Hand and wrist pain after a few hours

D

Daakuryu

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As I get more comfortable with the bike I've been taking longer rides as well as hitting the highway to prepare for a trip to Montreal at the end of the month (if weather permits).

But one thing I've found is that after a while depending on what situation i'm in I will start getting pain in one of my hands.

In city riding/stop and go traffic my left hand starts to hurt in the area around my thumb from controlling the clutch.

On highways my right wrist will hurt from holding the throttle further than I normally do in city riding.


When I was doing the MSF they told me it was normal to experience that as a new rider for a while and to use stress balls to help strengthen my hands but I have to wonder if there is anything else that could be done to help reduce this because

1) The pain stays for a long while after I stop riding

2) At this rate I'm not entirely sure I will last the 4-5 hours to Montreal.
 
Are you leaning on the handlebars? If yes, you need to correct that by supporting your upper body with lower body, grip tank with legs. Once you take the weight off of your hands, you might find less discomfort when on a long ride.
 
Daakuryu said:
As I get more comfortable with the bike I've been taking longer rides as well as hitting the highway to prepare for a trip to Montreal at the end of the month (if weather permits).

But one thing I've found is that after a while depending on what situation i'm in I will start getting pain in one of my hands.

In city riding/stop and go traffic my left hand starts to hurt in the area around my thumb from controlling the clutch.

On highways my right wrist will hurt from holding the throttle further than I normally do in city riding.


When I was doing the MSF they told me it was normal to experience that as a new rider for a while and to use stress balls to help strengthen my hands but I have to wonder if there is anything else that could be done to help reduce this because

1) The pain stays for a long while after I stop riding

2) At this rate I'm not entirely sure I will last the 4-5 hours to Montreal.
Click to expand...


Stress ball helps.
More important, try adjusting your riding position so you're not putting so much stress on your wrists, use your legs against the tank to help when slowing down and braking.
 
mikbusa said:
Are you leaning on the handlebars? If yes, you need to correct that by supporting your upper body with lower body, grip tank with legs. Once you take the weight off of your hands, you might find less discomfort when on a long ride.
Click to expand...

kwiniarz said:
Stress ball helps.
More important, try adjusting your riding position so you're not putting so much stress on your wrists, use your legs against the tank to help when slowing down and braking.
Click to expand...

If I grip the tank any tighter with my legs it will cave in. :P

I'm still working on finding the best position, might have to bug one of you in person if I ever go to one of those meets.
 
Are you in a full tuck on the highway? When I'm tucking in on my Daytona I find it takes the pressure off...well everywhere. For long trips I put soft things at the top of my tank bag and use it as a cushion. Also I made a thread about this and the recommendations that helped were starting with my throttle hand cocked up so when the throttle is open my wrist is straight (may not help much on a 250 where you probably have the throttle almost all the way open) using knees/abs instead of my arms, and practicing riding with no hands (SHORT distances)...seriously. It helps you find your balance and grip with your legs/core.
 
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Macs said:
Are you in a full tuck on the highway? When I'm tucking in on my Daytona I find it takes the pressure off...well everywhere. For long trips I put soft things at the top of my tank bag and use it as a cushion. Also I made a thread about this and the recommendations that helped were starting with my throttle hand cocked up so when the throttle is open my wrist is straight (may not help much on a 250 where you probably have the throttle almost all the way open) using knees/abs instead of my arms, and practicing riding with no hands (SHORT distances)...seriously. It helps you find your balance and grip with your legs/core.
Click to expand...

I did try tucking in on my last few highway rides though I don't think I was fully tucked since I'm a chubby guy it's hard to tell.

I've only taken one hand off the handle (clutch hand) so far, don't think i'd do both unless in a really empty parking just yet.

last time, to help with pulling the throttle on highway I kinda rolled it back with my fingers while not moving my wrist/palm for slow increases or letting go of the throttle completely, re-positioning my hand forward more and pulling it back smoothly for faster increase. But I don't know ig that is a bad behaviour I shouldn't be picking up.
 
mikbusa said:
Are you leaning on the handlebars? If yes, you need to correct that by supporting your upper body with lower body, grip tank with legs. Once you take the weight off of your hands, you might find less discomfort when on a long ride.
Click to expand...


This is the best advice. Even if you feel like you're using your legs more chances are you are not. Takes some practice to ride with a relaxed upper body.
 
moarmoto said:
Fap to build up strength
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Kinda just works the elbow and shoulder and only one arm...

Typically pain in the hand and wrist is caused by a poor seating position and grippingthe grips to tighly. As your experience grows so should your stamina. (works for fapping as well)
 
Angle the clutch perch lower so that your wrist is in the same plane as your forearm. If you find yourself cocking your wrist a bit up relative to your forearm to grab the clutch then you're loading a lot of weight into your wrist.
 
Macs said:
Are you in a full tuck on the highway? When I'm tucking in on my Daytona I find it takes the pressure off...well everywhere. For long trips I put soft things at the top of my tank bag and use it as a cushion. Also I made a thread about this and the recommendations that helped were starting with my throttle hand cocked up so when the throttle is open my wrist is straight (may not help much on a 250 where you probably have the throttle almost all the way open) using knees/abs instead of my arms, and practicing riding with no hands (SHORT distances)...seriously. It helps you find your balance and grip with your legs/core.
Click to expand...

May be the worst advice to follow while riding in Montreal.
 
I've noticed pain in my left wrist sometimes on or after a long ride (not always though), and think it has something to do with not putting my gloves on 100% right sometimes, so there is a pressure point (gauntlet cuff armour pushing into my wrist bone). I find if I notice this when setting off my wrist will hurt at the end of a few hour ride, whereas if I don't, my wrist is fine 90% of the time.

Probably not the same thing you're experiencing, but it's worth noting.
 
PLau said:
May be the worst advice to follow while riding in Montreal.
Click to expand...

*sigh* I did not mean to do so on the ride to Montreal. Read the damn post
 
Macs said:
*sigh* I did not mean to do so on the ride to Montreal. Read the damn post
Click to expand...

Yaya, I was just saying.... But anyways, no hands on a ninja 250 on the highway would probably cause the bike to slow down like crazy from engine braking unless you have a throttle lock or something...
 
Common problem associated with riding.
Your wrists/hands should be relaxed. It gives you more control and provides less stress on joints and muscles.
...Also improves your blood flow.

Don't lean on handle bars. Lean on the gas tank.
 
I did notice on my ride today that I definitely have a lot of weight on my forearms and hands, I tried to be conscious of it and relax my arms and grip but when I brake the weight goes right back. So I guess I still got a lot of work to do.
 
Lots of good advice. To summarize (in order of importance IMO):

Improve your hand strength (I use those hand grip exercisers)
Angle the clutch and brake levers down so they're in line with your forearm
Support your weight with your torso.
Lubricate clutch cable.
Get a throttle lock (I thought I needed one after my 1st long ride but it never became a problem again)
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