pain in wrists/arms= new rider?

Hi folks,
Recently purchased an '07 Viffer, did take a short test drive on it before I purchased.
Came off of 4 years of Harleys.
I really like the bike, but every time I ride it, my wrists/hands/arms start hurting within 5-10 minutes. It actually painful.
I am 51 years young, 5'7", 30 inch inseam, about 175 lbs. I am more leg than body. My arms are just very slightly bent when riding, almost straight.

I know one cannot diagnose on the internet, lol, however, any feedback regarding this from experienced "viffers?" Will this pain go away, ( I know, who knows...)????
I am wondering if I am just getting used to the ergonomics, or whether its a fit issue. I can pretty much flatfoot the bike with my riding boots, so I don't think that end is the problem. Slow speed maneuvers have been, shall we say, different from the HD's I had, but I'm getting used to it with practice.

However this pain really makes riding unpleasant, I literally have to take my hands off the bars to rest or shake them out fairly frequently, gripping the tank with my legs helps a little, I am conscious not to over-grip so......

Maybe the infamous "helibars" will help? I just hope I didn't pick the wrong machine, 'cuz I like her a lot. Handles great, super power (esp. compared to the Hardleys I had) nice balance etc...

Any feedback, and thanks

ace57

 

sounds like since your not used to that seating position you are putting weight on your wrists, which is a no no. squeeze the tank with you knees and support yourself with you legs and back. absolutely no weight should be on you hands.

 

The more you ride the more you'll get used to it. That said, HeliBars help right now. They are probably the most popular change made to our bikes, with seats a close second.

 

I was having some trouble with my right hand going numb when I started riding the VFR. Yes that type of thing is often resting weight on the hands to hold yourself up and/or squeezing the grips too tightly. Larger grips help some people too. Someone said they wrapped tennis grip tape around it to make it larger and it helped them. Some people say hand exercises seem to help. The progrips #699 are supposed to be good. With something like the throttlemeister you can use it to keep the throttle in position while resting the right hand a bit.

 

Heli's are more famous than infamous. They are pricy but you really get what you pay for. All the machining and design is aerospace quality. In reality a set for your VFR will be about what you'd pay for some chrome crap from HD that would be peeling in about two years.

I think too you may want to not muscle the VFR or hold on for dear life and squeeze too hard. Some of the weight on your wrists is something you control by position. More comes as the air pressure increases on your chest.

 

This is common in people new to sport bikes. Learn to loosen your grip and learn to use your legs to support you. It will take a little time, so don't get frustrated. Before long you will not notice it.
Mods=helibars, bar end weights, "throttle-rocker" a little plastic tab that wraps around the throttle and spread out the pressure on the hand.

You are not alone. You will get over it.

 

jay956 has got this one licked. Just to echo his comments; Sport bikes require a bit of thigh, back, upper body, and abdominal strength. Whereas, no offence to anyone, cruiser bikes like Harley's and the other Honda Davidson bikes are more of a ....dare I say this aloud..."lazy mans" bike. You just sit, and relax and take your time and be comfortable with very little effort.

I ride with a few guys around the 50 age, so I assure anyone, that its possible to get used to this style riding.

 

Just the same for me after owning NTV 650 but it is just a matter of time. Had my veefer over 4 years now no probs. All the best.

 

You should learn how to ride a sport bike. I'm not trying to bash you, but it's fact.
Your abs should take your wrist weight off.

If you're leaning too much on your wrists, you're developing bad habits and it will eventually cost you.

 

In the second post in this thread someone talks about pain in the wrist: http://vfrworld.com/forums/sixth-generation-2002-2009/383-heli-bars-vs-gen-mar.html

 

It is useful to remember to keep your elbows pointed down and bent slightly. If they're pointed out and locked, you are probably putting weight on your wrists. This will force you to use your legs and back to keep your body up at lower speeds. At higher speeds, it gets more comfortable because the force of wind props your body. It takes time to grow accustomed to the position.

I've worked through the same issue, with the help of advice I found on this forum. I bought ConvertiBars to decrease the stretch from the seat to the bars, but haven't installed them. I've gotten good enough at moderating my position that it hasn't been a pressing concern.

 

thanks very much for all your thoughtful replies, and no, I don't think you are bashing me osb, I freely admit, this is a learning experience for me, and I am psyched to do it.
Clearly the riding position is drastically different than on the HD's, so I knew there would be a learning curve, also with low speed handling.
I am prepared to put my "homework" in, just wanted some feedback, which I greatly appreciate from all of you! Thanks ghost for making me feel old.......haha.
Thanks all, this is a cool forum

 

Just make a conscious effort to keep the weight off your wrist with your abs/back and your pain will disappear. I'm a fat boy and I do just fine up to about 350 mile rides, then bad hip and knees get sore.

:welcome:

 

no worries Ace. Welcom to the forums btw. Yes, this is a great site, lots of information, and lot of opinions.

 

The guys have called it. You will need to work a bit on using your "core" muscle group, as well as keep those elbows and wrists unlocked, especially when hard braking. No need to ride around with your elbows out like Ben Spies yet, but try to get the weight off those arms, this will help you in all parts of how your new bike handles as well. I concentrate on keeping my forearms down near the tank.

I came off of touring bikes as well, and a long layoff from bikes until last riding season, so I can sympathize brother. This has been nothing but fun for me, and we're nearly the same age. You may want to include some core muscle and ab training in your exercise routine, if you have one, if not, this is a great excuse to start.

It has really worked well for me.

We aint old bud. we just know better heehee

 

There is one other thing that I didnt see mentioned. The fuel mapping for the VFR sucks for steady throttal due to emissions efforts below 30% throttal. I came off race bikes and I was used to things being super smooth so this bothered me quite a bit. The effort to control the gas at low speeds has you gripping the gas harder then you should because on and off the gas is "jumpy" on this bike. And cruzing is tough because you get some surging while steady accelerating so i found myself gripping the throttal much more than my last bike which in turn bothered my 31 year old wrist, lol. There are a couple ways to smooth this bike out and I chose a somewhat expensive route that I am not regretting. PC3 Remus cans and O2 sensor eliminators. Fixed my overgripping the gas for control issue and everything is smoother, much smoother. To help with low speed manuvers try lugging 2nd gear a little, its much smoother than 1st. Hope this helps :biggrin:

 

I'm 49, and I'm now well into my 2nd season riding a 2007 VFR 800A. I'm familiar with the initial discomfort and pain you're experiencing, and I think I've learned how to overcome many of these issues without resorting to bar risers, so here goes...

1) Saddle: The VFR's stock seat leaves much to be desired because it is poorly shaped and padded-- it positions your pelvis (and spine) in such a manner that your butt and your balls are forever sliding downward and forward onto the tank, and this in turn is causing you to transfer and support way too much of your upper body weight through your arms and wrists, rather than through your spine.

Therefore, the first upgrade should be a quality aftermarket saddle, and I recommend Sargent, with one caveat: Tell them over the phone that you want your VFR saddle to be customized with lots of extra padding in the front horn, which will help to keep your ass more firmly planted on the seat without the constant sensation of sliding forward. In other words, you want the aftermarket saddle to be more U-shaped, with your ass and balls sitting at the apex of the "U" such that you're pelvis is more firmly planted rather than sliding into the tank. This will allow your back muscles to relax in a more comfortable posture rather than an excessively forward and hunched-over posture.

2) Right wrist fatigue/pain: Those riders who may be transitioning from a big 2-cylinder Harley to a 4-cylinder, fuel-injected, high-performance/high-RPM engine may initially find these fuel-injected throttles to be very twitchy and unforgiving until you become more familiar. Meanwhile, there may be a tendency to place way too much muscle tension in your right wrist as you learn how to finesse a fuel-injected throttle without causing the motorcycle to buck and surge. The key here is to learn to release any death-grip on the throttle, and to smoothy relax your right wrist, without fighting the throttle. This simply takes some practice.

3) Throttle-lock vs. aftermarket electronic cruise control: If you're planning on riding your VFR over longer distances in touring mode, an aftermarket electronic cruise control such as Motorcycle Cruise Controls - ATV, 4 Wheelers and Quad Bike Accessory & Parts may be far more preferable and relaxing than a simple throttle-lock.

 

I learned to eliminate the wrist pain by following the advice on this forum. But I still get a sore neck. Any ideas how to solve this? I'm 6'1" and already have Helibars.

 

mucho thanks

Wow what great advice. Again I am very grateful, there is MUCH info on just this thread that is helpful...
However, I haven't seen my abs (abdominals not ABS lol) in years, I don't think I have any.:tongue:

Thanks fellas, damn good advice here.
...and sorry to show those of you up who don't have an anniversary model like I do, my bike is the PRETTIEST! :rockon:

ace57

 

Just as a followup...
I took a medium length ride yesterday and incorporated a lot of the advice from this forum on this thread.........and guess what........the most enjoyable ride so far with the least amount of pain.:thumbsup:

Thanks all, great input.

ace57