forearm pain with new riders

[ifeenan]

hi, i'm new to this board, as well as new to motorcyle riding in general.  i have a vespa scooter, that i've ridden for the last 2 years.  may 1st, i bought my fist bike, a 2005 gs500, and i love it.  i  was wondering if anyone has had forearm pain when they begun riding?  my forearms are all swollen up, and hurt when i move them.  the doctor said it may be an allergic reaction, but i wanna blame it on putting all my weight on my wrists and forearms, which wasn't nec. on the scooter.  maybe i'm not riding the bike correctly?  any tips or similar stories?  hope it's not CTS!  thanks for reading,

J

[Chuck]

It's not necessary with the GS500 either.  I had this same problem at first, but you can totally hold all your weight with your legs and back.  I cozy up to the tank with my knees and keep weight on the balls of my feet on the pegs.  Also, I learned to ride a little more crouched, which seems to help.

Don't think you can just bulk up your arms and you'll be okay.  If you have too much weight on the bars, it will totally screw up your handling.

[Mitch]

trying loosing your grip.  You're probly white knuckling the grips.

[ifeenan]

yeah i could def. use some bulking up!  i never realized that i was leaning really hard on the handlebars, until my arms got swollen up.  i also make pizza for a very busy restaurant for a living, so i think maybe the combination of using certain pizza muscles and new motorcycle muscles in my arms could've set it off.  i'll try hanging on tighter with my knees and crouching more like you said.  thanks for the advice.

[hmmmnz]

also because of the crappy front suspension with hard braking you move forward alot. get a couple of tennis balls and try and squeese them while your watching tv or some thing just to build up ur forearms, have fun on the gs, what vespa did you have? i used to have an old p200e man it was cool, i loved it. got more than i paid for it when i sold it too

[ifeenan]

i still have the vespa.  it's a 2001 et2.  i put a 70cc kit on it a few months back, so it'll go pretty quick.  that tennis ball idea sounds awesome.  cheap fix too!    thanks for everyone's advice

[Grainbelt]

Relax your shoulders and your deathgrip, use your abs and back and lean into it. I did/still do the same thing unless I consciously relax.

[jackiei26]

i have a lot of pain in my left thumb after I ride and its sore for a few days.  cld it be that I'm a woman, I have small hands, and it's a little of a stretch for the clutch for me? 

[Onlypastrana199]

Keeping your forearms parallel to the ground helps take the weight off of your hands.


Jackie, could be the reach to the clutch, could be the clutch position, try to rotate the clutch perch up or down and find the most comfortable position.

[jackiei26]

thnx

[Queso]

I got the left thumb thing too... Didn't connect it with the GS though... Time to adjust my clutch lever, I guess

[Cal Price]

When i came back to bikes after a long long break i got the "clutch-hand" thing, it soon passes. The forearm thing is probably just a matter of relaxing a bit more, don't grip so tight and move your shoulders and elbows, give it the old chicken-waggle from time to tim, it will sort itself out.

[Cannon Fodder]

I noticed I get pain in the palms of my hand.  Didn't occur when I was out earlier this week though. 

[ukchickenlover]

trying loosing your grip.  You're probly white knuckling the grips.

+1 

I would say most probably this is what you are doing. You only need a very light grip on the bars like you are hardly touching them.

[BaoQingTian]

Play more XBox to beef up those thumbs and forearms people! 

[ets_gs500f2004]

i dont know never happened to me but i know if i lean a long time my arms gets cramps because the handles are way to high

[Queso]

My forearms and wrists don't get the least bit sore, but I occasionally find my left elbow feeling slightly strained.

[Kasumi]

I have a powerball

http://www.powerball-gyros.com/index.htm

I would SERIOUSLY recommend one of these for anyone in the sports industry or who is into spirited/sport riding or someone who wants a laugh and a party game.

Basically it works like gyroscopic forces in your bike engine but this one works at all angles. You rotate your wrist to keep it spinning, it has a little LED screen which holds top scores, number of rotations done and all sorts of other things. Its great because you can really see and feel the strength in your wrists and whole arms increasing as you get higher and higher rpms. Currently im at 11k rpm aiming to get 12k soon. Its great and since i started using it i've had no fatigue in my wrists at all. NB: If you get one which i recommend (even though im not a salesmen hehe) you will experience discomfort in your wrists the first few days you use it as it works all the muscles in your wrist and arm to keep it spinning. Excellent item, many pro sports people use them.

[Queso]

I just bought me one on ebay  Lil suckers are expensive.. But I've played with them before and thought they were just expensive little toys... Being they actually have some fitness use, I can justify the price Thanks, Kasumi 

[trumpetguy]

There is also some adjustment at the handlebar mount.  It might help to rotate the bars forward a little, if you can stand them being a little lower as well (they can't go forward without moving down as well).  Just be sure they are tightened firmly again before riding!