Numb Hands

[RoadWarrior68]

I'm not sure if this has been posted/asked before but here goes.

 

I've started riding again 2 years ago after absent for 12 years. So the choice is 2000 R1100RT. I was only ride around the town 30-50 miles range to get back to my riding skill until recently.

 

Now I'm doing more further distance up to 200 - 300 miles a day. (yea.. yea.. yea.. i know it's only a short distance to you iron butt rider, just watch me )

 

Anyway, I noticed that my palms become numb if i ride more than an hour. I don't feel this while riding though.

I'm riding with my gloves on. Is this normal? Is everyone experiencing this?

 

I don't remember getting this while I rode long distance on my younger days. Is this what getting old feels like

Or this is something to do with my bike or R1100RT specific?

 

Any input and/or suggestions?

 

Thanks.

Andre

[Ken H.]

How tight are you on the grips? How much upper body weight are you carrying down on your arms?

 

If a lot to either, loosen your grip around the throttle, should almost be finger tip control. Your palms themselves hardly even contacting the grips.

 

Get any weight off your arms, and by extension your wrist and palms by making sure your elbows are always bent and your upper body is being carried by your waist muscles.

 

If you thing your form fits this, then is there a vibration issue at the grips? In the whole bike? If so a tuneup including a TB sync. may be in order.

[AdventurePoser]

Hi, and welcome to the Board....

 

For me, it ment consciously relaxing my grip on the bars. I often found that on longer rides my grip would get progressively harder, which in turn cuts circulation, which leads to numbness.

 

Some riders like the gel padded gloves available at your friendly BMW bike shop, or any other well stocked dealership. For me, I found the pads too bulky, especially on the palms. However, YMMV!

 

Good luck, friend.

 

Steve

ps-Why don't you take a few minutes filling out your Bio on your home page so we can learn a bit about you? Unless you are a spy or something, which I hadn't considered...

[Bob Palin]

I have the numb hands problem despite not putting weight on my hands or gripping too tightly, I find the Olympia gel gloves do the trick. I use them for the lawn mower too...

[pokorskij]

Take a look at www.QwiNerveProtector.com. I irritated a nerve in my right hand/thumb area. I actually believe the irritation resulted from wearing some gloves that were tight around the thumb. I could barely hold on to the grips. I had to extend my thumb out straight without putting pressure on the area. The vibration would cause pain/numbness in my hand. Looked around, tried some gel gloves without success. Found this website and ordered a couple of pairs of Qwi gloves. There does not seem to be that much added padding, but the padding seems to be in just the right spots. Between these gloves and grip puppies, may hand is much better.

 

Also, as the site indicates the sizes do run on the large size. I usually wear a size large, but ordered medium and they fit just right.

[RoadWarrior68]

Well, I don't think I grip to tight. Just regular grip as far not to lose control of my bike. My arm length is 32.5" that might be the reason i put my body weight without realizing it.

 

Would a handlebar extension help? or does anyone here know a good bmw dealer that know how to extend arm?

 

I don't feel much vibration on the rest of bike itself.

Although my son as a passenger mention it to me that he felt numbness on his feet after riding about an hour with me.

 

The bike is due for 30K tune up soon. Maybe that will fix the problem? What's TB Sync btw (sorry rookie here)

 

Andre

[RoadWarrior68]

ps-Why don't you take a few minutes filling out your Bio on your home page so we can learn a bit about you? Unless you are a spy or something, which I hadn't considered...

 

how do you know that i'm a spy?

 

ok, will do. If you notice I actually sign up 2 years ago and been monitoring here and there, but never post.

To little free time before, and if I do have some I practice riding I guess

[nrp]

I had a similar problem with my 2000 R1100RT. I was able to get around it by adding a 2 cent rubber band to help hold the throttle open (i.e. a dead man's throttle). I posted it in the Av rider's website a couple of weeks ago at:

 

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=255162&highlight=unca

 

The wrong gloves will also make my hand go numb.

[Svensk]

Andre, I experienced the same problem with my R12RT when I first started riding it. After a little experimenting I discovered that the stock seat and bar positions encouraged me to lean forward onto my hands. A set of barbacks from Suburban cured the problem immediately and created a more comfortable riding position overall. On your next ride lean back a little and lift your palms about an inch off the grips. If it feels comfortable the barbacks may be the answer. They installed quickly and without other modifcations to cables.

[AviP]

When I ride my R1 (or ZX11 before it), this was a problem on long trips. The numbness is the onset of carpal tunnel syndrome. Your palms are pressing down on the grips and causing it to happen.

 

My solution was very simple and didn't require any gear. While holding the grips, I rotate my hands towards the center of the bike so that the portion of my palm in contact with the grip, is the meaty web between my thumb and index finger and NOT the outside of the palm.

 

I do the same while computer programming and have never had any numbness since.

[motoguy128]

I think my biek was built on a Monday... so it vibrates pretty good above about 3800RPM. I added some Manic Salamander bar end weights that are about 1lb each... about twice the weight of the stock bar ends. It helped quite a bit. I normally have added gel grips ot most of my motorcycles in the past, but with heated grips it's not really an option. I keep very little weight on my bars... my hands pretty much just rest there.

[RoadWarrior68]

Thanks for all inputs & suggestions.

I'll try those, next time I ride.

 

I tried riding a friend bike, a kawi zx1100, not much different on the vibration compare to mine. Given it's a different brand.

 

I don't think the bike has more vibration more than normal.

Afterall this is a bmw not a vibrator on two wheels.

 

I'm ordering corbin seats & throttlemeister few days ago should be coming anytime now.

 

I'll keep posted what are the result of my trial.

 

Andre

[NoHeat]

Heavier bar end weights and a valve/throttle-sync adjust helped me a lot.

 

I'd guess bikes don't come stock with the heavier weights because that would add to the reported dry weight of the bike. I used the heavy version of Throttlemeister, although there are surely cheaper ways of getting the same weight.

 

The valve adjust and throttle sync helped reduce the source of vibrations, while the bar weights reduced the response of the bar.

[bvaughan]

get a set of throttlemeisters and use them. when not changing speed or direction, or in heavy traffic, engage thbe throttlemeister and ride with just your proximal phalanges (the first section of your fingers from the palm) resting on but not gripping the bars.

[drzep]

I've been thinking a bit about numb hands lately because there was a post a couple months back where the OP had the same problem and subsequently, a similar discussion ensued. So now I'm just curious Andre about which part of your hands get numb. And I apologize if this is more info than your willing to offer up.

 

Is it just your fingers and if so: which digits and what part of each digit, e.g., tips, bases, palm side, back side, lateral/medial sides, etc? How about the palm or the backside of the hand - any numbness there? Any similar sensations when your not riding a bike?

[RoadWarrior68]

I'm just curious Andre about which part of your hands get numb. And I apologize if this is more info than your willing to offer up.

 

Is it just your fingers and if so: which digits and what part of each digit, e.g., tips, bases, palm side, back side, lateral/medial sides, etc? How about the palm or the backside of the hand - any numbness there? Any similar sensations when your not riding a bike?

 

It's all the palm from bases to tips of my fingers. This will last for maybe 10-15 minutes fading away.

The backside of the palm is normal.

 

I'm on keyboard & typing a lot but never have this problems.

[drzep]

Does your pinky finger get numb? Is it every finger?

[RoadWarrior68]

Does your pinky finger get numb? Is it every finger?

 

Yea, the pinky are numb as well, although it's not as much as the rest. Basically the whole palm.

[hopz]

Here's a tip for you. Go to this page:

http://www.casporttouring.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=Hand-Cont

 

scroll down to the Grip Puppies... BMW's take the small ones. Best $8.00 you will ever spend. Cured about 75 percent of the hand numbness and the Olympia Gel Gloves will do most of the rest.

 

Grip heaters still work too. Free shipping.

 

No affiliation etc... I love my grip puppies!

[RoadWarrior68]

Here's a tip for you. Go to this page:

http://www.casporttouring.com/store/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=Hand-Cont

 

scroll down to the Grip Puppies... BMW's take the small ones. Best $8.00 you will ever spend. Cured about 75 percent of the hand numbness and the Olympia Gel Gloves will do most of the rest.

 

Grip heaters still work too. Free shipping.

 

No affiliation etc... I love my grip puppies!

 

Thanks for the link. I was gonna order online, but when I look at their address actually they're not that far from I live actually. I'll just go there and get it myself.

[hopz]

Good for you- you will like them...

 

Installation tip... they say to use soapy water... yes, use a lot of really soapy water. You will think it will never go on- use lots of soapy water... you cannot use too much soapy water..

 

Did I mention the soapy water?

[notacop]

I bought a cramp buster recently, helps a lot. Don't ride gloveless and relax. A big 'O'ring on throttle helps a lot for slowing down the return on the spring, enough to sratch your nose or whatever.

Oh, yes getting older is part of it.

[Beemr69]

look into a throttle rocker

[Mike]

I think that most of the solutions have been touched upon, but I would add one more: check out the positioning of your levers/hand controls. The grips and controls can be rotated to some degree. With your hands resting on the grips, you should be able to activate the brake and clutch levers with only a minimal bend at the wrists. If you ride with your levers covered, the bend in your wrists can cause nerve aggravation that will lead to the sort of tingling you're describing.