Aches and Pains

[Smooth14u2]

Thanks for the write LAF.

 

[FJR Bill]

I'm 64 and suffer from arthritis in knees, wrists, and lower back. My first long ride (3000 miles) on my FJR had lots of pain but I loved all aspects of the bike. Reading about riding postion I've dropped my elbows, quit stiff arming, I bend at the waist and keep pressure off my wrists. I find the stock seat just fine. One month ago I took the long way from Tampa to San Diego and back. I have a calisci windshield, throttle meister, and cramp buster. That's it. For insurance I took my prescription 800mg ibuprofen pills. Never took one of them because the new riding style worked for me on consecutive 600 mile days. I was very pleased how comfortable I was on the entire trip. Bill

 

[Goodman4]

+1 on ibuprofin, but don't take too many or it will tear up your stomach and the other stuff mentioned above. This is one of the great things about this forum - a lot of you guys just a little to my senior know how to appreciate the speed and handling of a great bike and are willing to do what it takes to keep enjoying it. More power to you and don't give up.

 

[Ken45]

+1 on ibuprofin, but don't take too many or it will tear up your stomach and the other stuff mentioned above.

Ibuprofen and naproxin ("Aleve") can cause kidney (or liver, I'm not sure which) damage according to our doctor. Be careful and don't overdo it.

YMMV

Ken

 

[Deepblue]

Wow guys....some very great information from everyone and thank you. Honestly, it is very encouraging and surprising that it isn't just me. I definitely need to be more patient with myself and take into consideration that I have been away from it for 27 years and the reality is I just got it on July 6th so that's just a drop over a month. The bike is an absolute blast to ride as you know, so I am going to hang in there, work on conditioning and add bits and pieces to the bike as I go along to make things easier. I have already looked at one of those air hawk seat cushions that was recommended here yesterday, that should raise my butt up a little and maybe help with the seat peg relationship and a less expensive alternative to a better seat. And a throttlemeister. A great forum here, some very nice, helpful and kind people here for sure. Thanks again to each of you for responding and inspiring me to hang in there!!

 

[Granger]

At age 60 I am experiencing the same stiffness and creaky pains as the others who have written here. Add an injury or two along the way and seat squirming and flexing on the ride is a given. I frankly found the stock FJR a royal pain to ride. At 5'8" and only 165 lbs the first problem was huge wrist and back pain leaning forward on my hands all the time. Helibars and a Rich's custom seat was a huge improvement and brought me almost fully upright. A Rifle screen reduced the wind noise without the need for the 'laminar lip', and some highway pegs brought even more comfort. Cramp buster helps the right hand fatigue but be careful to make sure this is in the correct position before you start you bike as they slide around sometimes and it can affect your control. Next up: doing something about these vibrating mirrors that are giving me double vision!

See you on the highway.

Granger

 

[Bustanut joker]

Yeah, I get it.

Hmm

Broken

back

femur

neck

ribs (how many??)

achilles tendon

knee

ankles (both)

kidney surgery..

Yep..

Just gotta live with it I guess.

Somebody must love ya Don...I'd have put you "down" at the broken ribs point.

:****:

 

[snackbauer]

Oh, here I go again, sounds like preaching, but I'll do it anyway.

Trade the pain you feel during and after riding for the good pain of regular exercise. Just 30 minutes a day walking briskly with the dog, or if you have a treadmill use it, at least every other day. If you don't have a dog, get one. Animal shelters are full of them. Find some nice long hills and walk up then down, it's fun.

Regarding lower back pain, it's not your back that's the problem, it's your abs. They're weak. Look down at that melon hanging over your belt, there's your problem. Several times a week do a 20 minute pilates workout, tons of dvd's to follow along and do it right. I like this one (Kathy Smith: Fat Burning Pilates). Pilates provides a great stretch of the spine, and strengthening of the abs, feels great.

If you've had injuries, that's a different story.

As you get older, you need to exercise more, not less.

Ok, I'm done.

 

[PhilJet09]

I survived a plane crash 10 years ago, I'll be 40 this year. I fractured T10 and T11, broke some ribs and smacked my face/head, but that's ok because I wasn't very smart or good looking to begin with. I've also broken an arm and some fingers along the way and just a couple weeks ago I was playing with our dog and felt something tear (may have actually heard it too) on the inside of my left knee...that's very uncomfortable. I've found that if I don't stretch every day my back gets really sore, whether I'm riding or not. Stretching my legs is especially important for me to avoid lower back pain. I don't use pain killers now, but I'm sure as I get older I'll have to eventually.

I've not been running the last couple years and am as heavy as I've ever been. The aches and pains are creeping up on me which proves to me that staying in shape is probably the most important thing I can do to keep the pain at bay. Time to go on a diet and start working out again.

 

[Donal]

Oh, here I go again, sounds like preaching, but I'll do it anyway.

Trade the pain you feel during and after riding for the good pain of regular exercise. Just 30 minutes a day walking briskly with the dog, or if you have a treadmill use it, at least every other day. If you don't have a dog, get one. Animal shelters are full of them. Find some nice long hills and walk up then down, it's fun.

Regarding lower back pain, it's not your back that's the problem, it's your abs. They're weak. Look down at that melon hanging over your belt, there's your problem. Several times a week do a 20 minute pilates workout, tons of dvd's to follow along and do it right. I like this one (Kathy Smith: Fat Burning Pilates). Pilates provides a great stretch of the spine, and strengthening of the abs, feels great.

If you've had injuries, that's a different story.

As you get older, you need to exercise more, not less.

Ok, I'm done.

That pretty much covers it for me. At 66 I need to keep in shape by cycling 16 miles/day (not week ends), also do a series of stretching exercises. I can thoroughly recommend this book it wiil be the best $10.00 you will ever spend.

YMMV

Don

 

[starsandstripes]

I'm in my 20s, and I bought an FJR because I was tired of being uncomfortable when riding for several hours at a time. Even though I'm young, my knees will still ache after being on the bike awhile, and I find my right hand goes numb like everyone else. Personally, I think the bars are too narrow and sport like for a touring-oriented bike. I would have much preferred a wide, dirt-bike-style bar instead. The most comfortable handlebars I've ever experienced have been on dual purpose bikes, the Buell Lightning, and the (new) Kawasaki Z1000 because they're all wide.

 

[Pat L]

I've found that I can minimize wrist pain by:

1. Not supporting weight on my wrists, but using my body's core

2. Holding the throttle and slutch grips with a wrist angle that is not bent open at all, and just a bit past straight.

For knees and hips, I move my legs a lot, before aches begin. Dangle feet, ride with instep on legs, then ball of foot on legs, then heel and tip toes down. Move legs back and use passenger legs. Use different positions for left and right feet.

For lower back, use good posture. Slouching catches you fast. Use the yoga camel and cat positions to stretch.

 

[Donal]

These pics were scanned from the Summer edition of the BMF Motorcycle Rider Summer magazine. As you will see aches & pains are a common problem but a few simple exercises could help.

Don

 

[Bustanut joker]

Fuks sakes!! Why the hell is a piece of machinery to blame? Accept the fact you are fat, outa shape or just fuked up for shitsakes!

Whole country is looking for an excuse as to why they need to sit on thier *** and collect money.. How long before some fookin ****** sue's Mama for a platform that paralyzed them?

This whole thread is becoming ********.

 

[Bill]

When I bought my FJR1300, I purchased it from a well-known rider and magazine editor who could not get comfortable on the bike and needed to change to a different bike that better suited his height, riding position and existing weakness in his neck and back.

I'm about 5" shorter than he is and the FJR1300 fits me perfectly.

He'd added a HeliBars Tour Performance Triple Clamp and I added the Russell Day-Long Saddle and mounted footpegs to the Skyway sliders.

I rode my last Goldwing 145,000 miles and for me... the FJR1300 is much more comfortable.

I'm 62 years old and have ridden the FJR1300 approximately 26,000 miles during the past 12 months with no discomfort.

 

[starsandstripes]

Fuks sakes!! Why the hell is a piece of machinery to blame? Accept the fact you are fat, outa shape or just fuked up for shitsakes!

Whole country is looking for an excuse as to why they need to sit on thier *** and collect money.. How long before some fookin ****** sue's Mama for a platform that paralyzed them?

This whole thread is becoming ********.

Bustanut, I know I'm out of shape because I was in good shape in the past, so it's quite obvious. I'm rectifying this situation by starting to exercise again. Nonetheless, I still blame the bike for some of my discomfort. For example, I have never ridden a bike where my throttle hand went numb as quick as it does on the FJR. I don't recall my hand going numb on my last bike.

 

[Fly Bye]

I'll be 67 in January. When I got the FJR I knew there was going to be adjustments made as to my riding position and to the motorcycle as well. When first riding the FJR I had to change my riding position(s) as I went along. I started bending at the waist, arching my back and taking pressure off of my wrists. after some time of experimenting I decided to alter the ergos of the FJR. I did a ride in to get a Rick Meyer seat, installed Helibars, MCL pegs, Grip Puppies, Go Cruise and a Yamaha Touring windshield.

I have completed over 600 mile days and have no problem doing so. I don't think that would be possible if I had not used the riding positions and the creature comforts installed on the FJR. I might add that I have had a bad back since the age of 18. Stretching exercises and trips to the gym help a lot. I do carry with me some Ibuprofen or Alive, but in all honesty I can say I have not had to use them so far.

As a foot note, in the past my neck would suffer the most. I guess I blame the weight of a full face helmet. I purchased the Shoei Neotec and my neck problems has diminished. For me it is a well balanced helmet, the best I have owned thus far. The riding gear you select will also play a big part in your riding comfort.

I know the day will come that I will have to hang up the keys, hopefully that day is a long way off.

Stay hydrated and stay well.

Hope this helps.

 

[Burnspot]

Next up: doing something about these vibrating mirrors that are giving me double vision!

See you on the highway.

Granger

Might try performing a throttle body sync (TBS) to smooth things out; never had a problem with mirror vibration on mine with either the stock mirrors or the OEM FZ1's I use these days.

My knees are about the only thing that complain after a few hours of riding...a bit of dangling, standing, and stretching keeps things bearable. My right wrist, which I damaged in the Corps, complains every once in awhile, but I think I've pretty much solved it's problem through riding position discipline and a change in grips. For the longest time I ran with grip puppies over some Pro Grips, but decided to switch over to Puppy-less BMW grips (from Bike Bandit)...seems to be MUCH better.

 

[DennisJ]

67 last may and until April when I broke my left clavicle and a couple of other bones, about the only discomfort I noticed was my thumbs getting sore from pushing against the the end of glove. Stopping for fuel and a stretch every 200+ miles worked pretty well for me. Since starting riding again in June my left shoulder starts to tighten up after about 3 hours and no change in riding position or relaxing seems to help. I see my Dr. at VA in a couple of weeks and intend to ask if there are any additional stretching or exercises I should be doing. On the way back from Winthrop yesterday on Hwy 20 I was very uncomfortable and stopped a couple of times to stretch.

 

[TwilightZone]

>". For example, I have never ridden a bike where my throttle hand went numb as quick as it does on the FJR. I don't recall my hand going numb on my last bike. "

If you haven't, do the throttle unwind... removing some tension from the throttle helps a lot.