Hands Keep Falling Asleep

[Hollow]

Guys I keep reading how alot of you are riding alot of miles all at once. I am having a problem with my hands starting to tingle after a few miles and then 5 to 10mins later my hands mostly fingers go numb. Have any of you experienced this before. I want to ride more at one time but can't cause of this. I'm a new rider never rode a motorcycle before I just started a few weeks ago. Is this one of those things noobies experience and then goes away once your body get use to riding or something? Thanks

 

[lewis6681]

How tightly are you gripping the handlebars? You shouldn't be gripping them too firmly.
Also you may want to wear good riding gloves. I find that when wearing a good pair of gloves, I can ride much farther without any discomfort in the hands. Lots of guys and gals here could recommend a good pair if you need them.
I do have this happen to me as well, but only after an hour and a half or more of highway riding.

 

[Johnnylane]

I feel your pain dude. I have been diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. I think I know why and am pretty confident I can cure it without surgery, but I think I'll always have to take care of it by stretching my hands and arms.

If it's not that bicyclists fight it all the time too. Pressure on the hand puts them to sleep.

Lots of answers. Grip Puppies, Gel gloves, watch your posture to take pressure of your hands and Throttle Rockers.

 

[JeffrosFZ6]

I have the same problem with my right hand falling asleep/going numb. I got some bar risers, moved the bars at different angles and got some different gloves with more padding. Its better than it was but they still get numb after 30 minutes. Im using a "cramp buster" now and have a "throttle meister" ordered so well see how that works.:america:

 

[Zebratounge]

My throttle hand still goes numb after a about 30 minutes. I take my hand of the throttle and do the numb hand shake and it gets better.

 

[Jake]

I try to scoot close to the gas tank and sit up a bit more straight in the saddle if I'm just cruising straight. It helps to take your weight off your hands instead of leaning on them constantly. When there's twisties I'll change to a more agressive position, then when returning to the straights I revert back to cruiser mode.

After a 300+ mile day you're going to be tired regardless. I've never had my hands fall asleep though. It wouldn't hurt to do forearm/wrist stretches for a minute when you stop for gas. Might look a little funny but it's better than carpal tunnel.

Jake

 

[Hollow]

Thanks guys for the quick response. I have whats suppose to be a good pair of gloves to ride in at least thats what the dealer told me. Please feel free to comment on the pics of them. Hmmm... Could the gloves be to tight creating a restriction on the blood flow through my hands? How tight usually are your gloves suppose to be? Mine arent really that tight but when I grip the bars they do seem to get tighter. I also have recently started gripping the tank with my inner legs and knees while sitting up straighter to see if that helps any. Man this is awesome riding I hope I can figure this out so I can ride longer. My first trip on the road had a car pull out in front of me and tonight had a deer streak across the road infront me. I admit its scary but I love the riding experience. I'm going to keep trying stuff to solve the problem and I will also inform you guys if I find a answer to my problem. Thanks O. One other thing. How much glove do you guys have past the tip of your fingers? I dont have any extra glove past my finger tips.

 

[craig007]

I think that you are doing the right things...changing your posture vary the weight on your hands. Grip puppies would be a cheap thing to try. The castle gloves have a little bit of padding that should help things a little.

 

[FzPilot]

Gents, I have tried many different pairs of gloves, the only thing that will help (and it works wonders) is manual cruise control for your right hand.

Vista cruiser makes a nice unit that will fit our bikes and I have one. The install is easy and it's pretty cheap.

Cheers.

 

[Avalon786]

I have the same issue. My throttle hand usually goes numb first. I just release pressure and shake it for a few seconds and that helps abit. When its numb again, i repeat the process, also i try to wiggle my fingers, helps the blood circulate...

 

[CHEMIKER]

When you take your gloves off do you notice any red marks? I have a pair of racing gloves that have a strip of leather that goes from my wrist to between my thumb and first finger. That strip is fine when I'm not riding but binds when I am gripping the bars. When I take my gloves off I can see a red indentation for a while. That's one sure way to see if your gloves are cutting off any circulation.

If it's only one hand it's likely your right and it's because you're squeezing the grip too hard trying to keep your throttle position. Try (before your hand goes numb) making your grip on the throttle as loose as possible. With gloves on you might be surprised how little grip is required to hold throttle position.

If both hands are going numb you might be gripping both grips too tightly but more likely you're leaning forward and putting too much weight on your hands constantly. Try to shift your weight to your butt and put as little pressure on your hands as you can.

 

[jsteinb95]

yeah....it sounds like you're gripping too tight. Just loosen your grip! Hold your body up with your legs, not your arms.

 

[Hollow]

K guys greatly appreciate the advice. Im going to give them all a try to see what happens. Never did I imagine this was going to be a problem.

 

[Nelly]

K guys greatly appreciate the advice. Im going to give them all a try to see what happens. Never did I imagine this was going to be a problem.

Do you only get this problem when you ride your bike? or does it happen in the cage to?

Nelly

 

[Doorag]

I try to scoot close to the gas tank and sit up a bit more straight in the saddle if I'm just cruising straight. It helps to take your weight off your hands instead of leaning on them constantly. When there's twisties I'll change to a more agressive position, then when returning to the straights I revert back to cruiser mode.

After a 300+ mile day you're going to be tired regardless. I've never had my hands fall asleep though. It wouldn't hurt to do forearm/wrist stretches for a minute when you stop for gas. Might look a little funny but it's better than carpal tunnel.

Jake

+1

Taking the weight off your wrists should do it. I spend a lot of time on the motorway and I have to keep checking my position to make sure I 'm not leaning on the bars with my arms straight.

 

[GConn]

My left hand gets numb after an hour or so on the bike. I think this is happening since I got my new leather jacket (long sleeves maybe?). Make sure you don't overtighten any wriststraps of the gloves either.

Hope this helps a bit.

 

[HavBlue]

Gloves, grips, posture, they can all play a part in the hands going to sleep but what about the effects of vibration associated with the bars? Some would suggest more mass (weight) on the bar ends. For me, if this became the problem or part of the problem I would be filling the bars with silicone to dampen the vibration which often causes the hands to go to sleep.

 

[OkieDavid]

My biggest GRIPE about the FZ was that very problem. It was bad enough that for the first two weeks I gave serious consideration to ditching it and getting something else. You cannot be driving safe if you can't feel your fingers. My fingers would be numb by the time I had gone 15 miles or so. I have so far installed a 1" up and 1" back handlebar riser to get me in a more upright position and take some of the weight off my hands...By FAR the best mod I've made and resulted in a huge reduction in hand/finger numbness. I would estimate that this mod resulted in a near 80% reduction in hand/finger issues. I also installed a vista cruise cruise control. (side thread guys with those- Can't get it to hold adjustment. The vista cruise is holding but the grip is slipping inside under highway speeds from vibration slow drop in speed of about 1mph per two seconds, what do I need to do. Tried tightening the three allen screws "significantly", changed rubbers...nothing so far). This cruise control at least allows me to periodically "rest" my throttle hand and flex my fingers. The only other thing is that after 2 months and 2000 miles, I don't think I'm "white knuckling" the bars as bad. I personally think this is the major culprit as when I'm in city or heavy traffic, the numbness comes back. On the open highway I don't even seem to notice it much. Now I'm good for about 80-100miles before I have to get off and walk/shake out the numbness.

 

[aussiejules]

i have exactly the same problem mine start to hurt within 2 kms after looking at other threads im trying to get grip puppies or the like. Unfortunately i cant find them here in s.a. The reason i bought this bike is because i have buggered wrists, shoulders, back and knees, so needed a upright, but my wrists still kill.

 

[brad81987]

Try grip puppies. Grip Puppies ™- Small. For bikes with 1.25" to 1.45" diameter grips.: Motorcycle Accessories from California Sport Touring, Inc. I was having a similar issues and the grip puppies helped a lot. I always felt the FZ6 grips were a tad small and the grip puppies make them a tad thicker as well as adding some padding. I find it much more natural and comfortable to ride with and they also absorb a lot of vibration (if you're getting vibration too and you're still running Yamalube, ditch it and switch to Rotella). I made a 3 hour trip last weekend up the interstate and back and my hands never fell asleep or cramped up.