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vibration-proof grips


thereisnospoon

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Hi all,

 

I'm having trouble with my hands starting to go numb after fairly short rides. If this has been discussed, please point me in the right direction ... 

 

What's your take on the "best" grips for reducing vibration? the rubber and weights inside my handlebars are ok, i definitely feel them vibrate more than the bar does so they're working. they just aren't working good enough for me. I know there are gel and foam grips available but I'm hoping someone has found one that works well to better quell vibration.

 

My current fix ... is thin foam sheet wrapped around my regular grips. it works, but isn't very sticky so the throttle doesn't stick to my glove particularly well. I have decent riding posture, forearms somewhat flat so that i can't put weight on my hands, and i make sure that i'm holding all my weight with my rather than hands. 

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Back in the old days of 1969 I bought a set of grips that had lateral sections of gell making the grips semi-squishie. I've not seen anything like them but then I have not been looking.

Have you determined that you have no wrist issues like carpal tunnel syndrome? I had CTS and the same symptoms. The numbness was no longer an issue after surgery which I understand is much easier since I had mine done eight years ago.

Good luck.

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3 minutes ago, MaxSwell said:

Back in the old days of 1969 I bought a set of grips that had lateral sections of gell making the grips semi-squishie. I've not seen anything like them but then I have not been looking.

Have you determined that you have no wrist issues like carpal tunnel syndrome? I had CTS and the same symptoms. The numbness was no longer an issue after surgery which I understand is much easier since I had mine done eight years ago.

Good luck.

 

hi Max. there isn't an underlying condition, but i started indoor climbing some months back and this has aggravated what already happened on long rides. I remember seeing the grips you describe, but can't find them now. i think i'm going to try a pair of "grip puppies" and see if they work at least as well as my foam. 

 

do you still use softer than standard grips? if so, which ones?

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Just now, thereisnospoon said:

 

hi Max. there isn't an underlying condition, but i started indoor climbing some months back and this has aggravated what already happened on long rides. I remember seeing the grips you describe, but can't find them now. i think i'm going to try a pair of "grip puppies" and see if they work at least as well as my foam. 

 

do you still use softer than standard grips? if so, which ones?

No on the non-oem grips. Two of my fifth gens came with some aftermarket grips, two layers with red underneath and black with cut-out so the red showed through. I sold the first machine with them. Then a subsequent fifth had the same grips that were very worn out. Since my first fifth gen's oem grips were still unworn at 105,000 miles when a deer KIA'd it I've stuck with oem since. No complaints with them, luckly.

Hope you can find something that works. Numb hands are a pain in the.... wrist.

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Dirt bike grips are often much soft but don’t last as long. I have SuperBike grips that I like. I take an old bicycle tube and glue a layer to the bar before installing my grips. The extra grip diameter suits me.


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Have you considered heavier bar ends, some people think that it reduces the vibration.  Others think that it just changes the frequency, either one might help your problem.

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20 hours ago, COS_VFR said:

Have you considered heavier bar ends, some people think that it reduces the vibration.  Others think that it just changes the frequency, either one might help your problem.

i didn't know that was an option! thank you. i'll look into it. yes, just a change may help. 

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On 11/13/2017 at 4:17 PM, DorsoDoug said:

 

omg how did i not think of googling for shit? 

 

"what is your take" - that's the sort of question you ask when you're looking for personal experiences. but thanks for your grade A+ commitment to providing useful input and getting another post count. 

 

to clarify for you, i climb and ride. neither am i willing to give up without a fight. this is why i come to a forum like this to find out if others (see above replies to learn) have had any sort of similar experiences or knowledge that i can learn from. i don't mind throwing money at this but i'm going to try to learn from others along the way. 

 

1. laterally sliced squishy grips

2. look at dirt bike grips

3. heavier bar ends

4. and a link to the first thing everyone found. 

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Have you tried to reduce the vibrations at source? I could do 400 mile days on Scottish country roads on my Y2K 800.

1. Balance the throttle bodies.

2. Check tyre / wheel balance front and rear.

3. Check chain & sprockets condition and chain tension.

 

At the hands end how about thicker gloves? OK you will lose some sensitivity but numb hands don't have any!

 

A left field suggestion - are you getting good blood flow to the hands? Check clothing at armpit/elbow/wrist is not restricting.

 

PS You have an R missing from your avatar self-description.

 

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3 hours ago, steve27bha said:

Have you tried to reduce the vibrations at source? I could do 400 mile days on Scottish country roads on my Y2K 800.

1. Balance the throttle bodies.

2. Check tyre / wheel balance front and rear.

3. Check chain & sprockets condition and chain tension.

 

At the hands end how about thicker gloves? OK you will lose some sensitivity but numb hands don't have any!

 

A left field suggestion - are you getting good blood flow to the hands? Check clothing at armpit/elbow/wrist is not restricting.

 

PS You have an R missing from your avatar self-description.

 

This thought triggered another idea. Every one of my fifth gens (5) has needed steering head bearings. When loose or worn out (Honda used cheaper ball bearings) it some times mimics a cupped front tire, i.e. vibration. My first fifth was originally diagnosed by the dealer's service tech with cupped tires; when I replaced them the problem was still there. That's when he showed me how to check that. While on the center stand he had me press down on the pillion seat to raise the front wheel into the air. He then slowly turned the front back and forth. He said there is a "notch" in the center of the movement that I could also feel. The solution was installing All Balls tapered rolling bearings. Issue cured. Five times. One bike exhibited the problem at 28,000 miles (such a youngster!). On my first it happened near 80,000 miles.

Once again, good luck t.i.n.s. 

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  • 3 weeks later...
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Thank you all for the suggestions! here's my slow progress...

1. new, soft, Superbike grips - and i hadn't realized how worn and thin my old ones were :/

2. covered them with grip puppies - the increase in grip size is great and they're really soft - i found the easiest way to install these is to: cut to length, roll them up like a... well it ends up looking like a doughnut, work the doughnut over the end of the grip, unroll towards the center just like a.. doughnut. Of course I did 1 and 2 at the same time, so I just have the sum, but it's far better.

3. steering head bearings - i replaced the original ball bearings with roller bearings about 25k ago and have checked them a few times since (once for a fork rebuild). the originals had a slight detent right in the center which is now gone and smooth.

4. bar ends - I imagine the rubber in these wears over time so they may be worth replacing. when i put pinky and ring fingers over the bar end weights though, they're-a-buzzin compared to the grip. I'll look into heavier ones though. I need to go through the manual and see how to remove them

5a. i loosened my gloves. i prefer gloves with long gauntlets but may have had them too snug. they're a little looser now but certainly won't fall off.

5b. i didn't change anything with my jackets, but i do pay attention to them more now and wriggle around if i notice any tension or tightness in my shoulders. also re-adjusted my backpacks a little

6. avatar description fixed :/ how many years...

 

 

So .. to do...

1. balance throttle bodies - it's been a while and they always need a little adjustment. I noticed there is a particular vibration at 4000 rpms, +- a few, i'm avoiding this range now and it helps.

2. re-balance front wheel - i need to replace pads anyway, so while i have the front wheel off, i'll balance it and replace the wheel bearings. this set of tires only has a couple thousand miles but worth a re-balance.

2a. same as above, i'll re-balance it.

3. I need to replace my gloves, the left has a nice hole in the palm. they're sedici so the exchange is free (frequent too) and i'll see if they have others with thicker palms

4. ugh. x-rings are burned out of my master link. chain/sprockets are only about 5k old but the master has to go. i do keep it lubed and adjusted

 

It's possible that one aggravation is that I always ride with my pointer and middle fingers over the brake and clutch. so they are always absorbing a little vibration through the levers. I might see if I can find a little sleeve of foam to cover them. 

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