any ideas on this one? what can i do to ease the ache in my wrists while riding - grips? gloves? clip-ons? gel pads surgically implanted in the heels of my hands? i'm hoping i can find an answer so that my riding range is dictated by my gas tank and not the far end of my arms. thanks

 

How about "don't support your upper body with your arms" ... for starters. If your 'reach to the clipons' stretches you out to the point where you can't use your back to hold up much of your weight then yes, look into a clipon mod to make it work.

 

VFR clip-ons or Heli bars, there's also a bar mod with instruction from superbling, try to sit up straight. How tall are you?

 

had the same prob, heli bars cured me!

 

Sounds like he's around 5'7" like me. I try to make sure I sit up straighter. It might help if I lost abit from the midsection. I'd like get my hands on VFR bars though.

 

I laugh because that's how tall,(and thick), I am too! I sit right up againts the tank and sit as straight up as possible with the stock windscreen the wind helps too.

 

Push down with the ***** of your feet on the footpegs. Flexing your abs helps to take the weight off of your wrists, too.

 

I just recently sent out my Held gloves for warranty work and am using my backup pair of Alpinestars SP2 gloves. These are pretty cheap gloves and are a lot thinner and have less "feel" than the Helds. I have also noticed that my hands fall asleep a lot easier with these gloves. With that said, it's my conclusion that gloves really do make a difference.

And as said before, don't grip the bars so tightly. Do the "chicken check" if you feel your hands falling asleep. That mean to flap your elbows like a chicken and loosen your grip.

The Superhawk does have kind of a wierd bar angle though compared to both my CBR1000RR and 600RR. My hands never fall asleep on either bike and their bars are lower. I think it has a lot to do with that. Grinding locating tabs and rotating the bars outward so they just barely clear the fairing at full lock could be another solution.

 

While riding, your elbows should be pointing down at the ground not outwards.

The outwards position allows you to lock your elbows and thus lean forward placing great weight on your wrists. Elbows down and you can't lock them so you stomach/back muscles have to support your upper body. It will take a while to train the muscles.

On longer rides, a throttle lock is a big help.

 

same here, +1 for Heli bars

 

I modified the locating pins on the clip ons to make them angle back less. This is a great mod if you have wide shoulders.

Otherwise, do what everyone else has suggested, especially riding on the ***** of your feet.

 

The range on the (my) Super Hawk is only 110 miles. It should be comfortable enough to do 110 miles, but it isn't.

It is still 10 times better than the SV. The leg room on the Super Hawk is better and the seat is softer. So I guess I shouldn't complain.

I think my gloves are too tight. I have Icon Purist gloves, size XL. I find myself tugging at the finger tips a lot at stop lights. I think they cut off the circulation to my hands. I'm going to get new ones and see if that helps.

 

Another problem I've had. Few gloves fit my Large hands with XL fingers. I've had the best luck with Hein Gerike gloves, good German fingers to match my good German hands.

 

A lot of good tips from others.
My 2 cents: keep the wrists straight & grip the bars lightly. Hold the grips like holding a bird in your hand. Trust me, the bike will keep itself stable if you just relax.

 

EXERCISE?!?! isn't there anything easier than that?!? just kidding, i have found myself trying to sit up straighter lately. i have a bit of a bad back from a previously broken hip and dislocated leg (ahhhh, snowboarding) so i find myself getting lazy and leaning on my wrists. i'll try getting on the ***** of my feet and may check into heli bars. is there a problem with fairing clearance with heli bars?

 

If you are not riding on the ***** of your feet, that's absolutely the first change to make.

The side benefit is you'll also enjoy more cornering precision from the change.

 

Only clearance issue I have with my Heli bars is that at full turn to the right it touches and flips on the high beam switch - I could probably adjust it to not do that but it doesn't bother me that much.

 

How about a strap-on tankbag that you can lean against.

Gel-padded cycling gloves usually help a great deal.

Use your back to support your upper body, instead of your arms.