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
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.
trying loosing your grip. You're probly white knuckling the grips. O0
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.
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 :icon_mrgreen:
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
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.
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?
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.
thnx
I got the left thumb thing too... Didn't connect it with the GS though... Time to adjust my clutch lever, I guess :icon_confused:
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.
I noticed I get pain in the palms of my hand. Didn't occur when I was out earlier this week though. :dunno_white:
Quote from: Mitch on June 07, 2006, 07:51:43 AM
trying loosing your grip. You're probly white knuckling the grips. O0
+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.
Play more XBox to beef up those thumbs and forearms people! O0
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
My forearms and wrists don't get the least bit sore, but I occasionally find my left elbow feeling slightly strained.
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.
I just bought me one on ebay :icon_mrgreen: 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 :icon_razz: Thanks, Kasumi :thumb:
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!
Quote from: Queso on June 08, 2006, 10:58:30 AM
I just bought me one on ebay :icon_mrgreen: 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 :icon_razz: Thanks, Kasumi :thumb:
Good on you! you won't be dissapointed. Don't be put off if at first you don't get the technique it will suddenly click out of nowhere. They are expensive i got mine from firebox.com they do deliver to america i think. Although i would suggest ebay because you might get a cheaper one. Don't get a rip off one you want the proper one everybody, there are alot of not very good copies.
Yeah, I got the same brand as the one from the website you posted. It comes with the counter, case, and wrist starp, so seems like a decent deal.
Yep :) they are excellent, it should come with a cord, which might be doubling up as the wrist strap, it slots in and winds round like a spinning top so you can get it going.
Welcome!
Adjusting the controls to fit you, and adjusting them to a better angle for you will help wonders, and maybe rotating the handlebars, too.
Sit on the bike and close your eyes.
Now lean forward with your arms out about where you would want the handlebars to be, and at what angle the controls you want them to be at.
Loosen the bars and rotate them to where you want them.
Loosen the controls (clutch and brake) and rotate them to the postition that suits you best (you wont be able to rotate the switchboxes).
Readjust the mirrors.
Ride and readjust as neccessary.
Posture:
Pinch the tank with your knees.
Flex your back to hold/pull your weight off the bars.
While you're riding, try to flap your elbows...do the "Funky Chincken", if you can't, you're too tight on the bars.
When you flex your back, pretend there is a string pulling up on the nape of your neck, "suspending" yourself from that string.
8x on the powerball. Got one a year ago and it's a great little time waster that really helps the hands/forearms after typeing all day.
Yea they recommend them at alot of work places here, good cure for RSI. Hehe 8k, i challange you to reach 9k in two weeks time :thumb:
1 more on relax your grip ,also potassium (BANANAS) helps
after taking the scooter around town for a week, and at the same time staying off of the motorcycle, i've come to the conclusion that i was indeed riding incorrectly! the chicken dance is the best tester ever! i keep checking my grip and how much weight i'm putting on my arms, the chicken dance is impossible the way i was previously riding! thanks a lot for all of the posts. started riding again today and feels great, especially riding correctly. thanks again!
J
Quote from: ifeenan on June 13, 2006, 06:52:53 PM
the chicken dance is the best tester ever! i keep checking my grip and how much weight i'm putting on my arms, the chicken dance is impossible the way i was previously riding!
You do the chicken dance on your bike? :dunno_white:
Anyone ever ridden home after chest & triceps day at the gym? Man, it's honestly hard to operate the bike after that. I can barely keep them high enough to hold the bars.
Muscle...tear...pain....ow...bars so...high... can't reach...
Bit like that?
Yeah, that pretty much sums up my 25 minute ride on the way home. My workplace has a very nice gym, and I live 15 miles away, so once or twice a week I probably look like a mutant going down the road because of the way I'm sitting.
Quote from: Kasumi on June 08, 2006, 12:05:12 PM
Yep :) they are excellent, it should come with a cord, which might be doubling up as the wrist strap, it slots in and winds round like a spinning top so you can get it going.
It finally came! And holy cow it's a good workout... The thing's a blast! Well worth the money. By the way, I think the website www.powerballs.com is the same manufacturer, just a bit more helpful site ;) Definitely recommend these suckers to anyone looking for some arm muscle!
Hehe excellent! We should start a thread to see what your top score is :)
Just get yourself a [THROTTLE ROCKER] ABOOT $10.00 and this should solve your problem it did for me bro. This item lets you relax your grip and let the palm of your hand do all the work. CHEERS!