the towel.

Getting an experienced rider to follow you and check your riding position and grip would be a very good idea.

Any kapiti based volunteers?

[James Deuce]

Everyone is thinking too hard.

Don't listen to them.

You need to adjust your controls. Clutch and Brake levers need to be setup so you can operate them with out lifting or dropping your hand.

Some nice person in Kapiti needs to volunteer to help you with this.

Or you could follow this guide:
http://www.sportrider.com/ride/rss/146_0212_adjusting_motorcycle_controls/index.html

Once that's done, then start thinking about two things.

1. Relaxing your n00b death grip. (As mentioned by the clever man above.)
2. Breathing. You're not breathing deep enough. You're tense and taking fast, shallow breaths. Slow down Rossi.

[sinfull]

Lol - "newbie death grip" - this is probably what Im doing. It gets a bit intense sometimes, specially in rush hour 830 or 5 traffic!!

I think my riding position is ok? Im not sure, I havent been on any rides with anyone else so I havent been able to get an opinion really......

Im unsure about details of my helmet, Ill have a check when I get home(drove today, too scared to ride in the rain!!). I chose the only one in the store that fitted my miniature sized head, which happens to have a bikini-clad chick holding machine guns on it haha

And yea its definitely off-putting :( Have been considering selling the bike as the main reason I got it was for commuting (free parking RULES!). I think ill try more shorter rides on the weekends...*insert friends that have bikes here* I'm picking miniture head = miniture neck and muscles getting a head wind workout !
The bandit should be an uprightish riding position would it not, or does it have lower bars and your finding yourself looking up to see ?
If so, do ya go to the gym at all Jess ? If so ask a personal trainer about some excersizes for ya neck ! If not ummm head stands lol

Local to Te horo (highway) and we've got a club going just north of Otaki, bit of an old mans club but all gentlemen cough who'd be happy to help with advice and possibly parts to get the riding position more suitable fo ya if your into it !
Couple of the wives ride and i'd be happy to introduce ya (not that riding buddies will be an issue long, the girls will be along shortly to naffle ya up on weekends)

[Maha]

Take the bus.

[Bald Eagle]

Take the bus.

Wash your mouth out. Public transport is always my least preferred method of getting anywhere.

[nomnomnom]

Thanks for that link, its really helpful. I think your right, compared to those "it should be like this" pictures, my setup is really bad! my brake is pretty much the same as the bad position picture, I have to twist my angle slightly in for rear brake, and I have to move my foot a lot to reach the gear lever to change gears, as in use a kicking motion to reach lol. My fiancee did adjust the lever for me when I first got the bike but I dont think it can move any closer ill have to check this out.

And yup I have a gym membership Ill ask my trainer about getting into a routine to improve neck/shoulder muscles too, anything that will help!

[Maha]

Wash your mouth out. Public transport is always my least preferred method of getting anywhere.

You're right, that wasn't helpful was it....:facepalm:
....perhaps a bungy from the helmet strap to the bars, keeps the head reasonably steady :corn:

[davebullet]

Thanks for that link, its really helpful. I think your right, compared to those "it should be like this" pictures, my setup is really bad! my brake is pretty much the same as the bad position picture, I have to twist my angle slightly in for rear brake, and I have to move my foot a lot to reach the gear lever to change gears, as in use a kicking motion to reach lol. My fiancee did adjust the lever for me when I first got the bike but I dont think it can move any closer ill have to check this out.

And yup I have a gym membership Ill ask my trainer about getting into a routine to improve neck/shoulder muscles too, anything that will help!

Good points from Mr. Deuce.

On every bike we've had, I've moved the gear shifter down a notch. MY foot can't bend upwards enough to shitft up gears - god knows why my foot is so inflexible or what dislocated orangutans design the ergonomics on modern bikes!

You can buy span adjustable aftermarket levers for the hands and new rearsets (foot pegs and foot controls) to fix these problems with limited factory items.

don't put up with controls that don't suit your feet and hand positions. These need to be natural or fatigue or error will occur.

[sinfull]

Thanks for that link, its really helpful. I think your right, compared to those "it should be like this" pictures, my setup is really bad! my brake is pretty much the same as the bad position picture, I have to twist my angle slightly in for rear brake, and I have to move my foot a lot to reach the gear lever to change gears, as in use a kicking motion to reach lol. My fiancee did adjust the lever for me when I first got the bike but I dont think it can move any closer ill have to check this out.

And yup I have a gym membership Ill ask my trainer about getting into a routine to improve neck/shoulder muscles too, anything that will help! Had a google of the 250 bandits and if yours is standard as they look in the pic 225680 and you shouldn't have to be stretching your neck to see, Prob. more head wind plus tensing issues creating the stress pain !
I wouldn't panic and sell your bike, just take your time, ride on sunny days and work on strengthening yr neck (it'll come naturally over time and rides anyway), sort your controll issues as JD pointed out and breath, things should fall into place !

[maggot]

Another idea is treating your daily ride like an exercise routine, which means a warm up and warm down at either end.
Do some extensive stretches before, with and without helmet, make sure you're loosening up all areas of the neck and shoulders, (you'll find this'll help you loosen up a bit while riding too) and warm down after the ride, so stretches again, and getting hubby or somebody to give you some a good old neck rub. Eventually your neck'll gain the strength to keep up with the work out.
Knowledge: seven years of wrestling, being able to hold twice my body weight on my neck :blink:

And as for the gym routine to strengthen your neck and shoulders, perfect idea. You'd be surprised at how quickly you gain strength in those areas, especially with a smaller head!

Let us know how you go :yes:

[Kiwi Graham]

Hey all, my names Jess and Im from the Kapiti Coast :)

I recently got my license all sorted and got myself a sweet Suzuki Bandit to ride to and from work. I have an absolute blast and LOOOOOVE riding, but Im having some problems....

I live in Te Horo and work in Welly, so thats about an hours ride each way, on a good day (grrrr traffic). Now when I get home I feel fine, but when I wake up in the morning I can hardly move my head! I get a massive stabbing pain in my neck, its ok to move side to side, but looking up/down is a no-go for about 3-4 days afterward(without being able to ride for those days :(). Is it just the way that I ride that causes this? And is there anything at all that I can do to help it? The pain is stopping me from riding and it really sucks!!! I have seen so many others riding day in day out, surely they cant just be bearing the pain?????


Heeeeeeeelp


Jess xxx

Gday Jess,

Some good point above.

The pain you are feeling is almost certainly due to mscle strain resulting from a tense posture and wind pressure.

As mentioned above, get someone experienced to check that you bike is set up for you, contols, suspension etc.

make a mental not of a few landmarks on you route to work. When you reaccch them use them as a prompt to check your posture and muscle tension and make a concious effort to relax, drop your shoulders and lessen the grip on the bars.

Finally being so 'slight' in the head and neck department consider investing in a small screen, just large enough to divert some of the wind blast from your head.
Your neck muscles will get stronger the more you persevere.

KG

[skinman]

a caution re screens, can induce wind buffet. Talk to other bandit owners to see what screens they have used and the result. Try posting in the 250 club. theres bound to be some bandit owners in there.

[Gone Burger]

Hi Jess. Sounds like you sure have the love of riding there. Nice work.

I experienced similar. Not my my 250 but on my current bike. My neck would be crook for days. For me, chaging helmets and getting something much lighter definately helped (seem to have a not-so-tough neck). But its also the riding position on my bike for me as I struggle to hold my head from falling back when travelling at higher speeds, even with the light helmet. Gave me an incredibly sore neck last week with 7 days or south island riding!! Its mostly becasue I am on a cruiser and upright without a screen and a complete wind pocket, but also cause I'm too small for my bike and my riding position is all off.

It can take the enjoyment out of riding, thats for sure. Perhaps start with a lighter helmet if you can, and also follow the other suggestions of bar positions etc.

Good luck chick - you gotta be comfortable on your bike.

[HenryDorsetCase]

Good points from Mr. Deuce.

On every bike we've had, I've moved the gear shifter down a notch. MY foot can't bend upwards enough to shitft up gears - god knows why my foot is so inflexible or what dislocated orangutans design the ergonomics on modern bikes!

You can buy span adjustable aftermarket levers for the hands and new rearsets (foot pegs and foot controls) to fix these problems with limited factory items.

don't put up with controls that don't suit your feet and hand positions. These need to be natural or fatigue or error will occur.

till it digs into the road and rips off. the answer to that is racebike shift pattern...

[HenryDorsetCase]

drink a can of beer before departing on the bike. You will relax, but after half an hour you'll have to stop to pee. actually thats terrible advice.

[davebullet]

till it digs into the road and rips off. the answer to that is racebike shift pattern...

Maybe for an experienced rider, but for a learner, one notch down won't bring the gear shift close to the road. Hell - on all my bikes my boot sticks out more on the balls of my feet on the foot pegs than the shifter sticks out (so grounding the outside of the boot will happen first).

I'm a "same gear through the corner" so rarely need to change up mid corner, so clearance underneath to flick up a gear not required. for learners, I'd recommend correct gear selection before the corner and not change throuhgout. one less thing to focus on and control.

[Juzz976]

Errrr its a suzuki.
Seeing as you ride a suzuki....clearly you are mistaking the above statement for that towards a honda?. Unless you are that way inclined?

I have a honda, nissan, subaru and a yamaha as well.

GN125's seem to be ridden by skinny EMOs with tight faded black jeans,
its got the perfect riding position for them to slump over head tilted having a cry because their parents won't let their boyfriend stay over on school nights.

[StoneY]

Take a detour on way home one Tuesday Night and come on the BRONZ Learner ride out of Avalon Duck pond
Plenty of experienced riders show up to help newbies get more experience, and domeof them even know what theyre doing!!!!!
:shit:

[Gorgeousplak]

first I had wrist problems but now I don't.. then a sore finger and now I don't, then I got sore legs and now I don't.. then I got sore neck and now I don't, then I got sore ankle now I don't, then I sore back and now its getting better.. but I always had a sore ass from the start 30 years ago and it :shit:::violin:probably stay that way.

But enjoy yourself, as long as all your bits stay attached to the bike, you all good:scooter:

[2wheeldrifter]

You should be able to loosen the clamp on your bars and turn them slightly and then adjust levers etc... you may get away with just turning your bars??

Am sure one of the boys down your way would help a young las who loves beer and pizza lol :yes: