Handlebar pressure point - grip problem?

I'll start off with what I'm working with: '08 1300A with older style helibars that replace the entire upper triple tree assembly, handlebars adjusted in the aft most position, a throttlemeister, and these foam football grips of unknown age:

Sorry for the huge image. Anyways, These are very slippery and I've noticed I have to grip a bit tighter than my previous bike just to hold it in place. After about half an hour my right hand starts to cramp in the crook of my thumb followed by a similar pain at the outside edge of that palm. The left hand gets a little pain, but not nearly as much.

My question here is: what could be the biggest culprit? I don't have any reason to believe either 2 previous owners touched the throttle spring; they both always had work done at the dealership. However the spring, while stronger than my previous bike, doesn't seem particularly bad. My thought is that maybe the actual grips are causing the issue. I'm looking into the BMW grips, but hesitant because they also have a taper.

Why is it so difficult to find grips that are 135mm long?

First things first...are these grip in lieu of the stockers? Or over them? Could they possibly be grip puppies? If they are you could remove them and try the stock ones. Otherwise try stock. I have the grip buddies over mine. They're not tapered like that one is.

I might not be the best person to answer this because I am using both stock grips and stock handlebar setup with simple block-style risers. I also haven't done the spring unwind because it hasn't been necessary (for me).

Some people benefit from the spring unwind; it will certainly reduce the needed twisting force on the throttle.

A crampbuster or throttle lock might be helpful to allow occasional relief and to restore circulation from time to time.

A larger diameter grip could help. Either something like Grip Puppies over the stock grip or Kuryakyn Iso-Grips. (Had these on a previous bike)

Possibly the most important is your wrist position. If you can adjust the bars to get a straight run from your elbow to your fingers, long-term comfort is improved. Wrists should not be bent up or down and shouldn't be cocked in or out. Keep a loose grip on the bars (spring unwind helps this).

Riding position - forward lean is much harder on the hands and wrists. Try to sit upright and bend forward from the hips; not the waist. (Master Yoda riding position)

Relax! And there will be no pressure points.

These are in replacement of stock grips. They are a cheap Bikemaster product labeled for use on ATV's without twist throttles. I'm not sure if that matters. Also, the skinny ends are thin enough that I can feel the bars underneath on the throttle. This is part of why I'm focusing on the grip. When I ride I try to pay particular attention to sitting upright. I've noticed it helps my back a lot. I also wanted to mention that my levers are set to either 4 or 5 to reduce length. Holding the brake and clutch definitely doesn't help with the hands. At first I thought it was muscle soreness, but it's not the right group of muscles.

My previous bike had iso-grips with a throttle boss, never any problems. I didn't see any products available from Kury for the FJR. I guess I'll have to look into how to make it fit. Do you know if the bar-end cruise control would still fit with iso-grips?

SweetPotato said:

... I didn't see any products available from Kury for the FJR. I guess I'll have to look into how to make it fit. Do you know if the bar-end cruise control would still fit with iso-grips?

Click to expand...

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/139912-black-kuryakyn-iso-grips/

On my previous bikes, I wrapped a strip of old inner tube rubber round the twist-grip, held it with plastic ties. Much less squeeze required to grip, no hand-cramps after fitting.

(Click on image for larger view)

Interesting ideas. Next time I ride I'll look more at the line down my forearm to my wrist. I'd like to get my hands on a pair of the BMW grips; maybe the local dealer has some. I was going to try the plain Oxford touring grips, but they are only 119mm. Not sure If I can take up that much gap with a grip donut. Maybe I just need to take a chance. Worst I could do is send it back, I suppose.

I installed grip buddies

In combination with risers, and a Throttlemeister, my hands don't cramp up and my back no longer gets sore.

SweetPotato said:

I'm looking into the BMW grips, but hesitant because they also have a taper.

Click to expand...

Don't hesitate, the taper in the BMW grips work very well. I ran them on two previous FJRs and if it weren't for OEM heated grips on the '15, I'd have them on it too. Best $25 spent on the FJR.

Just my $.02 YMMV

--G

I have the Oxford heated grips installed and they have a gap but I didn't notice after the first couple of weeks. No one who has seen them has commented on the gap .

I like the football shape and think it improves grip and comfort. Handles on heavy stuff are often shaped thus, as are plastic tighteners on garden hoses, etc. I wrapped the stock grips with cushy foam bicycle tape. Put one piece around the grip in the center, then wrap the whole grip in a spiral, going over the center piece. It creates a soft, shaped grip, much easier on the hands and wrists. I held the ends secure with rubber bands cut from a bicycle inner tube. I've done the same with my last three bikes. I also have a Throttlemeister, which helps a lot, and practice relaxing.

RossKean said:

SweetPotato said:

... I didn't see any products available from Kury for the FJR. I guess I'll have to look into how to make it fit. Do you know if the bar-end cruise control would still fit with iso-grips?

Click to expand...

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php/topic/139912-black-kuryakyn-iso-grips/

Click to expand...

I have the Black Kury grips on my 07 that I am selling - they fit fine.

Riding the past few days. The line down my arms seems to be good. I have a small but decent bend in the elbows, and my wrists are relatively straight. The right does tend to bend a bit more, obviously working the throttle.

What I noticed is gripping tighter to fight slipping. These foam grips slip quite easily on my gloves, and even some on my bare hands. IMO, that makes sense since I have to grip harder to prevent slipping on the right hand, but the left hand doesn't have a problem.

BMW grips are in the mail, and in a few days I'll see if they make a difference.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Grab-On-Motorcycle-Comfort-Grip-Covers-fits-Yamaha-FJR1300-/291042547904

Get yourself an electronic cruise control and get your hands off the grips, the bike will still go where you aim it. The added benefit is that you will not be holding the throttle open all ride long.

The key is having a light touch on the bars. With both hands on the fuel tank you can't get any lighter than that.

Brodie

Grip Buddies. Used them for years. If your back, wrists, or hands are hurting, it's not likely that it's because of your riding posture (MYRP is nice, but it's not a fix for ergo problems. Those are realistically handled by fixing the actual problem). Overgripping does cause discomfort, and you need to eliminate that, but if your grips are too hard or slippery, put grip buddies on. Money well spent. You'll know immediately.

Just got back from out of town the other day, finished installing new BMW style grips yesterday. The ones I picked up are manufactured by Ariete in Italy, and I've read they are supposed to be a superior aftermarket option. Install went well, but I found it difficult to get the spacing right for my throttlemeister due to the compression of the grip donut I used as a spacer. It's easy if I leave the donut out, since I can adjust the gap the the end of the throttle's lateral play, but with the donut I have to account for the the amount it will be compressed and add that to the play. This made for a tiny gap zone where the throttle is free to return while still close enough to be engaged by TM. It does drag just a smidge with TM disengaged, but the return is reasonably snappy.

Going out for a group ride today, first ride with the grips. I recently added a nice dewalt set of folding locking metric allen wrenches, nearly every size I need to almost completely disassemble the bike, so if anything goes wrong I just loosen TM and completely disengage it. Hopefully I report back later with happy wrists.

Just to close this out: My problem seems to have been two-part. While the grips made a large difference, I've found that my gloves were causing a problem, too. The inner seams of the Olympia 710 Gel Reflector gloves dig into the crook of the thumb as I hold the controls. I never had this problem on my Savage, but that had Kuryakyn iso-grips and completely different ergos.

I used a neoprene grip donut to take up the gap from the short BMW grip. That made adjusting the throttlemeister a PITA. The squishing of the donut changes everything...