Handlebars and upper back pain

[Borghi]

Exactly my sentiments Boondocker. The VStrom was the ultimate in comfort for me too! S10 is getting better, but slowly. Some of us are getting older and have arthritis in our backs and have to spend a little more time tuning in the riding position.

 

[macca]

Here's a test I did to find out why I had sharp pain each side inside shoulder blades. I dropped my elbows. I realized I was holding my elbows up to compensate for the bar angle. I was surprised how far my elbows dropped when I relaxed my arms. Tension went from my back almost immediately. I haven't fixed the bar problem yet which is why I am scanning this thread.

I recently got a long run on my S10 (around 500miles round trip) and found I was doing the same. I did drop the elbows but the subconsious seemed to push them back up after a while. I found I needed to shuffle forward in the saddle to change the bodies need to raise the elbows but that just gave my Butt and knees more reasons to complain. I've just rolled the stock bars back a few degrees and completed a shorter 200mile round trip and I didnt find the elbows needed to be raised and I could stay on the main part of the saddle too. Not sure its perfect as I have stiff sholders and neck today (run was yesterday) but I wasnt fully fit in that area before the ride and the conditions were biblical rain both ways. Local news at my destination have reported servere flooding, so I may also have been a bit more tense on the roads there was a lot of wash off from fields over the country roads with large patches of gravel dropped and the motorways were like riding in a permanent puddle/river.
The S10 was probably the perfect bike for the conditions and I wouldnt have done it on any other bike .

 

[tpak]

Does anyone know or have a pointer to a thread with stock bar dimensions/info like rise/sweep etc? I found on my Vstrom that getting a straighter and slightly wider bar relieved a bunch of pain from between my shoulders. I'd go get the same bar again but wasn't quite happy with how the bends were - they didn't quite have the right spacing for the various clamps. I want to do the same again on the Tenere as I am finding the same cramping/pain between the shoulder blades again and this time I know the solution in advance but would like to know the starting rise etc so I can adjust accordingly.

I'm glad some can easily can adapt to random bikes and riding positions - I can't - my shoulders used to kill me until I switched my bars around and I tried toughing it out thinking I'd be fine after a while but simply getting a better fit for my body type made my Strom a whole different bike. I went from barely being able to do 100 miles to doing 500 miles with zero shoulder pain. Years and years of MTB riding have taught me that millimeters can actually make a diference - I used to think bull but learned ...

My 15 y.o. son was helping me - he would put his fingers on the strained tendon in the shoulder and as I slowly moved my wrists in /out and wider/closer, near/far he could feel the strained tendon getting tensed and relaxing. About 5 minutes of fiddling and we found I needed up, back and straighter on my Vstrom all by me just holding a "virtual" bar if you can imagine it. We did a little measuring and then with the stock numbers for comparison I figured out a good replacement.. Presto!

Anyway, if anyone has the stock info handy I'd appreciate it!

 

[HoebSTer]

Tpak, There is some info here on the forum from a little while ago on the handlebar dimensions. WASP posted it up. I don't remember which thread it was exactly, but was under modifications probably.

 

[jajpko]

Tpak, There is some info here on the forum from a little while ago on the handlebar dimensions. WASP posted it up. I don't remember which thread it was exactly, but was under modifications probably.

Here ya go..

 

[tpak]

Thanks guys. I searched around but came up empty, sometimes that happens.

I have a spreadsheet that is sortable of all the different bars from my bar change exercise. I will dig it up as a reference tool for people.

The one thing missing from it though is the length of the usable portion for grips and clamps etc. Is there a consensus on which manufacturer replicates those dimensions the best?

Thanks again.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[stevepsd]

I should get around to putting on the set of 1" risers I have laying around the shop. Seems I had to do the same thing on my XR600R & KTM. The bar rise is just a tad short when standing unless I always want to be in a attack posture.

I think RonH is a 'closet farkler' ...... and just won't come out and admit that he has at least one non-OEM farkle on his ST.

 

[snakebitten]

Handlebars and Risers get him really fired up. REALLY fired up. Not sure why.

I wonder if his seat in his car is still EXACTLY where it was on the car lot?

Having said that, I do find that the more I ride the better my stamina for shoulder, back, and neck muscles. But even then, my 9 hour ride on Sunday left me a bit sore.
However, Texas Highway 337 and 16 were worth every bit of the pain I had the next day!

 

[jajpko]

Having said that, I do find that the more I ride the better my stamina for shoulder, back, and neck muscles. But even then, my 9 hour ride on Sunday left me a bit sore.
However, Texas Highway 337 and 16 were worth every bit of the pain I had the next day!

::026:: It took me awhile to get my riding muscles back into shape, but I am doing 500 mile days now. I notice it does not take too long to lose the muscle tone and have to ride a few days to get it back.

 

[Borghi]

Since I started this thread, I'll update where I am now with this issue. I tried three different handlebar (including Raptors) and various riser (2 in up, 1 in up and back, and 2 inch adjustable) combinations. I settled in with the 2" Rox adjustable riser in a pulled back position with longer brake and clutch lines from Jaxon and the STOCK bars due to them having the most pullback. For me, the main issue causing upper back pain was the reach to the bars. I tend to like riding in an upright to slight forward lean position due to my bad lower back. With the current set up I can comfortably reach the bars without straining my shoulders/upper back and this has taken care of 90% of my issue. My current challenge is the seat. Even with the Airhawk and the seat slope mod done, I still can't do more than 150 miles. I almost bought a Corbin, but have decided to wait for the Sargent . The stock seat is messing up my riding posture as I am compensating for a sore butt by altering my posture in bad ways. Bottom line, not a good thing for long distances. Right now I am questioning if trading my DL1000 was such a great idea. For me the DL was the most comfortable bike I have ever owned. That being said, I do like the S10's shaft drive, brakes and overall performance. Time will tell if it will be a long term keeper for me...

 

[snakebitten]

Borghi,

You now have the same bar/riser setup I have.
2" up and back with stock bars.
I think I like to ride with similar posture as you. +, while standing, this is much better!

Hope you get the seat figured out. I'm lucky and find the seat just fine for up to about 400 mile days. (i do have the seat-mod though) I also have a fairly high threshold for pain. So it might just be I'm a tuff ole fart.

Good luck. You may never get the S10 to your liking compared to your Vstrom. It's personal. There are a lot of happy Vstrom riders. My riding buddy will never give his up.

 

[tomatocity]

Ron, thanks for the information.

Its about time I buy the extended clutch and front brake lines and go back to my stock handlebars.

Don't feel bad about your seat. I am way too much into a BMS seat and get uncomfortable at 100 miles though usually hold out until 150-200 miles before stopping for gas. On the stock seat I could go full tanks of gas and not get uncomfortable until 300-400 miles. Trying to find a stock seat to confirm if it is still more comfortable.

Looking forward to getting back on the Tenere.

 

[tpak]

FWIW I wasn't specifically breaking RonH's chops - every forum thread about ergo's always gets someone that says "the bike is fine, stop being a wimp and move on". I envy those that can hop on and just go forever on any bike.

That being said, there are a lot of easy tweaks. I think I can probably just swap the bars for something a little straighter to take the "pinch" out of my shoulders. Trick is going to be finding a fat bar with enough room for the controls. The ProTaper EVO doesn't quite have enough room - same for the Renthal. I'll have to look around some more.

 

[tomatocity]

FWIW I wasn't specifically breaking RonH's chops - every forum thread about ergo's always gets someone that says "the bike is fine, stop being a wimp and move on". I envy those that can hop on and just go forever on any bike.

That being said, there are a lot of easy tweaks. I think I can probably just swap the bars for something a little straighter to take the "pinch" out of my shoulders. Trick is going to be finding a fat bar with enough room for the controls. The ProTaper EVO doesn't quite have enough room - same for the Renthal. I'll have to look around some more.

The ProTaper Contour Raptor's will fit the stock controls but not much more.

 

[Tremor38]

I guess I just never understand some people being so darn sensitive to pain. Motorcycles are not a cadillac. Even a Goldwing will not be turned into a Cadillac by goofing with every conceivable item despite all the thousands that try. The Tenere is not a cadillac x10. It's a motorcycle. Ride and adapt. If you can't adapt, the motorcycle, or motorcycles in general are probably not the vehical for you. I'll shut up now to everyones delight. I'm lucky, I grew up on motorcycles, and most I can easily adapt to. The Tenere is such a bike. Works fine as is. The day I complain of seats, bars, windshields is the day I'll say I've lost my love of motorcycles and call it a day and continue on foot, as I ain't driving a cadillac or any other 4 wheel pile of horse dung.

I can understand some of what you're saying. I think some riders are constantly looking for some unachievable nirvana of comfort. But I also believe that ergos, seat shape and foam compression to be a very personal thing based upon body dimensions and weight. Case in point, I had the motard version of the KLX250, which had a seat that felt like a torture rack no matter how much riding I did to try to acclimate myself to it. Sent the seat to Renazco and WOW, what a difference. That was; however, the first time I've felt so compelled to have a stock seat reworked. All of my other bikes were very easy to get used to, and I easily adapted to any discomfort.

 

[Dallara]

~

Just as an aside for you folks looking for more room for your controls on some handlebar options...

Remember that the stock Yamaha Super Tenere grips are somewhat longer than what amounts to the industry standard. So, if you're looking for a bit more *breathing* room for the controls you might consider going to a more standard size grip length. It's easy to do, and requires little to no mod to the left side other than grinding the locating pin off the switch assembly. On the right side you have the same pin grinding task along with cutting a bit of length off the throttle tube.

Doing this will buy you about a half-inch of room to work with using different bars.

Just FYI...

Dallara



~

 

[Stevek]

Hi dcstrom

I've just got back round to looking at the bars and have ordered the CR-Hi. I take it you had to mod your bars to deal with bolting in the hand guards? It would be good to know how you did this, I have the stock Yamaha guards.

Thanks

Steve

I had the upper back pain with stock bars - also coming from a DL1000 which didn't give me that kind of pain. Swapped to Moose CR-Hi bars (same ones I had on the Strom), found they were too low for standing on the S10 - added some 30mm Tusk risers and now getting some forearm pain. Hmmm. So still fiddling the the bars. I have some 2" Rox risers coming this week.

I rode a mate's S10 with stock bars a couple of weeks ago, and the upper back pain was back, so that just confirmed where that problem was coming from and that I need to persevere with other bars.

Moose bars compared to stock - straighter and lower. Plenty of aluminum bars to choose from, but I wanted steel because in a worst case scenario, they can be bent back into shape (I once endoed an R80GS, right bar was bent at 90° but with some heat added was able to get it straight and rideable). Plus they are much cheaper than most aluminum.

http://www.chaparral-racing.com/Product/moose-racing-carbon-steel-cr-hi-oversized-1-1-8/M0601-1799.aspx

Rox 2" risers

Will report back after trying the risers next weekend.

 

[cosmic]

I'am following this thread out of curiosity, because i'am also following the italian tenere forum, and i don't remember ever finding similar topic.
That said, i think we should all state several important facts, as height,weight, and maybe even arm's lenght, in order not to follow somebody's else configuration. Furthermore, a pic from the side showing posture on the bike would be nice for comparsion.
e.g.
I'am 6'4" 240 , stock hb with tusk 30mm risers slightly tilted forward. I used this setup for offroad and it stayed that way.
No back pain!

Here you go... you can compare my posture to yours.





©

 

[dcstrom]

Steve,

the stock bar-end weights won't work with the Moose bars - they are hollow, nothing to screw them into. If you were clever I guess you could weld a nut in there, but I had some bar-ends off the V-Stom laying around, so just used them. They are the kind with the expanding rubber plug, you can get aftermarket versions too. I think I have another set - not in perfect condition - but you can have them for the price of shipping. PM me if you want them.

Trevor

Hi dcstrom

I've just got back round to looking at the bars and have ordered the CR-Hi. I take it you had to mod your bars to deal with bolting in the hand guards? It would be good to know how you did this, I have the stock Yamaha guards.

Thanks

Steve

 

[jajpko]

I'am following this thread out of curiosity, because i'am also following the italian tenere forum, and i don't remember ever finding similar topic.
That said, i think we should all state several important facts, as height,weight, and maybe even arm's lenght, in order not to follow somebody's else configuration. Furthermore, a pic from the side showing posture on the bike would be nice for comparsion.
e.g.
I'am 6'4" 240 , stock hb with tusk 30mm risers slightly tilted forward. I used this setup for offroad and it stayed that way.
No back pain!

Here you go... you can compare my posture to yours.





©

I notice you sit farther forward than I do. What is your dress shirt sleeve length?