hands falling asleep

[Barry]

So I've had this problem with every Kawasaki I've owned. My hands will fall asleep or cramp on long rides. Heavier gloves help. So do different handlebar grips. But in the end the problem remains. I prefer to use light weight gloves and the cruise control frequently. I also have a throttle lock for quick temporary relief. Any one else have similar experience?

[cushman eagle]

I have the same problem,but gloves make it worse
I think most of my problem stems from shoulders going bad,trying to change shoulder angle some helps
I have less of the issue when driving trucks or tractors.

[Barry]

Yeah. I fell off a ladder years ago and my should xrays are scary. Lots of fractures. With age discomfort seems to be increasing. I'm going to try an all day ride soon. Usually I'm only good for 1/2 day rides at the most. Time to push myself and see what happens. Cruise control in the twisties is a bad idea. So I'm trying to anticipate how to deal with my hands. Guess I will do like I used to and slow down & alternate one hand at a time on the bars.

[GrandpaDenny]

I used to have that problem until I adjust the handlebars the other day. Rode for over six hours yesterday, zero hand numbness.

[HMB Don]

I had the same problem, mine were from all of the tumbles off motorcycles when I was young. On the 1200 I installed Grap-On open foam grips, next I adjusted the handle bars not only fore and aft also in and out. I found that my right shoulder (broken collar bone) and arm didn't extend out like the left. The in and out adjustment on the right handle bar was adjust one notch in from normal. I also added a back rest that was made by Corbin to have me sit straight up (like having a 2X4 strapped to my back. For gloves I fit mine on the loose side, as I ride my hands swell. The reason I don't have highway pegs mounted on my motorcycles, when I use them I put undue pressure on my hands.

Another thing is I try to remember to relax my grip on the handle bars. One reason I always try and have no head shake or wobbles on my Voyagers either the 1200 or 1700.

Good luck Berry

[Barry]

Dennis & Don.
That is all good advice for novice vxii owners. The very first thing I do with each vxii purchase is to loosen up the handlebar clamps and the in/out adjusters. Wiggle everything around until it feels right. Minimizing any stretch to arms or pressure on the wrists. I also have a Utopia backrest and have it adjusted to put a noticeable amount of lower back pressure. This helps my degenerative disks and arthritis. I use floorboards and also have mini floorboards on the crash bars. I can rest my heels on the main boards and toes on the auxiliary. I also have a custom seat. Stopping every 2 hours to walk around & stretch helps, but still have the problem with my hands. Just wondering if others have this same issue with their hands?

[ekap1200]

I have some issues also. mostly in my shoulders. Guess I should have had more x-ray's after totaling the bike a few years ago. I changed the bar position and It has helped greatly. Senior golden year's BA HUMBUG
GENE K.

[GrandpaDenny]

BTW shoulder probs here, too. Mostly just plain worn out. Couple of rotator cuff injuries, and had the right shoulder taken apart, cleaned up, and sewn back together about 20 years ago. Adjusted the bars two clicks out. Also adjusted the controls so they are in-line with my arm, which cured the sore wrists.

[HMB Don]

Barry

That was why I did those mods to my 1200 were because of my hands going to sleep. Also I was having problems with my elbows aching in the cold off the pacific. I had been riding a 1994 Concours, which really put my hands to sleep. With no cruise control that was a bugger to ride, good thing is I was only in my late 40's. When my both hands and arms up to the elbows would go to sleep watching TV at night I went to the Doctor. Yep Carpal tunnel, I then went to my chiropractor. The Chiropractor told me is was scar tissue in my forearms. I went with the Chiropractor, it worked no cutting jus lots of pain while they broke down the scar tissue. Even now on the 1700 I find my hands go to sleep every so often.

My Concours, loaded and ready for travel.

[Steverides5]

My right will go numb sometimes. The $10 Crampbuster helps a lot. Only $10 to lose if you don't like it.

[Barry]

I put a vista cruise throttle lock on years ago when the electronic portion of the cruise control failed on the first day of a week long trip. Carl Leo fixed me up after I got home. It's nice having a choice of how to set speed control. The good news is last week I took a 400 mile ride and had absolutely no problems with my hands falling asleep!

[hank43]

Cruise control helps out a lot, but even that doesn't stop it all. I've found that on long trips, especially with no traffic, simply holding a tangerine in my left hand, and peeling it with my right hand helps a great deal. Being the slob that I am, simply tossing the peels over my right shoulder gets rid of the peels, ant at the same time, helps feed the wildlife. I'm pretty sure that a wild bird of some type in Montana appreciates my efforts.

hank

[Barry]

Hank,
June 15, 2004, 440 AM I was riding my first vxii (1993 that I'd ridden for 3 years) when I had a very bad wreck. Cruise control was on, right hand in my lap, left hand resting, not holding onto left handlebar. Hit an unknown object which resulted in a high speed wobble. I was unable to get my hands back on the bars. They were moving back and forth so fast you couldn't see them! ALWAYS, ALWAYS keep one hand holding onto one of the grips.

Lets all be safe out there.

[ekap1200]

BTW shoulder probs here, too. Mostly just plain worn out. Couple of rotator cuff injuries, and had the right shoulder taken apart, cleaned up, and sewn back together about 20 years ago. Adjusted the bars two clicks out. Also adjusted the controls so they are in-line with my arm, which cured the sore wrists.

Hi Denny, I've been riding at times in Phili, those roads will just plain wear ya out...

[GrandpaDenny]

That's how I judge if I've got enough air pressure in the front forks. If my heads-up display bounces off the dashboard on the Schuykill, then nope. True story - my phone ripped off it's velcro and landed in my lap at 60 mph. That was before I discovered that if you measure the air in the forks with the bike's weight on them, they lie!

Comments of "put progressive springs in" shall be ignored unless you have a set of springs to give me And free installation. BTW I've got her just about right. It just doesn't make sense to me that adding air makes the suspension softer! Just a little tweak more and she'll be great. I had her running around Germantown (cobblestone streets, trolley tracks, typical Philly potholes, manhole covers, etc - you know, Philly streets) earlier today with a buddy on board. I can remember being terrified to ride on Germantown Ave. when I first got her. Now, no problem at all.

Hey Gene, weather's nice this week. Up for a ride? I'm (finally) fixing Gertrude's speedometer tomorrow and then riding riding riding until I head to Florida in two weeks (tentative).

[cushman eagle]

Thank you to all who suggested adjusting the handlebars
I adjusted mine back a couple degrees today,and took a short,98 mile ride and my right hand had no numbness,and the left very minor.
Much,much better than the ride I took last week
It was so bad last week,I wondered if I could go on any more rides to rallys
Thanks again for the suggestions!

[GrandpaDenny]

You're very welcome! That's what we do here, we share our experiences and help each other out. I know this group has made my adventure with Gertrude much easier and cheaper than it would be otherwise.

[Scott-(Altoona, PA)]

If my heads-up display bounces off the dashboard on the Schuykill, ......

Hey Denny, you'd better be careful driving along the Sure'Kill expressway, Gertrude might see elephants at the zoo and want to make a sudden turn to visit them!

[ekap1200]

Hello from NJ, Loren bet your surprised just a change in handle bar location made such a change.
Denny, I'm just reading your post about a ride. Shame I missed it, would have liked to go for a ride. But, thiroid med's were a bit overdosed and the Doc. didn't see that, I have been a bit under the weather since we last spoke on the phone. I even missed ridding over the holidays.

[GrandpaDenny]

After yesterday's ride, I have come to realize that my beloved Elephant is not... she is so nimble, so speedy, so gazelle-like, that she is a Gazelefant! Rode 390 miles yesterday. 49 mpg up, mostly 3rd and 4th gear through the twisties and hills and rotten roads (part of 191 is bypassed due to a bridge being out) and traffic. 45 mpg coming back, no traffic, great roads, cruise control on. Yes, the cruise control works! The automatic volume control does, too. The only thing that doesn't work is the turn signal cancellation. She ran flawlessly, and didn't even get mad at me when I dropped her in the Wawa parking lot in Easton.

Gene, sorry to hear you haven't been feeling well. Hey if you're up to it, my buddy with the Virago (who I bought both Gertrude and Geralding from) and I are riding Friday. We were kicking around the idea of 340 to Lancaster, 30 to Breezewood. I rode part of it last week, got to York then turned around because it was pouring, I didn't have my rain suit on me, and having driven 30 in a car, I knew it wouldn't be fun on the bike in the pouring rain.