Hands still get numb even with looser grip

[mjesenovec]

I replaced my stock grips on my 2007 with the ProGrip 714BK and like them a lot. Much grippier and seemed to help with the vibes...slightly. I still notice hand pain and numbness after 30 minutes or so of riding. I am always careful not to death-grip the bars, but I wish there was something more I could do.

After searching, i came across a post about engine oil helping with vibes. I haven't changed the oil since I bought the bike from a dealer in February. I have no idea what kind of oil they put in it...but maybe going to a 10W30 full synthetic will help with vibes?

Also, I came across the idea of grip puppies/buddies and doing a handlebar swap. Seems like the most popular bar swaps are either FZ1 or FZ6R bars. Which ones are better? Why? How hard is the install? Where is the best place to buy new bars?

I am mainly just wondering what is most worth my time/money to combat the vibrations and sore hands. I've read the goofy bar angle of the stock FZ6 bars is the cause for a lot of discomfort, but who knows. I just want to be able to ride without having to worry about pain.

Thanks in advance!

 

[MakersTeleMark]

Grip puppies, vibranator bar ends, a crampbuster, and rotella t6 solved the issue for me.

Good luck. It's a really horrible feeling to have.

 

[dbldutch02]

I had the same problem, tried fz1 bars, didn't like the tank clearance. Took a scaffold pole to the original bars to reduce sweep - lovely I also shaved the heated grips to remove a ridge that was biting into my palms

 

[ChevyFazer]

Fz1 bars and heavy bar ends no more issues, either style of fz1 bar will work I like the drag bar personally

 

[mjesenovec]

Grip puppies, vibranator bar ends, a crampbuster, and rotella t6 solved the issue for me.

Good luck. It's a really horrible feeling to have.

Thanks, i'll look up some of those products. What weight rotella did you use? I think stock yamalube is 20W40, but maybe a thinner 10W30 would help with vibes? I like the idea of reducing vibes without swapping bars.

I had the same problem, tried fz1 bars, didn't like the tank clearance. Took a scaffold pole to the original bars to reduce sweep - lovely I also shaved the heated grips to remove a ridge that was biting into my palms

Good to know there's a clearance issue. I'm sure it's easily ignored or you get used to it, but still.

 

[mjesenovec]

Fz1 bars and heavy bar ends no more issues, either style of fz1 bar will work I like the drag bar personally

There's more than one style? Had no idea. Where is the best place to get fz1 bars so i can look them up online? Which style would be better if I want to be as upright and as comfortable as possible?

 

[beatle]

What weight rotella did you use?

I know you didn't ask me, but I run Rotella as well. T6 5w40. I won't say my grips feel like the steering wheel of a Cadillac, but my hands don't get numb. I have Oxford heated grips and FZ1 bars as well which may help.

 

[ozgurakman]

You would try to align exhaust pipes and get balanced the wheels. Also you can use fz1 handlebars with risers.

 

[agf]

HVMP bar ends, 17 oz of stainless steel, that replace the standard ends.
some folk have filled the bars with lead shot or sand. I use shark buddies, which are neoprene wrap around grip covers which thicken up the grip nicely add a little padding and are to all intents, waterproof.

 

[trepetti]

I have been using the FZ1 bar and grip puppies for years and love them. Added the HVMP ends over the winter and things are even smoother. ...or were!

Last weekend I decided to see what would happen if I switched to a lower grade fuel so I tried a tank of 87 instead of my usual 93. Bike buzzes so bad I can hardly hang on. Will be switching back to ultra premium to make sure the bus is gone but you might want to try a tankful to see if any change. Its a cheap test.

 

[Dry Martini]

While you may be holding the bars with a looser grip, are you still supporting your upper body weight with you arms and hands? This too can cause numbness.

Use your abdominal muscles to support your upper body, taking all weight off of your arms and hands.


This space intentionally left blank.

 

[mjesenovec]

I know you didn't ask me, but I run Rotella as well. T6 5w40. I won't say my grips feel like the steering wheel of a Cadillac, but my hands don't get numb. I have Oxford heated grips and FZ1 bars as well which may help.

Thanks! I was, at least in my head, thinking of a 5W30 or 10W30, but it might be better to keep the "hot" viscosity the same. I'll just see what I can find. I have no idea what the dealer put in my bike, whether it's dino, semi syn, full syn, or what. If an oil thinner than 20w40 will smooth things out a bit, I think it's worth a try for sure.

You would try to align exhaust pipes and get balanced the wheels. Also you can use fz1 handlebars with risers.

I already have risers on the stock bars, which helped a lot for comfort and sitting straight up now. FZ1 bars aren't out of the question, but I might try other things before trying to find new bars and swapping them.

HVMP bar ends, 17 oz of stainless steel, that replace the standard ends.
some folk have filled the bars with lead shot or sand. I use shark buddies, which are neoprene wrap around grip covers which thicken up the grip nicely add a little padding and are to all intents, waterproof.

I've read about filling the bars as well. Does it make THAT big of a difference? I just ordered some grip puppies, should be here friday. I'll give that a shot. After I give the grip puppies a go, I might look into those heavy bar ends.

I have been using the FZ1 bar and grip puppies for years and love them. Added the HVMP ends over the winter and things are even smoother. ...or were!

Last weekend I decided to see what would happen if I switched to a lower grade fuel so I tried a tank of 87 instead of my usual 93. Bike buzzes so bad I can hardly hang on. Will be switching back to ultra premium to make sure the bus is gone but you might want to try a tankful to see if any change. Its a cheap test.

Thanks! I'm hoping my grip puppies make a noticeable difference. I like wider diameter grips anyway, so this should be more comfy overall. I only put 93 in my tank, but thanks for the idea!

 

[aclayonb]

While you may be holding the bars with a looser grip, are you still supporting your upper body weight with you arms and hands? This too can cause numbness.

Use your abdominal muscles to support your upper body, taking all weight off of your arms and hands.

+1. Made all the difference. This may sound like meat-head logic, but I noticed that I experienced less riding fatigue when I added (more) squats, deadlifts, and weighted decline situps to my workout. Abs, lower anterior, and lower posterior muscle groups - combined with good posture - made all the difference. I've had three shoulder surgeries so my shoulders aren't the greatest. It's pretty easy to tell when my posture starts slipping - everything from shoulders down starts getting numb/tingly. Next time you start getting the numbness, adjust your posture, activate your abs, quads, and lower back for about 1 minute and see if it makes a difference in your hands.

 

[FinalImpact]

Age old question - why? Go sit on it for 30" in riding position, engine off.
Is it:
Your fit to the bike?
Your physical condition?
Vibes from the bike? Hint, imo, fix the problem and there is little need for heavy bar ends. Stop the vibes at the source!

The first and last can be addressed and there are solutions. These threads come to mind:

Vibration! A cure for bad vibrations, Spark Plug Caps!!


See post 4
Vibration help

At a glance and with the information offered lets open this door a little wider in regards to the cause.

1) Rider fit to the bike can cause this numbing due to vascular and nerve pinching. You didn't say your mirrors, butt, or pegs vibrate. DO THEY?
- If they don't, you may need different bars or simply adjust your controls to reduce the wrist angles and improve circulation.
- If they do, it may be vibration or harmonic vibrations causing the numbness.

2) Death grip. If the rider "hangs on" for dear life this can reduce circulation. In the ideal state, one floats their hands on the grips guiding the bars. The bike does a lot of the work once their is harmony of bike and rider.

3) Bike is inducing vibes causing numbness. These can be speed related or RPM related.
You need to take note what initiates the vibes and when.
- Drive chain alignment cause a lot of peg vibrations, that carry into the whole bike. So can a dry chain or a poorly maintained chain.
- Wheel balance will make one end shake over 40 mph.
- TB sync can cause vibes from idle to 3000 RPM.
- Spark plug caps can induce vibes from idle to redline. If you can change spark plugs, you can fix this.

Many have thought there is no way it would help, then do it and find its like a new vehicle! Look here -> A cure for bad vibrations, Spark Plug Caps!!


Tell us more and lets see where this lands! :thumbup:

 

[mjesenovec]

+1. Made all the difference. This may sound like meat-head logic, but I noticed that I experienced less riding fatigue when I added (more) squats, deadlifts, and weighted decline situps to my workout. Abs, lower anterior, and lower posterior muscle groups - combined with good posture - made all the difference. I've had three shoulder surgeries so my shoulders aren't the greatest. It's pretty easy to tell when my posture starts slipping - everything from shoulders down starts getting numb/tingly. Next time you start getting the numbness, adjust your posture, activate your abs, quads, and lower back for about 1 minute and see if it makes a difference in your hands.

Good tip, I'll definitely give it a try. I do already have bar risers on the stock bars (1" up, 1.25" back) so I already sit pretty much straight up. There's very little weight on my hands or arms as it is, which is what I wanted. I'm hoping the grip puppies help a lot, as I know I would find a wider diameter grip to be more comfortable, and if it absorbs some vibes, it should help a ton. If I still have issues, I'll wait until I can drop $80 on the 17oz bar ends.

 

[mjesenovec]

Age old question - why? Go sit on it for 30" in riding position, engine off.
Is it:
Your fit to the bike?
Your physical condition?
Vibes from the bike? Hint, imo, fix the problem and there is little need for heavy bar ends. Stop the vibes at the source!

The first and last can be addressed and there are solutions. These threads come to mind:

Vibration! A cure for bad vibrations, Spark Plug Caps!!


See post 4
Vibration help

I'm not necessarily blaming everything on the bike. I'm sure there's a lot of factors contributing to the numbness. I've already done a bunch of stuff to try to make the FZ6 as comfortable as possible. Looking back, I might have been better suited for a touring or adventure bike so I could spread out more and get more comfort out of it. Oh well. I'm stuck with the FZ6 for a while so I'll try to make it as comfortable as possible. I already got a saddlemen tech gel/foam seat pad, seems to absorb seat vibes pretty well. Already got bar risers for an upright position. For what it's worth, I'm 5'11' 265lbs. I lift pretty regularly but will start to focus more on cardio and burning some fat. I would like to get down to 220lbs, that's my ideal weight.

I've read some of the other threads on vibrations and it's all been really interesting. Shortly after getting the bike I had my mechanic brother replace my plugs and do all fluids. The dealer said they did a fresh oil change, but I don't know what oil they used. I'll probably go with a slightly thinner full synthetic, like a 10w30 or something.

 

[FinalImpact]

I'm not necessarily blaming everything on the bike. I'm sure there's a lot of factors contributing to the numbness. I've already done a bunch of stuff to try to make the FZ6 as comfortable as possible. Looking back, I might have been better suited for a touring or adventure bike so I could spread out more and get more comfort out of it. Oh well. I'm stuck with the FZ6 for a while so I'll try to make it as comfortable as possible. I already got a saddlemen tech gel/foam seat pad, seems to absorb seat vibes pretty well. Already got bar risers for an upright position. For what it's worth, I'm 5'11' 265lbs. I lift pretty regularly but will start to focus more on cardio and burning some fat. I would like to get down to 220lbs, that's my ideal weight.

I've read some of the other threads on vibrations and it's all been really interesting. Shortly after getting the bike I had my mechanic brother replace my plugs and do all fluids. The dealer said they did a fresh oil change, but I don't know what oil they used. I'll probably go with a slightly thinner full synthetic, like a 10w30 or something.

My point is this; should someone be contending with unwanted vibrations, I've been there and have systematically CORRECTED the cause for each. So for me, fixing the CAUSE did the trick. Yes, I would like a more comfortable seat, but not because the bike has vibrations.

Take a peak at this: lever angles matter when coupled with LONG TORSO....

Take a look at this; reference is setting the bike to fit you. Mind you I have FZ1 bars as the stock bars turn my wrists outbound pinching my nerves and **MAY BE** responsible for your issue too. However, don't discount the angle of the levers...



Regarding hand strength, hand cramps/pain, endurance and setup up of levers....

When you're on the bike and in position, rotate your levers so the imaginary line from your shoulder, through your forearm, wrists and fingers are all parallel. The factory location for the levers usually has most of us pointing our wrists upwards which pinches nerves and cuts off circulation. In short - lever position is dependent on torso length and your lean angle.

Notice how far the levers are rotated? The levers angle in relation to the bar nearly makes a straight line to my shoulders rotator cuff. My fingers are nearly straight in line with my wrist and forearms.

Point: adjust those levers so your wrists are parallel to your forearm so you have a straight pull. If they were really high, be careful as it will take far less effort to pull the levers!

JJD952 - Setup

 

[mjesenovec]

I did already adjust my lever angle for my height, but it's a great tip nonetheless! My brother was complaining of some wrist pain, and adjusting his lever angle helped a ton.

I agree that finding the cause of the issue is the best plan of attack, but I'm not even sure that there's an actual "issue." I could just have sensitive pansy hands for all I know, lol. This is also my first bike and I only have about 1,000 miles on it, so I don't have much else to compare it to. At this point, messing with grip puppies, bar ends, and possibly FZ1 bars until the vibes dampen enough to be comfortable will be good enough for me.

 

[CowtownBiomed]

Get the throttle bodies ballanced..

 

[Marthy]

I struggled a lot on the FZ6R with vibration, even with the heavy bar ends. Try the ProGrip 714. Need to do a bit of trimming since they are dirt bike grip but the diameter is a bit bigger and they damp vibration really good.