hand cramp.

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lunch truck larry

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Location
Cleveland, OH
I have 2007 fjr ,since March, ....but I can't ride the thing for more then,about an hour, before my right hand goes numb. tried handelbar risers,Crampbuster,did the throttle spring thing,got a throttle lock, even been doing my hand exercises,(spring grip thing) nothing seems to help.So I,am at the end of my rope. Is this a 2007 issue,or a FJR thing? I read Sacromento Mike's yoga riding position, that helped a little but not much, how do you Iron butt guy,s do it?? is the only answer the $1000.00 dollar Aussie McCuise control? How about a ST-1300 have any of you guy's rode them,I would give up the performance ,for longer riding comfort. please give me answers... Larry

 
I did an Audiovox CC-100 cruise installation myself. Overall cost well under $250. Works like a charm, but the installation is a bit involved. Will certainly solve your hand cramp problem.

 
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Larry...give yourself a chance to get use to the bike...you've had it for what a month? Try to relax (the Charles Atlas vise like grip) a little.

Are you talking about highway riding?...Because that won't happen in the twisties

 
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I initially had problems like yours. A few things really helped:

1. Cramp buster

2. Grip Puppies. They made the circumference of the grip wider, which allowed me to not grip too hard to control the throttle. The softer materials alleviated some of the handlebar vibration.

3. Conscience mental effort to "relax" my grip. This was the biggest challenge. Have you had a break b/t riding, or are you new to a heavier bike like the FJR? When you go into a corner or are just riding on the highway, take a mental note of your forearms and your shoulders. Are they tense? Is your grip on the bars really tight or loose?

It takes a very concerted, regular effort to relax your shoulders and forearms on the FJR, especially if you are new to it and trading up from something very different or coming back to riding after an absence. With these changes, I was able to go from 100-200 miles a ride before cramping to over 400 miles. Now the only time I really notice cramping is on longer stretches of highway, slabbing it, which is yet another reason to avoid riding highways if you have an option for side roads.

 
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you may have a medical condition like a pinched nerve that is causing your problem. Does it happen on other bikes? It happens to me on any bike I ride, including the FJR. I usually just use a throttle lock so I can let go of the throttle occasionally. I put a throttlemeister on my 2011 last Friday night. So far it isn't work a crap. It worked Saturday, but not Sunday. It worked Monday morning, but not Monday afternoon.

 
Nah. It's no medical condition, unless you mean mortal grippus extremeus (aka the death grip). Getting on a big new powerful bike like the Feejer, people (including myself) tend to want to really hang on for dear life. As you become one with the bike your grip will naturally loosen up. The Cramp-buster dealio will help a lot. With it you can fully relax your grip completely and steer with just the pressure of your palms on the bars. Yeah, you can put a cruise control device on there, but that will only help when you can use it, which for me (with an AVCC installed) is less than 5% of my riding time.

As Frankie says: Relax. Don't Do It! :eek:

 
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El Toro Joe said:
Larry...give yourself a chance to get use to the bike...you've had it for what a month? Try to relax (the Charles Atlas vise like grip) a little.

Are you talking about highway riding?...Because that won't happen in the twisties
Click to expand...
Hi Joe... your right ,mostly up /down I 77 and around Cleveland.Maybe give it more time. thanks for the effort. Larry.

 
And keep working on that Master Yoda position. Some of the hand cramp will come not from grip, but from leaning on the bars, which you don't want to be doing. If you have to shift your weight to let go of the bars while riding, then your posture is not correct.

 
lunch truck larry said:
I have 2007 fjr ,since March, ....but I can't ride the thing for more then,about an hour, before my right hand goes numb. tried handelbar risers,Crampbuster,did the throttle spring thing,got a throttle lock, even been doing my hand exercises,(spring grip thing) nothing seems to help.So I,am at the end of my rope. Is this a 2007 issue,or a FJR thing? I read Sacromento Mike's yoga riding position, that helped a little but not much, how do you Iron butt guy,s do it?? is the only answer the $1000.00 dollar Aussie McCuise control? How about a ST-1300 have any of you guy's rode them,I would give up the performance ,for longer riding comfort. please give me answers... Larry
Click to expand...
Larry.

I'm in the same boat, except both my hands go numb. The same thing happens when driving my truck.

Several years ago I gave up on my doctor figuring it out and went to see a Naturopath. She did some testing and advised me that I have Thorasic Outlet Syndrome, basically the thorasic nerve gets pinched when my arms are in certain positions for a while. I've tried acupuncture and exercises, but no real change.

Before riding I take aspirin to help blood flow, do shoulder 'shrugs' as I ride and try to relax my grip as much as possible.

Not saying you have this, but just suggesting it may not be the bike - I had exactly the same problems when riding my 650 V-Strom, which had a very light throttle.

Good luck with this - don't give up on the FJR.

Al

 
As mentioned above lose the death grip. Try grip puppies and the cramp buster.

By any chance do you have new gloves?

Definitely as also mentioned give yourself time to get use to the ergos of this bike.

Might help to blackout on the speedometer for a while. :eek:

 
Also, stepping in for BustaNutJoker here...

You might wanna excercize that right hand just a bit more. Ya know? :rolleyes:

 
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practice at home gripping something,oh lets say 3 inches round ,length can vary from owner to owner.barb,paging barb or tyler to the white courtesy phone,customer waiting.lol

 
I have the same problem and the master yoda position helps me out. When I start feeling it in my hands that is when I realize my shoulders are rounded forward and arms are supporting my upper body. Don't let your shoulders round forward, pull them back so more weight is positioned over your waist. (Move forward a little if you have to.) I am also learning not to hold on to the grips so tight, once I relax my grip a little that helps as well.

This bike requires a different riding position than most motorcycles out there, once you learn it you'll be fine. After 500 miles I am getting better, far fewer cramps than the first 100, I think once I hit a few thousand I won't be thinking about it much at all.

Good Luck and relaxed riding!!

 
Hey Larry. Yeah I find on the highway I put a lot on weight my hand(across the palm) cutting off circulation. So far it's only my right hand Found that:

A)Moved closer to gas tank so I'm not leaning over it.

B)Tuck your elbows in towards UR body. It straightens out your wrist joint.

C)Throttle lock

Hope it helps :)

 
Relax your hand. Straighen your back and put light pressure on the throttle. Also a throttle lock of some sort helps too for those long slab rides. Anywhere from $20 and up.

 
Hudson said:
I initially had problems like yours. A few things really helped:

1. Cramp buster

2. Grip Puppies. They made the circumference of the grip wider, which allowed me to not grip too hard to control the throttle. The softer materials alleviated some of the handlebar vibration.

3. Conscience mental effort to "relax" my grip. This was the biggest challenge. Have you had a break b/t riding, or are you new to a heavier bike like the FJR? When you go into a corner or are just riding on the highway, take a mental note of your forearms and your shoulders. Are they tense? Is your grip on the bars really tight or loose?

It takes a very concerted, regular effort to relax your shoulders and forearms on the FJR, especially if you are new to it and trading up from something very different or coming back to riding after an absence. With these changes, I was able to go from 100-200 miles a ride before cramping to over 400 miles. Now the only time I really notice cramping is on longer stretches of highway, slabbing it, which is yet another reason to avoid riding highways if you have an option for side roads.
Click to expand...
exactly this. get the weight off your hands. Also, you can get heavier bar ends to smooth out the vibration in the bars some.

 
Armand said:
Hey Larry. Yeah I find on the highway I put a lot on weight my hand(across the palm) cutting off circulation. So far it's only my right hand Found that:

A)Moved closer to gas tank so I'm not leaning over it.

B)Tuck your elbows in towards UR body. It straightens out your wrist joint.

C)Throttle lock

Hope it helps :)
Click to expand...
Don't forget that the bars do MOVE to different positions.

 

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