Numbing fingers/thumb

[nocontrol]

Hey all,

Went for my first ride yesterday. Had a great time, but there was one problem. About halfway up the mountain, my fingers/thumbs started to go numb. Not too big of a problem, as there was plenty of off throttle time to take my hands off, and stretch the fingers. Coming down the mountain on the 8, about 20 miles into it, they just went completely numb. Speeds were about 80, and any off throttle caused slowing.

So, the questions:
1. I've got a 2005 Gixxer 600. The handlebars feel like they're not positioned right. They cross my palms, and not in the natural curls. Can they be adjusted out? Tried, but there's notch in there.

2. What have you all done, if you've had this problem?

Thanks in advance,
Thomas

[Robert]

The problem was that when you ride very slow all your weight is on your upperbody and your wrist takes alot of load when you moving it to adjust your throttle. Not saying don't ride easy just letting you know what happened..It's common!

[05GSXR600]

For peace of mind, might want to take the bike to Lee's Cycle to ensure that the positioning is correct. If not, they can adjust the position to fit your needs. And, they are close to where you live :)

[deno]

Loosen up your shoulders, elbows, wrists and grip.

Hold your weight up with your legs, lower back and core muscles. Some conditioning and a STOMP pad on the tank may help with this.

[daMartian]

Loosen up your shoulders, elbows, wrists and grip.

Hold your weight up with your legs, lower back and core muscles. Some conditioning and a STOMP pad on the tank may help with this.


+1 - hug the tank with your legs that'll keep pressure/weight off your hands/wrists

[RayDOActive]

try to take some weight off of your hands. make sure you have a good grip on the handles, but relax your arms and hold your body up with your back and your legs. what kind of gloves are you using? ive noticed that some gloves transmit more vibes than others.

[spy98]

+2 I hang on to the bike with legs squeezing on the tank.. your arms/wrists should be loose

[Cyanide41]

something that someone told me when I was first starting out was to flap my arms. That causes you to relax. Upper body pain is almost always a result of being to tense.

[Termin8r]

Ahhh...the gixxer numb fingers. Hypersport and I both had massive numb fingers when we first started riding 04 gixxers. The gixxer is pretty aggressive in how the seating position is, and puts a lot of weight on the wrist if you ride up close or up high on the seat. Sit back further on the seat, as James (cyanide41)said relax your arms, and try to keep your forearm parallel to the ground with a bend in the elbow. You may have to lean forward more when you ride. This should alleviate a lot of the weight and stress from your hands and keep them from going numb.

[maestro]

it being your first ride you were probably just really tense and had the grip of death...just relax...and try resting on the tank if your arms get tired and like everyone was saying try using your legs and back more...you did really good out there just get more practice:thumbsup:

[hypersport]

+1

Keep riding, you'll get used to it and it will all go away...

Ahhh...the gixxer numb fingers. Hypersport and I both had massive numb fingers when we first started riding 04 gixxers. The gixxer is pretty aggressive in how the seating position is, and puts a lot of weight on the wrist if you ride up close or up high on the seat. Sit back further on the seat, as James (cyanide41)said relax your arms, and try to keep your forearm parallel to the ground with a bend in the elbow. You may have to lean forward more when you ride. This should alleviate a lot of the weight and stress from your hands and keep them from going numb.

[nocontrol]

Thanks for the replies. My arms were pretty loose, and the grip of death was on the last (5th) fingers. Was keeping my inner 3 fingers loose on the grips, with enough pressure to keep the trottle in position.

Will keep riding, and take it back to FBC to see about moving the handlebars.

Thanks again, and will heed all advice!

[hypersport]

FYI, The stock bars aren't adjustable. Once you get used to it you'll be okay. Believe me and other Gixxer riders. If that still doesn't satisfy you. You can get some adjustable clip ons. You can however, adjust the clutch and front brake lever down a bit to relieve some of the stress on the wrist from grabbing the controls.

Thanks for the replies. My arms were pretty loose, and the grip of death was on the last (5th) fingers. Was keeping my inner 3 fingers loose on the grips, with enough pressure to keep the trottle in position.

Will keep riding, and take it back to FBC to see about moving the handlebars.

Thanks again, and will heed all advice!

[teamgreenzx7r]

That's pretty normal were your throttle hand will numb.. Just imagine since your a new rider your wrist will start to hurt too.

[05GSXR600]

FYI, The stock bars aren't adjustable. so, now I am confused (doesn't take much these dayz).....when my bike was taken to Lee's they not only adjusted the lever's but also the front positioning. So, what was it that they adjusted so my wrists and arms were in the correct position?

[hypersport]

the bars can go up and down but the stock clips ons have a notch that locks onto the upper tripple clamp thus making them non adjustable in or out. Most racing style clip ons have a range adjustments and most racers go that way. More seat time on his bike and the numbness will go away and it's something he has to get used to due the aggressive nature of the 04 & On Gixxers. My last bike was a 01 Gixxer and really felt the dif from the change to the 04.

so, now I am confused (doesn't take much these dayz).....when my bike was taken to Lee's they not only adjusted the lever's but also the front positioning. So, what was it that they adjusted so my wrists and arms were in the correct position?

[casper13]

aggressive nature of the 04 & On Gixxers
Haha whoa is it like a two stroke 500cc motogp bike. lol. More like aggressive seating lol. Yea just more riding should be ok. I was a little awkward on mine when I got it but now my body is kinda fit to it

[nocontrol]

So, if they go up and down there it should get to a point where the tab (saw that while trying to adjust) is no longer in the notch. Would it be safe to lower the clip ons, without lowering the triple clamps? If I lowered it, slid them out, and then raised them back up so's the tab is still incontact with the triple clamp, would it still be safe?

I'll bring it back to FBC this afternoon, and have one of the technicians take a look at it. Thanks again, guys. Just might be I have to get used to it.

:cheers:

[nocontrol]

The verdict is in. I can adjust the bars, but then it takes the tab out of the triple clamp, which they suggest against.

On a plus note, I did try riding with my elbows tucked in a bit, and it felt alot better. Thanks for that bit of advice.

Other than that, they said I'ld get used to it, just like you all said.:bowdown:

Thanks for the replies...

[hypersport]

The verdict is in. I can adjust the bars, but then it takes the tab out of the triple clamp, which they suggest against.


Not a good idea for stock clip ons. But... Good luck on that!!!
:thumbsup:

[Arnold_R1]

The verdict is in. I can adjust the bars, but then it takes the tab out of the triple clamp, which they suggest against.

On a plus note, I did try riding with my elbows tucked in a bit, and it felt alot better. Thanks for that bit of advice.

Other than that, they said I'ld get used to it, just like you all said.:bowdown:

Thanks for the replies...

The stock clip ons are in a fixed position for a reason. Lowering them would alter your whole steering geometry. Like what others mentioned, you're fingers and hands feel asleep due to incorrect body positioning and nervousness. The more you ride the more you'll feel relaxed and get the proper blood circulation. :thumbsup:

[cbrsmurf]

I've been riding for 3 years on many different bikes and only my F3 and the ZX6R make my fingers numb. On my F3, I put aftermarket clip-ons a lowered front end and a raised rear end, that's when my fingers started going numb. The ninja is just ridiculous and to make it worse, the front end is lowered and rear raised as well... it's a torture rack for me :p

If I were you, I'd file/shave/judo chop that lil tab off, that way you can change the angle of the clip-ons without the triple clamp interfering. However, I would always keep the clip-ons flush against the top triple clamp (can't give you a good reason why, but I've always seem flush against the clamp). Make sure you torque the bolt on the clipon that clamps across the fork enough.

[ssoulssurfer]

I still get this on longer rides, but everyone already stated the necessary things to do to try and alleviate it. I find that on certain downhill sections I upshift so the bike will coast more, just sit back, let go of the bars for a few seconds and stretch everything out.

[nocontrol]

Been on 2 long rides since (150+ miles). Friday was alright. Started to go numb at just the wrong time, but I managed by slowing down alot.

Sunday was better. Alot better. Went out almost to Borrego Springs, and then on to Julian. Down the S1 to MT. Laguna and then back home on the 8. Minimal numbness then. Was more comfortable on the bike, held myself up using the tank and my back. Kept my elbows tucked in except for in the corners, and relaxed my grip.

A few more rides like that, and I should be golden...

Thanks again for all the help...:cheers:

[Averagejock]

Its funny cuz I picked up an old issue of Sport Rider, and read this article yesterday:

A dude mailed in a question saying his hands/forearm were going numb and falling asleep after any ride over 30mins long. The reply was that - surprisingly - many riders largely developed forearm muscles can restrict blood flow to the arms and eventually over time develop into carpal tunnel.

Not sure if you were saying your arms were numb from fatigue (ie. tired from a tight grip) or numb from lack of blood circulation. Dont wanna freak you out and I doubt very many of us have massive forearms like pro racers, but just wanna give you a heads up.

[brownbrown4]

Its funny cuz I picked up an old issue of Sport Rider, and read this article yesterday:

A dude mailed in a question saying his hands/forearm were going numb and falling asleep after any ride over 30mins long. The reply was that - surprisingly - many riders largely developed forearm muscles can restrict blood flow to the arms and eventually over time develop into carpal tunnel.

Not sure if you were saying your arms were numb from fatigue (ie. tired from a tight grip) or numb from lack of blood circulation. Dont wanna freak you out and I doubt very many of us have massive forearms like pro racers, but just wanna give you a heads up.
TOO LATE... :rifle: CARPAL TUNNELED OUT. :(

[nocontrol]

Its funny cuz I picked up an old issue of Sport Rider, and read this article yesterday:

A dude mailed in a question saying his hands/forearm were going numb and falling asleep after any ride over 30mins long. The reply was that - surprisingly - many riders largely developed forearm muscles can restrict blood flow to the arms and eventually over time develop into carpal tunnel.

Not sure if you were saying your arms were numb from fatigue (ie. tired from a tight grip) or numb from lack of blood circulation. Dont wanna freak you out and I doubt very many of us have massive forearms like pro racers, but just wanna give you a heads up.
Don't think it was racing or other "sport" that makes the forearms bigger. Just look at popeye. Bet he knocks back a few knuckle children every once in a while...