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sinned
6th October 2006, 07:48
I spent an hour and half on bikes yesterday after not having ridden one for about 20 years. First ride was with a tutor on a little bike then a ride on an SV650s demo as I am looking to buy a bike.

I found on the SV650S my hands got sore very quickly from the weight on them. The soreness is in the area of the palm where the thumb connects. That was not so bad but by the time I had finished my 40 minute run I could barely hold the clutch lever in. There was a bit of clutch work as the ride was in 50 kph area. Okay I am no longer a 20 or something year old and have to get some strength back in the hands. I think the clutch problem will go after a bit of exercise to get build the strength back. What concerns me is, will the problem with sore hands go away after a few rides or should I be looking for a bike with a more upright riding position?

My riding will be on the open road and for fun. I will not be commuting on the bike so there will be little round town and slow traffic riding. For that reason I have been looking for a bike with a screen and a sports bike - but not a super bike. The SV650S or SV1000S seems a good choice from all the posts made here, elsewhere and the articles I have read.

I don't want to buy a bike and find the problem with the hands will not go away. Can some older bikers give me some advice?

yungatart
6th October 2006, 07:53
Keep riding! Short trips for a while until you get used to it again. Relax your wrists as well, after a few years away from bikes maybe you were a bit tense.
Maybe the bars were in the wrong position for you?

MSTRS
6th October 2006, 07:59
You are not alone in this depoartment. Why do you think sprotbikers are often to be seen sitting up with left hand on knee or dangling??
Handle bar position can make a difference but with faired/screened bikes is not always easy to change.
My 1100 is not bad as far as sprotbikes go, but by todays styles would be classed more as a sport/tourer (on the sportier side tho)
It is for sale, but don't tell everyone - don't want a bidding war do you?:whistle:

Fishy
6th October 2006, 08:08
Continue to ride and your hands will get use to it.

A good exercise for strengthening your grip, wrist and forearm strength is to get a piece of broomstick like wood about 300mm long and tie a length of string about the length of from your shoulder to the ground. Tie one end to the centre on the piece of stick and the other end to a weight of some sort (start light - about 1.5kg). Standing with your arms pointed straight out infront of you (which will also give your shoulders a bit of exercise) roll the stick by turning your wrists alternately and raise the weight from the floor to the stick and back down again. You will get some pretty good benefits from this. :niceone:

Ralph
6th October 2006, 08:12
Keep riding! Short trips for a while until you get used to it again. Relax your wrists as well, after a few years away from bikes maybe you were a bit tense.
Maybe the bars were in the wrong position for you?
My opinion is the same, but maybe try test riding a few other bikes in the same class to see if you still get sore hands, after all it might just be that (the bars to low or something). Yamaha have some nice sports/tourers.

Rashika
6th October 2006, 08:12
I get the same issues when i ride the Guzzi (V11 le mans), especially round town...but dont have the problem on the Buell (Xb12R). Slightly more lean forward on the guzzi.

It will get easier, but I'd also suggest trying a few different styled bikes out for size, there is a huge variety these days... have fun! :banana:

James Deuce
6th October 2006, 09:25
Work on your "core" muscles and hold yourself up with your abs and back muscles. Your hands and arms aren't designed to hold your body up all day.

SwanTiger
6th October 2006, 09:36
I presume that your left hand was worse than the right? If it is inside your palm between the thumb and the rest of your hand I would hazard a guess at the 'lever configuration' being the reason for the discomfort.

When I first purchased my bike I had this problem and it wouldn't go away; I expected it would as my arms/hands/wrist became acustom to the style of bike.

Later on I adjusted both the clutch and brake lever and have never had a problem since. The only pain I occasionally get is in the wrist from a long journey sitting stationary for some time, such as going down the motorway.

So perhaps try adjust the lever configuration once the muscles in your hand have had time to rest.

If you sit on the bike, you should be able to put your hand out flat in a straight line with your wrist and your arm and the lever should align with your arm, wrist and hand.

vifferman
6th October 2006, 09:38
Work on your "core" muscles and hold yourself up with your abs and back muscles. Your hands and arms aren't designed to hold your body up all day.
Bingo!
I thought no-one was going to suggest this!
Your posture is VERY important. You're not supposed to lean on the bars: your hands/wrists will only get sore if you are putting weight on them. If you sit so you back is arched (stomach and bum out), and use your thighs to grip the tanks, then even though you're leaned forward, you should able to take your hands off the bars.
Hold the grips lightly, then you aren't interfering with the steering.

If you're doing a lot of commuting, make sure the bars aren't too low. At highway speeds, the wind pressure over the front of the bike on your chest/shoulders should counteract your forward lean. If they're too low, this won't happen until insanely illegal speeds. If they're too high, then they'll be comfy commuting, but you'll feel like a windsock on the highway.

Fishy
6th October 2006, 09:39
Work on your "core" muscles and hold yourself up with your abs and back muscles. Your hands and arms aren't designed to hold your body up all day.

This will definitely help in taking some of the pressure off the wrists yes, loads of exercises you can do to strengthen up your core....just don't forget to work your stabilser muscles as well as your mobilisers.

I still recommend you strengthen your wrists and forearms.

PM me if you need any help with exercise information.

The_Dover
6th October 2006, 09:39
masturbate more, alternating which hand you use and try a variety of grips.

I'm a total wanker and have no problems with my hands.

TLDV8
6th October 2006, 09:41
The SV650S or SV1000S

The SV's would certainly be a more upright riding postion than the TL1000 (same basic engine)
The sore hands thing,is that pain or going numb ?
That could be the difference between just not used to riding (fitness) or age and that capal tunnel thing in your wrists...(swinging hammers for 30 years in my case does not help that)

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/carpal_tunnel/detail_carpal_tunnel.htm#68973049

I found on the TL,the better the suspension set up,the less numb hands over longer distance.. I don't think i would like to ride the TL for 40 minutes at 50 kmh,open road speeds may reduce the problem quite a bit with the wind taking some weight off your arms. (non fairing bike)

If you are looking for a V-Twin there is also the SV engined adventure bikes DL650 / Navigator etc which have a more relaxed riding position with conventional bars and a small screen (i think) They sound like a great allrounder.

Fishy
6th October 2006, 09:42
masturbate more, alternating which hand you use and try a variety of grips.

I'm a total wanker and have no problems with my hands.

60mins per day for weight loss though tubby. work on your endurance. :Pokey:

Rashika
6th October 2006, 10:55
Work on your "core" muscles and hold yourself up with your abs and back muscles. Your hands and arms aren't designed to hold your body up all day.

but.... if it was sore due to weight resting on it, wouldn't BOTH hands/arms be sore? Not just gear lever one?

I reckon it could be due to position of levers more like what the others have said, than just weight on arms.
Oh yeah and the Buell lever is way heavier than the Guzzi one

The_Dover
6th October 2006, 11:07
60mins per day for weight loss though tubby. work on your endurance. :Pokey:

I wish I only spent 60 mins per day...........

James Deuce
6th October 2006, 11:07
but.... if it was sore due to weight resting on it, wouldn't BOTH hands/arms be sore? Not just gear lever one?

I reckon it could be due to position of levers more like what the others have said, than just weight on arms.
Oh yeah and the Buell lever is way heavier than the Guzzi one

If you're trying to do more than one thing with muscles that aren't used to it it contributes to overuse rapidly. Opening and closing your hand while supporting 30kgs is not standard usage, even if the lever is incorrectly positioned.

Rashika
6th October 2006, 11:10
If you're trying to do more than one thing with muscles that aren't used to it it contributes to overuse rapidly. Opening and closing your hand while supporting 30kgs is not standard usage, even if the lever is incorrectly positioned.


true... tho I find it odd that it happens on the MG, even after a short time, and there isn't much lean forward on it, 'tis odd i was thinking

sinned
6th October 2006, 16:53
I will get into those exercises to build the strength and tension probably contributed to the problem. The SV650/1000S doesn't appear to be an extreme riding position compared to many other bikes so I hope I will adjust to it. I didn't check the alignment of the levers with my arms and in fact didn't check much at all. Just took the bike for a ride and then discovered I should have adjusted the mirrors; which by the way give stuff all view out rear any way.

Riding two other bikes tomorrow: 900 Hornet and GSR600. These are both naked and more upright so this will be part of the decision of naked and upright or faired and leaning forward.

sinned
6th October 2006, 16:59
This will definitely help in taking some of the pressure off the wrists yes, loads of exercises you can do to strengthen up your core....just don't forget to work your stabilser muscles as well as your mobilisers.

I still recommend you strengthen your wrists and forearms.

PM me if you need any help with exercise information.

I will get back into using the swiss ball and pilates as well as the broomstick exercise but not until after my rides tommorrow. Thanks for this good info

Big Dave
6th October 2006, 17:09
or you could just buy a comfortable bike without the GP crouch.

Ixion
6th October 2006, 17:34
How many races last more than 40 minutes anyway?

paturoa
6th October 2006, 18:19
I had exactly the same prob with my Sv1000s.

Same as SwanTiger above, the issue for me was that both the clutch and brake levers were too high. I ride with two fingers resting on both levers all the time and with the levers up what it did was rotate my wrists down so that any weight was moved from the heel of my palm to closer to my thumb.

As soon as I rotated the levers down :yes:

Sometimes I get a numb sensation in my wrists when commuting. I find that im just slumping & leaning forward. I shuffle my arse closer to the tank and straighten my back and within about 2-3 minutes it is back to normal.

The Pastor
6th October 2006, 23:37
sometimes i get a real sore clutch hand too, Don;t know why just sometimes.

Macktheknife
7th October 2006, 00:12
If you are looking for a V-Twin there is also the SV engined adventure bikes DL650 / Navigator etc which have a more relaxed riding position with conventional bars and a small screen (i think) They sound like a great allrounder.
DL650/1000
Highly recommended, super comfy and go anywhere well.
As already suggested there are issues around lever set-up and also using legs/abs/etc to support your weight.
Enjoy and try to test ride as many bikes as you can before buying, technology has changed a LOT since you last rode.

Big Dave
7th October 2006, 06:15
<center>Upright is Alright</center>

By Dirck J. Edge (editor@motorcycledaily.com)
Triumph's (http://www.motorcycledaily.com/05october06_upright.htm#) new Tiger for 2007 (discussed in our article on September 18, 2006 (http://www.motorcycledaily.com/18september06_tiger.htm)), illustrates what I perceive to be a trend in the industry. Along with the Ducati Multistrada, and other new designs emerging as popular bikes (http://www.motorcycledaily.com/05october06_upright.htm#), the industry seems to be recognizing that sport riding in an upright seating position appeals to many potential customers.

As Triumph acknowledges by focusing its new Tiger strictly at the street, most dual sport riders and riders of large-displacement "trailies" ride almost exclusively on the road. These motorcyclists enjoy the sporty handling offered by these bikes (contributed to by the leverage of the wide handlebars), combined with their comfortable, upright riding position. I know from experience that an upright riding position does not need to hinder speed through the canyons (a good rider on a standard-style motorcycle, for instance, can hang onto any good sport bike (http://www.motorcycledaily.com/05october06_upright.htm#) rider on the street). Like Triumph and Ducati, will we see other manufacturers step away from some of the dual sport pretensions, and focus upright bikes strictly on tarmac performance? I think so.

scumdog
7th October 2006, 08:52
true... tho I find it odd that it happens on the MG, even after a short time, and there isn't much lean forward on it, 'tis odd i was thinking

Hmmm, just enough forward lean to make it a pain (literally) when riding in traffic, (weight on hands, multiple clutch use etc) never had the problem on 'cruiser' type riding position bikes.

Bombus
7th October 2006, 17:08
Sore wrists can be a real nuisance. Rode a 996 to Matamata & back recently & spent most of the return lying on the tank. Bit surprised an SV650s has had this effect on you and maybe the angle of the handles might help but I'd say if you buy shoes that don't fit they end up staying in the cupboard. My 650N has no effect on my wrist at all so even if you weren't interested in this type it would be of some use to find out how much weight you can put on your wrists without feeling it.

XP@
10th October 2006, 01:17
You have answered the question yourself!

Clues: Not ridden for 20 years, and tension!

Yes, getting fit and sorting the ergonomics would help you.

However the things that will help you the most are lessons and practice. After 20 years you will pretty much need to re-learn how to ride.

When you have (re)learned the basics counter streering, braking and gained confidence in your bike you will be able to relax and you will hurt less.

Check out Andy he will teach you well http://www.roadsafe.co.nz/

Richard Mc F
11th October 2006, 18:22
I had the same issues after a long lay off, in the first week I thought I was never going to master the beast, left hand and wrist were so sore I had to stop riding for a few days, but working with dickheads and a good hard stress ball we ovecame, sometimes get a little cramp in the hands going from summer to winter weight gloves but it usually goes within 30 minutes.

I suppose starting back with a decrepit old Ducati with clip ons ( and using it for my daily through traffic commute) was not the smartest move.........can probably crush coconuts with my left hand now thanks to even stiffer clutch springs !

Roj
11th October 2006, 20:58
I spent an hour and half on bikes yesterday after not having ridden one for about 20 years. First ride was with a tutor on a little bike then a ride on an SV650s demo as I am looking to buy a bike.


I agree with the idea of looking at more types of bikes if you are in a position to by something in that price range, take a look at as many different styles of bikes as you can, the change in technology means that most newer models are good bikes overall, think seriously about what you personally want from a bike and what you like the look of, if you read enough reviews someone will say something good about most bikes,

I have some of the orginal magazine reviews for my old 1979 Honda and some comparrisons which rave about it and some that don't. If it was to be reviewed now it wouldn't even get on the scale compared to modern bikes, but I find that it suits me just fine, can ride short or long distances without many issues, and I am not as fast as I used to be

sinned
11th October 2006, 21:11
I reckon my body is going to come right even for an old guy and I have bought an SV1000S. Pick it up Friday. See my other post on bike choice and my online diary listed in profile.

paturoa
12th October 2006, 11:23
Nice, you'll like it, check out http://www.sv-portal.com/

NighthawkNZ
13th October 2006, 06:34
What concerns me is, will the problem with sore hands go away after a few rides or should I be looking for a bike with a more upright riding position?

My riding will be on the open road and for fun. I will not be commuting on the bike so there will be little round town and slow traffic riding.

I found that on the VTR around town...but once the bike comes upon its riding plane and the wind is propping you up there is hardly any weight on the arms and wrists. But as others have suggested, the riding position looks odd, but your arms and wrists aren't designed to take the weight all day... so building the core muscle will definately help..

Also you may need to adjust the bars, levers and controls a little to suit your riding style...