Problem with Helibridge- suggestions needed

[Bill Lumberg]

After a lovely 10 hour ride this week, my wrists were killing me, in spite of the heli bridge. So I decided to adjust them more rearward. After moving an retorquing to specified values, the bars are still loose/moveable. Re-checked with a different torque wrench. Still moveable. Has any one experienced this, and if so, how did you rectify? Thanks in advance.

 

[JimInCal]

Bill, couple of thoughts on your post. I have the Helibridge on my 2014 ES and made one adjustment after riding for awhile. My guess at what could cause movement after proper torque on the handlebars would be 1) not clean surface under the handbar contact point and bridge contact point. I've noticed before that dust/water/dust/water combination can cause fine dust particles to cake up under the edges of the handlebars.

If you then move/adjust them and position on top of this dust under the edge, you would be able to torque properly and still have the dust "lubricant" under the handle bar. Just a guess...

My other comment. I've had Helibars on four bikes over the last 10 years, 2 FJRs, a 1200RT and a ST1300, about 180k on them. One thing that I noticed early on with my riding style was that I tended to lean heavily on my wrists, the reason that I put the Helibars on in the first place of course. After mounting the Helibars, they gave me the "opportunity" to take this weight off my wrists, but it is just an opportunity. What I learned about my riding posture early on with ST bikes, because of street bike experience I think, was that I still sit further back in saddle and arched over handlebars and still had wrist issues.

My MO for quite some time is that when I find I am getting numb hands or wrists are hurting, I am unconsciously reverting back to that "too forward" style. If I move my butt forward in the seat just a bit and focus on keeping pressure on my fingers (like you are pulling back on the bars) instead of pressing forward, it puts my back into the correct posture, hands go to full feeling again, wrists have no problem and my back doesn't get tired.

If your wrist pain is mostly on the outside of your wrists, adjusting the helibars further back will narrow the handlebar angle and will, IMO, cause your wrist pain to get worse. Just some semi-informed thoughts...

I ride daily (commute) and find that I start falling back into this bad posture when I'm paricularly tired even after 10 years on ST's and need to refocus on posture to keep my hands and wrists comfortable. I'm a firm believer in the Helibar product.

Jim

 

[Uncle Hud]

Note: Master Yoda Riding Position (called the "Dick Franz" riding position in the first sentence).

The keynotes to "the" Riding Position are:
Bend at the HIPS, not waist
Maintain a SLIGHT arch to the back, not allowing it ever to "curve"
Move the butt AFT so the weight is OVER YOUR FEET.
Apply pressure to the feet, using the THIGH muscles, so you are sitting "lightly"
ELBOWS BENT, now DROP the hands to the bars.

 

[08FJR4ME]

Riding position doesn't solve the helibars loosening up. Exscuzzzze me but the dust theory does seem to be a little far fetched. Something else is going on in my opinion.

Dave

 

[Pterodactyl]

I have them and cannot imagine how what you are experiencing can happen under normal circumstances. Could you be using the wrong bolts that do not have enough threaded area? If so, then you are torquing against the shoulder of the bolt and not against the helibar. Try to look under the helibar to see if everything is mating properly. Something may be out of place and interfering with the interface of the parts. Put them back the way you had them when they were able to be tightened and study how they mate, then try to bring them back to where you want them one side at a time.

Not much help I know, but it is all I have to offer.

 

[Uncle Hud]

Riding position doesn't solve the helibars loosening up. Exscuzzzze me but the dust theory does seem to be a little far fetched. Something else is going on in my opinion.
Dave

You're right. Figured the "torqued but still loose" would get fixed before the "hurts my wrists and puts my hands to sleep" would.

 

[Silver Ranger]

Check to make sure that you do not have anything cross threaded or that the bolts that go into a hole that is threaded is not to long or the hole is not properly threaded.

 

[RichDoyle]

... and that all 4 bolts have been tightened.

 

[Bill Lumberg]

All four were torqued properly, all surfaces clean. Increased torque 5 lbs and they set. Thanks for all opinions. Coming off a Bmw RT, wrist pain was never an issue, even with many high mile days. With the heli, I set the bars all the way back, but with the bar angle on the forward (wider) setting. After my long Wednesday and acute discomfort, I pulled them back. So now I'm sitting upright (which is proper for this sort of bike), but I have increased wrist angle. A long day, probably to the dragon and back Thursday, will test the change. Seat comfort has never been an issue, but in the FJR, it was a torture device by the end of the day. Something I took for granted before. Will try add-ons (suggestions welcome) before looking aftermarket.

 

[JimInCal]

Bill - Based on your fix/results, might be a good idea to check out the calibration of your torque wrench. Jim

 

[Bill Lumberg]

I used two (as soon as I saw the problem, I brought the other out). One of which had been recently calibrated. They were spot on. But that was my first suspicion!