Getting older now ....

[webbcraft2150]

Re: Getting older now ....

[QUOTE]Originally posted by thewiz
[B]and I have noticed that both of my hands often tend to go numb after a few minutes of riding.



I get a numbness when rideing, takes about an hour and it sure ain't in my hands!!!

So much for the jokes. You wearing gloves when riding? I had a set of el-cheapo gloves the cut the circulation off to my fingers and caused the same problem. I frigged with the bars, tire pressure, suspension settings trying to fix it. Did not blame the gloves till I rode without them and didn't have any problems.

[trbig]

Have you considered a throttle lock? They don't work around town either like you're talking, but they do help to where you aren't having to grip the throttle all the time and you can move your hands around on the grip. Just a thought.


Tod

[planedick]

Vibration

Whiz, I got some setbacks and some bar end inserts if you want to try 'em.

[thewiz]

I have throttle locks on everything, Tod. Love 'em and they do provide some rest. Thank you for the suggestion ... it was one of the first things I did to try to give the hands a breather.

Web ... I do wear some pretty cheap cloves .... Dickie brand about 20 bucks and I wonder ....... ???? Think I'll ride a bit without 'em and see what happens .... great idea.

TomB ... interesting link, thank you, .... I think I have that thing too .... usually just one digit on a forefinger goes white .... and yes, I have worked with DA sanders for long periods of time once in a while ... but not regularly. They really do a job on me when I use 'em these days though .... I'll have to check the color of the fingers on this 'riding caused' numbness, if I can. It feels a little different than the VWF with which I am very familiar.

Next time we meet up, Dick, I'd like to borrow that set-back and bolt it on there .... I think it will help some.

Prom ... I guess what you and Manshack are talkin' about is what the doc was referring to when he asked me if I wanted to order a CTS evaluation .... sounds like something to really look forward to, right?

[prometheus578]

"Uhmm.. could I have the Water-boarding, please?'

I guess, from what I gather from Manshack, that if you have Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, then due to nerve damage, you don't feel the needles as much or there's a diferent reaction.
I, on the other hand, didn't have it, and after about twenty minutes, gave out name, rank and serial number... as well as unit, battalion radio freqs, operational strength, mission plans, etc.
Of course, this was done at the same VA hospital where, instead of giving me a flu shot in the meaty part of my arm, shot it right into my shoulder joint... rendering it useless for three weeks.
Check out the simple remedies first, then look at the medical aspect.
That thing Tom mentioned was interesting; caused by vibration. I know my hands tingle for the rest of the day after using a Weed Wacker for a coupla hours.

I really don't have any appreciable vibration in any of my XSs,

That was the funny thing with the tire, Wiz... I felt no overt vibration at all. It was there, all right, but didn't really feel that bad, but over time, my hands really started singin', fingers numb, etc.
Some bikes are known for 'buzzing' handlebars, but the XS isn't one of them. Run your hand over the tire's tread and see if it feels scallopped from tread cleat to tread cleat.
Even if, hopefully, that turns out to be the problem, with a new tire, your hands are still gonna be sensitive for a while.

[BLUEJEEPLAB]

I was experiencing pretty substantial wrist pain when I initially took the new Concours out. It turned out to to be a combination of things, mostly posture.

As Randy says, don't lock your elbows, I am much more comfortable with the arms bent and my body leaning slightly forward. That straightened out my wrists and thus less stress.

Another issue is gloves. Are you wearing a decent glove? Padding in the right places (palm, bottom sides of fingers) can absorb some of the stress. I also found that the stiff gauntlet of my winter gloves was causing me to work harder (against the pressure of the gauntlet against my arm when bent) than I had to. I bought new gloves with no gauntlet and am much happier.

[thewiz]

Too funny, Prom ....

I've spent a few months in the VA hospital .... errrr .... should I say .... St. Elsewhere?

I'm reminded of a girlfriend a few years back who was diag'd with a brain tumor. After a year of looking for the right Doc to do the surgery, she had it done. The a$$wipe drilled a hole in her head, dug out some tissue BUT subsequent pathology reports and CT scans revealed that he MISSED the tumor altogether and took out healthy brain tissue instead .... nice, huh? Know any girls who could use LESS brains?

[DJinNH]

Re: Too funny, Prom ....

Originally posted by thewiz
Know any girls who could use LESS brains? [/B]

Only the part that works the mouth.

Don

[Jerry]

There have been a few other threads on this. One thing that may help is a different set of handlebars. One of the differences in the XJ vs the XS is the XJ's bars are adjustable up and down and width.

I experimented with the bars and found that for me, one spline up from stock and 1 spline wider than stock seems to yield the best long-haul comfort. Different angle on the wrists, more natural. A throttle lock was added, and I find myself with only one hand on the bars the majority of time I am cruising. I switch off left - right on a regular basis and have very few problems now with arm and neck issues.

Others have also said that changing bars improved comfort and decreased problems with wrists. Do a search on alternate handlebars and take a look at the many threads that will come up.

Handlebar angle has a tremendous impact on riding comfort. Even small changes can make a big difference.

As for the other end going numb, try a Diamond Seat! Or Corbin, or Sergeant....

[Flatlander]

Another $0.02

I have been reading posts and the glove thing rang a bell.
I am tall and put a handle bar riser on my sled and when other people rode it they complained of their hands going numb. I also had gauntlets over the bars that alllowed me to wear tight fitting non insulated gloves. Others that rode and complained of their hands had on thick insulated gloves, which I think with the thick non tight fitting gloves had to grasp the bars harder, with the combination of the two (risers and thick gloves) this is what was causing the problem.
My father bought a new sled and that year his hands were going numb. He could not find gauntlets and had to ride with thick gloves. He found gauntlets, went to a thin glove, like mechanic gloves, and the problem was gone. His next move was to lower his hand height, his sled came with bar risers, but did not do it since the thinner gloves is what was his problem.
I also think that a non hand and finger fitting glove could be a cuase. Find something with pads, I think is a great idea too.
O.k. That was way more than $0.02, just trying to help.

[Ken Talbot]

Once in a while, I notice a but of numbness in my hands too. When that happens, I usually also notice that I am 'gripping' the handlebars rather than letting my fingers relax, and just pushing gently on the bars with my palms. Once I relax, the numbness goes away, usually in a very short time. I find myself 'gripping' more early in the riding season, while I'm getting used to riding again after a long winter off, or at the start of a ride when I'm still wound up from work stressses or in a big hurry to get somewhere. Consciously reminding yourself to 'push steer' the bike helps get you into the right frame of mind for a relaxing ride.

YMMV...

[thewiz]

Several of you suggested ....

that the gloves I've been wearing might be causing numbness .... well, I'm here to tell ya' that's a big 10-4 !!!

This morning, I hopped on my F and rode for about 30 minutes away from home. Much of the road was moderately twisty ... mostly 55-70 mph in slinky traffic. Not many opportunites to cruise one-handed for long periods of time ... too busy brakin' and clutchin'. Mild discomfort but nothin' I couldn't easily deal with ... THEN ... I pulled over and put my gloves on .... within' maybe a mile or two my hands had gone completely numb ... hmmmm . It was easy then to feel the extra pressure of the gloves squeezing my fingers and cutting circulation off. Needless to say, I didn't wear the gloves for the rest of the day .... in fact, they're done. I still have some hand problems but this glove discovery has helped alot. Need to find looser fitting gloves for sure. When I get that handle bar set-back, I think it'll help too ....

I'm sure I'm gonna' find other helpful tips in this thread ... I'll try 'em all ... but bottom line is : You guys are smart !! Thx.

[Paintman]

Hey guys i had same problem on my XT500 Vibrator so i took the tock bars changed them out and filled new ones with block cement sam stuff we use for race engines to fill water jackts . Poof no more vibration now its not bad to ride lOL still a beast to kick over. but like the otehr guys said if you lock your elbos and put pressure on your plams you will go numb. Just like the sport bike riders with rear set controls the strange legposition does same thing makes feet go numb>after working 19 yrs in the ER and standing 12 hrs a day my legs go nuts after a long ride.


PS were now old were classics just like our bikes
john

[tmworks]

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

I know it's to far away for most people but, The Dr. that did surgery to correct my Carpal Tunnel problem was Dr. Kevin Lester in Fresno Calif.
Surgery took 5 minutes. The incision was only ½” long right along the lifeline in your hand. I was running a chainsaw 3 weeks later.
This guy is really good with hips and knees also. He replaced my moms knee in 40 minutes last December. She’s good as new now.
Check out his web site.


http://www.mini-incision.com/

Keith B

[thewiz]

more good news ...

Today I installed a set back riser which moved the bars back about 2 inches toward the rear. Now my elbows don't lock up and, coupled up with some new gloves that don't pinch off the circulation in the fingers, I rode a whole bunch without any discomfort. Astonishing .. I strongly recomment these fixes to anyone who is having hand numbness. Problem is: I can't find these set backs anywhere and I'd like to get a couple more .... anyone have any ideas on where to try ?? I've looked in all of the conventional sources that I'm aware of