Pain in the Neck... and shoulders

[StraffordBMW]

Hi all. I'm new to BMW motorcycles. Coming from cruisers, the riding position of my 1200RT is a bit different than I'm used to. I have over 5000 miles on my RT but can't seem to ride it comfortably. My neck & shoulders are in continuous pain (I ride daily) that I never experienced on my past bikes. I've read articles in this fine Forum on body position and try to maintain the correct posture. I've installed step-back bar risers as well (anyone ever stack risers to bring the bars back further?). However, the pain persists.

 

Is there anyone out there who has experienced a similar problem that has been able to work through it? Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated as I love the performance of this machine. I'd hate to have to step back to the cruiser world.

 

BTW- I'm 5'7", not sure but maybe the RT is too big for me.

 

Thanks in advance, Ken.

[Firefight911]

It can be a common issue.

 

Grab a beer and read this link for Master Yoda's Riding Position.

 

It takes a bit of practice but the results should help alleviate your problem.

 

LINKY

[SageRider]

Wind backpressure against the head / helmet, typically caused by riding with the windshield raised too high, can also cause neck and shoulder pain.

[Tony_K]

+1 to what Phil said. Read Dick's post

Relieve the upper body tention by using your legs.

The only tention I ever get is a slight shoulder issue on my left side.

Turn on Yoda's advice and it goes away.

 

Keeping upper body loose will keep you going many miles. Also as Mike said if your fighting head buffeting rethink your screen position or a change out to another. Some helmets are better than others at reducing buff also.

 

You'll get it sorted out I promise!

[Ben_Ricci]

Grab a beer and read this link for Master Yoda's Riding Position.

 

"Grab a few beers ..."

 

Great information (but a lot of words) .

[ShovelStrokeEd]

I think you are going to have some work ahead of you for even the MYRP to be of much help.

 

My first question would be how are you reaching the bars? Second is where are your feet in relation to your knees? Third would relate to the first and requires some input from you. Sitting on the bike with your eyes closed, reach forward and place your hands atop the grips while maintaining your natural head and neck position as if you were sitting straight up. Then open your eyes and see where you are looking. Answer those and I might be able to offer you some suggestions as to how to modify the bike to fit you and how to work on your seating position to gain maximum benefit and minimum pain.

[drzep]

Any words of wisdom would be greatly appreciated as I love the performance of this machine.

Ibuprofen 600 mg every 4 hours. Don't exceed 3 g/day and call your doc if your poop turns black and your stomach aches.

[keithb]

You may need to change the seat and possibly add bar risers, barbacks, or both. The seat on the 1200 RT is notoriously bad and has been called a "torture rack" by one of our members. Some can tolerate the seat but most of us cannot. The original seat on my bike hurt my back and shoulders so I changed it. I have a Corbin on it now and it is definitely better than stock for sure. The RT is one great machine.

[Mr_Ed]

You're getting plenty of advice to read about the proper riding position but maybe you need a fresh perspective. Have multiple pictures taken of you sitting and riding. Study the pictures and see if you pick up on any details that might help you out. Wrist, Elbow, Shoulder, Head and Leg positions from those photos might help you figure out what to adjust. You could always post some pics here on the board and let the peanut gallery comment as well.

[Paul Mihalka]

A simplification of the MYRP: Lean a bit forward and make sure your elbows are ALWAYS a bit loose.

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Paul is right but missed a key point, you MUST bend at the hips, not at the waist. There is a good chance you are not doing this and that is the source of your neck and shoulder pain. If you are bending at the waist, it will force your head and neck into such a position that you will have to raise your head to see very far in front of you. Your neck muscles will quickly fatigue from doing that and transfer some of the load to your shoulders (think trapezeius muscle). Bending at the hips will allow you to maintain a more normal back and neck position and greatly reduce the fatigue.

 

If the pain in the shoulders is more in the anterior portion of the deltoid muscles it is cause you are trying to support your upper body with your arms and hands. Again, this could be cause you are bending at the waist and thus not using your core muscles to support your torso.

 

One of the things that may help you with all this is to relocate the foot pegs. Given your height, I'd say about 1/2" further back and an equal amount higher. Not a trivial job but, it can make all the difference in the seating position. The BMW seat is no where near as bad as most people make it out to be. Trouble is, most folks want to sit on their a$$ and not use the seat as it was designed. With proper peg location and good posture on the bike, most of your weight should be on the backs of your thighs and not on your sit bones. You can try a little experiment and ride with the balls of your feet on the pegs rather than hooking your heels on them. Betcha it makes a pretty big difference. It also doesn't take very long to retrain yourself to move your feet to shift and use the rear brake pedal.

 

BTW, if you do try the revised seating, you are gonna want to ditch the tighty whities. The leg seam will become a torture device in 100 miles. Need to go with boxers or boxer briefs.

[TwoStep]

I have a very similar story. I bought an R1150RT last March. It's not my first bike but it's been 25 years since the last one & I'm relearning how to ride. I'm 54. Had similar pains (and doubts) from riding when I started. However I'm doing my best to use the "Master Yoda" advice and I can testify that it works.

 

I think the key is to use your lower body, your back, & your legs to keep solid contact with the bike. Instead of just "sitting" on it I try to feel like I'm wearing it like a pair of pants. I keep the weight off my arms & shoulders this way, and I can honestly say it makes for a more enjoyable ride (and longer too). It also helps me to keep my concentration on what I'm doing so I don't start daydreaming.

 

So I belive you should practice this riding position every time you take a ride. Think about the weight on your hands, arms, and shoulders as you ride. If you feel anything other than a slight pressure in your hands on your handgrips then you're probably not using your larger muscles in your waist & legs. When I feel that weight in my hands I refocus & get back into the correct position.

 

I'm still working on it to make it an automatic habit. But it does work. Also I've started a good exercise program concentrating on my mid-drift, back, & legs. That's helping too. Good luck with the bike & the weather.

[StraffordBMW]

Wow, Thanks for all the great advice!

 

Step 1 Complete- Have a beer in hand, Magic Hat Summer Mystery Beer, local beer to Vermont. Shoulders/neck feeling better already. You guys are good!

 

I think I have short arms. Seems like any bike I've had requires bar setbacks to be comfortable. I have already installed barback/risers on the RT. I'm actually considering adding another set stacked on the first. This will likely require rerouting cables though, so I want to save this as a last resort.

 

When I reach my arms out while keeping torso straight upright, only my finger tips touch the grips. Gripping requires leaning forward or rolling the shoulders forward (bad). I do need to get better at bending at the hips… Can a bent forward position really become a comfortable riding position?

 

I think all this advice is right, exercise, riding position/bending at the hips, photo analysis, etc. I know that the Beer advice is straight on!

[10ovr]

I had back pains till I got rid of the stock seat,,Put a Sargent seat on the 1200rt ,no more pain,all so lower foot pigs help me,Did a 800 mile trip home last sat.Felt great at the end..

[ShovelStrokeEd]

Take a look at my avatar, I rode that bike 2500 miles in 2.5 days to go riding with a few close friends for 2 days and then turned around and rode home. I now ride something with a slightly more leaned forward position (Honda Blackbird) and 600 to 800 mile days are not uncomfortable. BTW, I just turned 65 so, if these old bones can take it yours certainly can.

 

It really is about getting into an anatomically correct position and that might mean customizing your bike a bit, but it is more about learning how to sit properly on the bike.

 

Since beer appeals to you, leave the bike at home and go practice on a bar stool. Put your feet on the rungs of the stool such that your heels are under your butt, sit straight up and then roll forward at the hips till your arms are parallel with the top of the bar. Notice that your head is still erect and that you don't need (yet) your arms to support your upper body. You can also drink in this position. Now try and do the same thing by bending at the waist. Hmmmm, head is down and you have to tilt it way back to drink your beer. Not good and inefficient for consumption. Of course, eventually, your head will contact the bar anyway and then its time to call a cab and go home.

[Miriam]

I have already installed barback/risers on the RT. I'm actually considering adding another set stacked on the first.

Maybe coming from a very different type of bike your body also just needs some time to adjust. My guess is the more you try to make the RT sit as if on a cruiser (more barbacks) the longer it will take for your muscles to assume their new (and for this bike correct) position.

 

My tip would be to even remove the barbacks you currently have installed and really give yourself the opportunity to do the whole MYRP and nothing but the MYRP. I’m a 5.5 female and have been riding around happily on my 1150RT for 2.5 years and over 50K kilometres without any neck or shoulder pain. My weakness is keeping pressure on my feet and legs and suffer some back pain (between the shoulder blades) when I let slip for a while. This has been the case with every bike I’ve owned. It’s completely gone if I keep my weight on my legs and don’t push or pull on the handle bars to keep myself MYRPed.

 

My experience is to adjust all you can on you before making any adjustments to the bike for the best outcome, especially when combined with as many weekly visits to your local gym as possible. Oils all your joints and muscles.

 

[Charles Elms]

Since beer appeals to you, leave the bike at home and go practice on a bar stool. Put your feet on the rungs of the stool such that your heels are under your butt, sit straight up and then roll forward at the hips till your arms are parallel with the top of the bar. Notice that your head is still erect and that you don't need (yet) your arms to support your upper body. You can also drink in this position. Now try and do the same thing by bending at the waist. Hmmmm, head is down and you have to tilt it way back to drink your beer. Not good and inefficient for consumption. Of course, eventually, your head will contact the bar anyway and then its time to call a cab and go home.

 

Hi Dear,

I'm going to be a little late coming home from work today. I have to practice my "Master Yoda Riding Position". See you later. Don't wait up.

 

Love this forum

[AviP]

I have put in consecutive 1000 mile days and have had no problem with my arms, legs or butt other than a slightly stiffness when I dismount.

 

I am meticulous in my riding style. On highways I ride about 8 miles over the speed limit or more in the wide-open midwest. I ride for about 96 minutes and take a break of about 24 minutes. That works out to an 80-20 ride-rest percentage. I continue that process all day long. Depending on the geographic location, that evaluates to a 14-17 hour riding day.

 

I do have a 32" inseam and 34" sleeves. But I am only 5'9" tall so that makes me the missing link.

[TampaJim]

I too had the neck/shoulder pains when I got my RT three years ago. tried all the remedies, including lots of Advil.

The thing that gave the best (but temporary) relief was a portable rechargeable massager I got at Brookstone's at the mall. (No it was not one of those that is avalable at the local "adult" store). Got so I could pull it out of the tank bag and apply it to my neck and shoulders while moving.

 

The neck pains eventually went away after six months only to be replaced by knee pains that got progressively worse and caused me to give up the RT. Have had two new bikes (cruisers) since and got neck pains with both that went away after a few weeks.

[StraffordBMW]

Thanks for the input Jim. Sorry you had to give up the RT. I'm working on my riding technique hoping I don't end up moving back to cruisers. Any thoughts as to what caused the pain to go away after such a long time?

[TampaJim]

I attribute my problems to age (64) and the fact that I need to keep moving things or I stiffen up. The RT just did not provide enough opportunity to change position. After a few hours of the same set, the old muscles want to lock up. The little massager would loosen me up enough to get through an entire day.

 

That said, I also believe that the muscles adapt and in the case of the RT, it just took a little longer because riding position is different than what I was used to.

 

The knee problem was different--It was more in the joints.

[shatzbot10]

DO NOT TAKE THIS ADVICE!! Don't wear a 4lb helmit. I'm 5'7"; wt 156 lbs; 66y/o and ride 1200RT with stock seat. Never had a neck/shoulder problem, even after 700mi days, until I rode w/helmit 300mi one day on unfamiliar roads. I'm POSITIVE the weight of the helmit is what's causing your discomfort. I noticed that adjusting the windscreen to allow the wind hit part of the top of the helmit helped take the pressure/wt off. REPEAT: DO NOT TAKE THIS ADVICE! other than to recognize the source of your pain.

[ChrisM]

I attribute my problems to age (64) and the fact that I need to keep moving things or I stiffen up. The RT just did not provide enough opportunity to change position. After a few hours of the same set, the old muscles want to lock up. The little massager would loosen me up enough to get through an entire day.

 

 

I'm also 64 years old, and beat the hell out of myself over the years...arthritis lots of places, old rotator cuff injuries, damaged knees. At this point I just view pain as the price of having had a swell time, and if the road is good, I still don't mind a 500 mile day, or even a series of them. I may look pretty pathetic climbing on and off the bike, but it still dances with me when we're moving.

[Sidmariner]

I Yoda

He Yoda's

They Yoda

We Yoda

 

Is the past tense of I Yoda "I Yodelled"?

 

Well, I yodelled; I wedged my seat up; I added bar-backs; I removed bar-backs; I replaced the seat; I removed the wedges; I used a back-rest; I removed the back-rest; I balanced on my toes and I dangled my toes; I bent at my waist and bent at my hips; I raised my seat and I lowered my seat; I lowered my windshield and I raised my windshield; stuck my helmet in the wind and pulled it back out; swallowed Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Robaxicet and Aspirin; practiced Tai Chi, chi Gong, Shiatsu and Yoga; wore neck warmers; wore head coolers; wore full face, no face and flip-front helmets; tried the little bars on my RS and rototiller handles on my LT; sat on gel pads and sat on blankets; wore cotton, polypropelene, spandex, lycra and wool; did squats and crunches, pull-ups and push-ups. I hydrated and gyrated and still....I have the same back aches you do.

 

The only thing that helps me is this: ride no more than an hour before taking a stretch, use a throttle lock and ride with one hand when able, and bend elbows always.

 

We're getting old. Everything starts to ache in time.

 

[Bullett]

I had mine (neck and shoulder pain)before I started riding again. I actually think my aches and pains are getting better the more I ride and the less I sit at my desk

 

The only thing that provides relief is exercise. I guess I should get up and go work out

 

Later.