| Author | Message | ||
     Not_frn |
Mark, I have the exact same problem on my 2000 X1. So far I have not been able to remedy it. I am going to try gel palm gloves and possibly gel grips. I think it may be restricting the blood flow due to my palms laying on the grips but like you said it could be from your wrist. If it is a wrist issue I don't know what to do short of reconfiguring the bars, pegs etc to get a different riding position. Good luck and let me know if you find a solution. Skip | ||
| Glitch |
Ya'll ought to give barsnake a try. Or, fill the bars with silicone. Either one will dampen the vibes. Barsnake works best IMHO. | ||
| Loki |
It is not just the vibes causing.... You need to rotate the levers(down) to a more refined position. Sit on your bike, rest your hands on the grips. Now point you fingers straight out. Your fingers, wrists and forearms should be in the same plane. With the levers in the ideal position, your fingers should just rest on the top of the lever. One other thing to look at... are your wrists pointing out at an awkward angle. This puts pressure on the nerves which pass thru the wrists. You may need to go to a slightly wider bar to alleviate this. I have gone to a bar with less pull back and slightly wider to give my wrists a break. reference: Chapter sixteen, pages 103-106 of Total Control by Lee Parks. | ||
| Henrik |
Mark; you're compressing the ulnar nerve which supplies the fingers you describe with sensory nerves. It can happen at the wrist, but is more likely where the nerve passes into the palm area. Barrel shaped gel grips may help by distributing the pressure to a greater area of your palm. If you look at the palm of your hand, it's not flat, but rather has a curve to it. The barrel shape will fit better. Lessening the pressure may help as well. Try holding most of your upper body weight using your back and abdominal muscles. Basically make the larger muscle groups do the work. Hold on to the bike with your legs and hold your upper body with abs and back. Higher bars will give you less pressure on your hands as well. You may be able to switch to say S3T bars - though I have no idea if your cables, wiring and brake lines will be long enough. I think the pressure is the main cause, but the vibration may contribute to the problem as well. *Heavy* bar end weights (Throttlemeister or similar). I have no experience with extra weight inside the bars, but extra weight will likely not eliminate the vibration, just shift it to a lower frequency. Hope you find a solution Henrik | ||
| Reepicheep |
I was told the S3 bars will mount right up on the M2 with no problem with cable lengths, etc. I was looking at doing this, but changed my mind before trying it. | ||
| Djkaplan |
I know a guy who had S3 bars on his M2. They fit fine, but I'd be very careful and double check the cable routing to make sure there wasn't any length issues. I personally didn't care for the extra height and want to go the other way on my M2. Does anyone know if XBS bars will clear the tank on a 2k M2? Has anyone tried this yet? | ||
| Jonsbuell |
Mark try the gel grip's they worked for me E-BAY has them for like $8 buck's and up. Also try the gel gloves that are out there and be sure like all before have said set your bar and hand control's to best possible fit. Does any one know for sure if S3 bar's will fit a M2 with no mod's to control/cables Thanx Ride safe n sane JONSBUELL  | ||
| Steveford |
The XBS bars worked on both my X1 and S3 so they should be okay on the Cyclone. I'm going to do some housecleaning so will have XBS, S3 and X1 bars for sale soon. | ||
| Captainkirk |
I bought my M2 with the S3T bars already on so I don't know if any other mods were done. What I DO know is they are VERY comfortable on longer rides compared to my other bike, which gives me the tinglies after about 45 minutes as well as a hell of a kink in my neck. Not so with the Buell. The only fit issue is with the clutch cable squeezing down behind the flyscreen. It's not pretty, but it is functional. | ||
| Kalamamarkm2 |
Hey... Thanks for all the input! I just got in from a ride tonight. I'm more used to the bike now, and played around with what my hands were doing while I was riding. I focused on my hands a lot more this ride...their placement, my grip, etc. I do think that gell grips would be a benefit. I'm gonna try them out...especially ones that were fatter(read goofy looking) in the middle..Might try some silicone or a bar snake. This ride was easy...the prior ones (I live in the twisties) I was wringing the bike out. This time, I tried to take it easy and paid attention to my hands, stretch them out and such on straight stretches... Sooo...if I ride like a grandpa, my hands do good. When I get intense, my hands go numb. Still gonna figure out a way to be intense and keep my hands awake... Kinda funny...I was trying to ride like a grandpa and take it easy, got pulled over by a local deputy for speeding. I've never walked away from a pullover before in my life without a ticket...but I was civil, admitted probable guilt, politely asked for any slack available, and the deputy let me ride on after an admonishment to slow down. 67 in a 40 midway through the corner...good thing was I had a funny feeling right before then and backed way off... Back on topic, I guess that helps keeps your hands from going numb, having to stop, pull off your gloves and sort through yer wallet for license and insurance... Mark | ||
| Bluelightning |
I actually bought the HD "anti vibration" gloves. They were a little pricey and look like an '80's tennis shoe with the little pump on them, but they work. When I first got my X-1, I could barely ride 15-20 minutes before my hands fell asleep and got the pins and needles feeling, but now with the gloves pumped up, I can ride all day with no problems. I want to eventually switch to gel grips to see if it completely goes away. just my $.02 | ||
| Bomber |
I've been runnin "Gran Tourismo" grips (Dennis Kirk) for longer than I care to admit . . . .their barrel shape is a bit more exaggerated than others, and really helps speard the pressure across the entire palm . . .. also, when "riding like grandpa," it may be that you're not holding onto the bars with a vise-like grip - - - that'll cause problems with your hands and your handling . . . . . just relax the hands, like H said, and support your weight with your torso . . . . . | ||
| Aesquire |
I have the S3 bars on my M2L, cable fit is fine, you may have to snip a tie or 2 to position things properly. I like the angle a lot better, and the 1 1/2" or so rise is kinder on my old back. Gell grips are good, the Gran Tourismo grips fit my hands real well, grab before you buy. ( but hey, grips are cheap ) Position is the first thing to try, take Loki's advice. Control & comfort will improve when you relax the death grip. | ||
| Used_96_s1 |
When I have the solo tail on I use the new Buell Custom Solo Seat. It only costs $200 Hey Tripper, thanks for the link! It was a life, er, buttsaver. Ken | ||
| Tripper |
Welcome! It is a good deal, but the Corbin and the TwinTail keeps showing up on my bike even though I hate what it does to the slim lines of the S1. In the end you GotToRideIt.  | ||
| Bluelightning |
I know this has probably been discussed, but does anyone know of a good set of clip on bars besides the crossroads bars that will fix my X-1? I just got the Odyssey Kolors fairing and need to get a set of lower bars from stock. I would like a set of clip ons for the ease and cheaper cost of fixing the tubes if I have an "oh crap", but want to make sure I clear the tank and still have a somewhat comfortable ride (i.e. still have a little bit of a rise over typical clip ons). Thanks! Karl edited by Bluelightning on June 23, 2004 | ||
| Mbsween |
Anyone know if the adjustable (clutch and brake) levers from the XB series will fit the tubers (2001 X1 specifically) Thanks Matt | ||
| Gixxer851 |
Matt, The adjustable brake lever off a Kawasaki ZX7R/ZX9R will fit. I just got one for my X1, brings the lever closer to bar, much nicer. Don't know about an adjustable clutch lever though. cheers, graham | ||
| Mbsween |
Thanks for the info Graham, oddly enough I just bent the clutch lever with a garage drop. I'll be sure to check the sidestand is down when removing the track stand from here on out. | ||
| Gixxer851 |
Dohhhhh  | ||
| Bluelightning |
The adjustable brake lever from a Kawasaki ZX9R around 95-96 is a perfect match Part# 13236-1185. And the Kawasaki Zephyr had an adjustable clutch lever Part# 46076-1165. Adjustable clutch lever needs a little modification (10min switch in side) because Kawasaki switch connecter has 3 pin, Buell has 2 pin and reverse action. Brake lever is just bolt on. Total parts cost about $80 . (from the x1 files @ http://www.saintjohn.nbcc.nb.ca/marriott/x1/ ) Or, if you can go without the adjustable levers, there is a guy on Ebay selling really nice short billet levers for buells. I have a set on my X1 and they work and look great. | ||
| Used_96_s1 |
American Sport Bike has the adjustable brake lever for $18. The gas crunch has done wonders for my motorcycling skills............  .........I noticed that the brake lever wasn't quite where I'd like it to be last week. | ||
| Loki |
Being as since a new thread is not allowed at this time. The next post will start the handlebar discussion. | ||
| Loki |
The saga now begins. Bars are pretty subjective to an individuals taste and preferences. For me it started with the addition of the BANKE rearsets to my M2 and continued on to the S1 and its rearsets. I was looking for something lower BUT not as radical as the Pro-Series set-up. So with doing some looking and research. I came up with the numbers for the 99+ fat tank bar. What I dreamed up was a start point. I chose to cut the amount of rise in half. This alone with the rear-sets rotated my body forward a good amount. For me the combination turned out to basically rotate my body along this axis. Keeping nearly the same arm/torso/leg alignment. It even worked out for my neck positioning. just a slight lift of the chin to get maximum forward sight path. This was on the M2 though. The S1 is a little different. Point here- The rise of your bar will dramatically affect body position. *What you will choose for a rise will reflect what is comfortable for your body and not any others. Next thing to consider. Pullback of the bar. A change here will accomplish a couple things. First and foremost, with a lower rise it can get you the clearance required for the tank. This would be done with decreasing the amount. On the M2, I took out two inches of this. What did this net me? 1-My switch gear just barely cleared the tank at full stop(lt and rt). 2-It changed the angle of my wrists in relation to my forearms. My wrist/forearm/shoulder fell into a nice straighter alignment. This took alot of pressure of my wrists. 3-It fine tuned my overall arm position in relation to my chest. Point here- The amount of pullback is a big concern for your wrists. Do they point out excessively? You might try and reduce the amount of pullback. Are they in a neutral position? Stay with what you have. If they point in you have bigger problems.....the bar is more than likely mounted backwards. There is something else to consider here and it is next. Next on the agenda- bar width, the overall width here. This changes alot. It works in relation to pullback and overall steering efforts. Try and stay with the stock measurement here. It works! I chose to add two inches in width for a couple reasons. First was to accomadate my shoulder width, my wrist/arm/shoulder are in a more neutral position. NOTE: pullback is definately affected by a change here. The given angle does not change, but the amount of it does. My second reason, dictated by my desire to use the CRG mirrors and accomadate end weights. I actually have my mirrors mounted to the bar and do not use the adapters. With this I can add or remove bar end weights as desired or even add protectors. Yet the overall width of my controls was only changed 3/4". A little more leverage and some extra tank clearance was gained. Point here- overall width here affects your leverage with steering inputs. Be careful with what you wish here. Next item- Center width. Maintain a minimum of 4 3/4 inches. This way you can clamp your bar down properly. Any narrower and the bend of the rise will encroach into the clamp. So how does one attempt to fit themselves and choose a bar? Get a friend or find one....Find a ruler or tape measure and hand it to her(him). Now go sit on your bike with feet on pegs, yours though. Rise? Do you want to rotate yourself further forward? Decrease it some. Rather sit more upright? Add some rise. You might be surprised what an inch +/- here will do. Next wrap thy hands around the grips. Look at your wrist/forarm angle. Seem excessively turned in? Let go of the grips and try a more comfortable angle here. You need to keep the overall width here constant. Have your helper measure how much you moved your wrists forward or back. Forward will equal less pullback. The two numbers you are changing are now known to you. Try and keep the overall width the same at 28". With the grips...maybe 28 1/4". Got some really wide shoulders? Consider adding an inch in width. Well we are now armed with a batch of numbers to go hunting with. Rise/Pullback/overall width/ center. Find a Flanders(or similar)listing that shows these numbers. Try plugging your numbers into the listing. Something come close? You found a starting point. Nothing close, try and find a custom bender. The guy I first used has disappeared. I think Flanders may even do custom bends. An off the self bar will cost you the least. Most custom jobs go buy the number of bends required. --------- Want a little less rise and less pullback? Try a dirt bike bar. I am currently using a MOOSE thick wall aluminum bar. Want a cheap version of the pro-series set-up? Look at a drag bar with the proper width and desired agle(pullback). You XB*S owners, the above applies to you also. Guess which bar you have. The final item you need to take care of; rotate your levers down so that your extended fingers/wrists/forearms are closer to neutral. More in line in the same plane, this will add greatly to long term comfort. Alot to digest and consider here aint there. I hope this clears up some stuff and that I have not really confused anyone. Just personal experience on what it takes to find some comfort. sheesh that is a bunch of typing.....got questions fire away. Bry(Loki) | ||
| Bomber |
Bry thanks for the erudite and cogent thesis! I agree 100%, and will add emphasis to your statement that small change can make a huge difference . . . . it's more than worth the time, and dough, to changes bars a couple/three times, looking for that sweet spot (I'm about 1/4 less pullback from Valhalla with flanders suberbike bars . . . . . ) thinking seriously about finding a good exhaust shop with a CNC pipe bender and getting to know them really well this winter | ||
| Loki |
Bomber, Thanks. I was thinking about just when I started experimenting with bar set-ups. My GPz was the first real test mule. '82(750) R1 with '83(750) A1 risers and '84(1100) bars. The M2 without the rear-sets only really needed less pullback for me. The addition of them required me to start the adjustment process. This task with the M2 gave me a head start with the S1. Like a competition shooter tailors his tools to him(her)self. A rider needs to do likewise with the steed of choice. The more comfortable you are, the more effective you become. You ought to try one made with thick wall aluminum. The vibration harmonics are quite different. | ||
| Bomber |
loki -- material availability and cost will dictate what's made first . . . .I'm sure there will be trial and error . . . .. . I'm 6'2" and wear 36" length levis . . . . when my wife rode the MaDeuece, (5'8"  , she had to take her hand off the bar to get the clutch lever, wanted to know why the brake lever was so far below the bar, and generally thrilled with the bike but astounded at how much it DIDN'T fit her . . . . . "you'll never be able to sell this thing, it doesn't fit anyone but YOU!!!" | ||
| Bomber |
Loki . . .which Moose you using? CR Low, High, KX, RM, YZ? does the cross bar get in the way of anything? | ||
| Loki |
The bar? ohh..... I don't have the tag laying around anymore. The numbers were in the ballpark of lets say the superbike ones. Just a tad lower and less pull. The one I picked up had a removable cross bar, so I removed it. I wouldn't bend a custom alum one until I had good numbers. The shop I used in cali would send them out raw for trial fit. Then you could send them back for chroming. Would work for the trials and then chrome the one(s) you really wanted. I think he closed up the shop shortly after I did the first bar though. Was his dads business and he had passed on just before that. | ||
| Bomber |
chrome don't gatcha home! ;-} powercoat of guncoat I'm thinkin! thanks for the leg up, Bri! |
