Numbness in my right hand..

[kleopapas]

I have recently made 2 long(ish) return journeys (250+ miles). The bike was fine and even my bum was OK, considering, but my right hand felt numb after 30 miles or so. I appreciate that one should expect some stiffness and/or numbness, after all that hand is locked onto the throttle for long spells - however I dread making longer trips as the pain was quite bad afterwards. Are there any tips or remedies that your combined wisdom has to offer? My TA has 3k on the clock so tyres, bearings, forks etc are not an issue in my opinion. I'm average height (5'8") so I can't see why this is causing me such grief. I haven't had stiffness and pain in my right hand this bad since my early teens when I noticed that our Art teacher did not appear to own a single bra...

[Mr NiceGuy]

Try all the basics first making sure that all the controls are adjusted for you and not you adjusting your riding position to suit. Then try relaxing your grip on the bars as you only need to hold them and not strangle them to death. If you get excessive vibes though the bars then make sure the bar end weights are tight and if that doesn't cure it try expanding foam in the bars make sure to remove the controls before doing so as Honda tends to put holes in the bars for locating the controls and you don't want expanded foam on your throttle.

[CC Baxter]

Try all previously suggested plus one of these from http://www.scottoiler.com

[sproggy]

You need to try to alter the frequency at which the bars vibrate (if holding them less tightly or using a throttle rocker doesn't help).

Try riding without bar end weights (I don't have them and have never missed them), changing to Renthal bars (different resonant frequency), even packing lead fishing weights in a bag and stuffing them in each end of the bars (a Deauville-owning friend did this and said it helped) before replacing the end weights. Any of these things will change the vibration characteristics of the bars. You could also try vibration-deadening grips - certainly these are available for Harleys but I belive they're available for all makes.

[brownie2]

i had a similar problem years ago with a bike i bought from a friend, everytime i rode it for more than 30mins my right arm ached so much that i couldn't ride it nemore,in the end all i did was shift the bars slightly back and it cured it totally.

[RainMan]

First question I would ask is, is the numbness in just your hand or along you arm as well, if it's just in your hand, then the second question is, what do you do for a living ?, the reason for the second question is that I got identical symptoms to what you are describing about six months ago and as it got progressively worse, moving from numbness to pain in my right hand when I rode the bike, I decided to see the Doc and long story short, I was diagnosed with CPL (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome), this is really common in my profession (computer programming) as the tendons that control the fingers are overworked and eventually become inflamed and press against the nerve in the Carpal Tunnel (tunnel that carries the nerves and tendons through the wrist) this in turn will cause the numb sensation in the hand and eventually (fairly serious) pain. Riding your bike also puts similer strain on the finger tendons, particularly in the right hand as you are flexing the fingers around the throttle as well as stretching them and putting them under further pressure when using the brake. If you use a computer all day, are a musician or do any job, (Art Teacher aside) that requires dexterity and heavy use of the fingers, you most likily have mild CTS, the good news is that it is not a serious complaint and means taking a weeks perscription of anti-inflammitary tablets, which normally sorts it out (did in my case) more serious sufferers need a steroid injection to the wrist or in very extreme cases, surgery, but if you are not crippled with pain, the latter two will not apply. So the bottom line is, if the numbness isn't going away, see your Doc sooner rather than later. Using the cramp buster that CC Baxter posted a link for will also help.

[YEN_POWELL]

I had this years and years ago and it was just a case of checking the bars were actually centrally mounted. Mine were off a little so one end was vibrating more then the other. Moving them sideways a little totally cured it. That was on my Honda CX500.

[kleopapas]

Guys, what can I say except thanks once more for your numerous and informative replies. I am I confess slightly anxious at the thought of the Scottoiler clip at the end of the handlebar, especially as there doesn't seem to be a palm's width of space left over. I don't use a keyboard excessively so I doubt it's the onset of RSI or Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. I am also loathe to change grips as I quite like the stock ones. Also, the bike is new and I doubt that the bars are off centre. In short, I don't know what to do but I look forward to more suggestions. My bike's up for its 4k service next month and I'll be swapping the Deathwings for some BT45s so maybe that will alleviate the problem.

Thanks to you all and keep the suggestions coming, perhaps a wrist transplant will be the answer?

[sproggy]

Also, the bike is new and I doubt that the bars are off centre

You have FAR too much faith in the monkeys who built/PDI'd/serviced your bike. For the sake of 30 seconds with a tape measure/ruler, I'd check.

My bike's up for its 4k service next month and I'll be swapping the Deathwings for some BT45s so maybe that will alleviate the problem.

This is highly unlikely to make any difference - vibration of the type that causes numb fingers/hands will be from the engine/drive train rather than the tyres. If you experiment you'll probably find it's worse at certain engine speeds regardless of which gear you're in.

Thanks to you all and keep the suggestions coming

Understanding that you don't want to change the grips, all it takes is two screws to remove the bar end weights (and then the same two to replace them) - try riding the bike without them and see how you get on. You could also try riding in winter gloves (more padding/insulation on the palm/fingers) to see whether that improves the situation - thin summer gloves will transmit more vibration to the hands.

[MCsanandreas]

try a different pair of gloves. i bought a new pair on Saturday and get something like you describe with them.
try thicker or thinner gloves as they make a difference too.