My wrists hurt when I ride the motorbike?

armin59, Nov 20, 2:42am
Hi, I have a Yamaha 250 cruiser style and a Honda CBF250 road bike style. When I ride the road bike my wrists hurt and get stiff. The bike was bought for my daughter but we share it. Having to get seat lowered as we are both shortarses. Obviously it's something to do with posture. Have short arms too. Any advice as I wouldn't want to ride this bike for too long, actually get pins and needles. Thanks.

tatts2, Nov 20, 2:46am
You could try more layed back handlebars

r15, Nov 20, 2:48am
you're holding on too tight. or your grips are too big

tazcsv, Nov 20, 2:51am
Dont ever buy a sport bike then :)

bounce16, Nov 20, 3:05am
Armin you could try wearing a wrist support while you are riding.This should help until you can get the bike lowered as it is likely position will have an effect.Also are there many vibrations in the bars while riding!My old bonnie is shocking!I just use elastic stuff to put over my wrists and it makes a big difference.

desmodave, Nov 20, 3:13am
Ride abit quicker and the air hitting your upper body should take abit of weight off your wrists. Have a think about what r15 has said about holding to tight. Worth having a look on kiwibiker no doubt its been talked about.

mechnificent, Nov 20, 3:16am
What has been said already really. Make sure you aren't having to lean too far forwards putting weight on your wrists. You might have to sit on the tank or adjust the bars back a bit. Then check how you are holding the grips. I'd suspect it will be the throttle wrist that is getting sore! Check whether you need to reposition your hand a little after you get going and are up to speed. Try and take note which bits of the arm are straining and then move your hand on the grips. A common thing with beginners is to twist the grip too far back, then end up with their arm bent downwards. When you grab the throttle, reach over the front of the grip a little so that once you are winding the throttle on, your arms are comfortable. Try not to hold on so tight that your hands are straining. You might also want longer gauntlets on your gloves to keep your wrists and arms warm.

joanie32, Nov 20, 3:35am
tinglinginfingers! whichfingers.Take noticeas itstwovery different things.

poppajn, Nov 20, 3:39am
Carple tunnel!

armin59, Nov 20, 3:46am
Thanks for your advice guys. I forgot to tell you, I'm a mid-life crisis age lady. Used to ride years ago and want to do it again. Had a Suzuki 250 Marauder, so nice, electric blue, but It got written off when a driver turned right infront of me. Wasn't going to get another one for a while, then I got angry and changed my mind. Bought the virago then the Honda for daughter. Such a difference in the riding stle. Easy to reach the ground on the cruiser. I get it about adjusting hand grip, arms are too bloody short though. Same problem happens for daughter, but she's only a 5ft job, I have a couple of inches on her. Didn't used to wear gloves but I do now, there were family stipulations to be obeyed if I got another bike.

planted4u, Nov 20, 4:17am
Go hard

kaymay88, Nov 20, 4:32am
got to be the dumbest response Ive seen to this type of problem.
bikes are not djustable from factory - cars allow you to lower or raise the steering wheel, move the seat forward, back, up, down, tilt the base, as well as the back rest, have adjustable headrests, and many have a knob to adjust lumbar support. Bikes requiretad more effort to personalise.

to the OP. Step 1, is the bike set up properly for you! the levers (clutch and brake) should NOT be parallel to the ground, they should be angled downwards enough that you can easily drape your fingers over them, without having mo move the palm of your hand off the bars - if you cant do this, they are NOT set up correctly for you - it takes about 25 seconds to adjust these and all you will need is usually an 8mm spanner.
secondly, bar risers are a common mod, and are cheap and readily available, it will adjust the bars so they are higher, andyou are a tad more upright if thats what you prefer.
aside from these things, remember that the ergonomics of bikes are quite unique from model to model ad style to style. I own two 1000cc sportsbikes and they are both different despite being close in age. I get off my 04 gsxr and onto the 01 R1, and I feel like a monkey shagging a football because its so narrow and tight, go the other way and I feel like Im on a tourer at first - it takes a little time but your body WILL adjust and get used to different ergonomics - you need to give yourself some seat time to really get a feel for a bike. good luck!

quickstitch, Nov 20, 4:35am
fit cruise control , a huge sissy bar andhighway pegs, then just lean back and fold your arms., problem solved.

kazbanz, Nov 20, 4:48am
Armin-ignoring basic setup stuff I would do apsolutely NOTHING to the honda untill the seat comes back from reshapeing.
You may well find that "fixes" the bike for you.
Also try using your knees and lower back to take more weight rather than "resting " on the arms

armin59, Nov 20, 7:38am
Thanks people, the seat goes in on Thursday. Will see what it feels like after that. Bye.

berg, Nov 20, 7:51am
I agree that time may fix how your bike feels. Both times Mrs Berg has updated bikes she has had issues with the riding position but the body has adapted over time.
Enjoy being back on a bike

supernova2, Nov 20, 8:21am
Push bikers get the same problems.IMHO it the angle of your wrist and possibly the angle of your arm/shoulder.As Kaz said wait till you get the seat back and then if it still a problem you will need to either adjust the bars or even get a different set.Your aim is to get you wrist into as natural a position as possible - pretty mucha srtaight extension of your forearm.Just watch however that if you get the bars into the correct position for you that they dont then hit the tank or something stupid.Hopefully all the bar mounted stuff will have enough slack to allow the bars to go where you need them, otherwise its either a compromise of lots of other new bits to buy/adapt etc.

urbanrefugee54, Nov 22, 6:53am
agree about the brake & clutch levers etc & setting up the bike for the individual.

wrinkley, Nov 22, 7:39pm
yep, mr used my bike the other day and said he got sore wrists and moved the position of the handle bars and its made a big difference. i never moaned about it as i thought it was just me being a girl haha

rocky0169, Nov 22, 7:48pm
spose to keep both hands on the bars

patiki1, Nov 22, 11:11pm
Are you single!

flockton55, Nov 23, 9:22am
I agree with #12. It does take some time to get used to a bike. I sorted out my '82 Katana recently after having it off the road for some years, and at first it felt very awkward, despite being set up for me. (Owned for many years) After a couple of thousand Km over the last six months, it now feels just fine. I saw a video recently that stressed the importance of gripping the tank with the thighs, and letting the back support the body, not putting all the weight on the bars through the arms. I tried it and it really helps. I'm a man in middle/late 50's, still enjoying my biking! Persevere, and it will come right!

therafter1, Nov 23, 7:23pm
My understanding is that you don??