If you can't "play the piano" while riding, you're too tight on the bars. Remember, the more relaxed you are with your hands and arms, the more control you have. MotoJitsu.com
What I learned from Dave Moss that was really helpful for me was to make sure to adjust and turn down the brake and clutch lever to align with my arm/wrist angle to be ergonomically correct to eliminate unnecessary strain in the joints.
I ride a 75 mile round trip daily commute. Hand numbness was a big problem for me on my FZ6R. The 3 things that worked for me was more pressure on the tank with my knees, a throttle lock or crampbuster and "playing the piano" every few minutes. Now the only time my hands get numb is when temperatures drop into the 30's and my heated grips can't keep up.
Great advice that is even more pertinent as you age. My 72-year-old hands can go numb quicker than my 25 year-old hands could when I first started riding.
I just got back into riding after 2 years with an old standard. I found that my hands were extremely numb and painful after a short time because I was so tense and sitting too far back. Once I made an effort to relax and sit properly, I felt completely fine for hours.
Since I’m a noob, I’m doing better at keeping my hands loose on the grips and scooting forward on the seat. This video just validated this for me. I was so tense when I started out riding and would come back come with really numb hands.
I just got my temps today, geared up and went on my first ride that was longer than 1/4 mile. I had to come back after less than 15 minutes because my arms and wrists felt like I'd been lifting. I didn't realize how scared (therefore tense) I was. Loving these videos, I have an entire month to prepare for my beginning rider course. I'm trying to watch everything I can on low speed control and how to properly turn.
All things considered, if are not adequately hydrated, your arms will tire and you can experience numbness and/or cramping of the fingers. My medical opinion.....always hydrate, especially if riding continuous over an hour or two. Also, if you have significant cervical spondylosis, because of compression of the brachial plexus, you can get numbness or paraesthesia in the arms and hands. You should take a break and mobilise your shoulders to loosen the neck tissues. All the best and as ever, thanks for your videos. Totally useable tips.
I can tell you, I have a pinched spinal chord in my neck if I put my hands over the shoulder my hand goes numb in a few minutes. I can't do work well with anything over my head. So ape hangars are out for me lol I would not be able to do that.
Carpal tunnel for me. Larger grip helps. Loser grip and flexing hands helps. Also, eating salty foods causes an almost undetectable swelling, but gripping something + capal tunnel will make very small swelling in your hands trigger numbing going into painful.
Great topic and I think you nailed the real issue - it took me several month once I realized the more relaxed my hands and arms the more control I have and my hands don't go numb so fast - I also added a wrap to may grips which seems to help.
I thought I was the only one with this problem, thanks for addressing it. Several reasons why this may occur is 1. If you are driving a smaller displacement bike and you are forcing it to keep up with traffic. In such a case, the steering will begin to vibrate and you compensate by “holding on for dear life”. You then tense up and restrict blood flow to your fingers and hands with that tiring “ death grip”. 2. If your bike is light, or if you ride a taller bike at higher speeds, you will face problems with wind pressure. I personally never had numb hands when I drove my 750cc standard type bike. The problems began occurring when I sized down to lighter and taller bikes. Sometimes, what you like isn’t always appropriate for what you are using your bike for.
I got into road motorcycling a few months ago (I primarily ride dirt bikes, so being on the road is odd to me) so i still have my beginners permit. I'm so deathly terrified of losing control due to a tar snake or pebble that i death grip like i'm cutting fire wood. I kept wondering if it was the gloves i bought, but even without gloves my hand would still go numb. When you're chopping wood a numb hand really doesn't matter so i learned to ignore it. But riding a motorcycle is a different story. Thanks for the video, it's just one of those things that i'll have to fix over time.
I’m 64 now and have arthritis which varies day to day from years of heavy trade work and combat sports. Fitted all 3 bikes with coca-cola barrel grips now which alleviates much of this problem. Bent arms helps and having the grips at an angle rather than horizontal is useful too. I have clubman bars on my CB1300 which seem to work well, my Triumph Sprint GT is already ergonomic, but the real surprise is the 8” ape hangers on my American export Triumph T-140 which are incredibly comfortable - hands are at about a 30 degree angle. I also cover the brake with one finger practically all the time but generally maintain a relaxed grip. Small parallel grips (the usual standard options) are the devils work. I’m now a fan of the more forward riding position though as this improves control and reduces wind buffet. But some days suck (yesterday on the 1300 after 100 or so miles) and you just have to shake it off and continue. It’s not a good thing when you can’t feel your hands on the twisties so I’ll likely put the small reflexed levers on to minimise the reach. Well done for covering this common issue! 👍🏻
Not to knock out Greg, but also get checked out. I have followed his instructions, and it makes a difference. Sometimes, it was not my hand that went numb, but my forearm and my hands would follow. Turned out I had impingements in my muscles. I ride a cruiser, and it should be the easiest ride. It wasn't. I got treated and followed the motojitsu training, and I've improved
Thanks for this tip! I’ll be trying this on my next ride. I have some nerve damage in my hands, so anything I can do to help reduce numbness is a great thing.
My hands used to go numb due to gripping too hard AND riding a CBR250R single for long periods - I recommend bar end weights (adding weight ) made a big difference. I learned how to relax my grip too
Good topic. I struggle with my right hand going numb, and it hasn’t been a bike issue as I’ve had the issue on a number of different style bikes. Some time ago I really embraced your “playing piano” and it has help quite a bit. I suspect there may be some carpel tunnel or something going on because it will still occur with loose hands. I’ve also found that glove size/fit absolutely plays a role, the tight fitting the gloves the more likely I’ll have an issue.
Thank you so much, this is exactly what I am facing on my recently bought 2016 Duke 390. Bike is so agressive for my skill level I get scared and hold the handlebar very tightly.
Time for a slight update on the bit about vibration. There are bikes with almost no vibration - electric motorbikes. But even on them, if you grip too tightly, you will get numb or sore wrists. It isn't vibration numbness like workers get when using road drills. Few bikes have that kind of vibration. It comes from your riding position.
Oh, this is just so good! ✨️ And so true! 👍 As a complete newbie, I hung on to my life in the handlebars.... Stiff, all the way up to my hair roots!!! 😮I had that "Lion King look" - but not cool at all though,....! 😅 But I took your word for it - and started to play the piano! 🎼 My instructor at school,, loved the metaphore - when I told him what made the huge change in my whole drivning position! ❤ No more numbness, easier to ride - and so much more joy! 🫠 Thank you so much, Greg! ✨️
Great video! Installing grip puppies also help allot in avoiding the numbness. The vibration of the engine on some bikes makes your hands go numb. But also take enough breaks during ur ride; every 1,5 / 2 hours hours is best. Also your behind and back will thank you.
This was such an issue for me, compounded with I already have carpal tunnel. 15 mins of riding and I couldn’t feel my hands anymore. I tried this and adjusting my levers and it helped some.
Thank You for excellent video. I have been riding liter bikes for a long time and always have this problem. I noticed that I am holding the grips very tight, even with my arms bent. I started to remind myself especially on long distance riding to relax my hands and it is getting better.
Brand new rider here... I found out in my MSF course that I have some pretty bad carpal tunnel "arthritis" in my hands... I was still motivated to see the course through and get my first bike though. Couple months later and I cam across a T-7. Took it out in my neighborhood and yea.... I've got it bad man and it's pretty crushing but I'm hoping to put a lighter clutch and brake lever on there. In the end, for future reference, I've come to realize that a DCT bike is my best bet though. I'll try to pay attention to my grip though like you said. My hands don't go numb, they just feel like someone is twisting knives in them lol. Sucks pretty bad.
I used to have very bad carpal tunel syndrome. Couldn't ride a bycicle, couldn't sleep, had to wake up to shake my arms out of the painful numbness. Got the surgery, instant fix. If you can, get it done, if you can't, fight for universal health care.
@@ropeysubstance1719 try it bro. You actually steer the bike by your legs much more than you think. You shift your body and that steer the bike easily.
@@4upkoB motojitu literally has dozens of videos debunking this myth. the one and only way to turn a motorcycle is to counter steer by pushing forward on the side you want to turn. moving your lower body does nothing.
Would like to add a couple of points. Sometimes it can also point to the start of Carpal Tunnel if you get strong pins-and-needles as apposed to just a little numbness(like me now). You can help the situation with slightly heavier bar-end weights to reduce the vibrating, but it's a balancing act to get the right weights, and you have to learn not to death-grip first to get it just right. The weights can help a lot when you ride a lot of country/rough roads too. And for the less experienced young'uns, shaving 500grams won't help you go faster off the lights, you should never get lighter weights like the anodized ally ones.
@@JuxZeil First of I am not your bud! What is your point? I just do exactly I like, due to the limitations of reality around us. Instead of hiding your identity, I am just realising about your shady hiding character.
@@JuxZeil Oohhh, ... how nice of you, ... I am so excited! Being civil is not the same as cynical, what you are. Your own insecurity leave to someone who is close to you. I am NOT! Have a noce life, anyway?
I watched a Sylvain Guintoli (spelling is awful sorry on the toilet) video on throttle grip on the track. A comment made a joke that he was holding it like a champagne glass. I started doing that and now can ride all day without a throttle lock and zero cramps or hand fatigue
I was riveted. That's because you are an excellent communicator, Greg, because I already knew that, on an intuitive level. But you brought it to the surface of my awareness, enough for me to now make multiple decisions during a ride to loosen my grip. Keep the teaching going because it is precious stuff.
Thought it was my X-r vibrations but it was carpal tunnel syndrome. Eliminate those discussed here first but Don’t ignore CTS as it can lead to permanent nerve and muscle damage
Definitely found gripping the tank tighter with the legs and relax the hands drastically changed my riding! New leather gloves are worth wearing at home for a while to soften them up too, especially for new riders as stiff leather gloves with nervous tight grip is a recipe for extremely fast numb hands!
I notice most people grip the handlebars like it was a pullup bar...wrong hand position, and held too tight. You hear about arm pump a lot in MX/ADVEnduro, where there’s lots of standing on the footpegs. Similar mistake, though...
I previously treated patients with Carpal tunnel syndome by providing wrist/hand braces. CTS is typically an "overuse syndrome". I also ride and at times experienced hand numbness. You are right on about the wrist hand angle in reducing numbness. Most CTS symptoms occur due to wrists being flexed downwards while using computer keyboards for extended periods, imagine sitting in a low chair with a keyboard on an elevated table during use. A chair which places you higher and causes your wrists/ hands to be extended upwards is better and reduces the constriction around the carpal tunnel, which is on the underside of the wrists, and usually relieves the numbness. Great advice on bike positional corrections Greg! Also need to constantly remind myself of this while riding.
Very true, trying to adjust my position using my knees to grab the tank not to lean on the handlebar. The one thing hard to avoid is the pressure on your palm when you squeeze the front brake.
My right hand went numb as well... i thought i was doing good gripping my gastank with my legs... this was where i found out i had carpeltunnel syndrom... 1 surgery and no mor numb hand.. So yes all what you just mentioned is so true. Good content bro. Thank you.
New rider here…..first starting out, my right hand would go numb fairly quickly. Recognizing this, I would move my hand around on the grip, loosen a couple of fingers, change arm position, drop my arm during deceleration etc…. It has gotten better but numbness still happens although it seems milder. I also notice that the longer I ride, the numbness sometimes subsides. My middle finger tip seems to stay numb even when I am not riding. I think it’s due to tension in my right arm. I can feel the tension in my arm when I ride. Being more relaxed, feeling more comfortable on the bike over the long term will help. Also, NO numbness in my left hand whatsoever which tells me that grip tension must be the culprit.
Gloves cause me to grip the throttle harder without even realizing it, because I lose that sensitivity that you get with bare hands. I dont want to ride without gloves, so I ride with the thinnest pair of motorcycle riding gloves that I can find (Dainese textile gloves) which help. Something is better than nothing...
Yes play the piano but try initiating the counter steer movement with a hip sway. When doing Motojitsu drills I found that hip swaying would make me carve through like a dolphin. Think Shakira cus "hips don't lie". I do the drills as often as possible. They're fun & they really do help me improve my skills on the bike. Advanced riders use their lower body like you wouldn't believe. Peace
Don't have that problem...might be as a guitar player,one is constantly stretching and exercising forearms, wrists and fingers. Agree with the scenario of grip...I have a very light grip...sueeze the tank and work the foot pegs a lot..for me Pivot Pegz work for me
Riding in the rain on Perrelli Diablo Rosso IIIs that are near the wear bars is unnerving. I bound up more than once today in the curves and I'm sure I pissed off a large percentage of the NOCO traffic around Horsetooth Reservoir this afternoon for about 30 minutes or so. I'll keep working at it while I wait for the new tires to be delivered.
My hand (right hand) goes numb because of my shoulder. I dislocated it back in the early 2000s. It has dislocated so many times since then that it is a loose joint. Because of that looseness if I do not have a good position with my back I will have a pinched brachial plexus (nerve cluster). I never death grip it. It is just that it starts to go numb. No pain. just numb. It was why I bought my Atlas Throttle lock. I can lock my throttle, move my arm to a neutral position and let my arm recover, then release the lock and shift my position enough to take the pressure off the shoulder. I ride a Scout Rogue. Cruiser with 10" mini-apes.
My hand goes numb from my Road King after I installed new heated grips. They have a strong snap back and they're ever so slightly thicker than the stock grips. I try using cruise control as much as possible when going on longer rides.
Only my throttle hand goes numb epsecially on long rides where the speed is constant. The throttle spring is pretty hard, so I am gripping it to keep steady speed. I sometimes open my hand and try to hold the throttle with my palm but i'm pushing through my arm to keep the throttle steady. During a spirited twisty road ride that doesn't happen because the speed varies.
Some bar-end weights are absolutely pointless.. the Renthal ones that were on my K4 Bandit 600 weighed nothing. Swapped the fixings out of them and put them in the original bar-end weights and mounted them on the bike... They're seriously heavy compared to the aforementioned. Makes a big difference. Heated grips as well.... Yes, on Renthal bars, heated-grips and original bar-end weights. Also, thin gloves are crap, I'd rather have sweaty hands than rattled one's.
I have to ride 6 km of loose gravel on my Bonneville before hitting pavement. I find that with a really light grip and letting the bike dance a little I can traverse the distance safely at about 40 kmh in third gear. A higher gear gives a less rapid response, If I tighten the grip the ditch looms and it’s a steep ditch.
ive got reynards syndrome so i get bad circulation in my fingers. I dont grip as hard now and also i have heated grips and can ride up to an hour at a time without it getting too bad
I don't have problems with my left hand, my right hand goes numb. I have carpal tunnel in my right hand and is affected by the throttle movement. I had to put a throttle lock on the bike to help. I have tried holding at different angles and even less grip. I was supposed to have surgery to fix it like I did on the left side. Some people may not really know they have carpal tunnel until they do something like ride a bike. This won't stop me from riding.
I can tell you, I have a pinched spinal chord in my neck if I put my hands over the shoulder my hand goes numb in a few minutes. I can't do work well with anything over my head. So ape hangars are out for me lol I would not be able to do that.
@MotoJitsu I'm a new rider riding a naked bike. Weirdly enough only my right hand numbs up everytime, not my left. Although im def not loose enough on the bike
I've found that installing the "foamy" grip sleeves really help with minimizing the numb sensation in my hands to the point that it's very infrequent compared to not having the foam sleeves. they do increase the grip diameter, but you get used to it.
Cruise style bikes slight pull on opposite bar to the bend ,U an bike with corner more upright less effort ,if U go wide pull more , tight gloves won't help either
Mine only really go numb when I’m up at highway speeds. I have a Harley Sportster and it’s only a 5 speed, so once I’m up in those highway speeds in 5th gear, the RPMS are high and I feel like I’m sitting on a human size vibrator lol
Nah, I'm definitely not squeezing the Handlebars (am 'playing the piano' instead), No 'Lion King' pose, nuts always nicely away from the tank, arms loose and wriggling my fingers .... but my right hand still goes numb while riding my sportbikes :(
Do you get real pins-and-needles, or just numbness? If it's the former it could point to Carpal Tunnel, so keep an eye on it. I can't ride now because of it in both hands. Can also help to keep the cables oiled and levers greased properly on a regular basis along with getting out of the habit of keeping the bike in gear at lights etc., anything with a longish stop in traffic. I've even found using high temperature grease on the inside of the throttle grip can help if you ride long distance fast roads a lot.
Please can you do a video of explaining when you push left you go left, if you push left doesn’t that turn the wheel right slightly to go right? I know your statement is correct because my instructor also said the same thing push in the direction you want to go, but please can you show us in more detail the physics behind this on your bike maybe? Many thanks btw for all your content and help :)
With one you’re pushing u go to the same direction u pushing, and the other one if you pull towards you the bike will go to the opposite direction you’re pulling. (Pulling/pushing )
We dont squeeze. We lean on it. Superduke gt here. So hard to not lean, especially when the road is downhill.. literally so hard to use only the back. Now, lets talk with a pillion.. 😂
So what about when my hands go numb when I’m cruising on the highway with cruise control and barely even touching the grips? Doesn’t happen at all while around town but just cruising on the highway it does
Sorry some bikes really just are more vibey on the bars and if you are touring all day then yeah you are going to feel the vibes by the end of the day.
You're supposed to squeeze the tank with your knees, use your core to hold you up, don't lean on the handle bars. This will alleviate the numbness, even if your bars vibrate a lot!
I have a cruiser bike, would also like to own a sport bike but never rode a sport bike, is it more difficult to ride a sport bike? Thanks for your excellent videos
My numbness comes from having stupidly long thumbs - they end up pushed into the end of the glove, and then they go numb. So I have the weird feeling of completely numb thumbs, but fingers that are okay. Really annoying...
All true but s9metimes it is not the rider but the bike. SOME bikes do have an inherent vibration problem. 1 of those is the BMW K100 from the 1980's. 1000cc, 4cil. The engine of that bike is a stressed member of the frame so the vibrations of the engine are transmitted all across the bike, specially T cruising speeds. The handle bar grips, the foot pegs and even the seat. I once did a 700km ride on my K100rs and in the end it was like torture. Later i tried it's smaller brother, the K75rt. That bike turned to be a LOT different. Hardly any vibrations! Why? Because it had a 3 cil engine with a balance shaft. Much better!
I hate when riders use the wrong terminology while making Videos. Its not push left to go left! It's counter steering. I just put that out because there's a lot of new riders that want to learn Techniques and when using the right terminology they can further their quest for knowledge by knowing what is actually happening and using the right terminology . I'm here because my hands are older and want to see if there's better ways to not go numb. and I agree with everything on this Video. but when your riding hard always grip the bike to keep control.
another thing to factor is, you might have carpal tunnel syndrome. which makes riding motorcycles very challenging with the amount of vibration a bike produces.
Why didn't you tell us anything about legs? Should we hold the tank with the legs harder so we can relax the hands ? Legs help us to stabilize the body weight and unload the hands....
![[UA] Eternal Fire проти NAVI | EPL Season 20 Malta](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/chvlsDygrZM/mqdefault.jpg)
If you can't "play the piano" while riding, you're too tight on the bars. Remember, the more relaxed you are with your hands and arms, the more control you have. MotoJitsu.com
Easy if you have a Yamaha 😂
I can't play any instrument while I'm riding or when I'm not ride.
What I learned from Dave Moss that was really helpful for me was to make sure to adjust and turn down the brake and clutch lever to align with my arm/wrist angle to be ergonomically correct to eliminate unnecessary strain in the joints.
🏆
My hands went numb on my Rebel 300 because the grips vibrated more than the shoebox under my wife's side of the bed.
Underrated comment.
Damn
This is one of the greatest comments I have ever read.
😂😂😂😂
Tell me more😉
I ride a 75 mile round trip daily commute. Hand numbness was a big problem for me on my FZ6R. The 3 things that worked for me was more pressure on the tank with my knees, a throttle lock or crampbuster and "playing the piano" every few minutes. Now the only time my hands get numb is when temperatures drop into the 30's and my heated grips can't keep up.
Try using heated gloves. That works by heating the blood on top of your hand. If you notice the top of your hand gets colder than your palm.
Great advice that is even more pertinent as you age. My 72-year-old hands can go numb quicker than my 25 year-old hands could when I first started riding.
I just got back into riding after 2 years with an old standard. I found that my hands were extremely numb and painful after a short time because I was so tense and sitting too far back. Once I made an effort to relax and sit properly, I felt completely fine for hours.
Since I’m a noob, I’m doing better at keeping my hands loose on the grips and scooting forward on the seat. This video just validated this for me. I was so tense when I started out riding and would come back come with really numb hands.
hands should hover on the grips, not squeezing.
@@Joel-ho8xx Easier said than done for a beginner. The best thing to do is make a conscious effort to relax the grip over time.
I just got my temps today, geared up and went on my first ride that was longer than 1/4 mile. I had to come back after less than 15 minutes because my arms and wrists felt like I'd been lifting. I didn't realize how scared (therefore tense) I was. Loving these videos, I have an entire month to prepare for my beginning rider course. I'm trying to watch everything I can on low speed control and how to properly turn.
All things considered, if are not adequately hydrated, your arms will tire and you can experience numbness and/or cramping of the fingers. My medical opinion.....always hydrate, especially if riding continuous over an hour or two. Also, if you have significant cervical spondylosis, because of compression of the brachial plexus, you can get numbness or paraesthesia in the arms and hands. You should take a break and mobilise your shoulders to loosen the neck tissues. All the best and as ever, thanks for your videos. Totally useable tips.
I can tell you, I have a pinched spinal chord in my neck if I put my hands over the shoulder my hand goes numb in a few minutes. I can't do work well with anything over my head. So ape hangars are out for me lol I would not be able to do that.
Carpal tunnel for me.
Larger grip helps. Loser grip and flexing hands helps.
Also, eating salty foods causes an almost undetectable swelling, but gripping something + capal tunnel will make very small swelling in your hands trigger numbing going into painful.
Great topic and I think you nailed the real issue - it took me several month once I realized the more relaxed my hands and arms the more control I have and my hands don't go numb so fast - I also added a wrap to may grips which seems to help.
I thought I was the only one with this problem, thanks for addressing it. Several reasons why this may occur is 1. If you are driving a smaller displacement bike and you are forcing it to keep up with traffic. In such a case, the steering will begin to vibrate and you compensate by “holding on for dear life”. You then tense up and restrict blood flow to your fingers and hands with that tiring “ death grip”. 2. If your bike is light, or if you ride a taller bike at higher speeds, you will face problems with wind pressure. I personally never had numb hands when I drove my 750cc standard type bike. The problems began occurring when I sized down to lighter and taller bikes. Sometimes, what you like isn’t always appropriate for what you are using your bike for.
I got into road motorcycling a few months ago (I primarily ride dirt bikes, so being on the road is odd to me) so i still have my beginners permit. I'm so deathly terrified of losing control due to a tar snake or pebble that i death grip like i'm cutting fire wood. I kept wondering if it was the gloves i bought, but even without gloves my hand would still go numb.
When you're chopping wood a numb hand really doesn't matter so i learned to ignore it. But riding a motorcycle is a different story. Thanks for the video, it's just one of those things that i'll have to fix over time.
Great advice Greg.
Here's one for you, I found out my gloves were making my hands numb. Get the right gloves!
One of your old videos helped me a lot with this problem. Ever since I started covering brake and clutch with two fingers problem disappeared.
I’m 64 now and have arthritis which varies day to day from years of heavy trade work and combat sports. Fitted all 3 bikes with coca-cola barrel grips now which alleviates much of this problem. Bent arms helps and having the grips at an angle rather than horizontal is useful too. I have clubman bars on my CB1300 which seem to work well, my Triumph Sprint GT is already ergonomic, but the real surprise is the 8” ape hangers on my American export Triumph T-140 which are incredibly comfortable - hands are at about a 30 degree angle. I also cover the brake with one finger practically all the time but generally maintain a relaxed grip. Small parallel grips (the usual standard options) are the devils work. I’m now a fan of the more forward riding position though as this improves control and reduces wind buffet. But some days suck (yesterday on the 1300 after 100 or so miles) and you just have to shake it off and continue. It’s not a good thing when you can’t feel your hands on the twisties so I’ll likely put the small reflexed levers on to minimise the reach.
Well done for covering this common issue! 👍🏻
Not to knock out Greg, but also get checked out. I have followed his instructions, and it makes a difference. Sometimes, it was not my hand that went numb, but my forearm and my hands would follow. Turned out I had impingements in my muscles. I ride a cruiser, and it should be the easiest ride. It wasn't. I got treated and followed the motojitsu training, and I've improved
Thanks for this tip! I’ll be trying this on my next ride. I have some nerve damage in my hands, so anything I can do to help reduce numbness is a great thing.
Great advice. Every time my hands go numb it's because I'm riding too tense and I have to consciously loosen up.
My hands used to go numb due to gripping too hard AND riding a CBR250R single for long periods - I recommend bar end weights (adding weight ) made a big difference.
I learned how to relax my grip too
Good topic. I struggle with my right hand going numb, and it hasn’t been a bike issue as I’ve had the issue on a number of different style bikes. Some time ago I really embraced your “playing piano” and it has help quite a bit. I suspect there may be some carpel tunnel or something going on because it will still occur with loose hands. I’ve also found that glove size/fit absolutely plays a role, the tight fitting the gloves the more likely I’ll have an issue.
same as dude i wear xl gloves even though i have average size hands
Same here it was carpal tunnel
And if u leave it too long u get permanent nerve damage to see an orthopod
Thank you so much, this is exactly what I am facing on my recently bought 2016 Duke 390.
Bike is so agressive for my skill level I get scared and hold the handlebar very tightly.
Time for a slight update on the bit about vibration. There are bikes with almost no vibration - electric motorbikes. But even on them, if you grip too tightly, you will get numb or sore wrists. It isn't vibration numbness like workers get when using road drills. Few bikes have that kind of vibration. It comes from your riding position.
Oh, this is just so good! ✨️ And so true! 👍
As a complete newbie, I hung on to my life in the handlebars.... Stiff, all the way up to my hair roots!!! 😮I had that "Lion King look" - but not cool at all though,....! 😅 But I took your word for it - and started to play the piano! 🎼 My instructor at school,, loved the metaphore - when I told him what made the huge change in my whole drivning position! ❤ No more numbness, easier to ride - and so much more joy! 🫠
Thank you so much, Greg! ✨️
Great video! Installing grip puppies also help allot in avoiding the numbness. The vibration of the engine on some bikes makes your hands go numb. But also take enough breaks during ur ride; every 1,5 / 2 hours hours is best. Also your behind and back will thank you.
This was such an issue for me, compounded with I already have carpal tunnel. 15 mins of riding and I couldn’t feel my hands anymore. I tried this and adjusting my levers and it helped some.
Thanks brother. Excellent feedback. Relax and no pressure in any way.
Thank You for excellent video. I have been riding liter bikes for a long time and always have this problem. I noticed that I am holding the grips very tight, even with my arms bent. I started to remind myself especially on long distance riding to relax my hands and it is getting better.
Brand new rider here... I found out in my MSF course that I have some pretty bad carpal tunnel "arthritis" in my hands... I was still motivated to see the course through and get my first bike though. Couple months later and I cam across a T-7. Took it out in my neighborhood and yea.... I've got it bad man and it's pretty crushing but I'm hoping to put a lighter clutch and brake lever on there. In the end, for future reference, I've come to realize that a DCT bike is my best bet though. I'll try to pay attention to my grip though like you said. My hands don't go numb, they just feel like someone is twisting knives in them lol. Sucks pretty bad.
you just convinced me to buy a DCT because my wrists can get really bad. i appreciate the insight i never thought about that perspective
I used to have very bad carpal tunel syndrome. Couldn't ride a bycicle, couldn't sleep, had to wake up to shake my arms out of the painful numbness. Got the surgery, instant fix. If you can, get it done, if you can't, fight for universal health care.
Drop the elbows, fantastic advice, really makes a difference (Yamaha R1).
Exactly.
I was taught to hold on and steer the bike by legs, not hands.
Playing the piano is a great analogy as well.
Thanks!
You cannot steer a motorcycle with your legs. Your arms steer the motorcycle
@@ropeysubstance1719 try it bro.
You actually steer the bike by your legs much more than you think.
You shift your body and that steer the bike easily.
@@4upkoB motojitu literally has dozens of videos debunking this myth. the one and only way to turn a motorcycle is to counter steer by pushing forward on the side you want to turn. moving your lower body does nothing.
@@ropeysubstance1719 ok, maybe this is the question of names.
Would like to add a couple of points.
Sometimes it can also point to the start of Carpal Tunnel if you get strong pins-and-needles as apposed to just a little numbness(like me now).
You can help the situation with slightly heavier bar-end weights to reduce the vibrating, but it's a balancing act to get the right weights, and you have to learn not to death-grip first to get it just right. The weights can help a lot when you ride a lot of country/rough roads too.
And for the less experienced young'uns, shaving 500grams won't help you go faster off the lights, you should never get lighter weights like the anodized ally ones.
Very good points. Being the pianist, I came to the same conclusions! Thanks.
@@tomislavstanich9379 Hope you don't get it too bad bud. It's a real downer when you can't do the things you like in life.
@@JuxZeil First of I am not your bud! What is your point? I just do exactly I like, due to the limitations of reality around us. Instead of hiding your identity, I am just realising about your shady hiding character.
@@tomislavstanich9379 Ok mate, just trying to be civil...have a nice life anyway. 🤨
@@JuxZeil Oohhh, ... how nice of you, ... I am so excited! Being civil is not the same as cynical, what you are. Your own insecurity leave to someone who is close to you. I am NOT! Have a noce life, anyway?
I watched a Sylvain Guintoli (spelling is awful sorry on the toilet) video on throttle grip on the track. A comment made a joke that he was holding it like a champagne glass. I started doing that and now can ride all day without a throttle lock and zero cramps or hand fatigue
💩💩💩
I was riveted. That's because you are an excellent communicator, Greg, because I already knew that, on an intuitive level. But you brought it to the surface of my awareness, enough for me to now make multiple decisions during a ride to loosen my grip. Keep the teaching going because it is precious stuff.
Thought it was my X-r vibrations but it was carpal tunnel syndrome. Eliminate those discussed here first but Don’t ignore CTS as it can lead to permanent nerve and muscle damage
Definitely found gripping the tank tighter with the legs and relax the hands drastically changed my riding!
New leather gloves are worth wearing at home for a while to soften them up too, especially for new riders as stiff leather gloves with nervous tight grip is a recipe for extremely fast numb hands!
Great video my friend i always keep my arms in a relaxed position and I never get numb hands. 😊
Typically grips are too small in diameter which doesn't help.
I notice most people grip the handlebars like it was a pullup bar...wrong hand position, and held too tight. You hear about arm pump a lot in MX/ADVEnduro, where there’s lots of standing on the footpegs. Similar mistake, though...
I try to stay relaxed when I ride. I learned that in boxing. In boxing staying relaxed helps you keep your energy.
I previously treated patients with Carpal tunnel syndome by providing wrist/hand braces. CTS is typically an "overuse syndrome". I also ride and at times experienced hand numbness. You are right on about the wrist hand angle in reducing numbness. Most CTS symptoms occur due to wrists being flexed downwards while using computer keyboards for extended periods, imagine sitting in a low chair with a keyboard on an elevated table during use. A chair which places you higher and causes your wrists/ hands to be extended upwards is better and reduces the constriction around the carpal tunnel, which is on the underside of the wrists, and usually relieves the numbness. Great advice on bike positional corrections Greg! Also need to constantly remind myself of this while riding.
Very true, trying to adjust my position using my knees to grab the tank not to lean on the handlebar. The one thing hard to avoid is the pressure on your palm when you squeeze the front brake.
:)
instagram.com/motojitsuclub/
Absolutely correct if my hands go numb,slow down, calm Down its a indicator for me now
My right hand went numb as well... i thought i was doing good gripping my gastank with my legs... this was where i found out i had carpeltunnel syndrom... 1 surgery and no mor numb hand.. So yes all what you just mentioned is so true. Good content bro. Thank you.
New rider here…..first starting out, my right hand would go numb fairly quickly. Recognizing this, I would move my hand around on the grip, loosen a couple of fingers, change arm position, drop my arm during deceleration etc…. It has gotten better but numbness still happens although it seems milder. I also notice that the longer I ride, the numbness sometimes subsides. My middle finger tip seems to stay numb even when I am not riding. I think it’s due to tension in my right arm. I can feel the tension in my arm when I ride. Being more relaxed, feeling more comfortable on the bike over the long term will help. Also, NO numbness in my left hand whatsoever which tells me that grip tension must be the culprit.
👍🏼
Gloves cause me to grip the throttle harder without even realizing it, because I lose that sensitivity that you get with bare hands. I dont want to ride without gloves, so I ride with the thinnest pair of motorcycle riding gloves that I can find (Dainese textile gloves) which help. Something is better than nothing...
Yes play the piano but try initiating the counter steer movement with a hip sway. When doing Motojitsu drills I found that hip swaying would make me carve through like a dolphin. Think Shakira cus "hips don't lie". I do the drills as often as possible. They're fun & they really do help me improve my skills on the bike. Advanced riders use their lower body like you wouldn't believe. Peace
Don't have that problem...might be as a guitar player,one is constantly stretching and exercising forearms, wrists and fingers. Agree with the scenario of grip...I have a very light grip...sueeze the tank and work the foot pegs a lot..for me Pivot Pegz work for me
what about the resistance of the throttle ? i tend to squeeze the throttle due to the spring trying to pull the throttle back
get a looser throttle
Riding in the rain on Perrelli Diablo Rosso IIIs that are near the wear bars is unnerving. I bound up more than once today in the curves and I'm sure I pissed off a large percentage of the NOCO traffic around Horsetooth Reservoir this afternoon for about 30 minutes or so. I'll keep working at it while I wait for the new tires to be delivered.
Great video. You nailed it. Thanks!
My hand (right hand) goes numb because of my shoulder. I dislocated it back in the early 2000s. It has dislocated so many times since then that it is a loose joint. Because of that looseness if I do not have a good position with my back I will have a pinched brachial plexus (nerve cluster). I never death grip it. It is just that it starts to go numb. No pain. just numb. It was why I bought my Atlas Throttle lock. I can lock my throttle, move my arm to a neutral position and let my arm recover, then release the lock and shift my position enough to take the pressure off the shoulder.
I ride a Scout Rogue. Cruiser with 10" mini-apes.
Never happens on my Gold Wing (GL1500)
There is a throttle wrist clip you can put on to rest your hand on the throttle. It was a must riding my Harley. Not needed for the BMW.
Thanx man! paused your vid...went and rode around my yard and can't believe the difference! Then came back and finished the vid 😂
8:33 - Somebody PLEASE do a "or can I play the piano in a corner" meme!
My hand goes numb from my Road King after I installed new heated grips.
They have a strong snap back and they're ever so slightly thicker than the stock grips.
I try using cruise control as much as possible when going on longer rides.
Only my throttle hand goes numb epsecially on long rides where the speed is constant. The throttle spring is pretty hard, so I am gripping it to keep steady speed. I sometimes open my hand and try to hold the throttle with my palm but i'm pushing through my arm to keep the throttle steady. During a spirited twisty road ride that doesn't happen because the speed varies.
I was having a problem with this but only with my right hand. I put a sponge type sleeve over the throttle grip and it cured the problem.
Some bar-end weights are absolutely pointless.. the Renthal ones that were on my K4 Bandit 600 weighed nothing. Swapped the fixings out of them and put them in the original bar-end weights and mounted them on the bike... They're seriously heavy compared to the aforementioned. Makes a big difference. Heated grips as well.... Yes, on Renthal bars, heated-grips and original bar-end weights. Also, thin gloves are crap, I'd rather have sweaty hands than rattled one's.
I have to ride 6 km of loose gravel on my Bonneville before hitting pavement. I find that with a really light grip and letting the bike dance a little I can traverse the distance safely at about 40 kmh in third gear. A higher gear gives a less rapid response, If I tighten the grip the ditch looms and it’s a steep ditch.
instagram.com/motojitsuclub/
I bought a throttle assist on amazon. This really helps on long rides.
ive got reynards syndrome so i get bad circulation in my fingers. I dont grip as hard now and also i have heated grips and can ride up to an hour at a time without it getting too bad
What a spectacular presentation. I didn't mean to write here. 😂
I don't have problems with my left hand, my right hand goes numb. I have carpal tunnel in my right hand and is affected by the throttle movement. I had to put a throttle lock on the bike to help. I have tried holding at different angles and even less grip. I was supposed to have surgery to fix it like I did on the left side. Some people may not really know they have carpal tunnel until they do something like ride a bike. This won't stop me from riding.
Watch a shoulder cam from a GP rider. Their hands are so loose on the grips it’s crazy. Looks like they’re barely holding on.
I can tell you, I have a pinched spinal chord in my neck if I put my hands over the shoulder my hand goes numb in a few minutes. I can't do work well with anything over my head. So ape hangars are out for me lol I would not be able to do that.
@MotoJitsu I'm a new rider riding a naked bike. Weirdly enough only my right hand numbs up everytime, not my left. Although im def not loose enough on the bike
the advice I heard from my instructor was to pretend we had t-rex arms and stupid as it sounds it works
I've found that installing the "foamy" grip sleeves really help with minimizing the numb sensation in my hands to the point that it's very infrequent compared to not having the foam sleeves. they do increase the grip diameter, but you get used to it.
🏆
could grip size be a factor? bmw adventure bikes are small, cruiser grips are bigger.
Cruise style bikes slight pull on opposite bar to the bend ,U an bike with corner more upright less effort ,if U go wide pull more , tight gloves won't help either
Thank you so much for another great post! It helped a lot. Now I know that it doesn't happen just to me and also how to fix it.
Some bikes have bad vibration at certain ram's. Loosen that grip.
Mine only really go numb when I’m up at highway speeds. I have a Harley Sportster and it’s only a 5 speed, so once I’m up in those highway speeds in 5th gear, the RPMS are high and I feel like I’m sitting on a human size vibrator lol
Nah, I'm definitely not squeezing the Handlebars (am 'playing the piano' instead), No 'Lion King' pose, nuts always nicely away from the tank, arms loose and wriggling my fingers .... but my right hand still goes numb while riding my sportbikes :(
Do you get real pins-and-needles, or just numbness? If it's the former it could point to Carpal Tunnel, so keep an eye on it. I can't ride now because of it in both hands.
Can also help to keep the cables oiled and levers greased properly on a regular basis along with getting out of the habit of keeping the bike in gear at lights etc., anything with a longish stop in traffic. I've even found using high temperature grease on the inside of the throttle grip can help if you ride long distance fast roads a lot.
Anyone ever use Grip Puppies? A track rider recommended them to me actually but I like the idea of them for damping vibrations
Please can you do a video of explaining when you push left you go left, if you push left doesn’t that turn the wheel right slightly to go right? I know your statement is correct because my instructor also said the same thing push in the direction you want to go, but please can you show us in more detail the physics behind this on your bike maybe? Many thanks btw for all your content and help :)
Can try searching up counter steer! :)
With one you’re pushing u go to the same direction u pushing, and the other one if you pull towards you the bike will go to the opposite direction you’re pulling. (Pulling/pushing )
We dont squeeze. We lean on it. Superduke gt here. So hard to not lean, especially when the road is downhill.. literally so hard to use only the back. Now, lets talk with a pillion.. 😂
use your legs more
i get tingling on my hand after an hour ride on my sportbike
So what about when my hands go numb when I’m cruising on the highway with cruise control and barely even touching the grips? Doesn’t happen at all while around town but just cruising on the highway it does
This is my problem. I’m aware of it, and correct it but after a few miles I find myself back to having a death grip on the bars. 😂
Sorry some bikes really just are more vibey on the bars and if you are touring all day then yeah you are going to feel the vibes by the end of the day.
You're supposed to squeeze the tank with your knees, use your core to hold you up, don't lean on the handle bars. This will alleviate the numbness, even if your bars vibrate a lot!
Oh... well done, he just mentioned that as I posted it 👍
:)
instagram.com/motojitsuclub/
Love it" lion King 🦁
I have a cruiser bike, would also like to own a sport bike but never rode a sport bike, is it more difficult to ride a sport bike?
Thanks for your excellent videos
My numbness comes from having stupidly long thumbs - they end up pushed into the end of the glove, and then they go numb. So I have the weird feeling of completely numb thumbs, but fingers that are okay. Really annoying...
All true but s9metimes it is not the rider but the bike. SOME bikes do have an inherent vibration problem.
1 of those is the BMW K100 from the 1980's. 1000cc, 4cil. The engine of that bike is a stressed member of the frame so the vibrations of the engine are transmitted all across the bike, specially T cruising speeds. The handle bar grips, the foot pegs and even the seat.
I once did a 700km ride on my K100rs and in the end it was like torture.
Later i tried it's smaller brother, the K75rt. That bike turned to be a LOT different. Hardly any vibrations! Why? Because it had a 3 cil engine with a balance shaft. Much better!
95% rider
instagram.com/motojitsuclub/
I hate when riders use the wrong terminology while making Videos. Its not push left to go left! It's counter steering. I just put that out because there's a lot of new riders that want to learn Techniques and when using the right terminology they can further their quest for knowledge by knowing what is actually happening and using the right terminology . I'm here because my hands are older and want to see if there's better ways to not go numb. and I agree with everything on this Video. but when your riding hard always grip the bike to keep control.
hands are fine unless they get frozen but from wearing a helmet for 5 hours hurts my neck...lol
It’s not cuz it’s 25 degrees Fahrenheit out right now?
One advice missing from this video: have your bike setup for your morphology when you get it from your dealer.
Wrong. It's not just tight grip!
another thing to factor is, you might have carpal tunnel syndrome. which makes riding motorcycles very challenging with the amount of vibration a bike produces.
Only my throttle hand goes numb and hurts. I definitely death grip it and I’m having trouble eliminating that habit as a newbie squid
instagram.com/motojitsuclub/
That's it I'm buying piano print hand grips.
Remove your windshield so the wind can push you back. Takes the weight off your hands
Ask any committed cyclist (bicycle rider) about this.... we've all been through it.
simple, your hands are positioned above the elbows.
Why didn't you tell us anything about legs? Should we hold the tank with the legs harder so we can relax the hands ? Legs help us to stabilize the body weight and unload the hands....
If that works for you, sure