Handlebars and "numb" arm

[Harald]

Harald - I agree about the rather surprising fact that the heated grips still work (eventually) through the foam or neoprene. But I am fairly sure I have got GripPuppies on my factory fit Honda heated grips and they fit just fine.
Mike

I wonder if there's differences in UK Honda heated grips or perhaps a different manufacturer of Grip Puppies? I have small Grip Puppies (continuous foam sleeves that must be forced onto the grips - I use an air compressor) that I use on my FJR1300 and when I trial fit them on the NC700 they slipped on loosely with no force required at all. No way they would work because they would rotate independently of the grip. They can be bought in the USA from here: GRIP PUPPIES ™ Small. (1 Pair) - Motorcycle Parts and Accessories for the Sport Touring Enthusiast at California Sport Touring

 

[mike5100]

grip_pupies These are what I bought - pretty tight fit over the heated grips
Mike

 

[calfinm]

There was quite an interesting & informative discussion on this topic a while ago in this thread:

http://nc700-forum.com/forum/nc700-general-discussion/985-what-s-your-opinion-3.html

Thanks for that link, that's an interesting thread and brings me back to what I felt was the issue. ulnar deviation, and I think my new gloves with the palm sliders make it worse.

The rox risers I think regardless are a good idea as by not leaning as far forward Im less likely to be putting that pressure on the bars when I tire.

 

[mike5100]

Thanks for the link .... but surely the conclusions are the wrong way round. In order to take out any lateral deviation I have to turn my wrists in rather than outwards. In other words the grips need to be swept back towards me by another 15 or 20 degrees.
Look at it another way the wider the bars are the more sweep back you need to keep the wrist angle neutral (Straight bars would only be neutral if they were excatly the same width as your shoulders). The bars on the X are wide and they IMH do not sweep back far enough.
Mike

 

[calfinm]

Its all very obvious to me now..NC is on the right and my Yamaha is on the left.. I'm not trying to accentuate the issue at all, basically I sat on both bikes and relaxed my hands with two fingers on the brake and my wrists and arms in what feels a neutral position "to me". Slightly different photo angles don't help matters but basically any pressure is unevenly distributed to the outside of my palm forcing my hand to rotate outwards slightly during riding. new gloves and palm sliders making it much worse. (Point in the photo is the gap between bar and inside of hand on the NC if anyone misses it )

 

[mike5100]

I'm not sure whether we are saying the same thing or the opposite Calfinm, I know that if I close up that 'thumb gap' that you are showing in the Honda picture, it lines my arms and wrists up much better, and stops the pain, but it would mean I would have to ride continuously with my elbows stuck right into my sides - it feels very unnatural and I only seem to do it for a minute or two.
Mike

 

[agia]

I'm not sure whether we are saying the same thing or the opposite Calfinm, I know that if I close up that 'thumb gap' that you are showing in the Honda picture, it lines my arms and wrists up much better, and stops the pain, but it would mean I would have to ride continuously with my elbows stuck right into my sides - it feels very unnatural and I only seem to do it for a minute or two.
Mike

That's what I do. When my hands/arms start to get a bit sore, I have to bring my elbows in which helps. However, I can't hold that position indefinitely either. I don't have bar risers but I did rotate my bars back a bit as a compromise.

 

[calfinm]

I'm not sure whether we are saying the same thing or the opposite Calfinm, I know that if I close up that 'thumb gap' that you are showing in the Honda picture, it lines my arms and wrists up much better, and stops the pain, but it would mean I would have to ride continuously with my elbows stuck right into my sides - it feels very unnatural and I only seem to do it for a minute or two.
Mike

If I was to keep my arms and wrist neutral and pull my elbows in to close that gap, that would alleviate the pain issue as the contact with my hands on the bar would be more even . As that's not a natural position to ride in the only way to close that gap with elbow ,arms and wrists in a neutral riding position is to have a flatter bar..ie less sweep. I'm not sure from your previous post if you were suggesting the other way around.

 

[swissbake]

Have you tried replacing the grips with BMW rubber grips that some swear by its damping properties? And do you know if the ktm use thicker bars than honda's ?

 

[xamagi]

I am nor at all an expert. Rather my comment stems from experience. If the numbness is systematic, you should revise your sitting position. If it is occasional, there is nothing wrong. External elements like weather conditions (e.g. humidity) affect your driving. Also personal conditions like your emotional status. There are days that you feel a communication with the bike that is absent other days.
Anyway, to me it helps a lot to use the breath rhythm to ease pressure on shoulders, arms, elbows, wrists, palms, and fingers. Get used to it and you will feel the difference. The longer the ride, the more you will appreciate it. Let me also add that I take a (short) stop every two hours and do some stretching exercises. That helps also as much as the breathing exercises while riding.



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