Numb thumb???????

[Fuzzzyman]

Went for my first real ride over the weekend, 200 miles plus. The only problem was my throttle side thumb would go numb and get sore. How can I fix this???

1. Cruise control? One of the vista 20 buck throttle lock types. Flip it on to get a rest. Buddy had one on, it pinched on the grip and messed with his throttle control, made it kinda stiff.

2. Cold start lever? Did this a couple times but spent more time looking down and messing with it trying to get a constant speed.

3. New grips? Read on this board its a real mother to get stock ones off and new ones on.

4. Gel gloves? Loose protection if I go down.

Any Idea's

Thanks

Fuzz

[Ricky J]

Good God if there's something that pisses me off about a motorcycle it's having hands fall asleep. Especially that right one which not only controls the throttle but also the front brake! My Mille's never been a problem for that, even on long days of four or five hundred miles, but the Futura I own has been a habitual offender! Stuff like that can be hard to pin down. Make sure the motor's in a good state of tune and that the throttlebodies are properly synched (mixtures AND airflow). Check engine mount bolts torqued. It's all good you say? There are ergonomic issues like overly tight gloves or putting too much weight on the bars that can exacerbate the vibration and numbness problem. I swapped grips on the RST and it didn't get me much improvement. Kinda frustrating! But a couple things did help recently: I noticed that the bar end weight was kinda wobbly even though the bolt was tight. I put a rubber O-ring inside the weight where it attaches to the bar
and this reduced the looseness and vibration went down. Obviously this loose part was being excited by the machine's overall vibration. Wanna totally kill the vibes? Grab some self-adhesive tire weights and put 'em on the bar end. Ugly as hell but vibration amplitude goes nearly to zero. It's the interim solution for me, I will have a buddy machine a washer made of densalloy (super dense metal used in balancing weights for rotating equipment like turbines) and insert it into the bar end. Stuff like numb hands can often be not just one thing but a combination of a few. Experimentation time!

[Fuzzzyman]

Ricky,

How about putting the tire weights inside the bar ends like you are planning on doing with the washer?

Have your buddy make an extra washer, I'll send you cash, beer, first born, wife(throw in the inlaws for free) Within reason, don't want to buy a 300 dollar washer.

Thanks

Fuzz

[TKDMitch]

First thing to check is the lever angles. Your clutch and brake levers should point downwards such that when you're on the bike your wrist isn't bent back upwards to get your fingers up to the levers, especially if you ride in traffic covering the front brake.

Milles aren't normally too bad but Japanese stuff often has the levers pointing at the sky.

Are you holding the throttle with the crook of thumb and forefinger or have you got your little finger and ring finger wrapped around too? This latter should help (middle finger resting on lever to cover brakes as mentioned).

Otherwise tight gloves/loose weights etc as mentioned.

Hope you work it out!

Mitch

[Kobie]

One of the things listed as a change on the ' 03's was improved bar end weights for less vibration.
Has anyone tried them and are they available for purchase?

[Kam]

I experienced this at first with the milleR, but seem to have grown out of it. ??? Sometimes the hand gets a little numb for a short period, but then wakes up. Try shakin' out whenever possible. Helibars might also help, but I don't have them. Never had it with the tuonoR. Be careful relocating the controls. I found the controls on the tuono a little flat and when relocating them snapped one of the bolts right off! Feels good now though.

[Smoke Eater 41]

No snappy comments about this one, huh?

I won't either. I've never had a problem with my Mille. Its very smooth.

[apriliarsvr]

I would have to agree with TKDMitch. You want a straight line from your forearm through to the fingers. Anytime you angle the wrist up your asking for problems. Keep your elbows tucked in as well. The other thing to look at is the angle that the bars are pitched/angled backwards. Look at your arm down through your wrist. Does the wrist/hand curve off to the right when on the bars? Adjust to fix. Helibars help in this matter. If you've got death grip problems just wiggle your elbows backnforth while riding and you'll feel the tension drain from your shoulders and hands.

Chuck B
Arizona
00 Aprilia Mille "R" - Stage 1
99 K1200LTC

[Louge]

Fuzz,

In preparation for a lengthy weekend trip I loaded the clip-ons with bulk fishing weights from Sports Authority. Buy the biggest OD that will fit. I only got several ounces into each but it helped. Total cost only a dollar or so.

On the other end of the spectrum I bought plastic barends for track use. These shaved a half pound or so off the bike and transmitted every bit of the bike's high frequency vibrations.
I removed 'em after one ride.

Like many my levers were too high. I spent some time making modest adjustments with relaxed arms on the track stand. I ended up with a straight line from the ulna/radius through the carpals/metacarpals. This made a considerable difference.

Lou
00 RSV-R

[RSVR 02]

I'm glad I'm not the only one! Was thinking about posting a question similar to this. My whole right hand goes numb. Was thinking of adjusting the clutch and brake lever to give them the right angle but now I will check the bar end weights also, maybe even find a way to add weight. I think I'll give someone a call about the 2003 bar end weights to see if there is a difference.

Mark