I recently purchased my first VFR, a model year 2002 Interceptor. It's great fun except for the neck and shoulder strain I am experiencing after about an hour on the road. I am an experienced rider, but only on cruisers. I do have heli bars on the bike. I am physically fit. I am 58 years young and love the bike. No going back to cruisers, but would welcome suggestions on riding posture or exercises to rid myself of the neck/shoulder muscle fatigue. :smile:
I'm 64,and don't have Heli-bars....The only thing I can think of is to try and relax your grip (maybe a throttle rocker),shake your arms and shoulders to remind yourself to loosen up. I rest my stomach on the tank when on straight roads......Good luck
Its because of the different seating position. I too had neck pain when I first started riding longer rides because I wasnt used to holding my head up and looking forward. I dont know what exercises might help but I started riding shorter rides and worked my way to longer and longer rides and my aches started going away as i got more time in the saddle. This may help you also. Good luck.
I'd have to agree with Monk, a relaxed grip helps alot. I tend to get a knot under my left shoulder blade unless I'm conscious of whether my grip is relaxed or not, and for some reason I tend to hold my left shoulder higher than my right if I don't pay attention. It's always worse early in the year while the body is getting used to being in the riding position, but just getting in the habit of staying loose is the key for me.
The strain is fairly normal when beginning to ride sport bikes. The VFR is far more forgiving than the true sport bikes though. Give it some time. Learn to relax as stated earlier. It should become more natural to use your lower back and thighs for support rather than your wrists and neck.
How tall are you, cl? I'm 5'9" and almost 52. I have the helibars and went from a cruiser to the vfr last year, but I have done a lot of road bicycling and the position is similar. I found I was sitting two far from the tank and I concentrated on using my core muscles more and keeping my elbows relaxed. That helped my neck but also my hands and wrists. (I shift much more on this bike than on the cruiser, and the hydraulic clutch is stiffer than my old cable clutch so it took a while for my hands to adjust.) Try sitting more forward. But most of all it does take time on the bike. I can ride longer on the vfr than I could on the cruiser, but not at first.
How old's your helmet? When I started riding sportier bikes I found that updating to a lighter / newer helmet was a big improvement. You can always put your helmet on place hands / knees down on the floor raise and then lower your head numerous times to build up the neck muscles. Food for thought.
I've had neck and shoulder problems over the years but about a 1 1/2 years ago I was so jammed up that I had finally sought medical help because of the pain. I was given muscle relaxers and pain killers (Soma, Flexoril, Vicodin, none helped) but what really helped in the end was some simple stretches. They are kinda hard to describe in words so I searched the interwebs and found this. Physical Therapy Stretches for the Neck | Expert Village Videos Some of these exercises are like the ones I was given. Others are new ones I'll try. Also Ibuprofen (Advil) and ice are good to help initially relax the muscles. I also like rc24rc51's helmet theory. If you were cruisin' with a half helmet and are now using a full-face the extra weight could make difference. I noticed a big difference switching from an Arai Signet to an RX7 Corsair. Can't be more than a few ounces if that but it makes a difference. Good Luck
One thing that have noticed that no one has metioned..and it may not apply to you..I have owned many SS bikes and this has never been the prob...excpet whem its chilly outside the cold causes me to tense up my neck muscles and cause my neck and shoulder to hurt terribly...now without knowing the temp your riding in, maybe it applies maybe not just a tip...bavalancha in the cold!!!
I'm 49, 5'9" tall, and when I first began riding my VFR last season (after coming away from a BMW K1200GT), I had no problems with neck & shoulder aches. Rather, I found that my hands and forearms ached after a while, much more so on the right, due to muscle tension while I was getting accustomed to the twitchiness of the fuel injected throttle. (I went through the same issues with the Beemer, which is also fuel injected.) As time went on I soon learned to relax with the VFR (no bar risers needed in my case), and these aches, which initially seemed rather worrisome, eventually went away as I took time to gradually introduce and condition my mind and body to become accustomed to this motorcycle. Above all, take your time, and don't push yourself too much. For example, if you currently notice that your discomfort doesn't seem to come on until ~100 miles, plan your rides so that you're back home or done riding by then, and gradually work yourself up to longer rides. Allow your mind and body to slowly adjust. Someone here wisely mentioned that your current seat might be part of the problem. As you make the transition from a cruiser to the VFR, does it feel like your butt and pelvis are sliding forward against the tank? If so, you might think about custom ordering a seat that has more forward padding and support so that your butt feels more like it's sitting on the seat of a cruiser rather than sliding around and falling onto the tank. One other suggestion-- go to General Nutrition Center and try taking a daily supplement of glucosamine/chondroitin. It can be very effective in safely reducing musculoskeletal aches and pains when taken daily.
Motorcycle riding is a sport. You have to get your body in condition for every sport. Give it time. Time in the saddle will cure all!
you should invest in a tank bag and throttle lock. when i go on trips longer than a hour or so, i take my magnetic tank bag with and pack it full of all my softest luggage like socks and undershirts etc. i learned this from my sport bike buddies. it makes a world of difference to be able to occasionally rest comfortably on the bag from time to time to relax your body. also the throttle lock keeps your arm from cramping up. the more comfortable your body is as a whole, the more relaxed you will be and being relaxed should ease up tension on your neck and shoulders.
I had ridden a vfr for 4 years untill recently and found it a shock! Difficult to turn my head on junctions,stiff back,arm ache ect. But after a few trips now my body has grown back to the stature required. I done some sit ups to start with to streghthen up ab muscles to support my back better. I try not to lean on my arms too much,speeds over 60 are better as wind pressure takes the strain. Around towns are hard on the arms, throttle and clutch operating and leaning on my wrists hurt a bit but as soon as you get going it`s better! Now i feel better than before! So, riding a vfr is a workout?!!
Ride a pure Sports bike for a while so when you return to the VFR it'll seem like a cruiser, problem sorted. :wink:
Also consider a pair of gloves with gel padding in the palm... It helped when I started riding. Also there is a rubber wedge shaped ... thing... you can get that temporarily wraps onto your throttle. Im trying to find it, and take a picture, but I cant for the life of me remember where it is! If I find it, ill post a pic. It gives you the ability to loosen your grip, thereby loosening the rest of your muscles in your arm/shoulder on longer trips. Your palm becomes the "cruise control". Best part is, its not permanent, comes off in 30 seconds, and doesn't interfere when riding in traffic.
