Getting older now ....

[tmworks]

these are the pullback risers that I designed and machined for my 79 SF.
It puts me in a real comfortable position.

http://www.tamarackmw.com/tamarackmw_026.htm

Keith

[John]

Re: more good news ...

Originally posted by thewiz
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

Look at the web site for GenMar. They are about the only place that sells them...$110!

http://www.zianet.com/GenMar/

[thewiz]

awesome ...

that looks almost exactly like the ones I put on today. Great source and thx, John.

[thewiz]

Keith ...

I saved that URL to your doc ... I'm probably gonna' get it done this year sometime.

Plus ... beautiful riser that you built ... what motivated you to build it? Comfort ... hated buckhorns .... other ?

Thanks very much for the input too .... great stuff.

[BLUEJEEPLAB]

Since we're on the topic of "Getting Older" and all the attending ills and pains....

Does anyone get a sore neck after a long ride? Yesterday I took an extended ride on the way home from work and after about 50 miles had a God awful pain at the back of my neck where it meets the shoulders. I have a new helmet, but it is about the same weight as my old one. I was also wearing a back pack, but it was lightly loaded and the weight was on my back, not my shoulders as I was wearing it loose.

I'm thinking that I may need to get some more excercise and get my muscle tone back. I have been getting softer over the last two years or so. Maybe hit the weights. Presses, curls and shrugs to get the upper body toned up. Runnning or bicycling to get the legs, glutes and back better able to tolerate longer saddle times.

[tmworks]

Steve

Thanks Steve
Actually both reasons are correct. I’ve had the bike since the early 90’s and always felt that the stock handle bars were flimsy. And I always got the feeling that my hands were slipping off of the grips especially with thick gloves on. The drag style bars positioned my hands how I liked but mounted to the stock riser made me lean over to far putting pressure on my hands that made them go numb (pre-Carpal Tunnel surgery). So the riser design was intended to put my back in a more comfortable position and take the pressure off of my hands. I had them finished in Black Nickel to look closer to the black chrome that was on the original pipes (they were replaced after they broke in two).

[Flatlander]

tmworks,
Nice looking bike, really clean. Not trying to pick it apart at all, just noticed that the pictures are of the right side and the left front turn signal is not symmetrical. Hope that it is not what I am thinking and every thing is o.k. I also like those set back risers!

thewiz,
whew, that was a close one. Glad some repositioning and gloves took care of that and no surgery needed!

BLUEJEEPLAB,
Ditch the back pack!!! Take another spin. Pay attention to the style of riding you are doing, if it is not the usual riding, chaulk it up to your new riding style and the back pack. Got to do those after work undwinding miles! If your speeds are higher than usual and you have made alterations to your bike, like removing a wind sheild, make another chaulk mark. I have found that even just a heavier jacket does this to me. Good luck!

[tmworks]

Flatlander,
Thanks for the heads up. Went out to my bike and took a look. Ya, the hole headlight/turn indicator package was off to the left. looks like i need to put a spacer on the bracket on the bottom of the speedo to center it up.

[prometheus578]

"I have a hunch..."

Papa Gino....
I have a tendancy, when it's cold out, to hunch my shoulders as I ride.
Pain gets unbearable after a while. Really takes a conscious effort to stop doing it.
Check your riding posture, etc.
New helmet?
Had a helmet once that, with the visor up, acted like a sail; kept wanting to twist my head from side to side... (sort of like what I feel like doing to MRO at times.)

[thewiz]

Not to beat a dead horse ....

In this thread not much has been said about the handlebar grips, themselves. I wonder how much, if any, difference they make ... ??

Today I took my G out for a spin ... I don't ride it too much cuz, with the extra ummph from the carbs and header, it's kinda' scary .... alright ... really fun. It has the factory standard bars (no set back yet) and the skinny little factory grips .... first thing I noticed right off that this bike has a lot more noticable vibration than my others ... but it's tight motor and trans wise ... tight like new. Lotsa' guys offered ways to dampen the bars to reduce vibration but what about the grips? I wonder if a fatter, more ergonomic grip would make much difference on this bike?

My other XSx have the fairly common fat foam grip with the chrome tip type on the F and the 'football' shaped softer type fluted rubber (from Mikes XS) on the SF. What are your favorite grips?

[prometheus578]

"Get a grip, Wiz!"

I made the mistake of stepping from behind the service counter one day and getting my nose involved in the Part's Dept.
"Hey, check out these grips! You guys need to order them. All the young punks will buy them, etc."
(Actually, I was more interested in the free T shirt with dealer orders)
Four months later... the shop closed down. Hadn't sold one grip!
I put a set on the manager's bike, her boyfriend's bike, the part's girl's dirtbike, my XS11, my XS850... and I still think I have a set or two waiting for a special project.
I was worried about vibration, being used to the XS foam grips, but these are no problem.

[Flatlander]

Larger grips!

Larger grips what a thought. I think I like this idea, no I really like it, good thinking. They make larger golf grips, don't they? You are on to something here and makes me want them. I have had other foam grips that were larger than standard size. I did not like them much because of the foam, not because they were larger come to think of it.

[thewiz]

very funny, Promster ..

I love the design .... but something about about the name of these things just doesn't sit well though ... why don't you try a set and let me know what you think?

Flat ... check this out at Mikesxs ... Part #02-2421

[Flatlander]

Hey tewiz,

I don't know how to get there, to chech it out, sorry. Don't know what girection to go.

[wa407mpp]

Bluejeepplab

Adding risers will increase the vibration not reduce it, however changing the angle of your body by raising the bars or setting them farther back can help with your tolerance to the vibration, but remember the straighter you sit the more you set on your tail bone and less on your hams, which is not good. Also this may sound strange, but how was the traffic? Sometimes with a lot of traffic, like on the freeway where I'm surrounded by cars, I will tense up, and will have to remind myself to relax when my shoulders and neck begin to hurt.