Sore Wrists

[Tipstall]

I have a problem with my wrists getting unreasonably sore, my right one more than the left.

The Bike: R1150R with tall seat

My: 6', 190 lbs, normal proportions, good health, a little over 40

Here are some of the things I'm thinking about checking into.

1.) My gloves are very tight and I'm thinking maybe they are reducing my circulation or something, new gloves.

2.) I remember DJ said that small grips are better, mine seem very large, not sure if ther are stock.

3.) Going to the local BMW dealer and see if he can recommend something.

I have not had this problem in the past. I have been spending a large amount of time at work on the computer, not on page 3.

Thanks for any input.

Ken

[Acacia]

Several questions;

1. Do you have a screen? (relieving wind pressure)
2. Are your hands/arms extended or slightly bent when riding? (Bent better)
3. Do you have bar-backs of any sort? (helps with the arms being bent)
4. Are you riding with a death grip or relaxed? Do you flex your
fingers /hands often?
5. Tight Gloves will do it - so will other tight clothing on the arms /armpit?
6. Do you have a 'throttlemiseter' or the like that you can use top relax your grip?

[DarthRider]

Ken -
Take a look at these.
http://www.motorcyclistcafe.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1207
I don't know a thing about them other than what is on their site, but it is an intriguing concept.
I'd love to hear what Ricardo (of Ricky Bars fame) would have to say about it.
Bar backs and/or risers are not an automatic cure for sore hands and can actually make it worse. A really good ergonomic assessment would dictate...or prohibit...them. The famous "Ricky Bars" use what *looks like* risers but the ProTaper or Renthal bars are much lower and straighter (further forward) than standard, again depending on the ergos of the specific bike & rider.
Try better fitting gloves first..."Pick the low-hanging fruit"!
A looser fitting glove with gel-pads might help a lot.
Hand, wrist & forearm stretching excercises might help too.
Ditto the ThrottleMeister.

[Tipstall]

1.) BMW Touring Screen.
2.) Bent.
3.) I thought bar backs are for the altitude challaged?
4.) Maybe, this just starting getting bad in the last couple of weeks.
5.) I will try new gloves first, I did just switch from my winter gloves to summer ones.
6.) No, might need to look into that.

Thanks for the help.

Ken


Several questions;

1. Do you have a screen? (relieving wind pressure)
2. Are your hands/arms extended or slightly bent when riding? (Bent better)
3. Do you have bar-backs of any sort? (helps with the arms being bent)
4. Are you riding with a death grip or relaxed? Do you flex your
fingers /hands often?
5. Tight Gloves will do it - so will other tight clothing on the arms /armpit?
6. Do you have a 'throttlemiseter' or the like that you can use top relax your grip?

[DarthRider]

Ken -
Our posts hit at once...be sure & check the website in my post above.

[Deano]

I have not had this problem in the past. I have been spending a large amount of time at work on the computer, not on page 3.

Thanks for any input.

Ken

Since it involves your right hand, is that the hand with which you use your computer mouse? If so, have a look at how your computer workstation is set up. Poor work station set-up and techniques caused me a significant amount of pain and discomfort when involved in heavy mouse use. There are tons of office ergonomics websites; here are a couple that may be helpful:

http://www.healthycomputing.com/office/setup/ (http://www.healthycomputing.com/office/setup/)

http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/office/mouse/mouse_problems.html (http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/ergonomics/office/mouse/mouse_problems.html)

http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/ergoguide.html (http://ergo.human.cornell.edu/ergoguide.html)

You may also try to switch “mousing” hands to reduce repetitive use of the same muscle/connective tissue groups. I think you can reprogram so that the mouse functions are more intuitive to use with your left hand. Also, some folks find benefit in using two input devices, connected with a “Y” adaptor. Then, there are multitudes of hardware alternatives.

[Tipstall]

Dave,

I noticed that we were typing together. I'll check out the link. Just writing this down made me think more about it. I'll get some new gloves this weekend and start there.

Thanks

Ken

[popgazer]

When I got the bike some 2 years ago I had the exact same painful wrists problem. Initially, I thought I just needed to get accustomed to the bike. I was wrong. It came gradually and increased in soreness over time.
My problem was compounded with seat, gloves and grip issues.
1- The low seat dives forward forcing me to hold myself by leaning on the handle bars.
2- I had gloves that were too thick inside and didn't allow me to use my fingers comfortably.
3- I was gripping with full hand, which puts the wrists right on the top on the handle bar.

So, as I had my wrists almost onto the handle bar, I was pushing hard to keep myself up. The result was, I believe, that my wrists were absorbing alot of energy from the vibrations. Cartillage doesn't like that at all.

Here's what what I did:
1- Took the seat to a MC upholstery shop. They trimmed it and now I have a nice horizontal comfortable position. Eliminated the forward pressure.
2- I got nice comfortable all leather (summer) gloves.
3- I adjusted the grip. The closest I can describe it is: imagine holding a baseball ball. All the force is focused between the fingers away from the hand palm and wrist. I use one finger (the index) on the right brake, and three fingers on the left side. The braking is fantastically smooth and effortless using one finger. I am guessing that was what those german engineers had in mind.
Using the tip of the fingers moves the wrists back and away from the handle bar, thus reducing the impact of vibrations on the wrists. It also pushes the forearms a couple of inches back, increasing the bend at the elbow.
Now, I am totally pain fee even after hours and hours of riding.

In your case, you may have gotten in a habit of lazily resting your wrists on the handle bar ! And your wrists are telling you they are getting too much energy. You may simply have to change your grip as a I described above.
WRT to gloves, get ones that really fit ... like a glove :)

I hope this helps. Cheers,

[Dallara]

Sure cure... Trust me.

http://www.motomacondo.com/

http://www.motomacondo.com/protapers.html


Expensive? Yes.

Worth it? Every friggin' penny, and maybe more given the amount of personal consultation and effort Ricardo puts into making absolutely sure you get exactly the bar bend, length, etc. you need for your body, style, position, etc.

Easy to install? Well, that depends... But it was real easy IMHO.

It does take some time to get 'em, though, as you will spend a few days getting all the info and measurements Ricardo needs, and then about two or three more phone calls with him to talk with you about it.

Best single thing I ever did to my R-1150-R, and that includes the Sargent seat.

Cheers!

Allan (Dallara - NAABSCD)

[arkline]

Just so y'all will be aware, there doesn't seem to be much activity coming out of MotoMacondo lately. There is a huge thread on advrider regarding the, um, difficulties Ricardo Kuhn has been experiencing.

[Tipstall]

OK, I went out and sat on the bike. I'm totally putting all my weight on my wrist. My forearm and wrist are also in a straight line. I tried gripping the the grips with my fingers, wrist not touching and bending at the forearm.

I'll give this a try along with new gloves, (hey it's a reason to visit the BMW dealer).

Ken

[supermotoC]

Totally?

The I totally recommend these.

http://www.tejasthumpcycles.com/Parts/handle_bars/chubby_handlebars/wo571.jpg

the 20" rise ought to do it (one way or the other).

You'll need grips, and longer wires for the heated grips (and everything else).


1. ape hangers

A modification to the height of the handlebars on chopper-style motorcycles, raising the grips so far up above the seated rider that they appear to be "hanging" as they hold onto them; this causes the appearance of riders seeming similar to primates as they ride.

"My goodness, when Squid and Blade put those ape hangers on their bikes, they looked like two crazed gorillas."



http://www.ironharley.com/mybikes/61saddle.jpg

[arkline]

Ken,

Barbacks with a slight rise might be a good option. You really don't want to have your arms so straight that the elbubs lock. Do that for a long time (anything over ten minutes or so) and you're bound to feel it later.

WARNING -- Old guy story follows:

When I was in the Army, I was constantly the lowest ranking guy in my work group. Why that is, is a different story. But, bein's how I was the low guy on the totem pole, I got stuck with doing honor guard duty. You know, put on that fancy blue wool serge uniform with the white shirt, black bow tie, the white gloves and the spit shined class As. March around at ceremonies with an ornamental M-14. Stand at attention while various flags were raised or lowered. Listen to martial music and speeches of dignitaries who were then, as now, overly long-winded.

The group of guys who were in honor guard was constantly changing as guys went up the rank ladder. Not me mind you, but others. So we were always having to caution some newbie who hadn't done the duty before, "Don't lock your knees when standing at attention. Just don't. You'll pass out if you do." The reply was often "Bullshit, won't happen to me."

And it never failed. They'd never listen. There we'd be, lined up on some verdant parade field somewhere in the hot sun. Standing at attention for maybe 45 minutes to an hour. And some poor, bemused kid would begin to teeter or his legs would buckle and he'd be out, really out, on the ground. Hitting the ground from even five feet six can make a hell of a noise. Especially when none of the rest of us were allowed to block the fall or catch the mindless body as it fell. So, take that Tai Chi stuff to heart. Don't lock your elbubs or your knees for very long. You'll be more comfortable in the end and you won't have to wake up on the ground.

[DJ Down Under]

Ken....Gloves are a very big part of the problem..I think....along with thin grips.

Gloves that make your hands spring open when you relax your grip are bad news.

The palm area is the most important...it needs to be thin...IMO

Another issue might be that if you've not riden much over your winter (only guessing here)...time in the saddle often fixes these issues.

Same with bar shape...I wasn't real happy with my stock bars...now after 5 yrs I love them...no probs at all...(I've rotated mine slightly forward)

If you continue with any wrist problems you might like to buy yourself a Powerball....that'll fix you up.

http://www.gyrotek.net/images/pbmouvement.gif

DJ

[popgazer]

If you continue with any wrist problems you might like to buy yourself a Powerball....that'll fix you up.


DJ,
Powerball (in the US) is a lottery game, the current jackpot is at $48 Million
That'd fix me up, too :020:

Man! I could order all the 8 upcoming BMW models at once.

[Tipstall]

I adjusted my grip and tried to avoid locking my wrist straight. I also added new gloves. Big difference. I think I was gripping the grips too hard and putting weight on them that wasn't needed. Rode 70 miles yesterday and felt great.

Thanks for all the help guys.

Ken