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Another discussion about wrist pains


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Another wrist-pain sufferer here, looking for relief. I've gotten control of my body position for the most part, relying more on my lower back muscles to keep my weight off the wrists, and that's helped some. Plus, I just test rode an R6 the other day and had no pain at all, so I'm tentatively ruling out body-position as the culprit.

I tried out a crampbuster for the past few weeks. That's helped some on the slab, but the thing moves around alot and tends to get in the way around town. I'm ordering a set of grip puppies, and have some hope that those will help, too.

Is there any way to install weaker throttle / return springs? I have it in my head that the grip is just too difficult to twist/hold.

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There are multiple pauses causes to wrist pain. Two I would check into are grip angle and holding on too hard. Check the alignment angle of your forearm and hand. If there is a twist here as you line up on the bike, I can see that would be cause for pain, particularly if you are "locking out" your elbows. I always try to maintain some bend in the elbow to grant relief to my wrists. I also use a Throttlemeister to allow me to let go of the right grip and flex the wrist and hand on long runs. I don't have my IBA, but I do have a couple of 500 mile days to my credit. Hope this helps.

Another wrist-pain sufferer here, looking for relief. I've gotten control of my body position for the most part, relying more on my lower back muscles to keep my weight off the wrists, and that's helped some. Plus, I just test rode an R6 the other day and had no pain at all, so I'm tentatively ruling out body-position as the culprit.

I tried out a crampbuster for the past few weeks. That's helped some on the slab, but the thing moves around alot and tends to get in the way around town. I'm ordering a set of grip puppies, and have some hope that those will help, too.

Is there any way to install weaker throttle / return springs? I have it in my head that the grip is just too difficult to twist/hold.

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Another wrist-pain sufferer here, looking for relief. I've gotten control of my body position for the most part, relying more on my lower back muscles to keep my weight off the wrists, and that's helped some. Plus, I just test rode an R6 the other day and had no pain at all, so I'm tentatively ruling out body-position as the culprit.

I tried out a crampbuster for the past few weeks. That's helped some on the slab, but the thing moves around alot and tends to get in the way around town. I'm ordering a set of grip puppies, and have some hope that those will help, too.

Is there any way to install weaker throttle / return springs? I have it in my head that the grip is just too difficult to twist/hold.

If you want a palm rest that doesn't move get the "ThrottleBoss"...

http://www.kuryakyn.com/Products/262/Universal-Throttle-Boss

As far as your throttle being hard to turn (don't know which bike you have) try turning it with the key off and see if you can turn it with a very loose grip (that's what one that is working properly should be able to do).

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Two I would check into are grip angle and holding on too hard. Check the alignment angle of your forearm and hand. If there is a twist here as you line up on the bike, I can see that would be cause for pain, particularly if you are "locking out" your elbows.

I'll have to check on the bar angles, hadn't thought of that before. Thanks!

As far as your throttle being hard to turn (don't know which bike you have) try turning it with the key off and see if you can turn it with a very loose grip (that's what one that is working properly should be able to do).

Is there something that would cause the throttle to be tougher to turn while the engine is running? Can't think of anything off the top of my head, but I'll definitely give this a try.

(Strange, my user profile is all of a sudden blank. FWIW, I've got an '06.)

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I think the reason for the bike off is to get an idea of rotation without accelerating around town. Your way is more fun!

I have aftermarket grips on my bike and they hang up a bit so I added a couple washers on the bar end to move it out. It was much more noticeable getting off the throttle versus on.

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One of the best comfort mods I've done was heated grips. Not only for the obvious reason, but their larger diameter solved my hand cramping issues when doing the freeway drone thing. The stock grips are too small for my hands. Just another angle to consider.

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, and have some hope that those will help, too.

Is there any way to install weaker throttle / return springs? I have it in my head that the grip is just too difficult to twist/hold.

THe VFR has the best throttle pull on the market, it doesn get any better, unless yours is screwed up. So benefit will not come from there.

Ive said many times, twisting the bars forward and reducing the rear sweep does wonders, or get heli bars.

Its that simple!

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If your hand tingles or goes numb, you might consider your off-bike ergonomics. There's a lot of similarities between wrist position on your throttle grip and mousing (if you're right handed).

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What's the "stock" bar angle? Here's what mine look like now, they're pretty much rotated inward as far as they will go. The switchgear comes within less than an inch from the tank on both sides.

I'll probably try rotating them outward a bit this weekened just to see what the effect is on the wrists.

gallery_21911_6096_409661.jpg

IMAG0033

gallery_21911_6096_861644.jpg

IMAG0035

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What's the "stock" bar angle? Here's what mine look like now, they're pretty much rotated inward as far as they will go. The switchgear comes within less than an inch from the tank on both sides.

I'll probably try rotating them outward a bit this weekened just to see what the effect is on the wrists.

If you leave the bars close to the tank it will bring the bars closer to you, allowing you to sit up better, taking more pressure off. But if you try to hold the bars like a baseball batt it's going to miss-aline your wrist........ but if you change your grip angle on the bars to somewhere between a batt and a golf club, you'll have the best of both worlds. That's what I do and my wrist are straight(up/down/left/right).

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  • 4 weeks later...
[ . . . ] if you try to hold the bars like a baseball batt it's going to miss-aline your wrist........ but if you change your grip angle on the bars to somewhere between a batt and a golf club, you'll have the best of both worlds. That's what I do and my wrist are straight(up/down/left/right).

Try out the grip puppies! I put some on, just to try, and really like them! You ordered them, put them on right away!

I followed Monk's advice (without moving the bars), and have been consciously adjusting my grip on the bars to be more golf-club-like. Just that change alone has improved the situation by about 80%. Much less pain. I quit using the crampbuster, since it was mostly just getting in the way.

So eventually I'll pop those grip puppies on and hopefully that'll be the remaining 20%. (Haven't ordered them yet, just stuck them on my Amazon wish list - my local cycle store doesn't carry them.)

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I followed Monk's advice (without moving the bars), and have been consciously adjusting my grip on the bars to be more golf-club-like. Just that change alone has improved the situation by about 80%. Much less pain. I quit using the crampbuster, since it was mostly just getting in the way.

Glad to hear it's working for you.

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  • 4 weeks later...

On a slightly related note, I took a test ride on an R6 a few weeks ago. For the longest time I thought I would enjoy riding pure sportbikes (hadn't ridden one before), but boy was I wrong. Just too cramped. Maybe if I get my back muscles in shape and used to the position, and if I start doing alot of trackdays, I'd add one to the stable. But for commuting or weekend pleasure rides? Worst tool for the job.

Can't believe I ever wanted one of those things. Definitely gave me more perspective on the awesomeness of the VFR. :)

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I would first start with supplments. Why, because it works for me. Daily, I take Cissus root (made by USP labs) and fish oils. They work great! I want to start with glucosomine but I'm allergic to shrimp so I have to wait until I "test" out that theory. I can say my friend take all the above and it has really helped out his wrists.

For the bike, I have heli's, grip puppies on my 5th gen. It really helps along with a light grip on the bars. Of course, squeeze more with the legs and strengthing the core helps too. Good luck!

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On a slightly related note, I took a test ride on an R6 a few weeks ago. For the longest time I thought I would enjoy riding pure sportbikes (hadn't ridden one before), but boy was I wrong. Just too cramped. Maybe if I get my back muscles in shape and used to the position, and if I start doing alot of trackdays, I'd add one to the stable. But for commuting or weekend pleasure rides? Worst tool for the job.

Can't believe I ever wanted one of those things. Definitely gave me more perspective on the awesomeness of the VFR. :)

The R1 has more body room, but it does need heli bars, unless you want to lay on the tank

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