| Author | Message | ||
     Svh |
Well the wife and I went on a nice 500 mile trip this weekend and my right hand continues to get vibed to numbness. I have the HVMP bar ends and have checked all the exhaust connections. Any other ideas? Every 30 min or so I have to release the grip and stretch sometimes even shake my hand out. Any one ever use the liquid bar snake? I hope to have it figured out by June as that is my next decent length trip. Thanks Sam | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
I suggest you make a conscious effort to not grip the throttle so tightly. My second suggestion is to buy a crampbuster or throttle rocker. Either of these represent the best $10 I've ever spent for any motorcycle accesory. I would not suggest using the liquid bar snake. Another thing to consider is sitting on the bike and approximating as best as you can you're normal riding posture, and then adjusting the handlebars back or forward so your elbows are bent and your wrist is in line with your forearm. | ||
| Sanjuro |
+1 on what Johnny said plus adding Grip Puppies. Huge improvement. | ||
| Chrisrogers3 |
Definitely get the crampbuster the aftermarket buell grips also are great. Rox risers are amazing One thing I did that seemed to help me a lot was to pump the handlebars full of silicone. I can actually make out vehicles in my mirrors now lol. I have done 700 mile days with that setup above and have had no issues with numb hands anymore. | ||
| Joesbuell |
What they said  I have a rocker on my Uly makes a huge difference! | ||
| Thetable |
Every time I've had numbness in my hands I have found I have a death grip on the bars and/or locked elbows. I've found that riding with two fingers on the brake and clutch levers forces me to loosen my grip enough that it has become a non issue. Failing that, there was someone on ADVrider selling some kind of active bar vibration damper snake oil. The theory on the things sort of made sense to me, but the reviews on them that I've read are all excellent. I haven't tried them myself, and probably won't as I see them interfering with the soon to be ordered Throttlemeister. | ||
| Okc99 |
Personally, this is the only bike where I can hold the throttle for hours on end with no ill effects. Just enough resistance to not need cruise control. | ||
| Skinstains |
Liquid Bar Snake sucks a bag of richards ! I use a cruise control /bar end weight on my Uly and always keep one finger on the brake lever. I use the throttle rocker / crampbuster on my Bolts and do pretty well like that. | ||
| Ourdee |
shift down a gear. keep moving your fingers. | ||
| Ft_bstrd |
I'd bet you are cruising with the RPMs between 2500 and 3500. This is the loping speed for the engine, but it's also the speed at which the engine slings the greatest vibrations through the bike and bars. Oddly, the XB engine is smoother the faster you spin it. | ||
| Svh |
I made a very deliberate effort to not grip tightly and never went into 5th gear. Tried the fingers off the grip and that helped for a little while. Crampbuster doesn't seem to help. Should have put all that in the first post I guess. May try the silicone idea. Could it be a loose throttle sleeve? | ||
| Rotorhead |
Have you checked your front mount? Even a small tear in the mount at the cruise speed will send a vib up the bars around the 3400 RPM range. | ||
| Conchop |
Been there big time! The buzz is terrible, just like they say, at 2500 to 3000 RPM. I've got the weights, silicone, halfed grip puppies, and the damn ting is still like holding on to an old beat up lawn mower. Keep the RPM up. CHECK THE PRIMARY CHAIN - set it tight to spec. I think the bulk of this issue is the computer AFV going lean after the engine is totally up to temperature. Starts a primary chain whip. Old Harleys are like that too. I'm going to the rox risers and the XB9 primary gearing as soon as I get the funds up. MORE MONEY - YIPPEE! EARN IT AND BURN IT! | ||
| Thetable |
Vibranator is the snake oil I was thinking about. (Message edited by thetable on May 06, 2009) | ||
| Svh |
I do think my bike runs on the lean side. From other discussions on here if your pipes are turning blue that means you are running lean correct? Mine are blue almost all the way to the point that they meet up. 5in of bright red pipe if I let it idle at night. I am not sure how to check the mount but I will look it over when I get home. Primary chain tension I will check also. Thank you all for your help. | ||
| Etennuly |
I'm with Rotorhead. Have you checked your front engine isolator? Has it ever been replaced? My '06 has eaten three of them so far. About 8500 miles each. | ||
| Ejc |
I put the regular,(not liquid), bar snake in. It worked. My fingers both right and left hand would get numb prior to the installation, especially on cooler days. Now that does not occur. A Throttle Boss,(recommended), helps more for fatigue than anything else. | ||
| Dr_greg |
I'll add another bit of advice: I have a similar setup (Traction grips, HVMP barends) and I was also experiencing some RH numbness. I got an enormous improvement with a simple change in wrist position... ...I've done a a lot of dirt riding, where you commonly "overgrip" the throttle. I think I was unconsciously doing that on the Uly. So I simply lowered my wrist a small amount, and the numbness virtually went away. Just my $0.02 --Doc | ||
| Jphish |
Bar risers allow a more upright position and takes the weight off your hands(1" risers for me) - couple that with a cramp buster...and it makes a big difference. Both for about $50. As Dr Greg & others have suggested - be aware of your hand position. j | ||
| Blk_uly |
I also use a crampbuster great ten bucks I also stole the rubber covers from a fiber glassed handled post hole digger and forced them over the factor heated grips. no glue and the stay in place and reduce the burning of my digits when I forget to cycle them off any way my point was the cramp buster allows me to use what I affectionatly call the monkey position grip, thumbs above the bars & pushing the throttle with the ball of my palm instead of the heel. relieving the strain of gripping all together. It's easier demonstrated then explain but you'll figure it out. Dan'g no monkey clip art we gotta fix that | ||
| Royintulsa |
I almost killed myself using a throttle rocker. Now I use two hair bands, the elastic kind wedged in between the grip. They cost .10 each. | ||
| Svh |
Dr_Greg that may be part of my problem in the angle of my wrist. Coming from dirt bikes also I had to unlearn a few habits and I made sure this time to have as loose as possible grip on the throttle. I also wear gloves forgot to mention that earlier. I will take a look at my isolator my bike has about 3000 miles on it but who knows may be crap already. Thank you all again for your help. | ||
| Dr_greg |
Although some folks may not like this idea, an alternative to the various throttle gadgets is to simply disable (unhook) the return spring down at the throttle body. MUCH easier throttle, obviously. There is enough vibration (what? on a Uly?) to cause the throttle to slowly return if released. As I said, some folks may want a real spring there; I understand. --Doc | ||
| Royintulsa |
As a pilot I would agree with Dr. Greg, it is a nice feature to set the throttle full for climbing, 2300 rpms for straight and level or 1500 rpm for descent. When I learned to fly, I really wanted to work that throttle over from riding motorcycles. I think it might work really well. Good idea Dr_greg! | ||
| Skinstains |
Hey Doc, Don't you know that we will all die right soon after unhooking the return throttle cable/spring ? There is a reason our fine government decided to take the protection of all of us very seriously. Perhaps you can recant and send a letter of appology to 'the govt.' | ||
| Armymedic |
Grip puppies are great. They increase the diameter of the grip and reduce vibrations. And, they are cheap. One of the best farkles for any bike IMO. | ||
| Dr_greg |
I do find it nice to be able to briefly remove my hand from the throttle for accessing switches, pushing my glasses back up on my nose, shaking it out, etc.; after a few seconds the bike starts slowing down, so ya gotta be quick. But on long rides it does help a lot. On my '86 VFR750 with four "stiff" carburetors I had a "fin-like" throttle grip which helped. My hands are quite small, and need all the help they can get! --Doc | ||
| Johnnylunchbox |
As mentioned wrist angle is critical, and if you have the beginning of carpal tunnel syndrome the whole situation can be even worse. Might not be a bad idea to see the doc. There are many inexpensive and effective braces available. | ||
| Ulygirl |
Gotta share a surprise discovery. I also suffer from right hand numbing. Brought in all the usual suspects: HVPM bar end weights, Grip Puppies and a Throttle Rocker. All with negligible effect. Figured I needed to visit the chiropractor, as many of the nerve origins to the hands emanate from the cervical spine. Then, in yet another attempt to reduce even one more degree of heat (I'm an Arizona commuter,) I decided to install tank grips along the sides of the frame...to remove my leg from direct contact with the hot frame. The most interesting result of this farkle turned out to be the reduction of hand numbness! Apparently the grips allow me to use my legs and core muscles to hold my riding position in the seat thereby reducing pressure on my arms and hands. I can't tell you that the numbness has been totally eliminated, but it has been significantly reduced. Just thought I'd share this observation with you. I got the grip pads from TechSpec (www.techspec-usa.com) They don't make a specific set for the Uly, so I bought a general sheet (2 to a pack) made for Sport Bikes, and cut them to fit. | ||
| Cyclonedon |
Ulygirl, I saw a set of those on a 1125R and they looked good. The rider told me about them and he like them also but I havn't purchase any yet. |
