Hand going numb cure?

[basmntdweller]

i have finally solved my "hand going numb" problem.  during the coarse of solving it, i tried many things which helped somewhat: BMW hand grips, bar risers, and gel pad gloves.  The final solution was Phil's (Murph's) wedges.  I went for a 5 hour ride on Saturday and can report NO hand numbness.  YMMV

ken

So, are you back to using only the wedges with everything else back to stock?

My hands get the numbness in a very short time on my V-Strom and used to on my dirt bike. I bent up a cheap set of handlebars for the dirt bike, bending the grip area down and rotated forward. That fixed the issue 100% on the dirt. I tried tweaking the bars on my V-Strom but they wouldn't bend without a whole lot more pressure than the dirt bike bars so I stopped on them. My Connie is much better than the Strom but I still get it. I have been trying the foam sleeves over the grips but that makes it too fat to feel right. I will give them another week before I make the decision to cut them off, but I am leaning that way now. Murph's Wedges will most likely be my next test.
I forgot to mention, I get the numbness no matter what speed I run.

Matt

[Kazairl]

You could try the Throttlemiester throttle lock as well. It replaces the bar ends with their "heavy" version that is supposed to tame the buzz a little. I didn't weigh the old bar ends and the throttlemiester bar ends to see if their is much of a difference however.

[koval68]

We've had a thread on this topic on the "old forum", and if I remember correctly, someone has added a flat washer between the handle bars and a bar-end weights, significantly reducing vibrations.....fyi.
Personally, I've seen a major improvement after re-tightening the header nuts on my bike.However, vibrations never been a major issue on my bike.

[maxtog]

i have finally solved my "hand going numb" problem.  during the coarse of solving it, i tried many things which helped somewhat: BMW hand grips, bar risers, and gel pad gloves.  The final solution was Phil's (Murph's) wedges.

+1

My combination was Heli risers, Phil's/Murphs wedges, and grip puppies.  Fortunately, I have never had the surgery- I know quite a few people with failed surgeries    Most of my problems stemmed from endless hours of keyboarding my whole life.

Anyway, I don't feel much vibration from the C14 at all (certainly not compared to my last bike, a ZRX).  But I am also rarely going 80+.  My problems just stem from the gripping action and position, over time.

That glove thing (nerve protection) seems interesting.

[VirginiaJim]

We've had a thread on this topic on the "old forum", and if I remember correctly, someone has added a flat washer between the handle bars and a bar-end weights, significantly reducing vibrations.....fyi.
Personally, I've seen a major improvement after re-tightening the header nuts on my bike.However, vibrations never been a major issue on my bike.

I believe that was Martin...

[JamminJere]

I've  found that making sure that your jacket wrist cuffs aren't too tight, the same for your  gloves Velcro wrist bands.. Also, concentrate on keeping the wrists straight, not bent back with minimal body weight on the hands, using your core muscles to help hold your weight off your hands..

Not a cure all.. But all that plus a throttle lock has gotten me thru close to 70,000 miles on my Connie with the stock bars.. No risers, wedges.. Washers

YMMV

JJ

[tonedeaf]

I find that it means I am getting close to needing an oil change. I feel far more hand-numbing vibrations starting at about 2,500 miles on an oil change.

[redbarber]

I have trouble with my hands and wrists too.  I've got risers, wedges, grip puppies, BMW grips, so far nothing has completely resolved the issue.  My current working theory is that the grip angle is too far toward the rear.  In other words, my natural hand position, when I just let them fall onto the grip, is straighter than the grip, forcing me to rotate my wrist outward on both sides to line up.  The result is that I end up with my carpal nerve bearing weight and the "heel" of my hand getting tired and sore.  I've already had the C-T surgery years ago, so that's not an option now.
I decided to experiment, and I can't tell you yet how it's going to work out.  I picked up a spare set of bars on eBay, and they are at the machine shop right now getting modified.  When I get them back, there will be an 8 degree angle forward where they come out of the upright.   My wooden mock-ups indicate that 8 degrees is the amount of change I would need to have my hand fall naturally on the grip in the correct position for me. 
They are going to cut the bars off, between the upright and the brake/clutch lever, at a 4 degree angle.  Then rotate one part of the bar 180 degrees, and weld it back up.  They're going to cut a pretty deep bevel into the weld and run 2 or three beads around for maximum strength, but they warned me that it still might not be as strong as before.  Definitely strong enough to steer the bike, but possibly not strong enough if the bike fell and had to be lifted up by the handlebar alone.   We are already in discussions about reproducing the entire bar, with the 8 degree bend, in steel.  That's going to cost more so I'm waiting to see if the angle "correction" pleases me. 
While I understand that steel would weigh roughly 3 times as much as the stock bars, one possible advantage is that they would act like the biggest set of bar-end weights ever produced.  Might cut vibration down even more! 
Since I got the seat perfected, the bars are the only issue left I haven't been able to resolve.  Should have them back on Thursday, then we'll see.

[kennqc]

No i am still running with all the changes.  personally i really like the bmw grips and at ~$12 would do them anyway.  Also, given a pretty reasonable price, i would try the wedges before spending the money on the risers.  almost all of the suggestions i read here are reasonable and the solution may very well be a little of all of them.  I am also a carpal tunnel syndrome guy from years banging out cement panels followed by even more years at a keyboard.

ken

So, are you back to using only the wedges with everything else back to stock?

My hands get the numbness in a very short time on my V-Strom and used to on my dirt bike. I bent up a cheap set of handlebars for the dirt bike, bending the grip area down and rotated forward. That fixed the issue 100% on the dirt. I tried tweaking the bars on my V-Strom but they wouldn't bend without a whole lot more pressure than the dirt bike bars so I stopped on them. My Connie is much better than the Strom but I still get it. I have been trying the foam sleeves over the grips but that makes it too fat to feel right. I will give them another week before I make the decision to cut them off, but I am leaning that way now. Murph's Wedges will most likely be my next test.
I forgot to mention, I get the numbness no matter what speed I run.

Matt

[Tremainiac]

Just ordered the wedges. 
I'll let you know how it works out once I have them installed.

[wally_games]

I also ordered wedges over the weekend and am just waiting for them to arrive. (Is there a secret to removing those plastic plugs without marring them?)

I'm very intrigued by redbarber's observation about the angle of the grips. I noticed the same thing right after I bought the bike. Sometimes I rotate my hand outward (releasing the little fingers some) and grip tighter with my index finger. This seems to help, but a "bent" or "remanufactured" bar with a 6-8 degree outward angle sounds like a very good idea. (I think I mentioned potentially bending the bars either earlier in this thread or in another one on this subject.)

redbarber, if your idea works, I'd be VERY interested in where you got an extra set of bars (and how much) so I could get them modified the same way.

[JamminJere]

I'm not sure what state you live in.... But in PA, it is against DOT inspection laws to have modified welded handlebars on your motorcycle. Only the factory welds are permissible.


Besides that, wouldn't it suck to counter steer hard in an S bend turn or have to do a panic stop on a bumpy road and have one snap off in your hand??   It may cure your numb hands permanently!

Good luck with that

JJ

[Conrad]

snip...

I'm not sure what state you live in.... But in PA, it is against DOT inspection laws to have modified welded handlebars on your motorcycle. Only the factory welds are permissible.

JJ

Here in Illinois it's against the law to have ape hangers higher than your shoulders, that doesn't stop 'em though.   

[JamminJere]

Oh they have apehangers here too, and lots of other illegal things...  I was thinking more from an insurance company stand point..   I'm sorry mr. Redbarber, we won't be able to cover your crash damage claim, since your handlebars snapped off from a modification and caused the crash..  All for a 6-8 degrees of handlebar improvement?   Pahleeze.

JJ

[wally_games]

I'm not really advocating doing welded handlebars, but my company performs welds on things much more highly stressed than these handlebars. If our welds fail, people die. Lots of them. I'm pretty sure that we can get some of these handlebars welded well enough to hold up. Just saying.

Having said that, I'd prefer to have some bars machined with that angle incorporated. Or, have some barstock formed/bent and then probably heat treated. Just to be safe. I really do believe that making the two grips more parallel to each other will reduce part of the hand/wrist problems that many (including me) are experiencing. That is the conclusion that I've come to through my experimenting with hand position on the stock setup.

And is there any chance you could be doing that S-bend curve with those high-dollar adjustable bars and have one of the joints slip?

We see "illegal" stuff on bikes all the time and they must have been past the DOT inspections. I really doubt that they'd notice if there bars were slightly angled. And if you don't believe that 6 or 8 degrees can make a difference, then how come a 6 degree change by using the wedges is supposedly helping so much?

[JamminJere]

If changing your handlebars makes the difference for you, and your company is that good with cast alloy aluminum welding, and you are willing to take that chance... You go right ahead and do it, it's your bike, life, etc.

I'm sorry to get your shorts in a knot, I just don't think that talking about cutting and reangleing/rewelding handlebars on a website is the safest thing to do?..   Risers, wedges, all that stuff is pretty harmless in comparison.  But then again, it's your right to talk about doing it as much as it is mine to disagree with it.. 

Good luck with it.

JJ

[redbarber]

JamminJerre,
I am touched by your level of concern.  I'll surely take your thoughts into mind.  That being said, the handlebars are not cast aluminum, they are forged 6061 alloy and very strong.  Much stronger than the cast aluminum uprights they are connected to.  The fabrication shop I'm using is very capable of welding (2 or 3 beads), stronger than I personally can push or pull.    Still, I'm cognizant of the possibility of weakness, which is why I am already in negotiations to have them duplicated in solid steel.  Until I try riding the bike for a few hours with the modified angle, I'll have no idea whether or not it's something I want to spend additional funds to make stronger.  If the change doesn't help, I'm out less than $90.  If it works, I'll decide what to do next.  The $469 and $700 options are just not in my price range. 

[JamminJere]

Red,

My apology for either miss-reading or miss-understanding your original post. Somehow I missed the fact that you were modifying the actual bar 6-8 degrees and thought you were indeed cutting and re welding the alloy upright. 

Possibly due to the three Stella Artois lagers I procured after an exceptionally difficult day at work.

Let's resume our previously interesting thread, now that I've got that vision of someone trying to successfully Tig-weld an alloy upright out of my sobering mind

JJ

[wally_games]

Didn't mean to come off like my drawers were in a wad. I thought you understood that we were talking about the straight round-bar ends and not the cast uprights. Redbarber mentioned possibly even using 3x heavier steel bars. Talk about bar end weights!!

Red, keep us posted.

[redbarber]

Red,

... now that I've got that vision of someone trying to successfully Tig-weld an alloy upright out of my sobering mind

JJ

Thanks for that acknowledgement.  I found it interesting, because on the "old" forum, someone had posted how they had cut and welded their uprights to lower the bars for a more "sport bike" riding position.  Even then I thought that was pretty risky.   Still, I am a little uneasy about the welded aluminum bars, and am still thinking about going with the heavier steel.  He proposes making it from a single piece of 7/8" round cold-rolled steel. Then drilling the holes and threading them using a lathe.  Finally, he would heat and bend the bars for the 8 degree angle.  Once mounted on the bike, I'll drill the holes for the pin and switches.  We haven't got a price set yet, but I'm expecting it to be 200 or so for both bars.  If successful, I'm sure they could be made with any angle from 2 to 12 degrees.  Not being pre-drilled for the pins would allow the owner to position the bars exactly where wanted, then drill.  The angle might be straight ahead, slightly up, or slightly down.  I might be able to remove the wedges, who knows?

I've put over 18k miles on the bike since June 2010, and every mile was uncomfortable for my hands and wrists.  I don't know if this will be the answer, but I have to keep trying.  This bike is just too fantastic to give up on it.